Lenè proves her Iron-will

To conquer her fear of the open sea, Lenè Chamberlain once again participated in the Standard Bank Ironman 70.3 South Africa triathlon in East London.

She crossed the finishing line of the event, adding a second finishers medal to her collection.

The race which took place last weekend (24 January) at Orient Beach consists of a 1, 9 kilometre swim in the sea followed by a 90-kilometre run.

It then finishes off with a 21.1-kilometre run. This is her second time she has finished the race after four attempts.

Chamberlain decided to participate in the event to face her fear of the open sea.

She nearly drowned twice as a teenager and since those incidents she has never learned how to swim.

“I learned how to swim five years ago so when I participated in my first half-Ironman I was not a skilled swimmer. But I was determined to face my fear. Not making it in my first two attempts was heartbreaking because of all the effort and training I put in to make sure I was ready,” she said.

She won her first medal in 2014 after failing two times as she missed the cutoff time in the cycling by five minutes each time.

“I want to leave a legacy behind for my children. I want to teach them to always hold on to their dreams and that sometimes it will take longer to reach them,” she said.

Chamberlain is no stranger to endurance events as she has participated in the Comrades Marathon four times and is planning to do her fifth and last one this year.

Just as she was ready to give up, she heard the story of Kevin Garwood who participates in the Ironman competitions with his disabled son Nicholas.

He swims while pulling his son who is on a kayak and cycles and runs all while carrying his son. This story inspired Chamberlain not to give up and continue with her dream of finishing Ironman.

“When I crossed the finish line and made it, I conquered my fear and knew that my body can do anything,” she said.

With her finishers medal safely tucked away, Chamberlain will now be concentrating on the upcoming Comrades Marathon.

“Every person needs to do the Comrades at least once in their life. It teaches you that you’re capable of doing so much more. And when you see the green lawn which leads to the finish line you feel such a sense of accomplishment,” she said.

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