Not all of us were watching the Italians make their way into the finals of the World Cup... Kerry Short had her own goals to pursue.

Somewhere in amongst the 2005 end-of-season tequila shots at various Fez Club debaucheries I found myself on a Road to Monaco. A very strange place to be for someone who can't climb hills!!... but nevertheless... there I was and I didn't have the sobriety or sense to kill the idea immediately.

All of a sudden it was June (and starting to panic) I decided that it probably wasn't wise to make Monaco my first Half Ironman so decided to enter Trentham Big Half up near Stoke on Trent. I'd watched Diego and David WJ do it a couple years ago and knew that it would probably be a forgiving introduction to the distance. With a lack of other plodders to train with (you guys are all too dam* fast) and nowhere near ready for a half marathon run (the furthest I've ever run is 18K) I figured I could treat it as a training day where a DNF wouldn't be the end of the world. My main aim was to get through the swim without hyperventilating (some of you may know I have a 50/50 strike rate at that!), take it easy on the bike, and to run until the wheels fell off.

Preparing for Ironman UK, David Lombard (pictured) decided to join me, so we hired a car headed up north.

It's quite a small event compared to the official Ironman branded ones, but that's almost part of it's charm. They've had problems in the past with a very shallow swim but this year they moved the swim further into the lake and turned it into 4 lap course. I had reservations about a 4 lap swim but the field was small enough for it to work. The bike is a fast 3 lapper and the run is on a gravel track round the lake for 4 laps.

Conscious of not wanting to hyperventilate... I took it super easy on the swim... swimming wide of the main group and wide round the buoys. The water was still very shallow, even in the middle (Dav felt his hands touch the bottom a couple times) and the water is very dirty (you can’t see your hand in front of your face!). The first lap took forever, but I settled in and, like London, caught myself smiling at one stage. I was lapped right at the end of lap 3 (and managed to get on the feet of the leader for about four seconds!!). Out the water in 41 mins with Dav 20 seconds behind me (probably the last and only time I will beat him at anything) it was off to transition and out onto the bike.

The bike was pretty uneventful. A rolling 3 laps. The sprint and Olympic waves joined us on laps 2 and 3 so there are at least other people to look at. A big thank you to Eugene at this point for his advice on nutrition on the bike. Not only did it get me through the race... but trying to pry melted and sticky Power Bar quarters from gel sachets with one hand certainly helped to pass the time.

A 3:02 on the bike and I was off on the run. Everything hurt... my legs, my tummy. I started to worry that my DNF would be sooner than anticipated. By the time I hit 3Ks I had settled in and was actually starting to enjoy it (a very odd sensation since I hate running!). From then on I just felt stronger and stronger and stronger.

For those of you that know me you'll be shocked to find out that I was actually PASSING people on the run!!!... I KNOW!!! a very new experience for me!! Ever conscious of the inevitable 'wall' I held my pace… and you know… it never came!! I was high-fiving everyone, throwing comments at supporters and resisting the urge to skip and laugh out loud (perhaps the heat was getting to me by this stage). I was able to push the last 3Ks and if the finish tent had been higher… I would have cartwheeled over the finish line. 2:18 on the run… that’s walking pace for most… but my legs are short and that’s the excuse I’m sticking to.

A big thank you to Dawie for joining me on this little journey and for his support and encouragement on the road. He finished in an inspired 41st position in a time of 5hrs 12mins (in his second ever triathlon). Well done Dav. I’m thinking we can look forward to big things from you.

Considering I was hoping for a sub 7, expecting a DNF… my 6hrs 7mins and 15secs will have me grinning til Christmas. I know I have mountains to climb before Monaco (literally) but I’m relieved to find out that not only can I do the longer stuff… I actually LOVE it.

Thanks to everyone who phoned and texted their support and congrats, I felt very special.

Next stop… Monte Carlo! If anyone needs to get hold of me over the next two months… you’ll find me in the vicinity of Leith Hill

Happy training all.
Kerry