The Grail… In one’s wildest and wildest dreams, qualifying for the Ironman World Championships in mythical and paradisiacal Hawaii is the goal of many long-distance triathletes.
Obviously, the places are very expensive (in every sense of the word) and in the end, the lucky few. Natalie Olasagasti has already experienced major competitions in her original sport of trail running, be it on the Diagonal des Fauss in Reunion or the ultra trail of Mont Blanc. Also, eager for new challenges, she moved on to triathlon and has already achieved several successes.
A new adventure awaits Natalie with this qualification to Hawaii early next October. Of course, it didn’t happen by itself: with a leg injury this season, Natalie took the opportunity to advance on her bike, with some of the best cyclosportives in her program.
And so, on August 14, Natalie was in Cork, Ireland, in the company of her husband, Joseph, with the secret hope of winning his category, and therefore the precious sesame of the Pacific Islands.
Second after a 3.8km swim, Natalie, as expected, took the cycling festival by more than 35 minutes down on her first rival. Not yet won, Marathon is still a justice of the peace; Fatigue and wear and tear can sometimes frighten creatures. This was not the case with Natalie, who proved to be steadfast and efficient without ever really worrying. A little romantic wink, she would finish 6 seconds behind her husband Joseph, and a strong race (12th in his category) as he seemed to have recovered well from his excellent Altriman.
So the Triathlon Club Carcassonne is proud to have its first Ironwoman and wholeheartedly behind Natalie.
At the end of July, at the X-Terra event of Super Bess, Guillaume Gubert was in the race for the world qualification, at the heights of the local “pies”. In an event that combined mountain biking and trail running, Guillaume was evolving in his favorite terrain: nature running. Finishing fifth in his category after a restricted race, Guillaume missed out on qualifying for the World Championships in Italy the following October. All is not hopeless, and we can rely on Guillaume and his generosity to try something again in these contests that he loves so much.
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