Somerset West’s Kayla Jordaan, in the final stretch of the cycling event of the triathlon, going past the beautiful Lake Molveno, Italy.

Wow, what an incredible experience!

This was the response of Kayla Jordaan, who just returned this weekend from her epic triathlon in Italy.

This determined young woman from Somerset West, who appeared in Bolander (“Fortitude in the face of tragedy,” April 17), is a Sports Science student at Stellenbosch University.

When I first met her, we chatted about her training for this race, and she told me that was a way of honouring the memory of her beloved brother, Daniel, who passed away early this year.

Her incredibly supportive family includes dad Gabriel, who is also a keen mountain biker (and did the Swiss Epic last year), her mom, and her grandmother Annie (well-known for her beautiful flower arrangements and quilts and bags, on 55 Dummer Street in Somerst West) - who puts aside proceeds from each sale towards the cost of Kayla’s race expenses.

The whole weekend at Molveno, Italy was filled with so much gees and excitement, says Kayla.

“On Saturday my friends and I were just looking over the scenery and trying to imagine how the race the next morning would go. We were all so nervous and just sat in silence trying to calm ourselves.

“On Sunday morning I went to the transition zone to rack my bike and set everything up how I wanted it. It was so cold outside, but luckily warmer than the previous day.”

“Coming out of the swim, I was tired and swallowed a lot of water so I was feeling a bit unmotivated,” said Kayla.

She says her swim didn’t go that well, since it is her worst discipline out of the three.

"“I just tried to conserve my energy regardless of my time or position. Luckily I made up some time in the transition zone and passed one or two girls,” she says.

Kayla describes the cycling part as very tough. “The terrain was filled with roots and loose rocks and it made climbing much harder. I had to get off my bike a lot and it definitely made it harder to get my rhythm.

“I passed one girl on the cycling and kept my position throughout the rest of the race. The uphill was so hard, but the down hill was almost harder. I really thought I was going to break a bone.”

Kayla in the transition zone before the run.

It was very, very technical, she adds, saying that you definitely had to know your story going down.

“I felt good going into the run and just took it easy since I have been struggling with shin problems since the start of the year.

Watch your feet: Kayla, focusing on the technical parts of the trail running.

“The trail was beautiful. We ran past waterfalls and there was a lot of tourists on the path cheering us on.

“Crossing the finish line, still feeling strong and amazed by what I had just done,” said Kayla.

“I finished the race strong and I felt good, but I was very disappointed with my results. I was 10th in my age group and the 30th girl overall.”

She adds, though: “I am so grateful for the experience and opportunity. I am going to continue training and see how far I can push myself.”

There are other big races on the horizon, including the Croatia Epic, which is similar to our Cape Epic, where you stay on boats, cycle on one island, then go by boat to the next island, and race there.

As grandmother Annie says: “Kayla inspires me, and puts her energies into action!”

The group photo before the race, where Kayla (on the left) said they were all feeling quite nervous.

#italy

Sky’s the limit for iron woman Kayla