Triathlon: A crash course in courage

Abu Dhabi:  Virginia Berasategui of Spain may not have won the Abu Dhabi International Triathlon, but four weeks after being hit by a car while training back in Majorca, her third-place finish earned her as much applause from the crowd as winner Julie Dibens.

Up against a top quality field, searing heat and injuries to her left foot and right knee, as she began the final leg of the challenging 223km race, the 34-year-old from Bilbao was virtually running on nothing but courage fuelled by her desire to make it an event to remember. She did that not just for herself but the many fans who had packed the finish on the Corniche.

Speaking to XPRESS later, an overjoyed Berasategui revealed why she had no intention of letting her setback prevent her from competing in Abu Dhabi.

“It was the first race, and I was training so much,” she said. “My performance had been so good I said I can’t lose all the work I’ve been doing, even if it might not be possible to win. I was thinking about first or second. I just wanted to be here and show I can do it,” she added, even managing to smile despite missing three front teeth from the accident.

Talking about her struggles through the race which she completed in 7 hours, 18 minutes and 23 seconds, she said: “I had big problems with my foot and also with my knee. I couldn’t train too much in the last two weeks because of the knee.
“The swim was not so good. I usually have a bad swim, but I said it’s a long race, my bike is good, so I can do it.

“The first long lap was really good. In the second lap my knee was starting to hurt me so I couldn’t push too much with that leg. I was losing power, so I said, ‘Ok, I’m not going to catch the first two but I can keep the others [behind]’. So that was my goal. I did it and I’m happy.”

Berasategui was full of praise for the inaugural event. “It was amazing, I really liked it. The place where we did the swim was really nice. The bike, I thought going back again would be boring but I really liked it. The part on the Formula One track was, wow, really nice. I enjoyed that. But the best thing for me was no cars,” she said.