Backing Local Grit: Introducing Kimberly, the Ironwoman
Supporting our local community is something we care deeply about, and we’ve always seen sport as an important part of that, whether it’s increasing access to participation in sport or backing those striving for high performance.
Alongside our ongoing sponsorship of the Motueka High School sports programme, last year we supported local mountain biker Eli Roberts as he won the U19 National Championships and took on the Junior World Champs in Europe.
This year, we’re proud to be supporting Nelson-based athlete Kimberly Maclean, who recently completed her first Ironman.
Kimberly’s path into endurance sport hasn’t been conventional. She didn’t come through years of triathlon training — in her words, she went “kind of straight to Ironman.”
Growing up on an orchard, she’s no stranger to hard work. After playing rugby and competing in swimming to a high level, she was convinced by colleagues to sign up for a half marathon a few years ago. That post-race buzz quickly lit the fire for more, leading her to take on one of the toughest endurance challenges there is.
Just eight months after discovering triathlon, she was already racing at a high level. She finished 8th in her age group at Ironman 70.3 Melbourne, and 4th at OxMan shortly after.
Since then, it’s been a steep learning curve. Learning to ride competitively as an adult. Managing three disciplines. Balancing long training days (often up to 25 hours a week) alongside full-time shift work as an emergency nurse at the Nelson Hospital.
It’s tough, but that’s exactly the point she says “It’s about getting comfortable with being uncomfortable.”
In March this year, Kimberly completed her first Ironman in Taupō; a race that includes a 3.8km swim, 180km bike ride, and a full 42.2km marathon to finish(!!).
Conditions on the day were tough. Heat built during the bike leg, leading to heatstroke and GI shutdown, making it impossible to take on nutrition heading into the run. But she pushed through regardless, in her words, “completely emptying the tank of what was possible on the day.”
It’s a massive accomplishment and she’s just getting started, already focused on learning from the experience and coming back stronger
Fuelling is of course a big part of the picture. Kimberly places a strong emphasis on simple, natural nutrition to support her training and recovery, including her favourite post workout snack of frozen apple juicies.
We’re proud to support Kimberly as part of our ongoing commitment to backing our local community and look forward to following her progress.
