TRIATHLON: Personal best for plucky athlete

Plucky Broome athlete Nicole Smyth set a new personal best time at the gruelling Busselton Ironman event earlier this month, despite challenging weather conditions.

The demanding endurance event comprised a 3.8km swim, 180km cycle and 42km run, with the south coast race taking place on Sunday, December 6.

Smyth had to battle extremely windy conditions and rain, which made the ocean so rough that a host of competitors were seasick and 67 had to be pulled out of the water by surf rescue.

Despite this, the Kimberley athlete finished the event in a time of 12 hours and 49 minutes, which was ten minutes quicker than her personal best at this distance.

It was the third time Smyth has participated in the Busselton race and a real challenge to finish.

“It wasn’t the time that I planned but given the weather and the conditions I was pretty pleased,” she said.

“It was the hardest race I’d ever done, so to finish made it probably the sweetest out of all of them.”

Despite only taking up endurance events four years ago, Smyth has committed herself to the sport and recorded a number of remarkable achievements.

She completed the Mandurah half-ironman in November and also took on a 100km ultra marathon in the Blue Mountains in New South Wales in May.

Smyth plans to take on the 100km Ultra-Trail Australia run again in 2016 and regularly rises at 3.30am for training.

The Broome athlete said her motivation came from pushing herself to new levels.

“When I set a goal I am very driven towards achieving it,” Smyth said.

“I always want to improve myself and prove to myself that I am capable of more than I think I am.”

Smyth will take a couple of well-earned weeks off before her extreme training starts all over again.