Ironman fulfils lifetime ambition

Broome’s Oskar Booth fulfilled a lifetime ambition earlier this month by competing in, and finishing, the Ironman World Championships in Hawaii.

The iconic endurance event pits the sport’s elite from the world over against each other with a gruelling course consisting of a 3.86km swim, 180km bike ride and 42km run.

Qualification for the exclusive race is hard-fought, with Oskar agonisingly missing out on a place in 2013 by 15 seconds, but secured a spot with a stellar showing and qualifying time at Cairns Ironman earlier this year.

After months of dedicated training and complete focus on competing in Kona, Oskar emotionally crossed the finish line of the demanding race in a time of nine hours and 43 minutes.

The swim leg came first, with 2000 eager competitors scrambling to gain the initiative.

“The cannon fired with a thud and a puff of smoke and all hell broke loose,” Oskar said.

“I felt like I was in a stampede, the thrashing, kicking and punching of the swimmers was intense as we all fought to get ahead.”

The Kimberley athlete finished the swim component in 66 minutes, slightly longer than his objective of an hour, but was motivated to make up ground during the cycle.

“I rode hard, passing many people in the first few kms - and began to feel at ease when I caught the first person I recognised, who was also a better swimmer than me,” Oskar said.

“I kept the intensity high, determined to get myself into a good position on the bike.

“I rolled into Kailua and made my way to the dismount line for a 4:53 bike split. I was stoked. I had laid down a very solid first half bike and survived the second half.”

Having been competing for six hours, running a marathon was Oskar’s next challenge in the ultimate test of his fitness and resolve.

After pushing himself in the cycle leg, weary legs started to take hold while he also had issues with cramping and was displaying early signs of heatstroke.

As the Broome athlete approached the final section of the race, elation blotted out the pain.

“The atmosphere was incredible - the emotions flowed, reflecting on the privilege it is to race here and the obstacles overcome,” Oskar said.

“At this stage, position and even time were irrelevant as the battle was purely a personal one, and I had triumphed.”

Reflecting on his achievement after completion, Oskar admitted it was the hardest race of his career and that the notoriously tough Kona course had lived up to its daunting reputation.

“Kona is infamously hard and it delivered exactly what is said of the race,” he said.

“This event demands respect and it certainly taught me that you may want to race the course, but really here the course races you.

“Special thanks to all my close friends and family who have supported and encouraged me on this journey to Kona.”