After 35 days of an unconscionable race, Vernon's Shanda Hill could be forgiven for making a silly mistake.
Hill accidentally ate her earplugs instead of her painkillers, as she pressed on in the Triple Deca Continuous Ultra race in La Garda, Italy.
"She was so out of it that it took her a minute to realize the taste of ear wax in her mouth," said her support team on her Facebook page. "One thing that Shanda is celebrating, however, is that so far, she has not lost any weight at all during the race. When she left home, she was 152 lbs, and when she weighed herself yesterday, she again was only 152 lbs."
So far, Hill has completed a 114 km swim, 5,400 km bike ride and has conquered 800 km of a 1,266 km run. According to her crew, Hill "aims to complete the challenge" by Sunday, Oct. 13.
Hill is looking to become the first woman to ever complete 30 Iron-distance triathlons continuously over 45 days. Her pain has been very evident, according to her crew.
"When we asked her if she would continue, she told me that nothing short of her legs being broken will stop her, she would drag herself across that line if needed," her crew said, after twisting her ankle on day 33 of her race. "I just know that the remainder of the race is now going to be 10 times more painful, and my suffering will be that much greater. It won't break me because I am not quitting. It's just going to make smiling for photos much more difficult."
To follow along with Hill's race, visit her Facebook page.
