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Female triathletes from different age groups and backgrounds pushed their limits and crossed the Ironman 70.3 Middle East Championship finish line with pride ... and they hope to inspire others to continue joining the sport.
According to Bahrain Victorious 13 member and three-time Ironman 70.3 Bahrain champion Holly Lawrence, who competed for a fourth time this year, there has been a rise in female competitors in the kingdom.
Nine women entered the race in the first year while there were 90 this year. The astounding figures were revealed at the Victorious Women’s Forum, co-hosted by Ironman finisher Roya Alsaati and Bahrain Victorious 13 director Michael Gilliam.
Bahrain Victorious 13 team members, Olympic gold and silver medallist Georgia Taylor-Brown, and Olympic mixed relay bronze medallist Cassandre Beaugrand, were very proud of how far women have come in sports, particularly in triathlons.
Bahraini triathlete and Ironman finisher Dana Zubari was delighted to have taken part in Ironman once again after 2018.
“I did not win in my age category, nor did I end up among the top Bahraini female athletes— that wasn’t my goal,” said the Lettuce Run co-founder. “My goal was to complete Ironman, which is such a great achievement in itself, and to prove to myself that I have the discipline to train for it and finish it! Ironman is a race that definitely is for people who are strong physically as well as mentally.
“The last one I did was four years ago and I just wanted to prove to myself that I could. I’m turning 40 and I wanted to do my fourth under 40!”
Zubari competed in three Ironman 70.3 races.
Her first was in Mallorca, Spain in May 2013. She was sponsored by the Nasser Bin Hamad Foundation and emerged as the first Bahraini female to complete Ironman in Spain.
After having her daughter Layla, she began training for her second 70.3 that took place in Bahrain in December 2016. Leading up to her third 70.3, she took part in a relay team for Ironman Bahrain where she competed in the swim in December 2017.
Her third Ironman 70.3 took place in Dubai in 2018 where she turned 35 and came in first place in the GCC female category. She also ran two marathons, one in Dubai in 2013 and the other in Barcelona in 2017.
“Honestly, I think the hardest part of Ironman is the training,” Zubari said. She had spent the past three months preparing for the challenge. “It is quite taxing on your body. To all the people out there who are not confident of completing an Ironman or a full marathon, stay strong. You can, if you set your mind to anything and put in the hours, you too can be an Ironman finisher or a marathoner!”
Athletic Iraqi Fatima Altaie, who lives in Maqabah, has been training more than four months for this feat and says she will be definitely signing up for similar events, regionally and internationally.
“The championship was beyond amazing and taking part in such a massive event was overwhelming,” said the high school teacher. The mother of two-year-old Sofia had met her husband Steve Graham, a primary school teacher, during the Bahrain Marathon Relay in 2016 and he is her role model for completing four full Ironman races and eight 70.3 races. “I kept reminding myself that I have done the training needed, to believe in myself and to have fun along the way!
“It felt absolutely incredible to cross the finish line; a bit emotional as well especially as I tried to compete in Ironman 70.3 Salalah - Oman at the end of September, but wasn’t able to finish the race due to an accident on the bike course. I had to withdraw.
“Finishing an event of this magnitude is a huge accomplishment, more so with the strong winds that posed a challenge.”
Altaie had fell in love with triathlons a couple of years ago after giving birth to Sofia and she hopes to one day be stronger and faster to qualify for the Ironman 70.3 world championship and perhaps even complete a full
Ironman event of a 3.8km swim, 180km bike ride and 42.2km run.
Most of all, her aim is to inspire the young generation that she teaches every day in school. “Being involved in sports and pursuing a healthy lifestyle is the main goal that I try to promote to my students every single day. With the rate of chronic diseases increasing among teenagers, it is important to be a role model to the young generation and encourage them to stay active inside and outside the school.
“Also, as an athlete, I try to inspire other females to step out of their comfort zone and break the notion that females cannot compete in sports. It is heart-warming that our sports community is becoming bigger and more inclusive every year.”
Mother-of-four Olga Gorvat, a line producer for a productions company, is also thrilled to have qualified for Ironman 70.3 World Championship in Finland in 2023.
“When people say that all that hard work has paid off, I feel a bit like a cheater because how can you call something that brings you constant happiness as hardwork?” asked Gorvat from Amwaj Islands.
“It’s a lifestyle, it’s adventure, it’s the same–soul people, it’s joy and the unforgettable moments of being purely alive. Yes it can be tiring but I will never want to give up those early mornings and late nights or sandy roads and windy seas to settle for comfort.”
Ukrainian Gorvat, whose Egyptian husband works in Saudi Arabia, started her sporting journey by training to be a triathlete during the Covid-19 lockdown. She got used to running every day and after a gentle push from a couple of friends, purchased a second-hand road bike. As for swimming, it came naturally to her, as she said ‘she enjoyed the beautiful Bahraini sea sides’.
However, she suffered a leg injury and turned her attention to cycling. She joined group rides with the Cyclones Cycling Club and has been racking up rewards since then with her hope to compete in the Ironman World Championship. That is now a reality.
“Thanks to everyone whose shoulders have been around to support me in this beautiful journey,” she said.
For details, follow @dilmuni, @fatimaaltaie, @danazubari, @bahrainvictorious13 and @im703middleeast on Instagram.
