Jane Fardell laughs when saying she should be getting slower as she gets older.
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But the 37-year-old multi-sports star shows no signs of slowing down after recording a new personal best time at the iconic and gruelling Ironman World Championships at Kona.
Dubbo’s Fardell touched down on Australian shores on Wednesday morning after completing Saturday’s epic event in Hawaii in under 10 hours and five minutes.
That beat the mark she set on her Kona debut last year and saw Fardell finish third in the 35-39 age group and 32nd overall in the female division.
Fardell has enjoyed a stellar marathon and triathlon career and while thrilled with her results at Kona, the weekend was another chance to soak up the atmosphere of one of the world’s greatest athletic events.
“You could ask should I have come (to Kona) earlier but life takes you in certain directions and now I’ve come here and enjoyed it and want to keep it on the agenda next year,” she said.
“To represent Australia at another World Championships and finish third, I do feel lucky.”
The bike leg was more difficult this year, according to Fardell after completing it in just over five-and-a-half hours, but it wasn’t anything she hadn’t dealt with before. While the terrain got incredibly difficult at times, the conditions were nothing new.
“The strong wind was going for almost the whole time but it was just being back in Dubbo at summer,” she said.
“I was feeling like I was riding loops around Dubbo where it’s the norm. But it was tough conditions, I just seemed to handle it better this year.”
One of the most special things about Kona is the camaraderie within the competitors.
As Fardell said, “everyone is there because they love exercise” and that creates a positive atmosphere while the Dubbo star said it was common to receive hi-fives and words of praise from other Australian athletes during the triathlon.
She also praised the handful of competitors and supporters from the central west who were also there for their wishes and help.
The results at Kona has continued a stunning year for Fardell.
Fardell won her category at the Challenge World Championship marathon event in Slovakia earlier this year while she also enjoyed success in New Zealand and in the Great Ocean Road run in her home country.
Fardell added she would take some time to plan her next event but was keen to compete in “two or three” more triathlons this year.