Monash Med student Isabelle Claxton places 2nd in Ironman Championship

Finishing eight minutes under the previous course record isn’t bad for someone competing in their first Ironman.  

Monash Med student Isabelle Claxton placed 2^nd in the 18 to 24 age group and 35^th overall at the Ironman Asia Pacific Championships in Cairns last month.

The gruelling event involves a 3.9km swim, 180km cycle, and 42.2km run. Isabelle finished just 43 seconds behind her age group’s winner, with a time of 11 hours, 8 minutes and 46 seconds.

Isabelle completed the cycle leg of the event in just under five hours and 54 minutes. Photo: Isabelle Claxton. 

Isabelle said the event was the hardest thing she’d ever done, and that she felt the strain particularly during the marathon leg.

“I was rather exhausted. I think with about four kilometres to go, it was kind of like ‘oh I might actually survive’”, she said.

“But in the middle, it felt impossible.”

It was neck-and-neck between Isabelle and her rival competitor Kae Hayashimoto for most of the event, and the two were less than a minute apart going into the final transition between the ride and the run.

Hayashimoto slipped away slightly during the marathon, but Isabelle managed to reign her in from a seven minute lead to just 43 seconds in the final eight kilometres of the event. Both competitors finished over eight minutes under the old course record.

The split times between Isabelle (represented by the orange line) and her main rival Kae Hayashimoto (blue line) were never more than nine minutes apart in the gruelling 11 hour event. Graph: www.endurance-data.com

Isabelle credits her support team with motivating her to get through the race.

“Almost ten club members came just to watch, and they were strategically positioned along the course. My coach had said beforehand to make eye contact with them and acknowledge them each time I passed. Just to pull you out of that dark zone, and so that you focus on something else,” she said.

“I would just grab some coke and grab some ice and then focus on getting to the next aid station. They were about two kilometres apart, so just far enough that you feel like you’re making some distance.”

Despite being on a demanding surgical rotation, Isabelle still managed to fit in around 18-20 hours of training a week for the Ironman, which is a World Championship Qualifying Race. Her days would begin at 4.30am with a cycle and run to The Alfred Hospital, and end with a ride home and swim after placement.

After the event, Isabelle said it took several days to be able to walk down stairs, and a few weeks until her body was feeling normal again. But the fifth year Monash student doesn’t seem to be put off, and is already preparing for her next Ironman in Western Australia at the end of the year.

“To come second by 43 seconds after 11 hours of racing was tough, but to beat the course record in my first Ironman was a big confidence boost” she said.

“The fear of not surviving, or getting through it, was a motivating factor. But now I know I can do it.”

Written by Nell O’Shea Carre, Media Coordinator.