There was a nervous tension in the air as close to 2,000 athletes bobbed in the water, it was 26th August and only seconds to go before the start of the 2001 Subaru Ironman Canada. I nervously looked around desperately trying to spot some of the other lesser know pro women but could only see the mass of dark green hats from the age-group men just behind me and the likes of Melissa Spooner, Jan Wanklyn, Peter Ried and Olivier Bernhard just in front. Oh well, this spot was going to have to be as good as any to start my first pro race, anyway maybe I would be able to stay on their feet, stranger things have happened......

I still can't believe I only competed in my first triathlon almost exactly three years ago to the day, the Macau Asian Series race over the standard olympic distance. What an incredible journey it's been, full of some amazing experiences, lots of learning, meeting some really great people and travelling all over the world.

Bang, the canyon had gone and we were off, this was it, all those months of early mornings and hours of training and anticipation, the day of truth was finally here. Head down, control the breathing and think of technique, easier said than done when I knew I would have a whole wave of swimmers clawing up my legs within seconds desperate to put the first challenge of the day behind them. The swim felt great for the first five minutes and I was hoping for a repeat of my swim experience in IM Australia earlier in the year, which was fantastic. Not to be, my mask started to leak and things were beginning to get tight with thrashing arms everywhere, one knocking my mask half off. I told myself not to panic and stopping didn't seem an option so I just tried to settle into a rhythm and concentrate on finding some feet to follow. It has to be said I was relieved to hear to voice of Mike O'Reilly booming out across the lake, the end must be near. I normally really enjoy the swim in an Ironman race, it is like the calm before the storm but not being able to see for most of the swim made the experience less enjoyable but I still felt confident my time would be as expected.

Sure enough as I excited the water and looked down my watch said one hour so I was on target as I headed off to the change tent feeling confident as I heard another of the pro women's names announced as she excited the water. T1 was soon a distant memory as I sped up Main Street through the crowds of spectators, everyone was certainly right the locals really get behind this race and make you feel like you're in the Tour de France.

I had hoped to see my parents as I came out of transition but there were so many people it was impossible to pick out faces. They had traveled over from the UK to watch me race for the first time so this added to my excitement. They had seen me transform from a rather overweight rugby player to triathlete over the last three years and the changes must have been huge for them as I only see them once a year. The first signs of transition were they no longer had to kick me out of bed in the morning when I went home, as I would already be out of the door running when they got up. Soon this progressed to not going home without my own bike, as my newfound hobby became more serious. My time back home would be carefully scheduled around training sessions and then there was the whole diet thing. No more white bread, pasta, potatoes, desserts, chocolate except for the odd treat. I would have my Mum stocking the cupboards in advance of my arrival with herb tea, soy milk, lentils and rye bread not to mention checking the labels of cereal to hunt one down that wasn't loaded with sugar!

When I was back briefly in the summer in my build up to Canada, my Mum took the day off work to spend some time with me. I decided a great way of doing some bonding would be for her to accompany me on my 3hrs run although she opted out of the run part and rode her bike instead! We actually had a great time and I knew training was going well as I was able to merrily chat away for the whole time and keep a good pace going. Does any of this strange behavior sound familiar? What our poor families are put through in the name of love but today was the day I was going to show them it was all worth it.

As I headed out of town down along the lakeside it seemed we had been blessed with great conditions, no wind and blue skies. Earlier in the week the weather had been much colder and there had been a headwind on the first section of the bike. I had been told was the part to really enjoy as it is flat compared to the rest of the course and normally has a tail wind. I had been worried whether my wet racesuit would keep me warm enough during the first few hours but I needn't have even bothered putting my arm warmers on.

The first 60km went without any drama, I was slightly ahead of my target time and my nutrition plan was on track even though I was sick of forcing a combination of gel, powerbars and gatorade down. It seemed no sooner than I had eaten a bar or gel; it was time to start another. As I started up Richter Pass, the first major climb of the day I made a mental note to remember all the hill work I had done and keep positive as I knew the easiest part of the day was over. As I climbed the scenery was stunning and even though I was meant to be racing I couldn't help but take notice and think how lucky I was to be able to race in so many amazing places. I cast a thought back to Cookie (my boyfriend) and hoped he was also enjoying the race as much as I was as he had been struck down with a bad cold a few days before.

I managed to pass a couple of girls on the climb and still felt I was not pushing myself too hard so this was a good sign and in no time I was sailing down the far side. This is a long downhill section and you could easily get up to 70km per hour, an ideal opportunity to try and relieve my full bladder much to the horror of one of my fellow competitors who had crept up behind me! After Richter, you face about 30km of rolling hills through the fruit orchards where I kept things under control trying to make sure I wasn't pushing too hard. As we started the Cawston out and back, I started to feel I lost a bit of strength but focused on some of the people riding near me to try to ensure I maintained my pace. This plan seemed to be working until we turned onto the road climbing up to Yellow Lake; it is a very gradual climb for about 10km and then a steep section up to the lake. I found this section so tough, there was nothing in the tank and my legs felt completely dead with the slightest little rise feeling like Mount Everest. This was my fourth Ironman and I had experienced bad sections on all the others in both the bike and the run but nothing quite this bad. I honestly didn't think I was going to make it up to the lake and I normally relish the challenge of a climb at any time no matter how tired I feel.

I had been struggling with the strength of the Gatorade on the course, as I seem to get stomach problems racing when things are too sweet and this had meant I had not been drinking as many carbs as planned. The effect of this was I also couldn't manage to stomach the last couple of gels I had been carrying so maybe my troubles were down to racing hard for the first time in an Ironman combined with the lack of carbs. Thankfully things did begin to improve after I had struggled up to the lake. I am not sure whether it was the throngs of spectators cheering you on, the beauty of the lake nestled under the pine trees or the flat break as the course wound its way along the lakeside before the final climb. As I began to feel better and was cruising back down towards Penticton, I focused my thoughts on T2 and preparing my body for the run. The ride back through town is slightly uphill, longer than you think and met us with a headwind as if to remind you finishing this race is not a given at any time.

I couldn't believe the number of people who were now lining the streets as I emerged from the tranquility of T2. As I turned onto Main Street, I was really lifted as I saw my parents and they shouted their encouragement, it meant so much to me for them to be sharing my experience. I had spent most of this year really working on my running which had been my weakest link as I had little running background. Like many people, I had gone from finding running a real chore to thoroughly enjoying the freedom of putting my runners on and spending some quality time with myself. I can put most of my change in attitude to running down to loosing weight and increasing my fitness over the last three years. This year I had worked really hard at the track for the first time, combined with some really good quality long runs.

Now enjoying the tail wind and downhill stretch as I headed out of town, I was able to find a good stride and started to focus on catching some of the women who I knew were ahead. I could see one of the other pro women just ahead and decided to keep pace with her as she was running at my target pace. I felt like I was in a cocoon for most of the run, in my own little world where I was pushing hard but strangely in control and really focused on getting to the finish. As we got closer to the turnaround, I started looking out for the lead women so I could see how far ahead she was and find out what position I was in. I remember seeing Kujala Wenke in the lead and thought she was a long way ahead so wondered whether I would be within the 10% time I needed to win money if I could run myself into the top ten. I seemed to struggle to count properly and calculate the time, its amazing how even the simplest tasks appear impossible when you have been racing for over 8hrs.

I was still running with the same pro by the turnaround and I think we were both given renewed energy as we saw there were a couple of women not far ahead. As we headed back to Penticton, I was able to ease ahead on one of the hills and start to open a gap and overtake another female. This took me to thirteenth place overall, I had always believed I could be competitive but it was a great feeling to realize I was actually putting the performance together, I just had to keep going. I had little idea of how far I had run; I had been looking for mile markers and hadn't seen any which was strange in an Ironman race. Little did I realize that there were huge red numbers painted on the road, I will never know how I missed all of them but it obviously wasn't part of my cocoon.

I remember that I started looking for Cookie on the way back, I couldn't wait to see his smile and I knew he would give me an extra burst of energy to carry me to the finish. About half way back to town, I recognized the figure running towards me, I was pleased to see he looked great and was running really well. Although I had been looking forward to this fleeting moment for hours and it really lifted me, I didn't have the energy to say anything other than grunt as we passed. He was shouting words of encouragement, telling me I wasn't that far behind the lead women and to keep my head down.

Before long, I reached the edge of town which means five miles to go and I was holding it together although it was hurting, this one was hurting more than any of the others but I still felt things were under control. As I made my way up the hill through town I managed to pass another three women so I was down to tenth place, a top ten finish was on the cards which was better than my wildest dreams. The dream was then pierced with my hamstring cramping, I shortened my stride and told myself to relax which seemed to bring it under control but it kept re-appearing every time I tried to lengthen my stride and pick up the pace. I had been warned that the run through town to the finish seems to last forever and it does, I was dying to see the Hog's Breath coffee shop, which signaled the turn towards the finish. As the finish arch comes into sight you are directed away again to complete a 1km out and back section along the waterfront. My parents were on the corner and jumping up and down, my Dad was frantically shouting to tell me I was within the time and only 1/2hr behind the winner. I couldn't believe my ears, surely he didn't mean 1/2hr and I convinced myself he was lying to make me feel better and get me to the end! As I came round the turnaround with 1km to go, I spotted the pro that I had run with for most of the marathon looking really strong and gaining on me. Ok, time to test that hamstring and try to up the tempo but it wasn't going to be and she came past me with 200m to go. I would normally have given anyone a good fight at the finish but with visions of the famous crawling finishes at Hawaii going through my mind I played safe and had to let her go.

To anyone who has ever completed an Ironman, getting your feet on the carpet that leads to the finish arch can only be described as heaven. As I came through the finish tape, I was so completely spent I can't really remember my exact thoughts except relief that it was over. Two volunteers caught me and started to escort me to medical, apparently my parents were right there calling to me but I didn't hear anything. Once I had been deposited in a chair in the medical tent, the result started to sink in and I couldn't wait to go and celebrate with my Mum, Dad and Cookie when he had finished. After about an hour in medical and a piece of pizza later, I started to feel much better and the nausea vanished although I was still really struggling to stand up and walk. My legs felt just like they did after my first IM in New Zealand, I would never have guessed then that I would sat 18 months later celebrating an 11th place finish.

I must say a big thank you to Rick (my pre-race masseur) who as promised started his shift early to see me finish. He found me in the medical tent and spent the next hour fetching dry clothes, pizza, drinks, giving me a great massage and then helping me find my parents in the mass of screaming spectators around the finish shoot. Needless to say my parents were thrilled with my result and the day was made even more special the fact they were able to share it with me. I think it was about an hour after sitting in the stands at the finish that it finally dawned on me that my goal had been achieved and all those hours of training, planning and sacrifices had paid off. I remember shedding a few tears of complete joy as I realized I would make it on to the stage at the awards and the most important people in my life would be there to share it with me. Its amazing how emotional you can feel after a long day at the races.......