Degrees of pain

IT MAY not be everyone’s idea of a good time but earlier this year Casey’s Natalie Sheehan found herself in Canada running, swimming and biking riding in the freezing cold.
For the past five years Natalie has been training and competing in triathlons and in August she represented Australia in the ITU World Triathlon Grand Final in Edmonton, Canada.
“It was really cold, it was seven degrees on the morning of the race – we were standing there in our wetsuits with really cold feet,” Natalie, 43, said.
“We swam in a lake which they, basically, spent a $1 million on to get it prepared, which was incredible. We swam 1.5 kilometres around this lake.”
To qualify for team selection in the World Triathlon, Natalie competed in several national qualifying events throughout 2013 and 2014 and came fifth in her age category in Australia for the Olympic Distance event.
It was the first time Natalie had qualified for the event, in which she was sponsored by Homeloans and Noel Jones.
“To represent Australia in the World Triathlon has been the realisation of a dream after taking up the sport about five years ago,” Natalie said.
“I had to pinch myself when I first put on the green and gold uniform; it really was an amazing opportunity and a huge buzz to be competing overseas against athletes from 73 countries.”
For the Canadian Triathlon, Natalie rode 40 kilometres, ran 10 kilometres and swam 1500 metres, a feat she managed again last weekend for the Noosa Triathlon.
Natalie competed in the Noosa event, held on Sunday 2 November, as an ambassador for the National Breast Cancer Foundation.
“I did the Noosa Triathlon last year as well and this year I managed a personal best time for the swim and the ride,” Natalie said.
“The run was just really, really hot.
“We raised $60,000 as a team, which was fantastic.”
A relative newcomer to triathlons, Natalie said she now couldn’t picture her life without the adrenaline buzz she gets from competing in them.
“I just love it, I love the three disciplines – swimming, riding and running,” she said.
“There is a variety of training and racing and there are events in locations all over the globe so you can travel all over the world.
“I grew up doing surf lifesaving and I played tennis and baseball and a bit of golf, but I took up the triathlons a few years back and just loved it.”