Taking on iron man

'I did it, I did it,' cried out Lebanese-born Myrna Fouad Saliba as she crossed the finish line at the Iron Man Busselton in Western Australia.

The 53-year-old businesswoman, wellness consultant, certified fitness trainer and sportswoman returned to Bahrain after completing the gruelling triathlon in 13 hours and seven minutes and was placed eighth out of 22 competitors in her age category.

'I had wanted to participate and complete an Iron Man triathlon ever since I watched a recording of the competition on a sports channel during my flight from Amsterdam to Montreal in December 2006. And it has taken me two years to achieve my goal which is very unusual because once I set my mind on a task I like to complete it quickly,' said Myrna proudly holding her Iron Man finisher medal.

The Iron man competition is known for its harsh weather conditions, exhausting distances and pushes its participants to their levels of endurance. The event is not for the faint-hearted and participants are expected to complete the 3.8-kilometre swim, 180-km cycle ride and a 42.2-km run in a 17-hour time limit. Less than one per cent of the world's population has ever completed an Iron man competition.

The soon-to-be-grandmother - her eldest daughter Adeline is due to give birth to her first child in April - Myrna had to cross a few bridges before she could sign up for the competition that brings together fitness and sports enthusiasts from all over the world. 'I did not know how to swim, disliked wetting my face and submerging it into water and I hadn't cycled since the last 40 years.'

But sure enough, she rose to the challenge and learned how to swim and became an instructor for Total Immersion Swimming in 2007. Myrna has boundless energy and punch packed in her petite 160 centimetre form that would put a woman half her age to shame. She was diagnosed with osteoporosis in 2000 but has managed to keep the disease under control with her regimented lifestyle and exercise routine.

Participating in Iron Man Busselton seemed impossible for Myrna due to a roller coaster year full of physical injuries - she cracked two separate ribs in August and October and lost sensation in her last two fingers just before the race - and family commitments. But Myrna went against all odds and true grit finally helped her achieve glory in the competition.

Nine weeks before the competition she bought a new bike, a new pair of shoes, pedals, an aero helmet and had to get used to the machine and the paraphernalia before the race. 'Five days before the race I was thrown off my bike due to strong gusty winds and on the day of the race we were biking against winds that were 56 kilometres per hour. Despite advice from several people to pee on my bike during the race to save time, I went to use the bathroom due to which I lost close to 10 minutes and slipped to second place in my age group in the run.'

But it was always about the finish line for Myrna and she was declared 757 out of 1,309 competitors. She has her sights set for Iron Man Louisville in August 2010 and has committed to channelling her time and energy into supporting the Kentucky Children's Health and Fitness Fund (KCHFF), which works towards making a difference in children's fitness and health.

The Busselton event was Bahraini resident and Gulf Air employee Ruth Tucker's second Iron Man challenge. Myrna and Ruth were the only two women who represented Bahrain in the international triathlon. 'I wanted to better my time and liked the challenge of it all,' said Ruth, 37, from the UK. She managed to clock 11 hours and 31 minutes and improved her time by one hour and 57 minutes. She was placed 378 out of 1,309 competitors and was placed ninth out of 61 in her age category.