Flip through the latest issue of Gulf Weekly.
Brave Kirsty McKay, who had been diagnosed as suffering with arthritis in her feet, is stepping out for an ultimate birthday challenge on Saturday competing in the gruelling Ironman event.
She is putting any physical discomfort to the back of her mind in a determined effort to help save endangered elephants … ‘animals that never forget yet people seem to have forgotten’.
Exactly one year ago when she was celebrating her 46th birthday, Kirsty decided arthritis, or not, she was going to sign up for Ironman70.3 Middle East Championship Bahrain which falls on the same day.
An Ironman is one of a series of long-distance triathlon races organised by the World Triathlon Corporation, consisting of a swim, bicycle ride and run, raced in that order and without a break.
There was a double dose of determination too because the swimming portion of last year’s Ironman 70.3 Middle East Championship event had to be cancelled due to bad weather so competitors couldn’t achieve the endurance sport’s ultimate accolade. She was in a relay team and was scheduled to take part in that section. “I didn’t actually plan to complete a full Ironman until the 2016 Bahrain date was released on the morning of my birthday, exactly a year away,” explained the mother of-two, a learning support teacher at St Christopher’s School.
“I thought, why not? I would have a year to train and I would try my best. “I am not 100 per cent sure I would have signed up if it wasn’t scheduled to take place on my birthday and in my adopted home country – those two things were the deciding factors for me! “I knew I couldn’t really train fully for the run. However, the more I thought about it the more I realised that if I could get fast enough on the bike, my swim was strong, so I could walk or run if I had to and I could still complete the challenge for charity.”
Kirsty was first diagnosed with the painful disorder which affects the joints in 2007. Arthritis symptoms often include swelling and a decreased range of motion of the affected joints.
The keen sports-lover, originally from and living in Dundee, Scotland, at the time, woke up one morning with sore feet and toes and had no idea what was wrong. At first, she pushed the discomfort aside but after six months the pain had not subsided.
She said: “It took 10 minutes every morning to warm up and move my feet. There was obviously something wrong and at this point I had two dogs to walk every day, stables to clean, a full-time job and, of course, two children to look after.
“After a further 12 months of investigating, X-rays, scans and injections in my toe joints, it was decided that I had arthritis just like my mum, dad and sister. “At this point, I decided to get back into international teaching so I could try to live somewhere warmer and see if my feet improved.”
Kirsty moved to Phuket, Thailand, in 2009 for treatment. After a couple years she was delighted to find that her condition was in remission. She added: “The drugs were very harsh and my white blood cells would be so low that the doctors decided to give me time off the medicine and we just hoped for the best.
“Ironically, just two months before I was diagnosed with arthritis and told not to run, I had just purchased my very first treadmill with a view to training to do a marathon. A marathon was on my bucket list, not an Ironman.
However, from 2009 onwards, after the diagnosis, I stopped running altogether to be on the safe side.” In 2011, Kirsty moved to the land-of-two-seas where she started training with the Bahrain Triathlon Club.
She lives in Hamala with her son Aidan, 15, who together with his sister Kiara, 16, encouraged her to carry on the training and arrange sponsorship. In 2014 she decided to run a 3km leg of the popular annual marathon relay.
Kirsty said: “My farthest run before having children was 11km so I knew I had it in me. In 2014, I completed the swim leg of the Challenge Bahrain 70.3 as part of a relay team and did it again in 2015. “That was the extent of my competitive endeavours. I have never run or competed in an Ironman. The thought of competing in one only came about after the swim was cancelled last year due to bad weather. I had been training with Bahrain Triathlon Club at Saar for more than four months and was really disappointed that I didn’t get the chance to compete.”
During training for this weekend’s event Kirsty has been concentrating on the swim section which is her strongest sport and the cycling. She said: “These do not cause me too much pain, although three-and-a-half hours on the bike can be quite challenging! “I have been gently building up for the run but am aware that if I do too much I will be in pain. I have not followed the Bahrain Triathlon Club’s Ironman schedule to the letter; that would drain my body and hurt my joints too much. But I have a swim belt which allows you to train for a run by exercising in water which helps get you race-ready without the joint strain.
“Since starting training this year, I have competed in the sprint triathlon and an aquathon. Before that I used to only watch as I didn’t think I could run far enough and was too scared to participate.”
She started training for the run in October and easily mastered the recent BRR grand prix 5km race but avoided the two longer distance races because she didn’t want to risk injury before the Ironman. “I usually know if I can’t run or if it might become too painful,” she explained.
“Running every day or even every two days is impossible but the bike training has kept me very fit as it is no impact and doesn’t hurt my joints. “I’m hoping that I am fast enough on the 90km bike to have enough time to walk and run the 21km of the Ironman if I need to!”
Kirsty wants to give a huge ‘thank you’ to Alex Catallo, another senior school teacher, for helping her train on the bike, experienced triathlon coach Andy Price and his family for support and advice and the Bahrain Triathlon Club, who have kept her smiling throughout the training schedule, Sam Muller who, two years ago, got her thinking she should try to do at least one Ironman and Allan Sword, an old friend from Dundee, who got her started.
She added: “Alex has helped to pace me on the bike from 0-90km since January. I couldn’t have done the training and managed to be fit enough to compete without the use of Sheikh Nasser’s cycle track and the encouragement of all the coaches and members of the Bahrain Triathlon Club, they have been amazing!”
Kirsty aims to raise funds for The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust (DSWT), the most successful orphan-elephant rescue and rehabilitation programme in the world and one of the pioneering conservation organisations for wildlife and habitat protection in East Africa.
It was founded in 1977 by Dr Dame Daphne Sheldrick D.B.E, in honour of the memory of her late husband, famous naturalist and founding Warden of Tsavo East National Park, David Leslie William Sheldrick MBE.
The DSWT claims a rich and deeply rooted family history in wildlife and conservation in Kenya. At the heart of the DSWT’s conservation activities is the Orphans’ Project which exists to offer hope for the future of Kenya’s threatened elephant and rhino populations as they struggle against the dangers of poaching for their ivory and horn, and the loss of habitat due to human population pressures and conflict, deforestation and drought.
To date, DSWT has successfully hand-raised more than 150 infant elephants and has accomplished its long term conservation priority by effectively reintegrating orphans back into wild herds. According to the charity, one elephant is killed every 15 minutes and at this rate none will be roaming wild by 2025.
Kirsty spent eight years living and teaching in Nairobi Kenya. Her teenage daughter was born there and is currently studying her A levels in the capital city. Her family often visited the elephant orphanage.
She said: “I’ve been aware of the plight of the elephants for a few years, especially as we have such close ties to Kenya. “This seemed like a perfect charity to support as we, as a society, are not fully aware that the wild elephant is disappearing at such an incredible rate.
Our children’s children may not be able to go on safari and see them in the wild. “My hope is that by completing my Ironman in aid of DSWT, we might be able to help, in some small way, towards raising awareness of the killing and suffering of these majestic animals at the hands of poachers and to help keep endangered-orphaned calves alive.”
The Ironman70.3 Middle East Championship Bahrain features a 1.9km swim, 90km bike and 21km run and will start from the Four Seasons Hotel Bahrain Bay and end at the Bahrain International Circuit and attract athletes from all over the world.
Kirsty has already raised hundreds of dinars for the cause. Her Just Giving page is open till July 2017. Donations can also be made at the St Christopher’s School reception or by clicking on this code.
