Shanda Hill at Double Deca triathlon in Switzerland. (submitted photo/Facebook)

By Pete McIntyre

Double Deca race

Update: Vernon athlete trying to overcome ‘unbearable pain’

Sep 5, 2023 | 1:00 PM

UPDATE: Sept. 6, 2023

Vernon ultra athlete Shanda Hill is not giving up.

A posting on her Facebook site said as of Wednesday morning (Sept. 6), Hill had completed 240 kms of the 844 km run at the Double Deca triathlon in Switzerland.

“Shanda’s determination to reach her goals is unwavering despite the challenges posed by her injury (very painful glute injury),” the update said. “She’s demonstrating incredible resilience by incorporating running and walking into each lap to keep moving forward.”

The total time limit to complete the race is 724 hours which is 30.2 days. Participants started with a 76 km swim on Aug. 20, followed by a 3,600 km bike ride and an 844 km run.

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Hill is one of 13 racers in the Double Deca continuous event, and the only one from Canada.

The participants have to finish by Sept. 19.

Shanda Hill (Photo credit: Facebook)

Vernon athlete trying to overcome ‘unbearable pain’
Sept. 5, 2023

An old injury has come back to haunt Shanda Hill, which is putting her participation in a gruelling international race in jeopardy.

Three years ago, the Vernon athlete fell from a distance through a roof and landed on a 2×4 piece of lumber, which severed her glute muscle.

“She has had issues ever since and has a physical dent in her glute from where it happened,” a posting on Hill’s Facebook page stated.

Hill, 41, is into the third and final leg of the Double Deca triathlon in Buchs, Switzerland. She earlier completed a 76 km swim, and a 3,600 km cycling trek. As of the update Tuesday morning (Sept. 5), Hill had run 178 km, leaving 706 kilometers to complete the race.

“Earlier this morning, she had it massaged, but she said she is in considerable pain, so much that it hurts as much as the day it happened to her,” the posting said.

On Monday night, Hill was optimistic she could continue and manage the pain after changing her running style.

“She is doing the best she can, but she said the pain at this point is almost unbearable,” the update stated.

Hill is known as one of Canada’s — and the world’s — top ultra triathletes.

In 2017, she was the number one ranked female ultra triathlon athlete worldwide according to the International Ultra Triathlon Association (IUTA).

Hill also set an IUTA-confirmed world record, becoming the first woman to conquer two Deca triathlons in a single year.