Shanda Hill, ultra athlete, is training for her next challenge in Switzerland in August. (Submitted photo/Facebook)

By Pete McIntyre

Swim, bike & run

Vernon ultra athlete sets sights on world record in gruelling Deca triathlon

Jul 15, 2022 | 12:15 PM

Shanda Hill is ready to resume her quest to be the best.

The Vernon ultra athlete will end a two-year hiatus to compete in the International Ultra Triathlon Association (IUTA) World Championship in Buchs, Switzerland next month.

Hill, who was named the Tim Hortons North Okanagan Athlete of the Year in 2020, will take part in a continuous Deca ultra triathlon, the equivalent of ten triathlons in a row, from August 14–29.

The total distance of the race will be 2,260 kilometres, starting with a 38 kilometre swim, then 1,800 kilometres of cycling and ending with a 422 kilometre run.

“When Shanda finishes this Deca, she will tie legendary ultra triathlete Silvia Andonie for the most Deca’s completed by a woman in the world,” a news release from Hill’s team stated.

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Hill goes into the gruelling event as a world-record-holder, and one of the top ultra triathletes in the world.

In 2017, Hill was ranked number-one in female ultra athletes by the IUTA and made an IUTA-confirmed world record as the first female to complete two Decas in a year. A Deca is a continuous triathlon with a 38 km swim, 1,800 km bike ride, and a 422 run.

In August 2017, in Buchs, Switzerland, she was the second female finisher and then went on to complete a second Deca two months later in October 2017 in León, Mexico, where she came in first for females overall. In August of 2018, Shanda finished in first at the Swiss Deca Ultra in Buchs, Switzerland.

Hill’s next big goal was to to complete a Double Deca, a race no Canadian had ever attempted or completed, which consisted of a 76 km swim, 3,600 km bike, and an 844 km run over a month. In October 2019, Shanda came in second place for females in León, Mexico, where she was the third woman in history to complete a Double Deca and the first Canadian ever.

People wanting to follow Shanda’s progress can do so on the official Shanda Hill Ultra Athlete Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/ShandaHillUltraAthlete

More information about the IUTA can is on its website at https://www.iutasport.com