Becky
Having grown up in boarding school all my life in Kenya, I missed the opportunity to learn cycling and swimming. I reckon that I could hardly save myself in a bathtub.
My quest to learn new skills began in 2013 after returning from a life changing wilderness leadership Excursion. Together with my friend Bianca Reichelt who later introduced me to Coach Sally Waterworth, we decided to conquer our fears and explore new opportunities. After witnessing my friend Bianca take the bold step and signed up for her 1st Corporate Triathlon in 2015 through the help of professional coaching of Aspire (then Blu Smooth Coaching), I followed suit and enrolled myself for swimming lessons and began my triathlon journey which unknowingly would later be a source of inspiration for many.
Standing on the shores watching my friend attempt a sea swim, I describe it as one of the scariest day in my life. I could not comprehend the whole experience. In a different spin all together, Bianca came out of the water in high spirits, jumping in joy for her achievement. This marked the begging of new things for me.
For cycling, Bianca had a Giant lifestyle bike which had a carrier at the back. She borrowed it to me in September 2015 and through help from family, I got in motion and slowly started cycling. In no time, I joined my 1st group ride in October 2015 and got the opportunity to horn my cycling skills. Not forgetting to mention the fear and horror of falling which earned me a name ‘the Bush Hugger’.
Hardly 2 years later, I successfully completed 70.3 IronMan Buffalo city and what had just been a parking lot discussion with my friend led to conquering fears and a launch of Ketsh Up; an initiative that aims to motivate more women from all walks of life to acquire cycling and swimming skills in order to destroy stereotypes and diversify the triathlon scene.
Through this journey I have also learnt the key balance of nutrition and exercise. I brag a 12kgs weight loss, increased energy and efficiency.
At the moment, I am taking a year break with the expansion of our family and will take this time to reflect and share the knowledge learnt far and wide. My plan is to return to triathlon in 2018 and hopefully complete a full IronMan in 2019.
Picture below taken on 26th November 2016