“I might be riding my bike and the air-raid sirens go off”

Juliya Azzopardi lives in Kiev, Ukraine, with her husband and two children. After a four-day journey, the 36-year-old finished in 12:03:53 at the Ironman World Champs in Hawaii last October, leaving her 145th in the 35-39 age-group category. Here’s how she got there…

I didn’t take part in sport until I was 28 because I suffered from anaemia and was excluded from PE at school. When I started, I couldn’t run 2km without stopping. But I stayed consistent, slowly improved, and went from zero to 5km, 10km, 21km and 42km.

I considered triathlon would be impossible, but my coach was a triathlete and when I got injured running, I tried swimming, learning from scratch. I got my first bike when I was 30 years old.

I’ve completed three full Ironmans and got a roll-down spot at Ironman Austria in June to race Hawaii.

I live with my husband and two children in Kiev. Unfortunately, they couldn’t come to Hawaii because it was a stressful, long trip and they have school. But they are very proud of their mum.

We get attacks every single day. Most of the time it’s at night and it interrupts sleep. It’s also frustrating when I’m swimming and have only been in the water for 10mins.

Or I might be riding my bike and the air-raid sirens go off. Wherever I am, I must find the nearest shelter and wait for it to finish.

It’s not the physical part that’s difficult, it’s the mental side. If I’m away from my family during an attack I’m really worried about them and start calling. You never know what it is. The obstacles in training are nothing compared to when you’re worried.

“My goal is to show that life goes on no matter what, and life is day-by-day because you never know when it’s your last day living in a war zone. I want to represent resistance and the will to live and fight”

Training is my medicine. It’s the only thing that helps me not go nuts with the situation.

The journey to Hawaii took me four days because there have been no flights in Ukraine since the war began. I travelled by car for around 1,000km, and you cannot travel at night because there is a curfew.

It took two days to reach the border, then up to nine hours to pass through two passport controls. I then took two flights.

Hawaii is amazing. I understand why it’s a dream for every triathlete. You have to be here to feel it.
From the moment I arrived in Hawaii I felt like I was a winner already. The amazing volunteers and organisers made me feel so welcome and special.

I had a good swim considering it was non-wetsuit, a strong bike and started the run at a reserved pace. Cramps in my left quad meant I had to walk every aid station, but I managed to make it to the finish and got a PB in an Ironman marathon!

I fell in love with the sport because it showed me that you CAN. And even when you think you cannot, you still can. I know that if I can achieve this much in sport, I can achieve anything in everyday life.

My goal is to show that life goes on no matter what, and life is day-by-day because you never know when it’s your last day living in a war zone. I want to represent resistance and the will to live and fight, and to stand up for your right to live free and in peace.

When it’s tough in a race I think about the soldiers who are fighting and I understand that suffering at the Ironman is nothing in comparison. I don’t have the right to give up, so I just want to tell everyone, don’t give up.

Top image credit: Finisherpix