Photo: Facebook

Despite a painful injury, Shanda Hill is not giving up.

The Vernon ultra athlete is competing in the first race of 2025 the Deca South Africa.

And after swimming 38 kilometres and cycling 1,800 kilometres, she is now 308 kilometres into the 422-kilometre run portion of the race.

Earlier in the running portion of the race, Hill pulled an abductor muscle, making every step excruciating.

“Since then, she has run two more marathons in agony. Shanda called me last night, exhausted, apologizing as if she had anything to apologize for because she felt like she was letting people down. Her body is at its limit, but her mind refuses to quit,” her manager Jacs posted on the Shanda Hill Ultra Athlete Facebook page.

“She knows she's come too far to quit, but she is still on track to be the first and only woman to finish the South Africa Deca.”

A Deca is the equivalent of 10 iron distance races.

Jacs said the Xtreme Team from South Africa has “stepped up incredibly, letting Shanda use their physiotherapist. The injury is deep, and unfortunately, there is not much they can do to fix it, but they are doing everything they can to help manage her pain and make things a little easier on her.”

One of the biggest challenges Hill and the other athletes are facing is the unrelenting South Africa heat.

“The South African scenery and incredible race director can't change the reality - this race and the heat are breaking them down. But even in the darkest moments, Shanda is still grateful. She's so very grateful to everyone who donated and commented in support of her yesterday. Your support gave her the strength to get out of bed and keep moving,” Jacs wrote.

One of Hill's sponsors, Rancho Vignola, received an unexpected endorsement in South Africa as well.

Several monkeys raided Hill's personal food stash at base camp, but they were selective in what they took.

“They stole every single Rancho Vignola fruit and nut bag, nothing else. Shanda was sad to lose her fuel, but laughed, saying, 'At least we know how pure Rancho's products are,'” Jacs wrote.

Hill is now a full-time athlete and looking for sponsors to help her achieve her goals.

For more information on Hill and how to sponsor her endeavours, visit her website.

“With sponsorships and donations combined, she has now raised $8,340 toward her $80,000 goal for the year. If we can keep this momentum going, it will be an incredible boost for her when she finishes this race,” Jacs wrote.