Vernon's Shanda Hill has dropped out of the Ultra Triathlon Association World Championship

Photo: Facebook

Shanda Hill

Vernon's ultimate athlete has had to pull out of her latest race.

Following a two-year COVID-forced hiatus, Shanda Hill travelled to Europe to compete in the International Ultra Triathlon Association World Championship in Buchs, Switzerland.

The continuous 'deca' started Sunday with a 38-km swim, followed by an 1,800-km of cycling and ending with a 422-km run.

However, after the swimming portion of the event, Hill made the difficult decision to bow out of the competition that is the equivalent of 10 triathlons in a row.

“After getting out of the pool and onto the bike, she found that the chlorine had seriously affected her lungs. She was able to push through and do a few laps on the bike but discovered she was out of breath, and it felt like knives stabbing her to breathe,” said a post on her Facebook page.

“She thought a good sleep would help, but after getting up in the morning and pushing again, she had to make the unfortunate decision to pull out of the race for her health. It was such a hard decision for her because her mind wanted to race, but her body was not letting her do it.”

Hill was the first Canadian to complete a deca in 2019, when she finished the Double Deca Classic in Mexico.