Vernon Ultra Athlete Shanda Hill battling injury in Africa

Photo: Facebook

Vernon Ultra Athlete Shanda Hill is now battling an injury causing her severe pain as she pushes to complete the Deca Ultra South Africa.

Early Tuesday morning, Hill pulled her adductor muscle which is connected to her pelvic floor – the injury is hitting her hard, according to her manager Jacs.

“The pulled muscle is not just a minor setback. That muscle is key for stabilizing Shanda's legs and pelvis, and now every step feels weak, unstable, and sharp with pain, especially when she pushes off or changes stride,” said Jacs in a post to Facebook.

“To keep moving forward, she will have to manage the pain, adjust her stride, and push through with sheer determination. It is going to take everything she has. But if there is one thing we know about Shanda, it is that she does not quit.”

The Deca Ultra Race is equivalent to 10 iron distance races.

Over the past 10 days Hill has swam 38 kilometres, cycled 1,800 kilometres, and ran 250 out of a total 422 kilometres.

Jacs said he hasn't received any more updates from Hill today, but the Xtreme Team from South Africa has stepped in to let Hill 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," said Jacs.

Hill began the race in first place and continued to lead against her all-male competitors for a lot of the race, before slipping into second place where she remains. According to my.raceresult.com, Hill is behind athlete Goulwenn Tristant from France.

In a recent message to the community supporting her here in Canada, Hill thanked everyone for their support.

“Thank you for coming with me, for being my spirit, for motivating and encouraging me to live my dreams,” said Hill. “When my body is telling me to stop, I think about the bigger picture. If you let pain control you, you might as well have stopped a long time ago. You have to embrace it. Pain is part of the process."

Jacs said Tuesday afternoon that Hill has now raised $8,340 towards her $80,000 goal for the year. An increase from just this morning when he put out a call asking to surprise her with more support when she finishes the race.

He’s said he's kept a list of contributors and said it will mean the world to her to see how many people have contributed.

More information about Hill and sponsorships can be found online.

After seeing the community support, Jacs booked a flight to support Hill at her next race in Brazil. He plans to bring his camera to keep the community updated on Hill's journey.