IA's Ironman Superwoman!

“Days with up to eight hours of cycling, mornings that began at 4.30 am and evening swims that ended at 10 pm”

?The saying “work hard, play hard” definitely applies to Teresa Ibuado. Normally she can be found behind her computer in our office in Milan, Italy. Working hard. And in her spare time? Well, she trains for and takes part in Ironman competitions. Playing hard.

This includes competing in the toughest of them all: this year’s 2021 World Championship, in Utah. And yes, that’s not a mistake. Because of Covid, the 2021 competition was put back to 2022, and the location was switched from Hawaii to Utah, the first time the World Championship has ever been held outside the Aloha state.

The Ironman World Championship is the leading event of its kind, and simply getting a slot to take part is not easy. “Luckily for me, I was invited for being ranked in the top 10% in my category in the world: female, age 30-34,” says Teresa. Luck? Typical Teresa modesty. It was hard training and dedication that got her there – and to the finish.

A full Ironman is a three-discipline sport involving a 3.8 km swim, a 180 km bike ride, and a 42.2 km marathon. And no, being in Utah instead of Hawaii wasn’t easier, it was actually harder, with 20 % of the course failing to finish. The water was cold at around 16C, and many of the athletes developed hypothermia. The bike ride involved climbing over 2,200 m, plus dealing with strong winds in the downhill parts. The marathon involved an elevation gain of over 420 m in temperatures of up to 37C.

?Teresa began preparing specifically for the World Championship about two months before: “There were days with up to eight hours of cycling, mornings that began at 4.30 am and evening swims that ended at 10 pm. There were weeks where I was tired after work, but knowing that I had this objective kept me motivated and disciplined. I followed the training program from my coach and stuck to my eating and sleeping habits to recover,” says Teresa.

It paid off because Teresa not only finished the race, but she did so in a strong 12 hours and 9 minutes, “with massive sunburn and a very happy and accomplished sensation.”

Well done, from all your proud and very impressed colleagues here at IA Group.