NOOSA’S world champion ironman Melissa Hauschildt has won Australia’s most enduring event on debut at the distance.
Hauschildt, who moved to Noosa earlier this year, is a two-time world champion at the 70.3 distance, yet overhauled Sydney’s Lisa Marangon to win the coveted Toyota Ironman Australia event at Port Macquarie on Sunday over twice that journey.
She has now emerged as a contender for the world championships in that discipline in Kona, Hawaii.
“I decided to do this only three weeks ago and had two weeks off before that,” Hauschildt said.
“It felt amazing crossing that line. That was the toughest thing I’ve ever done. It just goes on and on, it was not fun at all.
“It’s awesome I don’t get to race that much in Australia, so to win an Australian title is awesome. The next time I do one I think a bit more training is in order.
“I was just thinking never again, never again, just cross that finish line. It was so tough, I’ve never run that far before, four laps, after one lap I was buggered, it was really tough.”
Since entering the triathlon scene in 2010 Hauschildt has left a mark.
The 31-year-old fought back from challenging injuries in 2012 to prove unstoppable in 2013.
She bagged 10 endurance-distance wins, including the Ironman 70.3 World Championship in Henderson, Nevada. In 14 races covering distances from Olympic to long, she was never off the podium, including the top spot at the ITU Long Distance World Championship in France.
