The obstacles between a vegan and the World Championships

Persistence in the Ironman

The Slovenian took part in the Ironman European Championships in Frankfurt where he was well placed after the swim and on course for a place in the World Championships. With 150 km of the 180 km cycle complete Sebastjan had a flat tyre and crashed. He ended up running with the bike for 2km before he was given a spare tyre by another athlete. After the repair he finished the cycle section with 30 minutes added to his time and went on to run the 26 miles, finishing under ten hours, a remarkable achievement.

Pula and the road to the World Championships

Following this he turned his attention to the Pula half Ironman. “It was not the perfect day,” he said afterwards “but I can live with this performance – it’s almost end of the season and the body is a little tired.”

The official results look unusual as no competitors have much time logged against the swim part of the course. This was because high waves made it too dangerous to contemplate swimming, so that part was called off – a decision Sebastjan agreed with. This left the athletes with a rolling start where one was sent to the bikes every five seconds.

“The bike part was windy and pretty hilly. So when it summits…it was a hard bike” he remembers. “The first part of the run from T1 to town Pula was along the coast. So two things ware certain: wind and hills! The second part in the city was better and faster. I think I hade a solid half marathon with not bad legs.”

In the end Sebastjan finished 27th overall and sixth in his age group . This was a direct qualification for the 70.3 World Championships in 2018 in South Africa.

Unfortunately Sebastjan will not be able to take part in the World Championships due to the cost. This is a terrible disappointment for a determined athlete who has all he needs athletically to perform but lacks the finances.

He remains ambitious and still harbours ambitions to compete at the highlight of the triathlon calendar.

“When the Finances are present I will absolutely be competing at the World Championships” says with confidence.

If a potential sponsor is reading this, please contact Sebastjan, he would love to hear from you.

Official results

Sebastjan’s Profile

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