Ironman 70.3 Geelong: No Pain, No Champagne for Local Mums

Ironman 70.3 is not all about the individual athlete, there is plenty of fun to be had in the Teams Relay which allows athletes to compete in IRONMAN 70.3 without the challenge of racing in all three legs. The Team Relay is also a great opportunity to set a new goal or challenge and the perfect introduction to the triathlon world and IRONMAN racing.

One of the standout teams at this year’s IRONMAN 70.3 Geelong on 18 February is “No Pain, No Champagne”, made up of a trio local school mums, Jane Miller, Nicky Sleep and Kylie Jane, who are keen to live up to their team name and have a bit of fun, but also raise awareness and funds for Fredric’s Ataxia (FA).

Team Captain Nicky Sleep said that Jane (Swim), Nicky (Bike), Kylie (Run) have previously only ever been spectators at IRONMAN 70.3 Geelong but bring a wealth of other sporting experience to the team’s endeavours in 2018.

“Kylie started running to improve her fitness so she could apply for the Victoria Police. From there she did a half marathon and then onto five marathons (including Sydney, Melbourne, Boston and New York where she achieved 3.32.04. Jane used to compete in sprint triathlons before switching to swimming after having children and has participated in the RipView Swim Classic and the Danger Ocean Swim in Torquay. I was predominantly a State League basketballer before taking up running and triathlon. I have competed in two IRONMAN 70.3 Busselton after getting inspired watching my husband compete in five IRONMAN races, including the big one in Kona. My last major event was the Paris Marathon in 2015.”

Nicky said “No Pain, No Champagne” are all fired up for and collectively ready to put their swim/ride/run into practice at Eastern Beach for a good cause and a great friend.

“We all met through our children who went/go to school together and we have watched friends race in IRONMAN 70.3 Geelong before and have really enjoyed the atmosphere. The idea of competing came up in August last year after attending a fundraising movie night to raise awareness and funds for Fredric’s Ataxia.  One of our dear friends and fellow school mum, Leah has FA. She is a mum to two beautiful children, a wife, a daughter, a sister, a teacher and an all round inspiring person who has become a role model and campaigner to increase awareness of this debilitating disease.”

“The documentary, “The Ataxian’ follows the story of a young man who, after being diagnosed with FA, shows the world that it is possible to take action and find hope under even the most life-threatening and daunting of circumstances. Finally relegated to a wheel chair, Kyle enlists the help of three friends, and they embark on the “toughest bike race in the world”, the Race Across America.”

“The morning after watching the film and listening to the heartfelt, honest words from Leah about her battle with FA and her hopes that one day there is a cure, Nicky wrote a message to let her know that we were going to also take on a physical challenge and raise funds for FA. As Kyle, in the documentary would say, ‘Life is about how we react’.”

“Our friends and family think it is great and inspiring, especially that we are doing it for Leah, who is a special part of our school community and friendship circle. We have all been training individually but being busy mums, juggling work and family life with training we are not expecting to break records.”

“The three of us love a glass of bubbles every now and then and thought a glass of champagne would be a nice reward when we cross the finish line. We have already told Kylie (our runner) we will be waiting for her with the bottle ready to pop the cork,” Nicky said.

The team have set up a fundraising page with all funds going directly to FARA (Friedreich Ataxia Research Association) to find a cure.