Search
shop

British triathlon star excited for ‘scary’ IRONMAN South Africa return after injury nightmare

Former IRONMAN South Africa winner looking to kickstart 2025 campaign with strong performance in that race this weekend
News Director
Last updated -
STRENGTH. ENDURANCE. PERFORMANCE.

After a frustrating injury-blighted two years, Ruth Astle admits “it’s a bit scary” heading into IRONMAN South Africa on Sunday.

The British star is a three-time IRONMAN winner but the last of those successes came back in November 2022 when she triumphed at IRONMAN Israel.

She ran a 2:57 marathon that day, the first and only time so far in a race when she’s dipped under three hours, but much of her running since then has been hampered by calf issues.

Hopefully that’s now a thing of the past, with a long rehab seeing her working her way back towards top shape ahead of her opening race of the 2025 campaign.

Advertisement

Ruth Astle on IRONMAN South Africa

One of those three IRONMAN wins was in South Africa in 2021 and writing on Instagram, Astle said: “So excited for this one. Drawing on all the great memories from 2021, and soaking up all the great vibes from the super friendly community here.

“Feels quite scary going into a race with no excuses… I’ve had a great block leading into this race – a few normal ups and downs but probably the fittest I’ve been and definitely the longest stretch of running I’ve put together in years.”

Astle did belatedly get up and running last season, finishing on the podium at IRONMAN Vitoria-Gasteiz to qualify for the IRONMAN World Championships in Nice where she clocked the fifth-fastest bike leg before she was forced to DNF after her calf flared up early on the run to scupper her top-five hopes.

Ruth Astle finishing IRONMAN Vitoria 2024
Ruth Astle takes third at IRONMAN Vitoria-Gasteiz in 2024 [Photo by Eric Alonso/Getty Images for Ironman]

Plenty of gravel bike racing followed and a patient winter of training later and she’s relishing the return to race action.

Hoping hard work pays off

Astle is one of the most active triathletes on YouTube and she’s documented her recovery on there over the last couple of seasons.

Not surprisingly there have been plenty of low points during that journey and she explained: “There are many drivers for my motivation for this race but my main one will be hope…

“Hope to cling onto when everything seems bleak and there doesn’t seem to be a way out. Hope that things will get better and there will be more time. Hope that facing fears and doing hard things pays off.”

Up against her are defending champion Marta Sanchez of Spain, who will wear the #1 bib, Dutch star Els Visser, Germany’s Anne Reischmann, Sweden’s Anna Bergsten and Denmark’s Maja Stage Nielsen.

Jonathan Turner
Written by
Jonathan Turner
Jonathan Turner is News Director for both TRI247 and RUN247, and is accustomed to big-name interviews, breaking news stories and providing unrivalled coverage for endurance sports.  
Discover more
French Riviera T100 bike course Esterel
Let’s race… French Riviera T100
TRI-FIT VANGUARD tri suit review
The entry-level tri suit with a serious amount of performance for the price point – TRI-FIT VANGUARD review
Challenge St. Pölten 2024 - image credit Jose Luis Hourcade / Challenge Family
Expert swim coach on the three most common swim mistakes age group triathletes make (and how to fix them!)
Gustav Iden aero position body rocket
How to get better at holding your time trial position – Expert tips from former PRO time trial cyclist Alex Dowsett
SunGod FORTY2s running sunglasses review
First look at the NEW SunGod FORTY2s running sunglasses – TRI247 Review
latest News
Lionel Sanders training pic August 2023 photo credit Talbot Cox
Triathlon superstar Lionel Sanders is injured and seeking answers as he confirms IRONMAN Lake Placid DNS
Hiromu Inada IRONMAN 70.3 Cairns 2025
92-year-old IRONMAN triathlete completes 70.3-mile course in iconic Australian race
IRONMAN Cairns
Top triathlon star never feels like doing another IRONMAN after Cairns experience ends in a wheelchair
Lucy Gossage running training ahead of Winter Spine Race
Triathlon star Lucy Gossage aces ultraunning AGAIN with epic course record in top UK race
Sam Long - T100 San Francisco 2024 bike
US triathlon superstar Sam Long has to redefine meaning of winning after T100 Vancouver
triathlon on your terms
Never miss out with our triathlon alerts & digest. Get a dose of adventure & inspiration with Boundless.
The 247 Group

The home of endurance sports

Share to...