Kailua-Kona, Hi –
La Salle University freshman
Sofia Nordbeck, a member of the Explorers' first-year triathlon program, was a finisher in the Ironman World Championship Saturday, October 11, in Hawaii.
Nordbeck competed in the female aged 18-24 category, finishing with a time of 13:09:45 and pace of 10:49 minutes per mile. Nordbeck was one of 59 women in the world to compete in the 18-24 age category, and one of 1,568 women overall to race.
"Competing at the Ironman World Championship as a freshman and Division I athlete is an incredible honor," Nordbeck said. "It takes a lot of mental strength, planning, and dedication to balance collegiate triathlon with a career in Ironman, but I'm grateful to have a strong support system around me – my teammates, coach, friends, and professors have made it possible to chase both academic and athletic dreams at the highest level."
A race that started at 7:30 am HST and ended for Nordbeck just past 8:30 pm, the Ironman is considered one of the most grueling races in the world. On a 140.6-mile course, the race features a 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike ride, and 26.2 (marathon length) run along with wind, 87-degree heat, and humidity.
For context: the swim portion is roughly the equivalent to swimming from the Ben Franklin Bridge to the Walt Whitman, transitioning to the bike, cycling from the Walt to the George Washington Bridge in New York City, transitioning out of the bike, and then running in the New York City Marathon.
No stranger to long-distance triathlon competition, Nordbeck is a two-time finisher in the Ironman Sweden, achieving the mark this past August in addition to the August 2024 race.
Nordbeck raced for La Salle in last month's Beaver County Collegiate Cup in Beaver Falls before training for the Ironman.
"Ironman may be a solo race, but getting to the start line takes a team – a team I got from collegiate triathlon which supports me every step of the way," Nordbeck said.
After the big effort at the Ironman, Nordbeck intends to compete collegiately again this fall at the East Regional Championship next Saturday, October 25, in Charlotte, N.C. That is also the next event that La Salle will be racing in, as the Explorers' regular season portion of the season has concluded and focus is now shifted to the championship schedule.
