This weekend, Gabriela Carena participated in the event Ironcamba in Santa Cruz de la Sierra. This is the most important triathlon competition in Bolivia.
The triathlete from Rio Cuarto took second place on the podium and was awarded the silver medal with a total time of 4 hours, 55 minutes and 37 seconds. She finished exactly 12 minutes behind the champion, Frenchwoman Lea Riccoboni.
For Carena it was only the second race of this distance outside Argentina. He was able to compete thanks to an invitation from the organization. The triathlete told Al Toque Sports about the experience: “The balance is positive. All the people of Santa Cruz de la Sierra made us feel at home from the moment we arrived. It was a very familiar atmosphere where everyone wanted to share moments with us.”
The woman from Rio Cuarto did not arrive at Ironcamba in the best physical condition: “Weeks ago I suffered a crack in the last vertebrae due to a domestic blow, which made it impossible for me to train cycling and running. I could only swim and, a few days before the competition, do some very short and easy workouts to see if anything bothered me. Physically I didn’t arrive well at all. Added to the high temperatures, it made it a very tough race, but it made me mentally stronger”.
Carena emphasized what it was like to go through the circuit: “It was very hard. Four cycling laps with a lot of unevenness and four running laps also with many climbs. The temperature reached 38 degrees. The bike was what cost me the most. That’s really where I felt the lack of training the most.. And in the jog, far from my rhythms, but given the conditions, I was more than satisfied with those 21 kilometers.”
Beyond the physical issue and with the good results obtained, the triathlete is looking for new motivations: “These races renew the desire to focus and continue training. I know that I am far from the level I was at in September or October, but I have no choice but to continue training. The year has just begun,” she expressed.
Given what is coming up on his calendar, Carena is still evaluating it: “I was thinking of competing in another Ironman 70.3 in Uruguay in March, but I want to evaluate how I am feeling,” he concluded.
Photos: Courtesy Gabriela Carena / Right now
