(Posted - 03 Dec 2009)
LORNE Anaconda Adventure Race women's favorite Kim Beckinsale has a history of winning two races in a row and then missing out on the hat-trick - but she has an iron will that shouldn't be underestimated.
Although Beckinsale, 42, isn't hell-bent on claiming three consecutive Anaconda Adventure Races, she has a trademark determination which saw her overcome a broken back to return to elite level sport.
"In 2004 I was knocked off my road bike, coming home from work," said Beckinsale, a physical education teacher from Noosa.
"I'd ridden the same way every day for 12 years and I got hit from behind. I went flying up through the air and landed on my back. I spent a week in hospital contemplating life and everything else - I'd fractured a vertebrae, and had a big fear factor about returning to road riding."
Beckinsale was contesting triathlons as a professional at the time of the accident. Her pre-crash fitness, and determination to recover saw Beckinsale cut months off her worker's compensation time in order to get back to racing.
Beckinsale discovered mountain biking on her path to recovery and switched from triathlons to adventure racing.
On Sunday Beckinsale will enter the Lorne Anaconda Adventure Race as a solo competitor, for the fifth consecutive year, in the veteran women's class taking on the 1.9km ocean swim, 13km ocean paddle, 14km run, 24km mountain bike ride and 1.5m beach run among a field of 1,100.
She loves the course and says Victoria's favorite seaside resort Lorne reminds her of Noosa 25 years ago.
"I absolutely love running on the rocks at Lorne," Beckinsale said. "And the mountain bike is quite tough with a big up-hill section."
Beckinsale is proud that she rode the entire bike course last year without having to 'clip out'. While many competitors walk the most demanding up-hill section of the course, Beckinsale is confident she will conquer it with her feet clipped to the pedals employing timing, gear selection, pace, technique, control and bucket-loads of stamina.
A natural runner, Beckinsale has found the paddling component of adventure racing the most challenging, and has been kayaking in surf this week at Noosa to prepare for Lorne, but had to cut one training session short after a close encounter with marine life.
"I was out paddling and I got a blue bottle (jellyfish) wrapped around my wrist and it all went into big welts very quickly, so I decided to cut my training short," she said.
Although Beckinsale won the women's sections with convincing style in the Anaconda Adventure Races at the Gold Coast in September and at Augusta in November, she still claims she doesn't win many races.
As a professional triathlete Beckinsale won Queensland's Hell of the West half ironman in 1996 and 1997 at Goondiwindi, and although she still holds the record for the bike leg, she returned in 1998 without managing to claim the open women's title hat-trick.
"I did the same thing at a gutsy triathlon two years in a row at Stanthorpe, went back for third year and no win," said Beckinsale.
"On Sunday I'll just go out there and do my best."