A cancer survivor has become the first woman to complete an exhausting "Sea to Summit" triathlon（三项全能运动）, which saw her swim, cycle, and run over 330 miles in just five days. Andrea Mason was overjoyed when she crossed the finish line early Wednesday morning.
The race was set in the French Alps. Setting off at 6: 15 am on Friday, 39-year-oldMason battled through severe pain, and hallucinations（幻觉）, but she pushed on—managing to complete the race in an impressive four days, 23 hours, and 41 minutes. Andrea had been diagnosed with cancer and needed life-saving surgery. Following a successful operation, she is now hoping to raise awareness of women's health. In the past year, Andrea set up her own charity, Lady Talk Matters, in order to improve surrounding females' health.
Andrea, from Blackpool in Lancashire, England, said, "I am so happy all went according to the plan as there were so many things that could have gone wrong. I wanted to do it in five days and I did so, but it was very tough. I had some low moments, particularly when I couldn't sleep in my limited rest periods, and when I couldn't keep any food down as I was running. For sure, I had some doubts along the way as I was exploring the unknown with such a huge run, particularly as large parts of it were in the dark. It was bigger than I imagined. The impact on my body was huge. But every time I felt like giving up, I thought about all the women out there in pain or who still hadn't been diagnosed. That is why I put myself through this."
Andrea had to swim 23 miles around Lake Annecy, cycle 205 miles with 30,000 feet of vertical climbing around Mont Blanc, and run 105 miles with 4,000 feet of vertical climbing around The Ultra-Trail du Mont Blanc. You could say Andrea's actually spent a lifetime training for an event like this. She completed her first three-mile race "powered by chocolate bars" when she was just four.
