‘An individual battle of survival’: Scot wins Norseman Xtreme Triathlon

A Scottish woman has won one of the world’s hardest ultra triathlons, crossing the line in just under 12 hours.

Eilidh Prise finished first in the Norseman Xtreme Triathlon in Norway, consisting of a 3.8km swim, a 180km bike ride and a marathon.

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Prise, 26, told BBC Scotland: “For me it wasn’t a race, it was an individual battle of survival. I never had any expectations of winning. At the mountain top plateau, the temperature was 2C (36.5F) with 30mph winds.

“You are swimming in a fjord for almost four kilometres (2.5 miles), that was 13C (55.4F). It’s just you against the elements. The wind, the rain, everything. It was an incredible race and an incredible day.”

The race begins by competitors leaping off the back of a car ferry into Hardangerfjord, before a mountainous bike stage, culminating in a full marathon that concludes atop Mount Gaustatoppen.

Despite her success Prise, who has a full-time job, does not know if she will compete again. “I feel like I’ve done it once, won it once, I don’t know if I could ever top that,” she said. “I don’t have a coach, I don’t have any sponsors. I just really enjoy riding my bike and running. I got a last minute entry. I jumped at the chance – quite literally. You jump off a ferry to start with.”