Manitoba's Nicole Walker takes top spot in Ironman North American Championships

Nicole Walker ran, pedalled and swam her way into the top spot at the Ironman North American Championships over the weekend. 

The Winnipeg triathlete placed first in the female amateur division at the competition in Texas, qualifying for a spot in the world championship along the Kona Coast in Hawaii in October. 

"It was fun for the most part until closer to the end," Walker said with a laugh. "The swim I was really happy with. You don't get to swim without a wet suit very often when you are in Manitoba."

Ironman pushes athletes to the limit with Walker swimming 3.8 kilometres, biking 152.9 kilometres, and running 42.2 kilometres in well under nine hours. Walker said it's the best performance she's had in competition. 

"My husband and my mom were out on the course and they were giving me updates on where I was in the placing so I knew I was doing quite well. By the time I got off the bike I knew I just needed to run a solid run, it didn't have to be spectacular," she said. 

Walker has always been into sports and previously competed on the national freestyle ski team. She picked up training for the Ironman competitions in order to stay active throughout the year. 

To top off the winning weekend, Walker celebrated her 27th birthday on Monday by flying home. 

"My birthday today was a little anticlimactic after that, I think I'm still a little bit in shock," Walker said, adding her family knew just what she wanted for her big day. 

"They are driving me around and carrying all my stuff and that is a perfect birthday present for me today."