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America for the Win! New Mom Wins First American Ironman in 25 Years!

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2 years ago

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Show of hands for anyone that has run a marathon. There won’t be very man as an incredibly small segment of our population ever has. How about swimming? We all like to splash around in the lap pool or the ocean sometimes. What about a 2.4-mile swim? Hell no! Forget all that, how about a nice, leisurely bike ride. What’s that, 112-mile bike ride? Well, guess I’m out on all three. Those are the three legs of the most grueling endurance competition on Earth, the Ironman competition. However, since it is 2022 and not all Ironmen are men, we are celebrating the first American in 25 years to win the women’s competition, and to top it off, she’s a proud new bad-ass mom! Check this out.

An American has won the IRONMAN World Championship for the first time in 25 years.

Chelsea Sodaro is a 34-year-old new mom who recently won the VinFast IRONMAN World Championship in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, in the professional women’s field. 

In October, just 18 months after giving birth to her daughter, Skylar, the professional triathlete won the intense competition. 

So, that’s not just running on a flat surface, biking on an open highway or swimming in a pool. That is also taming dangerous surf and mountainous terrain, making it all the more impressive. And it is all done back-to-back. What in holy hell would make someone do something like this? Because Chelsea is woman, and you’re damn well going to hear her roar!

The IRONMAN World Championship required contestants to complete a grueling race — a 2.4-mile swim, a 112-mile bike ride and a 26.2-mile run. 

“The IRONMAN World Championship is the pinnacle of our sport. All the best athletes show up ready to throw down,” she said. 

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Sodaro, shockingly, had only ever completed one IRONMAN prior to the World Championship — in June 2022.
To put this shocking win in context, it would be like Tom Brady winning a Super Bowl in only his second start. Even he wasn’t that good, and he is footballs gold standard. Chelsea Sodaro beat the brakes off of expectations and the competitors.

The preparation for a race like this can range depending on the competitor, but for Sodaro, preparation was key to her massive success. 

The triathlete trains roughly 25-30 hours a week across all areas of the race: swimming, biking and running. 

Training athletes such as herself also tend to lift weights and gain muscle to help them succeed in the race. 

You can prepare your body, as Chelsea did, but you also have to prepare your mind and for your environment. The mental aspect of a marathon alone is grueling, no less long-distance biking and swimming. The challenges she faced in Hawaii were also unique.
“The conditions on the Big Island are unique, so I did a two-week training camp in Kona about a month out from race day to acclimatize to the heat,” she said. 

“My preparation had gone well, and I think I knew subconsciously that I was ready to have a great day,” she said. 

Sodaro added that right before the race began, she felt a sense of peace. 

Once she knocked out the physical aspect, the mental fell in line. When Chelsea felt that sense of peace, it was over. Great athletes often know that they are going to win. Hope is not a game plan.

Kudos to Chelsea for being a bad ass and bring home the Ironman to America.



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