All things equal come Friday morning and Jodie Swallow will once again be the hunted – emerging first woman from the water as a pack of the world’s best triathletes try to bike and run her down.
It’s been that way for years. Swallow’s swimming prowess is virtue of the hard graft of an early morning pool routine back home in Brentwood, Essex that eventually led to a career in multisport and a place on Great Britain’s 2004 Olympic team.
But now at 33, it’s not just the impressive swim splits, bettering so many of the professional men, that stand out, it’s her insatiable drive and motivation to still excel at a sport she has spent 20 years mastering.
Swallow arrives at Challenge Dubai from a fifth success at South Africa 70.3, which followed arguably her most successful year in triathlon: Third at the big money Hy-Vee 5150 race in Iowa, second at the Ironman 70.3 World Championships, fourth at the Ironman World Championships, and another third in Challenge Bahrain.