Bristol student who could not swim eight months ago makes it to the Ironman World Championships

By Roya Shahidi, Co-Editor-in-Chief

Megan Hamill, 23, made the cut despite falling from her bike during her first Ironman earlier this month.

Megan Hamill, a University of Bristol student, has made it to the Ironman World Championships in Kona, Hawaii. Ironman is a triathlon race that consists of a 2.4-mile swim, a 112-mile cycle, and a 26.2-mile run.

In her first Ironman, she took a tumble from her bike. As volunteers rushed to get her an ambulance, she told them she needed screws to fix her broken bike seat, not medical attention.

With bloody cuts on her arms, she balanced precariously on the broken seat for the final 30 miles of the cycle, before starting the 26.2-mile run. She finished the race in Kaernten-Klagenfurt, a city in the Austrian Alps, in 15 hours and 26 minutes.

Commenting on her experience, Megan said: 'I couldn’t swim in October and I trained on a second-hand road bike I bought from Facebook Marketplace, so I genuinely am ecstatic to make the World Championships.

'I wrote this as a goal in my notes app last November and now it’s actually happening - proof that it pays off to be brave and set goals that are bigger than you are.

'One thing you can’t prepare for in a race is the seat falling off your bike. I got 130km in, lost my saddle, and I flew off with it. I then balanced on my bike seat for the remaining 50km with two sharp edges digging into my inner thighs from where the seat broke.'

'The World Championships is a chance for me to show the world what I’ve really got!'

Megan used to have an eating disorder, which saw her severely restrict her food intake. Now she shares her recovery on social media, with 35,000 followers combined on her Instagram and TikTok.

She added: 'Four years ago my focus was on being smaller and prettier. Today my focus is on being faster and stronger. You can change the narrative and change who you are.'

The University of Bristol student now has four months to train for the world championships in Kona, Hawaii.

She said: 'The next four months of training look so exciting. I’ll be exploring the cycle routes of Ireland which will give me good hill training. In July I’ll be doing a lot of running in the heat which will prepare me well for Hawaii’s climate.'

Megan added that the support from friends and family had been 'incredible.'

She added: 'Honestly I couldn’t ask for better people in my life.

'My online community also kept me going. The messages I received from the most amazing people sharing their own goals is just so motivating and it keeps me on track to prove anything is possible.'

If you are interested in keeping up with Megan's journey, you can follow her on Instagram, TikTok or LinkedIn.

Featured image - Megan Hamill/University of Bristol/PA

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