AS Grace McClure calls on her inner strength to get her through next Sunday’s half Ironman there will be many voices in her head.
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The mother-of-two has completed many an Ironman and half Ironman but none have had the same significance as this year’s Scody Half Ironman Triathlon Port Macquarie.
“I will be wearing the number of a friend who I grew up with who died last year,” McClure said.
It is something of a McClure family fling with her sister Alice also competing in the 113km race.
“But we are using the race for different reasons,” the 30-year-old said.
“I am training for another go at the half Ironman in Hawaii and Alice is using the race as training for the Busselton Ironman.”
McClure is not a stranger to the big stage. She has been a televison presenter on RPM and featured in many an edition of Inside Sport.
But now, only seven months after the birth of her second child Amelia, she is focused on balance in her life between being a mum and her job as a personal trainer.
“I have realised that the best thing to do is to go a little easier on myself,” she said.
“Some times I need to reduce my training load and I don’t beat myself up about it, I just realise that is the way life goes.”
McClure’s triathlon journey was one that started almost by accident.
“I was asked to do the run leg of the Tasmanian half Ironman for a charity and to promote World Vision,” the model said.
“It was just after the tsunami hit and I just decided to do it all myself.
“My sister had been doing them and I thought why not. So I had a pretty busy two months getting ready.”
She didn’t even own a bike.
“I only just survived. I nearly died,” she said.
“But as it turned out I qualified for the full distance Ironman and the third triathlon I had ever competed in was a full Ironman.”
McClure is also a fully qualified personal trainer and she said triathlon was a great way to use the knowledge she has and apply it practically.