Nirjala is a 41-year-old Nepalese national triathlete and a mother of two. She was Nepal's national mountain biking champion for 12 years, from 2001 to 2012, and after dominating the mountain biking scene for 12 years, Nirjala was known as the "Mountain Queen" by her peers. Nirjala is now a triathlete on the Nepal National Team. On June 6th, 2021, Nirjala completed the UK Ultimate Triathlon event in Whitchurch after 15 hours and 13 minutes. The full Ironman distance includes 3.8 kilometers of swimming, 180 kilometers of cycling, and 42 kilometers of running. She then became the first Nepali female athlete to complete a full Ironman-distance triathlon. Her historic achievement was publicly recognized as the "First Nepalese Female Athlete to achieve" by Nepal Triathlon Association President, Mr. Nilendra Raj Shrestha.
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Show notes
Who is Nirjala
Discovering triathlon
Living in UAE in 2011 and training for mountain biking
Thinking about doing an Ironman
Making the transition from mountain biking to triathlon
Stopping mountain biking and focusing on family
Wanting to lose weight after having children
Getting back into training after having a C section
Why she wanted to do a triathlon
Learning how to swim as an adult
Overcoming her fear of open water
Taking on her first sprint triathlon
Learning to swim front crawl in 2018
Not feeling confident in the water
Dealing with feelings of panic while in the water
Feeling more confident in the water
Training for open water swimming
Learning how to float
Doing her first Full Ironman triathlon
Following a free training plan found online
Balancing training time with her family
Being on the start line of the race
Being worried about the cold water
Eating during the race
Feeling relief and happiness crossing the finish line
Recovering afterwards
Feeling a lot of pain at the end and not being able to sleep
How to connect and follow on the social
Final words of advice to motivate and inspire you to take on your next challenge
How to face your fears even when you are afraid
Why you can do anything you want in your life
Social Media
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NirjalaTamrakar
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