ZAPOPAN, Jalisco; October 19, 2022.- In recent days, the ninth semester student of Administration and Finance of the Universidad Panamericana Campus Guadalajara, Andoni Valencia, won first place in the 18-24 years category of the IRONMAN world championship held in Kona, Hawaii.
IRONMAN 2022
The IRONMAN is composed of a 3.8 kilometer swim; followed by a 180 kilometer bike ride; and finally ending with a 42.2 kilometer marathon. Andoni finished the competition with a time of 8:59:58 hours, divided into 56:05 minutes swimming, 04:43:51 hours cycling, and 03:13:48 hours running.
"My plan was always to go to fight to win, but I was also coming in trying to relax and be thankful that just being there is already an accomplishment. I'm thankful that nothing external happened to me that was out of my control. The race was impeccable and I was able to reflect my training", commented the student of Administration and Finance.
Andoni's challenges
Regarding the different challenges that Andoni experienced in the IRONMAN, he stated that there is a place in the marathon called "Energy Lab", which lasts 8 kilometers and where it is very hot, there is a lot of black lava from many years ago, all the heat is concentrated there and there is no wind. "From running at very hard paces, I went down to almost jogging. I felt sick and dizzy," he shared.
"Idedicate this victory to my family and my coaches. In the end, they are the ones who have given me the most support. It is also worth mentioning that the UP helped me a lot in the matter of excusing absences. Without their support it would have been complicated," he said.
One piece of advice Andoni gave to the university community is to "Get active, get moving. Do what you like to do. Even if it's half an hour a day, moving helps."
The Universidad Panamericana Campus Guadalajara is proud of the effort and dedication shown by Andoni Valencia in Kona, Hawaii, and wishes him every success in his future competitions.
