In 2022, at 61, Carmen Francesch began her first Ironman challenge. After travelling to Barcelona from her home in Surrey, Francesch plunged into the warm waters of the Mediterranean for a 2.4-mile swim before pulling herself to shore and running to her bike for a 112-mile cycle. “I was so happy and excited to be competing that it was only after I’d finished cycling that my legs gave way,” she says. “We had to run a marathon to finish the challenge and, 8km in, I stopped moving. I had to walk the rest of the way and only crossed the finish line after 15 hours. I said to my husband: ‘Never again.’”
A year later, Francesch was in Kona, Hawaii, facing another open-sea swim, gruelling bike ride and marathon run to compete in the Ironman world championship. “After Barcelona, I was on crutches for two days because my legs were black and bruised,” she says. “But once I had healed, the feeling of finishing such a huge undertaking was indescribable. I know I said I wouldn’t do it again, but when I found out I had qualified for the world championship, I felt I had to give it a go.”
Growing up in the lakeside town of Banyoles, near Girona in north-east Spain, Francesch and her two sisters were keen swimmers, cycling after school from the age of seven to train in the local pool. When she moved to the UK in 1993 to work in advertising sales, Francesch carried on swimming as a hobby, but it wasn’t until she met her husband, George, in 2015 that the idea of competing arose. “George was already a triathlete and he made a bet with me that I wouldn’t be able to beat him in a competition,” she says, laughing. “I couldn’t resist, so I began training. Even though he’s much better than me on the bike, I beat him in the swim!”
Drawn to the adrenalised combination of pain and excitement that comes with endurance sport, Francesch began to compete in more triathlons, often with her husband by her side. By 2019, she was working from home full-time and set her sights on a new challenge. “Every time I met someone who had competed in an Ironman, I was in awe – it seemed impossible,” she says. “Since I was now in a position to exercise as much as I wanted, thanks to working from home, I thought I should get a personal trainer and see if it was something I could achieve.”
The ensuing Covid lockdowns put a temporary stop to her plans, but in 2021 she signed up for an Aquabike contest, featuring a 1.5km swim and 40km bike ride, to test her current level of fitness. “I got off the bike at the end and felt fresh as a rose,” she laughs. “I was 60 and I finished third for my age, which shocked me. I knew that I could do more.”
Setting her sights on the Barcelona Ironman, since the run and bike courses are relatively flat, Francesch embarked on a 25-week training regime, building up to six-hour rides on her bike, 4km swims and runs up to 18km. “Two days before the race, I got a really intense pain in one of my teeth,” she says. “The dentist said it was a tooth infection, which meant I had to take antibiotics every six hours, even during the Ironman.”
Despite the setback and an achilles injury that occurred during the run, Francesch finished fourth in her 60-64 age group and qualified for the world championship. Thankfully, when it came to the Kona contest, her experience was smoother. “I enjoyed it very much, since the route was lined with people cheering us on,” she says. “I took an extra hour because I was having so much fun, I wasn’t pushing myself. But these challenges aren’t about beating anyone else except for yourself. Finishing is enough!”
Now 63, Francesch sees Ironman competitions as central to the way she lives her life. “You need a goal to work towards, and this is mine,” she says. “I only have one day off a week, otherwise I’m always out cycling, running and swimming. It’s amazing to know my body can move like this at my age and I want to show other women that they can do it too.”
Francesch is planning to enter the Cervia Ironman in September and is already ramping up her training regime in preparation. “Just this morning, I went for a 50-minute bike ride and pilates before work,” she says. “I can’t just sit on the sofa – I love being this active and won’t stop until my body tells me to!”
• Tell us: has your life taken a new direction after the age of 60?
