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Meet Inge Prasetyo, the first Indonesian to join Ironman World Championship
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The Yogyakarta-born woman recently won in her age group, females 35 to 39, during the Ironman Triathlon Competition in Penghu, Taiwan, which gives her the opportunity to participate in the most prestigious triathlon race in Kona, Hawaii, next year. (Inge Prasetyo/File)
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nge Prasetyo is not a professional athlete, but she is the first Indonesian to qualify for the annual Ironman World Championship triathlon competition.
The Yogyakarta-born woman recently won in her age group, 35 to 39, during the Ironman Triathlon Competition in Penghu, Taiwan, which gives her the opportunity to participate in the most prestigious triathlon race in Kona, Hawaii, next year.
The Kona Ironman World Championship is an endurance race consisting of a 3.8-kilometer swim, a 180-km bike and a 42.2-km run. Inge explained that in every Ironman race there were limited world championship slots being offered for the top finishers in each group. As for Ironman Taiwan, there was only one slot being offered for women in her age group. “I had to win the first place podium to get my ticket to Kona,” she said.
The Ironman Taiwan held on Oct. 2 was her first full Ironman race. She didn’t expect to qualify for Kona. “My initial target was just to cross the finish line. To get a slot to Kona was a bonus,” Inge said.
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Despite her recent achievement, Inge was not a natural born athlete. She was actually born into the world two months early, which made her get sick easily and she suffered from asthma, but at the tender age of 4 years, following a doctor's suggestion, Inge signed up for her first swimming lesson and she got rid of her asthma.
Since then, sports has been her way of life. Her mother continued signing her up for running lessons. “She found me a running coach when I was 11 years old,” Inge said. Under her coach's guidance, she’s trained in basic track and field, making her a sprinter, a long jumper and a hurdler.
The 36-year-old woman’s interest in the triathlon race blossomed in 1996. “My Australian friend gave me a running magazine as a present and there was a few articles about Ironman and triathlons,” Inge reminisced. The articles piqued her curiosity as the race seemed fun and challenging. “You got to swim, bike and run -- a combination of three disciplines in one."
Inge joined her first triathlon race in Batam, Riau Islands, in 1996. However, it turned out to be a disaster, since she left the race unfinished. She underestimated the competition, thinking the race should be easy since she knows the three sports.
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“I didn't expect an off-road on the bike, the weather to be that hot and the race to feel that long,” she said. Out of a 2-km swim, a 60-km bike and a 10-km run, she only managed to do the 2-km run.
Learning from experience, she now trains between work hours and learns about the race course before participating in a triathlon. As for the Ironman World Championship in Kona next year, Inge plans to participate in group training camps in Phuket, Thailand, under the coaching of Jürgen Zack, a former multiple world champion, and his Z-coaching team.
When asked about the biggest misconception about triathletes, Inge said not all triathletes were young, extremely fit or with sports backgrounds. “They do triathlon for different reasons and start at various stages in life. Regardless of gender, age, fitness level and body shape, everyone can be a triathlete,” she said. (kes)
