A Bend woman is going to try something that no other woman on the planet has ever accomplished. Seven triathlons on seven continents in seven days.
Kelsey Myers, says she is not a professional athlete, but plans to give it a go this winter.
“I wanted to do this as a way of showing the world that anyone can do this type of thing,” Kelsey said. “I’m just a normal person who is setting a big goal and following through on it. And so I want this to be an invitation to girls and women around the world to participate in sport.”
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Kelsey picked October 11 to announce her attempt for a very specific reason.
“Today is the International Day of the Girl. And so I chose today to announce the project because I want this really to be a celebration,” Kelsey said.
Kelsey will have to do an Olympic distance triathlon on each continent. That’s a 0.9-mile swim, 24.8-mile bike and a 6.2-mile run.
“I am feeling good about the physical part of it,” Kelsey said. “I have been training all summer in Bend and now I’m down in Los Angeles to train with some groups down here. Physically, I know I can do this and mentally even, I know I can do this. The trickiest part really is the logistics of it and the unknown, the dangers.
Dangers, Kelsey says, like icy waters. And leopard seals.
“There’s a lot of things that have to go right to make this happen,” Kelsey said.
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She’ll start in Antarctica.
“There’s a weather window of five days where every day we’ll kind of check the weather and make sure that it’s safe to swim and then also to depart by plane,” Kelsey said.
And that will be one of two triathlons she’ll be doing on the first day.
“I will do my first triathlon at 8 a.m. in Antarctica. Dry off. Bop over to Punta Arenas, Chile. Do my second triathlon at 4 p.m.,” Kelsey said.
Then, she’ll get some sleep on the plane while she crosses the Atlantic for triathlon No. 3 in Tangiers, Morocco.
The next day, it’s across the Mediterranean to Malaga, Spain and then Muscat, Oman before going to Sydney, Australia.
“And then finally I’ll end in Malibu, California,” Kelsey said.
She’s doing it as a fundraiser for the non-profit Z Girls.
“And they were founded by Olympic athletes and NCAA athletes who are all women. And their goal is to teach middle school girls self-confidence through sport,” Kelsey said.
What does Kelsey hope people take away from this attempt?
“I hope that this can be an invitation to women and girls around the world to participate in sport,” Kelsey said. “And I hope the fact that I’m not a professional athlete, I’m not a crazy person. I’m just a normal person with a big goal. I hope that makes us feel a little bit more relatable for people to think of big goals, set big goals and and get after it.”
If you’d like to follow Kelsey’s world record attempt, her handle on TikTok and Instagram is “theglobaltriathlon.” If you’d like to donate to Z Girls, you can head to GlobalTriathlon.com.
