Wolfe hungry for European medal

Joyce Wolfe is just in the door from training when my call comes through.

Four days on from victory in the Gauntlet at the Lough Cutra Castle triathlon event, Wolfe has already returned to pounding the roads of Cork city.

“No rest for the wicked,” quips the Douglas native.

Far from a Sunday stroll in the park, the Gauntlet event is half the ironman distance, incorporating a 1.9km swim, 90km cycle and 21km run. Wolfe completed the Galway course in 4:59:18, the first female across the line and almost 90 minutes clear of her closest rival.

More impressive, however, was her third place finish overall.

“The race went very well. I got a great start and continued from there. It was nice to get the win, but probably more satisfying that I was on the overall podium,” she said. “The female field wasn’t the most established and most of the competitors would have been novices so, in that sense, it was good to finish high up in the overall field.”

Wolfe, a seasoned ironman competitor, is targeting a podium finish at the European Championships in Frankfurt in early July.

“I was fourth in the female ironman last year in Lanzarote, that was my first competitive year back since having a child so you’d be hoping to perhaps go one better this time around. I set the Irish ironman record of 9 hours and 15 minutes in 2011, so a similar time will be required.”

She added: “I run my own phsyio practice so that does allow me dictate my work and training schedule.

“How I got into the sport really was by nothing more than chance. Myself and my sister said we would compete in a triathlon a number of years back. We both enjoyed it and stayed competing. The sport is on the up and the number of females competing here in Ireland is forever increasing.”