100 Races In 100 Days! Ironman Couple's Crazy Feat

The sporty lovebirds are going the distance.

- Steve Landells

Endurance athlete Debi Hazelden has never been one to shirk a challenge, so when her fiancé John Mergler suggested they embark on an “Iron Century” – a quest to complete 100 Ironman half-triathlons in 100 days – the Kiwi woman agreed without hesitation.

After months of planning – disrupted only when Debi gave birth to their son Ryder, now one – the pair committed to an extraordinary endurance test that saw Debi swim 1.9km, cycle 90km and run 21.1km every day for 100 days.

Having survived a serious foot injury, Debi, 36, finished the Iron Century challenge in Australia’s Port Macquarie in May. She tells Woman’s Day, “Looking back, I maybe should have tried to bat it down to 50 Ironmans, but I’m really happy we completed the 100. It was amazing to achieve. It was a feat no-one thought was possible.”

Raised in Hamilton, Debi was a keen triathlete and half-marathoner while working as a web designer in Christchurch. But when she moved to Sydney to start a new life, a friend told her she would be incapable of completing an Ironman, which instantly inspired her to give it a go. “Don’t tell someone like me that I can’t do something,” she laughs.