Nirjala is a 41-year-old Nepalese national triathlete and a mother of two. She was Nepal's national mountain biking champion for 12 years, from 2001 to 2012, and after dominating the mountain biking scene for 12 years, Nirjala was known as the "Mountain Queen" by her peers. Nirjala is now a triathlete on the Nepal National Team.
On June 6th, 2021, Nirjala completed the UK Ultimate Triathlon event in Whitchurch after 15 hours and 13 minutes. The full Ironman distance includes 3.8 kilometers of swimming, 180 kilometers of cycling, and 42 kilometers of running. She then became the first Nepali female athlete to complete a full Ironman-distance triathlon.
Her historic achievement was publicly recognized as the "First Nepalese Female Athlete to achieve" by Nepal Triathlon Association President, Mr. Nilendra Raj Shrestha.
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Show notes
- Who is Nirjala
- Speaking with Nirjala previously on the Tough Girl Podcast
- Discovering triathlon
- Living in UAE in 2011 and training for mountain biking
- Thinking about doing an Ironman
- Making the transition from mountain biking to triathlon
- Stopping mountain biking and focusing on family
- Wanting to lose weight after having children
- Getting back into training after having a C section
- Why she wanted to do a triathlon
- Learning how to swim as an adult
- Overcoming her fear of open water
- Taking on her first sprint triathlon
- Learning to swim front crawl in 2018
- Not feeling confident in the water
- Dealing with feelings of panic while in the water
- Feeling more confident in the water
- Training for open water swimming
- Learning how to float
- Doing her first Full Ironman triathlon
- Following a free training plan found online
- Balancing training time with her family
- Being on the start line of the race
- Being worried about the cold water
- Eating during the race
- Feeling relief and happiness crossing the finish line
- Recovering afterwards
- Feeling a lot of pain at the end and not being able to sleep
- How to connect and follow on the social
- Final words of advice to motivate and inspire you to take on your next challenge
- How to face your fears even when you are afraid
- Why you can do anything you want in your life
Social Media
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NirjalaTamrakar