2024 Triathlon Season Recap
Estimated Reading Time: 10 minutes
Hi there,
The 2024 triathlon season has officially come to an end for me.
And if I’m being honest, it feels a bit surreal to say that. Surreal because, even though four years might seem like a long time, the pain and the aftermath of trauma have stayed with me since 2020—honestly, even up to today. But the Pili who went through countless physical and psychological therapy sessions, who was on antidepressants for over a year, and who, despite not being in the best mental state, had the courage to move to a new country and navigate some really tough moments while adjusting—that same Pili managed to do what she longed for the most: to move again. To do triathlon again.
Almost a year ago, I decided to join the triathlon team in my city in Belgium, 3MD. The idea for this season was to gradually get my body back into the routine of three disciplines, follow a training plan, rediscover the power of movement, and really enjoy it. But I ended up achieving much more than I expected, and that’s what I’d like to share with you.
This year, I planned to participate in one competition each month during the season, so here’s a quick recap of each one.
In March, I had my first competition of the year—I did my first swim and run in Aalst (P6/16), and it was also my first encounter with Belgian weather. Competing in 13-degree weather isn’t easy, especially when you first have to swim indoors and then run while still wet. But I felt strong and was really happy to see that all the effort I put into winter training had paid off.
I also ran 10 km at Dendermonde Loopt, and wow, that race was intense! It was definitely one of my best days this year. I felt strong from start to finish and set a personal best for the 10 km at 46:18. I finished 21st out of 270 women. Thinking about it now, I’m amazed by what my body has accomplished with such limited training. This same body that, in 2020 and 2021, could barely do more than walk—any extra physical activity felt incredibly exhausting. This body, which was full of stress-induced tension as a response to trauma, is now capable of running, and running fast.
In May, I did my first triathlon at the Belgian National Championships for teams (BK Ploegen). On that day, my biggest fear was swimming in freezing water, but surprisingly, it was much better than I expected. All those times I got knocked around by waves in Salinas over the years paid off because swimming in open water doesn’t scare me—in fact, I love it.
In June, I had my first individual triathlon in WCUP Ros Beiaardtriatlon (P7/44). Considering my swimming level at the time, I think I had a solid swim. Then I moved on to the bike, where my level was admittedly below average at that point, but I managed to make up some positions during the run. Unfortunately, I got injured during that race—running with some back pain that ended up lingering for more weeks than I’d have liked.
In July, I competed in my first Olympic distance triathlon in Kapelle-op-den-Bos. Exciting, right? That meant swimming 1000 m, biking 40 km, and running 10 km. It was a race with a high level of competition, where Katrien Verstuyft, the Belgian triathlon representative for the Rio 2016 Olympics, took first place. What I love most about competing in Belgium is how incredible the level of competition is, whether it’s a big triathlon or a small one. My swim was good, maybe a bit slower than I expected, but the plan was to find a comfortable pace and stick to it, which I did. The bike segment was where I noticed the most improvement—the work I’d put in over the past few weeks was starting to show, and I felt strong. But then I had an unexpected fall, which meant I had to run the 10 km in a lot of pain, with my knees bleeding. Despite that, I finished 17th out of 43.
In August, I decided last minute to compete in a team duathlon at Vlaschaard Zele. I only did the running part and ran the first 4.81 km in 21:29 at a pace of 4:27/km and the second 2.53 km in 10:59 at a pace of 4:20/km. I was really pleased—not just because I’d never run that fast before, but also because, due to the injury, my running training hadn’t been very consistent. I haven’t been able to do many interval sessions because they caused me the most pain, but I kept up with my zone 2 and 3 training.
After that race, I was supposed to do my last sprint triathlon of the year on August 31st, but my body had other plans—I got COVID and couldn’t even make it to the starting line. I won’t lie, when I decided on Friday that I wasn’t going to compete, I cried because it meant my season was over, and I was closing this 2024 training cycle. It’s sad because I feel like I’m in the best shape I’ve ever been—I’ve never swum, biked, or run faster than I do now, and I’m left with that bittersweet feeling of not having been able to test myself in competition and see how I would’ve finished the season.
But, hey, that’s life and sports—not everything goes as planned. Learning to handle frustration is one of the biggest lessons I’ve had to learn and deal with over the last few years.
Beyond the athletic achievements, or what I consider achievements, other amazing things have happened this season, and I didn’t want to leave them out.
Not only have I done things I couldn’t do alone before, like going out for a run or a ride, but I’ve also found a community of incredible people who, with much joy, I can now call friends. My team has not only inspired me but also supported me throughout this process of regaining confidence in myself, in my body, and in what I’m capable of. They’ve also helped me push past my own limits. But above all, thank you for listening to me and for your friendship, especially to the Donderdagse loopvriendjes and my IM 🇩🇰 ‘26 team.
Thanks to Wim Van de Wielle, my coach, for always reminding me to prioritize my body over the plan, for listening to me, for teaching me patience, and for helping me respect my own processes.
To my physiotherapists, Sven de Cock and Nikolas Van Nuffel, for taking care of my body and helping me train nearly all year round.
To my nutritionist, Paola Neme, for teaching me how to fuel my body for training and life.
And thank you, to you, who read this, who have followed me on this journey, whether through social media or by showing up in real life to cheer me on at one of my races. Thank you for every message of love and support, and for reminding me that I can
I can’t say I never thought I’d enjoy moving and doing sports at this level again because that would be a lie. I knew it would happen; I wished for it with all my heart every day. I’ve worked and pushed myself so hard these past months that I’m left with nothing but gratitude. Thank you to my body for achieving things I never thought possible (literally) and to my mind for letting me come back despite everything I’ve been through.
See you in 2025—there’s more and better to come.
