Ellen Charnley

Living Life to the Full Ellen Charnley

Training and competing in an Ironman triathlon is not for the faint hearted. Completing an Ironman has been a dream of mine for many years and 2010 was going to be the year I attempted this grueling event. 2.4 miles of swimming followed by 112 miles of biking before finishing with a marathon - 26.2 miles. I signed up for Ironman Arizona in November of 2009, exactly a year in advance. Little did I know at the time that I had been born with multiple holes in my heart. For 41 years, I had been living, training and competing in triathlons with a dysfunctional heart that was slowly failing. This is my inspirational story about my journey from being diagnosed with a life threatening congenital heart defect requiring open heart surgery to my return to competition and racing in an Ironman triathlon, all within eight months.