Main Line Woman Racing In Ironman World Championship In France

ARDMORE, PA — Next month, Ardmore's Sasha Burton is heading to France.

The Chicago native and 2019 Harriton High School grad isn't going to sight see: she's competing in one of the most prestigious long distance triathlons in the world.

Burton, 23, will be racing in her second Ironman event ever. And it just so happens to be the event's World Championship.

She will swim 2.4 miles in the ocean, bike 112 miles in the alps, and run a 26-mile marathon.

The women's 2024 Ironman world Championship will take place Sept. 22 in Nice, France.

"I'm in the thick of it now," Burton said of her training regimen. "Last week, I spent about 17 hours doing training. That will get up to about 20 hours before I taper off."

Burton is no stranger to the grueling training of long distance competitions.

She ran her first marathon at 16 after taking running up with her mother Kristine Burton.

Having lived in Beaverton, Oregon and Austin, Texas where many athletes thrive, Burton competed in track and cross-country at Harriton High School after feeling the thrill of competition in her previous cities.

She's run the Philadelphia Marathon three times and ran the Pittsburgh Marathon while she was studying there.

With plenty of running experience, she decided to take up the triathlon during her time in Pittsburgh when thinking about her post-grad life.

"My parents encouraged me to take the time to figure out what I wanted to do career wise," she said.

She had always been interested in Ironman competitions after hearing about them, and Burton's tenacity led her to begin training for one.

In November last year, she competed in the Ironman competition in Panama City, Florida.

She finished fourth in her age group.

Having just landed a job in Mississippi, Burton was faced with a decision upon finishing the 2023 race: move to the south for her new job or answer the call to compete in the 2024 Ironman World Championship in France.

"I got my award and was waiting with my mom for my dad to pull the car around to leave, so I didn't have to walk," she said. After all, she just completed a triathlon in 13 hours and 4 minutes.

She heard over the loudspeaker her World Championship qualifiers in age group being announced.

And there was her name.

"I had about 20 seconds to decide," she said of the choice to take up her next challenge or move to Mississippi for the job.

"I asked my mom what should I do."

She didn't have time to deliberate, and thus made the decision to continue her Ironman journey.

"Everything happens for a reason," she said. "I don't know how happy or fulfilled I would have been in Mississippi. I'm very happy where Ironman took me and where it's taking me."

She's been training consistently and ferociously.

With little to no competitive swimming or cycling experience before her 2023 Ironman, Burton took to lap swimming and cycling regularly.

In the pool, she swims 3,000 to 3,500 yards a few times a week, mainly focusing on using her arms to conserve her legs for the cycling and running portions of the Ironman race.

For cycling, she got some assistance from the folks at Trek Ardmore.

"Equipment is important, but Sasha is such a natural athlete," Trek Ardmore Manager Anthony Hennessy told Patch. "On her basic bike, she blew everybody away."

Hennessy and his team got the cycling neophyte outfitted with her with clip-in shoes and pedals and a trainer, which she uses at home to prepare for the hills of Nice, given the flat layout of the Philadelphia area.

The trainer, Hennessy said, allows riders to practice all kinds of cycling situations in a controlled environment, maximizing the prescribed workout's effectiveness.

She's been training with NVDM Coaching, a Texas-based virtual triathlon coaching service. Burton teamed up with NVDM coach Parker Kerth after he reached out to her on social media.

"We clicked because he's super data oriented," she said.

She's excited to meet Kerth and other NVDM athletes at the competition in France next month.

And, since the World Championship in France is all women, she's looking forward to meeting and competing with other standout female athletes.

Women account for about 20 percent of competitors in a standard Ironman race, Burton said. And on top of that, she said not many women compete in her age group. For example, at her 2023 Ironman race in Florida, 0.6 percent of competitors were women in her age group.

She's ready for the camaraderie and competition with her fellow young women racers.

But, "ready" is a dicey term.

"You'll never feel like you're ready, and being ready is more of a decision than a feeling," she said. "There are always reason to not go after this big race, but if you want it enough you'll be able to find the time and prioritize your time to achieve it."

Burton said taking on such a daunting physical feat can be scary and lonely at times, given how much training is required. She plans her weeks out far in advance to ensure she gets her training in, and to ensure she's properly fueled. Lots of protein and carbohydrates keep her going.

"But it all comes together in a meaningful, awesome way," she said. "It's always worth it go to after a big goal."

Since taking on the Ironman, Burton said she feels more confident in all aspects of her life.

She has a new job and is planning to attend law school, applying to schools in the region, as well as all over the country.

But, for now, she's focused on France.

She will fly into Paris, which she said she's excited to explore having never been, then drive to Nice for the competition.

On Sept. 22, she will swim in the ocean, bike through the alps, and run along the French coastline.

Burton never mentioned a goal time in her interview with Patch. Her mind seems laser-focused on simply being the best competitor she can be.

After her European excursion, she's planning to compete in another Ironman event in Texas with the person who started her on this path: her mother Kristine.

"She's super proud of me," Burton said. "She's always been really supportive of me throughout this entire process. I don't think i could have done this without her."

Burton faced uncertainties during her time training, leading her to ask: "is this worth it?"

"She's always guided me back to why I'm doing it and what I'm capable of," she said of her mother.

After the Texas Ironman, Burton said she will likely focus more on running given she plans to be studying law, a Herculean feat to tackle in and of itself.

"It's a very important part of my life," she said of athleticism and racing. " I probably will have to go shorter distances, the time would be difficult to manage."

But, don't count her out.

"I don't see myself stopping this train anytime soon," she said.

Those who want to follow her progress in the Sept. 22 Ironman World Championships can go online here to track Burton as she races through the French countryside.