B.C. ultra triathlete becomes first in the world to complete 3 double-Deca races

Imagine running, swimming and biking more than 4,500 kilometres for 26 days with three-hour naps and 15-minute breaks in between.

Now imagine doing that twice in a row. 

Shanda Hill of Vernon, B.C., just did.

After completing an ultra triathlon in Switzerland, the 41-year-old took a week of downtime before doing the same race in San Felipe, in Mexico's Guanajuato state, where she clinched the top spot in the DecaUltraTri Continuous Double Deca on Thursday, besting five other athletes.

With her latest victory, Hill has become the only person in history to compete in and finish three double-Decas.

The Deca exists within an extreme niche of the triathlon world, where participants go through a 38-kilometre swim, 1,800-kilometre bike ride, and a 422-kilometre run. A double-Deca, as the name suggests, is twice that distance. 

According to the International Ultra Triathlon Association (IUTA), the official governing body of the sport, the double-Deca requires athletes to complete 76 kilometres of swimming, followed by 3,600 kilometres of cycling, and finally 844 kilometres of running.

That's the equivalent of 20 Ironman races.

"Smart people would have stopped at one. I'm not quite sure how I ended up doing three of those," Hill said during an interview with CBC's Radio West host Sarah Penton.

Hill completed her first double-Deca in 2019 in Leon, Mexico — the first Canadian to do so.

Her second one took place Sept. 15 at the Swiss Ultra in Buchs, Switzerland, where she placed seventh out of 13 other competitors.

A week after that, Hill flew to Mexico for her latest double-Deca.

That one was significantly more challenging than the previous two, she said, due to the sharp bends, U-turns and blistering Mexican heat.

She said she