Julia Creek Dirt n Dust Festival has a new record holder with long time athlete Dale Rackham of Mount Isa becoming the longest running competitor at 75 years young.
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Dale is now the record holder for the most amount of Dirt n Dust senior triathlons and is so far the oldest competitor registered.
Previously tied with friend and fellow Dirt n Dust veteran Rosina Oliver, Dale has pulled ahead after Rosina was unable to attend last year.
“I’ve gotten one up so now I’ve got to keep going I can’t stop now,” Dale said.
“I’ve just had a bone fused on my right foot - I’m sort of injured but I’m still going to do it even if I have to walk across the finish line.”
Dale has been to 21 out of 23 Dirt N Dust triathlons.
“I missed the very first year and one year I had broken my jaw and couldn’t compete but I’ve done all the others,” she said.
Showing no signs of slowing down, Dale is once again racing this year in the South32 Senior Triathlon. She credits sense of accomplishment as one of the reasons she continues to compete well into her 70s.
“I think the beauty of it is it’s such a tough one, just to be able to get through it makes you feel great,” she said. “Lots of competitive athletes have done it and they seem to think it’s the toughest one they’ve done.”
Friend and fellow triathlete Rosina Oliver, 73, has competed in 20 out of 23 races.
The Dirt N Dust festival is on the weekend April 13-15.