Radka Kahlefeldt wins Wagga Lake Run and Ride after Ironman withdrawal

Finishing the 10 kilometre run in an impressive 36 minutes, 56 seconds, Kahlefeldt was more than two minutes ahead of her next closest competitor, and came seventh overall.

Kahlefeldt is pleased to know her name will be etched on the trophy alongside her mother in law who has won the race several times.

Though the race was not even a quarter the length of the world championship run leg, Kahlefeldt was excited to be racing again.

"So many people say 'oh yeah you won, so why are you not going to Kona?' But I was like, well this is way far from where I should be," Kahlefeldt laughed.

"To win a fun run it's great, but it's nothing compared to what I would do in Hawaii for the World Championships but it was still really nice to get out and have a race after long time, any race is a great motivation in training, to see that you're getting somewhere," she said.

Kahlefeldt withdrew from the championships after she was diagnosed with glandular fever and unable to train at the standard required to safely compete in the race.

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"I'm very sad and disappointed about it all, but I guess you can't really change if you if your health is not on board," she said.

Kahlefeldt qualified for Hawaii in June at the Asia-Pacific Championship in Cairns but said she needed to listen to her body ahead of October's race.

"Particularly as a professional athlete, it is very important to listen to your body, and I think the older you get, the more important it is as well, the body needs a bit more to recover or it takes a bit longer," she said.

"The body is all you've got. If you're not healthy, you can't really do anything, and you don't really appreciate that until you get injured or you're sick, because then you realise how important your health is."

It was a comment from coach and husband Brad Kahlefeldt that she could "kiss goodbye to Kona" if she was unable to train that pushed her to withdraw.

Though the fun run is a far cry from an Ironman race, Kahlefeldt said she loves being able to race at home in Wagga, and registered her whole family to take part in the event.

In what was meant to just be a bit of fun for the family, four-year-old Ruby and dad Brad, were ready to take on their competition.

"My plan was that Brad will just have a little walk with Ruby but they're so competitive, so they ran the whole lap, and she won her under five category!"

It wasn't only her immediate family getting involved, but extended too with brother-in-law Jared Kahlefeldt coming first in the men's 10 kilometre race. His children also got in on the fun, participating in the race day too.

For Kahlefeldt, getting her children involved in sport from a young age is important in establishing a positive relationship with it.

"You're like a role model and you build the love towards sport from a young age and that's what's really important," she said.

Kahlefeldt is continuing to prepare for the 2023 Ironman World Championships, with hopes to qualify for the race in Busselton, Western Australia, later this year.

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