“I am a reasonable and rational woman. This race is the complete opposite: soccer mom overcomes extreme challenge in Norway

Bianca Drolet

42 years old – Laval

Single mother of 3 boys, self-employed human resources specialist

· Norseman Xtreme Triathlon 2023

For what?

“Add spice to my life and find my wall, my limits.”

Bianca Drolet wanted to “spice up” her already busy life. The education of her three boys had not sent her to the ground. This single parent and self-employed mother was looking to face adversity and… “hit her wall”.

This one was the Norseman, an extreme triathlon organized in Norway. The 290 athletes swim 3.8 km, cycle 180 km on winding and mountainous roads and run 42.2 km before crossing the finish line at the top of the “zombie hill», Mount Gausta culminating at 1883 meters above sea level.

Even the organizers of the event advise against it. “It’s not for you. It’s nothing personal, we can read on the brochure describing the event. It’s a race for the winners.”

Bianca Drolet identified with this ordeal. She wanted to fight one of the biggest battles of her sporting life.

“I had a pretty big fear of not being able to reach the finish line. That’s what interested me. I have been lucky enough to experience few failures in my life, says the human resources professional. Failures and adversity are very formative. They allow us to gain humility and resilience.”

Unlike rationality

In her objectives, she also wanted to act as an example for her sons and members of her family, but also to dare and not have any regrets later.

“I am a reasonable and rational woman. This race is quite the opposite. It was my first and probably my last extreme triathlon,” she confirms with humor in an interview with The newspaper.

The Norseman is characterized, among other things, by what is recognized as the most difficult swimming section in the world. For what? Because participants must jump from a boat off the fjord and reach the shore 3.8 km further. The water temperature rarely fluctuates above 10 degrees Celsius while the risk of hypothermia is omnipresent.

For the 42-year-old Quebecer, crossing this distance before the time limit of 2 hours 15 minutes represented her biggest challenge. So she wanted to be one of those fighters.

First victory

But when in doubt, she asked her boys, who accompanied her on this adventure, to keep the hotel room until the last minute. In case she is eliminated.

When she came out of the water and looked at her watch after 115 minutes, she could hardly believe her first victory. “I was stunned. There were still more than twenty swimmers in the water. It was beyond all my expectations.”

Despite a few small logistical glitches, she made up some time cycling and running, her main strength.

“I had never done such a long distance [après] two hours of swimming, and four hours of running [m’attendaient]. In the cold and bad weather, I think I managed to manage my challenge well,” explains the woman who stopped the clock at 2:43 p.m.

“Because we are truly facing the forces of nature which are very unpredictable,” she continues. It’s extreme. You have to learn to be comfortable with discomfort. That’s the other challenge.”

No mercy from Mother Nature

The Norwegian weather had not said its last word for the conclusion of the event last summer. A huge storm showed up in the final portion of the ride as participants finished in heavy rain, strong winds and thunder.

Reflecting on the motivations that brought her to Norway, the woman, sympathetically describing herself as a mother and a soccer mom rather than an endurance athlete, believes she “has flown over the wall”.

“I realized that he is intangible. We place it where we want it. You can never really achieve it, because it’s a question of attitude. This wall doesn’t exist if you don’t want it to exist. There’s no point in looking for him, because I don’t think he can be found. Each ordeal makes you stronger and more tolerant.”

To hell with finances

Committing yourself physically to take on an event like the Norseman does not come without other sacrifices, especially for a single mother. In addition to increasing her training hours while taking care of her three boys, Bianca Drolet has cut her working hours.

In the midst of inflation and rising costs of living, the 42-year-old woman did not back down.

“Managing my business, I reduced my working hours so that I was almost part-time,” recalls the human resources specialist. I was managing my work, workout, and mothering schedule. I wanted to be available for them. This schedule was set like clockwork.”

Intensive training

She maintained a training rhythm of 16 to 23 hours per week for a few months until last August, when she flew to northern Europe for the competition.

“Everything was planned. I had two to three training sessions a day, six days a week,” she emphasizes.

In preparation for such an endurance test, his laps in the pool, his bike rides and his running courses did not last 30 minutes. But rather hours.

Priceless wealth

Added to the physical and time investment are the purchases of necessary missing equipment, registration fees and travel expenses in a country where the cost of living is among the highest in the world. We can guess by a quick sum that the adventure cost a “lot”.

“Honestly, I haven’t taken stock yet. I don’t think I want to do it, she says with humor six months after her success. I think it would only darken the story. Because what’s more, if I wanted to do it correctly, I would have to calculate the hours that I didn’t work for weeks. They come with a cost too.”

“I prefer to tell myself that I was able to afford it. 2023 was a crazy year, but a year of riches in many ways. I have an extremely positive assessment of it, because I took on this challenge, I traveled with my boys and I contemplated magnificent landscapes during the race.

“All of this is an inestimable wealth,” she added on a positive note. I am self-employed. There is no shortage of human resources since the pandemic and the labor shortage. I can add hours to the office whenever I want.”

The one who coached her boys in soccer for five years and played her maternal role well wanted to accomplish a new challenge. She totally spoiled herself, regardless of the costs involved.

To hell with expenses. The Norseman’s adventure was worth every penny.