Ironwoman Kate Rutherford claims women’s Hong Kong Marathon 10km crown at second ever attempt

She swims, she bikes, and now Kate Rutherford has proved she can certainly run after claiming the women’s title in the Standard Chartered Hong Kong 10km race this morning.

It was an unexpected outcome for the elite triathlete who was named “Asia’s best age-group triathlete in 2015” by AsiaTri Magazine last month. She’s used to swimming 1.5 kilometres and cycling 40 kilometres before she even thinks about running.

“I was just hoping to maybe finish top three in my age group – I never imagined coming first,” she beamed after finishing in 39 minutes 18 seconds. “I kept looking around on the course thinking, where is everyone? They must be way ahead of me.”

It was her “second ever” road race and her first performance at the Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon, despite living in Hong Kong for 12 years.

MORE: Read all of our Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon 2016 here

Coming down the finisher’s chute, narrowing in on the banner ahead was an “amazing feeling” she said.

“I kept looking at it thinking, oh my God, I’m first!”

A slip at the start almost cut short her race. “There were a small pack of elites who tumbled at the beginning and I sort of fell over them,” she explained, showing off grazes on her knees. But it didn’t deter the 42-year-old mother of two who works as a triathlon coach for 26 Coaching.

“I’m used to doing Ironman when you can be out there for 12 hours – it’s nice to be done in under 40 minutes and go home and go back to bed.”

Another elite Hong Kong triathlete, Choi Yan Yin Hilda, finished second in 39:22.