The girl chasing IRONMAN dreams
What you need to know:
- Her journey in triathlon began in 2021 at the height of the Covid pandemic. She started cycling during the lockdown and in the process, she discovered duathlon.
- She started swimming in April last year and then transited to triathlon, a sport that combines swimming, running and cycling.
- She won the 2024 Africa Triathlon Duathlon Cup Nairobi in the Elite Women category on April 28 at the Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani where she completed 5,000 metres run in 25 minutes and 42 seconds, bike in 20km in 40 minutes and run in 2.5km in 12:08 minutes.
Bernice Karimi is a triathlete. Born in April 1997, Bernice attended Githagara Primary School and Kianderi Girls High School in Murang’a County. Her favourite hobby was playing football, and she was a striker and games captain in high school, but stopped in 2017 after failing to get a chance in the Kibera Girls Soccer team. In high school, Bernice also explored running and heptathlon. She is currently a student at St Paul’s University taking a degree course in computer science.
Tell us about your experience at IRONMAN 70.3 in Rwanda early this month…
I went there with compatriots Carol Wambui, Sylvia Atieno, Vivian Akoth and Lenon Kadeva from the She Can Tri Team Kibera programme. Participants from 29 countries across the world took on the challenging 70.3 miles course, starting with a 1.9-kilometre swim in Lake Kivu, followed by a 90-kilometre bike race, and ending with a 21.1-kilometre run. I came third in six hours, 43 minutes and 11 seconds behind Briton Nina Morris-Evans (5:43:04) and Rwandan Hanani Uwineza (6:17:41). Although the sun was unforgiving, it was such an awesome experience.
Have your parents ever discouraged you from pursuing cycling as a career?
Even when I spent a lot of time in sports when I was in school, they never had an issue. But, my mum became concerned when I finished high school and started cycling on the roads in Nairobi. She asked how I managed to cycle yet even walking on foot is hard in the city because of the heavy traffic. There was a time she was mad at me when I cycled from Nairobi to upcountry in Murang’a. She was not happy with me at all. She asked, “What will people think about us? Is it because you did not have fare? I can help you with fare if that is the problem.”
I did not see anything wrong with it because I was doing it for fun. One has to pass through Murang’a County from Nairobi to reach Nyeri, and I had joined a group of cyclists who were heading to Nyeri. I was just having fun. Thankfully, she started coming around when I began winning local competitions.
How hard is it to cycle in Nairobi?
It is not for the faint-hearted. First, we have very few cycling lanes – on Ngong Road, Thika Road, Jogoo Road and United Nations Avenue. Even so, many of these lanes are occupied by either hawkers or pedestrians or both. Thika Road cycling lane is also full of potholes.
As a triathlete, how has climate change affected your hobby?
Long-term shifts in temperatures and weather patterns affect all sports persons, including triathletes. However, we always look forward to the sunny season which is best for all the three disciplines (cycling, swimming and running). During the rainy season, we are forced to train indoors, doing things like spinning on the roller and running on the treadmill.
Do you make enough from triathlon to pay your bills?
No. I just love doing it. It is part of my lifestyle. Cycling from one part of the city to another is so enjoyable. I am a graphic and web designer, and digital marketer. These pay my bills.
What other benefits have you reaped from triathlon?
Through this sport, I have become physically fit. Like many sports, it is also good for networking and socialising. For example, I met so many people from around the world at the Ironman Rwanda event. Additionally, it is good for my mental health. Any time I feel low, I pick up my bicycle and go for a ride. When I’m stuck and lacking in my usual creativity, I put on my running shoes and go for a run. It helps me recharge. For recovery, swimming is the best.
Tell us about some of your best or worst moments in this sport...
Harassment when I’m on a bike is my worst experience. You cannot cycle in peace in this city if you are a woman. Often, someone out of nowhere will say something to discourage you. Cycling is a male-dominated sport, so I have been told nasty things several times. I have been told that a woman is not supposed to ride a bike because unaharibu mboga (you are damaging your reproductive organs). The worst moment is also when you wake up ready for a road trip with your team only to find you have a flat tyre. You have to fix that puncture and you may end up being left by the team so you’ll need to catch up.
My best moment was recently when I was a delivery woman working for a chemist in Westlands, Nairobi. I was supposed to get medicine to an asthmatic patient as quickly as possible. I rode so fast to the shock of everyone who was handling the case and the patient’s life was saved!
What’s that one big thing you hope to achieve in triathlon?
I hope to do the full Ironman – swim (3.9 kilometres), cycle (180.2 kilometres) and run (42.2 kilometres). The one I did in Rwanda was Half Ironman. I still want to do Rwanda Ironman in 2025, and my target is to finish in first position.
