Mother’s Day Classic Shepparton ambassador and three-time breast cancer survivor Kylie Jones is feeling bittersweet about missing the annual event this year – instead she’ll be attempting her biggest ever endurance event, the Ultraman.
The three-day event in Noosa involves a 10km swim and 140km ride on day one, a 281.1km ride on day two and finishes with an 84.3km run on day three.
Kylie was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 2009, aged 32, and when it returned about five years later, she underwent a double mastectomy.
In 2018, a month after being declared cancer-free, she was diagnosed with stage one breast cancer again.
Kylie had a lumpectomy, went through radiotherapy and eventually decided to have her ovaries removed.
Kylie is usually a big part of the Mother’s Day Classic in Shepparton, bringing along her twin boys and her mum and speaking at the event.
While she can’t be there herself this year, she encouraged locals to support the event in its 10th year in Shepparton.
“About 55 people are diagnosed with breast cancer every day and nine Australians die every day from it – those statistics are still fairly startling,” she said.
“They’ve come a long way with the research but events like this enable people like me to go do what I’m going to do.
“If it wasn’t for breast cancer research in the past, they wouldn’t have the medications and so forth that have helped me through so I can do these types of crazy events.”
Kylie has completed three Ironmans and was training for her fourth in 2019 before it was cancelled a month out due to COVID-19.
Asked why she’s taking on the Ultraman she said, “because I can”.
“I consider myself fairly fortunate, even though I’ve been struck by breast cancer three times, I’m still here and I’m healthy,” she said.
“I have daily issues with different things but ultimately I can, so that’s really my ‘why’.
“It’s also taking back some control over my body – that’s what drives me, because I can and I feel blessed that I’m still here and able to.”
Last year Kylie was planning to do another Ironman and took on a new coach, who had done the Ultraman in 2021.
“I started talking to him about Ultraman and he knew I was going to apply for it before I did,” she said.
“It wasn’t until last year I couldn’t get it out of my head and thought ‘what if?’.”
As well as the extreme distances, Kylie has to push through the impact of past operations and medication she still takes on her body.
“When I had my double mastectomy they took a muscle from my back,” she said.
“I couldn’t lift my arm above my head so I had to learn to swim again. My swimming isn’t as strong as it used to be but it’s just something I guess I’ve gotten used to.”
The intense training Kylie’s been doing for the past seven months became a positive thing for her to focus on during COVID-19, and as restrictions began to lift she could look forward to the event.
Speaking a week out from the event, Kylie said she was feeling “excited and nervous”.
“I just can’t wait to get out there and put myself to the test,” she said.
“Hopefully the hard work I’ve done pays off; it’s all going to come down to my mental strength in the end, I think.”
The Mother’s Day Classic is being held at Victoria Park Lake, Wyndham St, Shepparton, on Sunday, May 8.
To register, visit mothersdayclassic.com.au/vic-shepparton