Jenny Strecker, with Summer, is determined to finish next weekend's ironman. Photo / Supplied
Jenny strecker has a monkey on her back and the Mairangi Bay resident says there's only one way to get rid of it - finish an ironman triathlon.
The 48-year-old South African-born grandmother failed to finish her first Kellogg's Nutri-Grain Ironman last year after she dislocated her shoulder in an accident on the bike.
"It was my very first ironman attempt and I was extremely upset not to finish. My biggest motivation after that was to overcome the disappointment and give it another go."
Adding to her distress was the fact that Strecker's sister, Wendy DuToit, who had trained with her for two years, completed the race without knowing what had happened.
They planned for two years to finish it in unison, completing two 70.3 events (70.3km of running, swimming and cycling in total) and running through the finish line together.
Strecker is a personal trainer and massage therapist whose journey began when DuToit encouraged her to make lifestyle changes, having recognised how deeply unhappy she was. "She told me to quit my job, start exercising and try a new career."
The turning point was when Strecker and her daughter, Cynthia Rose, were in Taupo watching Wendy in the Lake Taupo Cycle Challenge.
"Standing at the start line was an amazing experience," she says. "There were thousands of people, all lined up with their bikes.
"At the start gun, there was a chorus of clicking as the bikes got into gear. It was incredibly emotional and very inspiring. It was at that point that I decided, 'I want to do this'."
Soon mother and daughter bought bikes and Strecker started riding to work and began to take part in cycling events and in due course, the Auckland Women's Triathlon.
"My sister and I laugh so much when we look back at that. We didn't have the right equipment for starters. I borrowed my son's diving wetsuit, which is just far too bulky for swimming so I ended up taking it off just before we started.
"My sister couldn't swim and I couldn't put my head under the water - but it was a load of laughs.
"We took a lot of photos and really celebrated giving it a go. From that moment we were hooked." And so it was at 46 Strecker decided with Wendy to do their first Kellogg's Nutri-Grain Ironman.
Strecker was never a confident lake swimmer, haunted by a childhood memory of a young boy who drowned, his body never found.
A few weeks before the ironman, she got into Lake Taupo with her sister for a practise swim and began to panic.
"I couldn't breathe, my throat started to close and I thought 'I can't do this' but my sister said to me 'Do you want to let this get the better of you? Do you want this to stop you from becoming an ironman?' I decided then that I needed to rise above this."
After an "awesome swim", she was just past the 40km mark in the cycle leg when she had her accident. Deciding to take two waters from the refreshment station, she was going too quick to grab the second and braked using the only hand that was on her bike - a front brake.
"I managed to get to the first aid tent and they called an ambulance. My arm had detached - I couldn't continue and this was just so disappointing. I asked the organisers to hide my bike. I knew if my sister saw me that it would ruin her day and I wanted her to finish."
The accident was a huge disappointment and with that came the fear of failing again - the monkey on her back.
But Strecker has risen above that to commit to do the ironman event this year.
"I'm ready for the journey now. I'm progressing from an ironman wannabe to an ironman gonnabe."
The mother of two, grandmother of two and determined "I can do it" competitor, is one of three recipients of a Kellogg's Nutri-Grain Unstoppable Champion sponsorship to compete in the 2015 Kellogg's Nutri-Grain Ironman in Taupo next Saturday.
"I am just so grateful for the support," she says. "It feels like everything has just fallen into place."
• Entries for Kellogg's Nutri-Grain Ironman at Taupo on March 7 have closed, but learn more about where to watch the race at ironman.com