Volunteer Saresa Luscombe takes on Taupō Ironman 2020

IRONMAN 2020: competitor Saresa Luscombe after completing the 2019 Ironman New Zealand 70.3 in Taupo.

It's been quite a comeback.

Rotorua nurse Saresa Luscombe, 30, was ecstatic to win an entry to the 2019 Nutri-Grain Ironman New Zealand and then devastated by a workplace injury. Now she is looking forward to competing in her first Ironman on Saturday.

For the past five years Saresa has taken part in triathlons. After completing IronMāori in Napier, she joined Rotorua's Jogging the Powerpoles group and was hooked.

"They showed me the disciplines and encouraged me to enter events. I love the social part of the group, and also seeing what my body can do."

In 2018 Saresa won an entry to Ironman New Zealand 2019 and training preparations were underway when she suffered a serious hip trauma after being assaulted at work by a patient in Lakes District Health Board's acute mental health unit in Rotorua.

The 14-bed inpatient service provides assessment, treatment, stabilisation and crisis care for adults with mental illness.

Saresa Luscombe is an Ironman volunteer who won a free entry to this year's event.

After the attack, Saresa had to take a year and a half off work to recover.

"It was hard for me taking 18 months off training, because I had been so active. When doing rehab, it was always my goal to get back to where I was before my hip was injured."

At times she had her doubts whether she would recover.

"I'm very stubborn. Very much head down, bum up."

After Saresa's hip was injured she saw Ironman New Zealand race director Wayne Reardon who allowed her to defer her entry to this year.

She credits her comeback to her training group of 10 to 15 people from Rotorua who are first timers for Ironman, and also her coach Kerris Browne. She would also like to thank her partner Anaru Hansen for being so supportive.

"We all train together and support each other. For some, Ironman has been a journey of a few years, others like me have trained in the past year.

On the day, Saresa says she personally will have 10 to 15 supporters, and is hoping for a time of 15 hours.

"I am going to concentrate on one discipline at a time. I am not worried about the weather as I have trained in all conditions."

Hoping for no injuries during the event, Saresa says regular sessions with the osteopath and weight training are keeping her hip in good working order.

Ironman 2020 will mark a new beginning work wise for Saresa, who is starting a new job on Monday as practice nurse for a Rotorua general practitioner.

"I hope I can inspire someone with an injury that they can make it to the start line."