Júlía and her son make triathlon a family passion

Júlía Þorvaldsdóttir and her son, Kári Steinn Kjartansson, have turned triathlon into a shared family passion, mbl.is reports. Júlía, now 51, has completed two half-Ironman races, while Kári has competed alongside her.

Both work at Þjóðskrá, the National Registry: Júlía as a managing director and Kári in customer service. He is also studying to become an electrician. Júlía’s husband and Kári’s father, photographer Kjartan Þorbjörnsson, known as Golli, has documented the family’s sporting activities in photographs and videos. He has started attending weightlifting sessions, and their daughter, Hjördís Freyja, has taken up triathlon.

Mother and son started training together

Kári began training in triathlon about three years ago, when few people his age were taking part. Júlía said he wanted the motivation that can come from training with someone else, so she asked if he would like her to join him. He welcomed the idea.

Júlía said she was at a turning point in her life and wanted to take responsibility for her wellbeing. She had not run for 35 years and had said she would never compete in anything. At first, she joined Kári simply to train.

After Kári competed in an Olympic-distance triathlon in Erkner, Germany, and finished second in his age group, Júlía decided, at 49, to set herself a half-Ironman as a 50th-birthday goal. The race involves a 1.9-kilometre sea swim, a 90-kilometre cycle and a half-marathon.

She has since completed half-Ironman races in Portugal and Montenegro. Kári joined her for the challenge.

Training for the first race

Júlía said her goal before her first race in Portugal was to train enough to finish without injuring herself. She and Kári arrived a week early. The day after arriving, she went into the sea and thought she was going to drown. She returned to the water each day and familiarised herself with the cycling and running routes.