De Riter dares again, despite glandular fever

By Justin Robertson
SAM de Riter puts her body through the wringer.
Training for a triathlon is no easy feat.
In a normal week, the 21-year-old will ride through the Dandenongs and cover 350km, which is roughly the equivalent of riding from Melbourne to Albury one way.
Then, she’d squeeze in a run (45km over four days) and a swim (8km over three days).
At the best of times, triathlons are tiring and grueling, but De Riter knew something was up with her body prior to this year’s Port Macquarie Ironman in March.
“Leading up to the event, I remember feeling tired and fatigued during training and just had no energy,” the Pakenham athlete said.
Blood tests confirmed De Riter in fact had glandular fever and she had to pull out of the triathlon and watch from the sidelines. She then realised she had been training with it for several months.
“After that race, I took time off, about two months and spent time with a naturopath getting my body back on track,” she said.
“It’s one of those things that’s really important to recover from as chronic fatigue is very common after glandular fever.”
With the Gold Coast half Ironman coming up in October, and a new bike sponsor – Giant – on board, De Riter said she is confident she has derailed her fatiguing illness.
“I’m back doing my normal workload now and don’t feel tired at all,” she said.
“It’s been eight months now, so the worst of it has gone and I’m not limited at all.”
De Riter, a self-confessed basketball fanatic, was 14 when she raced her first mini-triathlon. But it wasn’t until 2008 until she became engrossed with the thrill of competing on race-day and the training that is involved with a triathlon.
“Its great seeing yourself improving all the time which is what keeps you going, plus your mind is always on your next big race,” she said, adding she has raced in one full Ironman and two half Ironman over the past few years.
“The people that I train with always make it enjoyable and we keep each other going.”
While most triathlon athletes hit the wall at some point because of the sheer distances covered during race, de Riter said it’s the adrenaline that gets her through the pain barrier.
“I have definitely hit the wall, it’s about learning how your body works,” she said.
“Half the time, you don’t even know you’ve hit the wall, so I just figure, it’s only one day in your life, just keep going.”