Carna Kriel - Dynamite Comes in Small Packages

It’s a well-known saying that dynamite comes in small packages, and there’s no exception in Carna Kriel’s case. Carna motivates so many others through her positive outlook on life and her incredible mental strength, all without ever wanting to gain recognition for all that she does and continues to do.

The first time that we met “Ms Kriel”, as I knew her, was an odd 9 years ago on my first South African school day. She then held the position of Head of Junior School Sport, and because of this, I got to see her on a regular basis at school. I discovered her love for sport when my mom and I began to do triathlons, which was her first love, and I think that it is quite fair to say that she taught us everything we know about the sport. I was always in awe of her because of this, and whilst we were still trying to break into the middle of the pack, Carna had already received South African colours for long-distance triathlon and was on her way to represent South Africa in Germany in 2010, and then in France in 2013. In total, she completed 9 Comrades Ultra-Marathons, completed 9 full-distance Iron-Man’s and 22 Midmar Mile swims, including the 8 mile charity swim.

It was in 2014 that we received the crushing news that Carna was diagnosed with breast cancer. This was a devastating blow for her, especially because there was a large chance that she could no longer train on the level at which she was currently competing. The medical odds were stacked against her, and yet with the support of her family and friends, Carna approached this hurdle with an unwavering sense of positivity that left everyone astounded. Some days were worse than others – days that seemed like there was little hope – but even when her chemotherapy left her extremely weak, she got up and trained every single day, even if that only meant walking a short distance at a time. And it was such a beautiful day when we heard that her determination to overcome her adversity had succeeded… Carna had triumphed over her breast cancer.

Six months after her radical chemotherapy treatment, Carna made the decision to make her comeback in the sports world by taking on the 70.3 Durban Ironman, and after a gruelling 1,9km swim, 113km bike ride, and 21,1km run, she finished strongly.

On the 28th of April this year, we once again saw Carna on television, crossing the finish line and thus completing her 9th full-distance Ironman, with the commentator in his booming voice announcing: “CARNA KRIEL, YOU ARE AN IRONMAN!”