Iron Woman with a heart of gold – postie Joanna
Postal, Royal Mail Group (EMP) July 5 2022
Middleton postwoman achieves remarkable triathlon feat, raising almost £1,400 for two charities…
After a 2.4-mile swim in a country park lake, followed by a 112-mile bike ride and then a full marathon around the streets of Bolton, Joanna Degisi is officially an Iron Woman – having successfully completed this famously gruelling one-day challenge.
At 6.30am on Sunday morning, she joined nearly 2,000 other equally determined individuals queuing up beside Pennington Flash Water in Leigh, waiting their turn to plunge in and start their event – “we jumped in in groups of three and it was so packed in the water that I got a few accidental elbows and even the odd thump here and there – it was chaotic,” Joanna told CWU News when we caught up with her on the morning after.
“But there was no harm done and everyone just got on with it. We did two loops in the lake and then it was a quick change and onto the bike ride. There’s no rest in between the different events – you run to a changing point, take your wet gear off, put your cycling gear on and go straight away. When you’re soaking wet, you just have to try to dry yourself and put your other gear on.
“The weather? That was a challenge as well – we had shower bursts and gusts of wind. Yes, it is July – but then again, this is the North West!”
From Leigh, the participants pedalled towards Bolton and then three times around a course that headed out towards Bury, up to Ramsbottom, west to Belmont and then back to Bolton again and then the marathon run took them four times around Bolton town centre, before finishing at Victoria Square.
“Each discipline has strictly enforced cut-off times and a final aggregate cut-off time of 17 hours to complete all three disciplines together,” Joanna explained, adding that she completed all three “in 16 hours, seven minutes and two seconds.”
Running around the town, Joanna was cheered on by friends and also by colleagues who work with her at Middleton Delivery Office, which was a great morale booster. “I had a group cheering me when they saw me each time I went past them – it was brilliant. Their support has been incredible. Absolutely incredible,” she said, adding that these workmates and family and friends have also donated generously to the two charities she was running for.
As well as a personal challenge, people take part in ‘Ironman’ triathlons to raise money and awareness for good causes and in Joanna’s case, she’s been supporting two extremely important charities helping needy and vulnerable people and animals – both dear to her heart.
The Attic Project Bury is a charitable foundation located in the town of Bury, dedicated to helping people in need and which has the aim of ‘striving to improve the lives of everyone who needs help within the community’, while Tower Hill Stables Animal Sanctuary states that its mission is ‘to provide care and a forever home to animals in need’.
“They’re both fantastic,” she says, “The Attics Project people take referrals and mainly help anyone who needs help. They do such a lot of brilliant work, voluntarily, for people who are so much in need – especially in these times. And the Tower Hill charity is run by an amazing woman called Fiona Oakes, who has over 600 animals in her shelter. She’s also an elite athlete, with a marathon time of two hours, 38 minutes and has completed the toughest footrace on earth the Marathon de Sables a number of times. Fiona has been a big inspiration to me.”
Joanna started work in Royal Mail during the Covid pandemic, having been made redundant from her previous job and she tells CWU News that “I absolutely love it. Everyone has been so friendly and supportive towards me since I started – and they’ve been really generous in backing these two charities and, so far, the total is almost £1,400, which is superb.
“My local union rep at Middleton, Keith Jackson, has been great and so has my office manager Neil Jopson – so thanks very much.”
Keith Jackson said: “We’re all very proud of her – it’s an unbelievable achievement and for very good causes as well. Well done Joanna,” while Jim McNicholls, Manchester Amal Branch secretary, said: “Our whole branch is as proud as punch – what a great achievement by her and I’m going to ask our branch to make a donation to the Attic Project Bury.”
DONATE:
If you want to make a contribution to either of Joanna’s charities, please follow one of these links:
Click here to donate to the Attic Project Bury
Click here to donate to the Tower Stables Animal Sanctuary