Oxfordshire granny wins triathlon six months after surgery

Sharon Morgan from Banbury had always been active and kept fit through swimming and cycling before her operation.

As the pain in her right knee became worse, her everyday life became restricted, leaving her to have a total right knee replacement at Nordorthopaedics in Lithuania last November.

The 62-year-old said: “I could barely stand for more than five minutes and struggled going up and down stairs.

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Banbury grandmother Sharon Morgan won a triathlon just six months after undergoing knee surgery. (Image: Sharon Morgan)

“My limited mobility even made playing with my grandchildren very difficult. Along with the pain, the constant knee stiffness and frequent seizing were frustrating, and I couldn’t sleep at night.

“That’s when I decided it was time for surgery.”

One of the most emotional moments came during Sharon’s recovery in Kaunas, after she had stopped using crutches and was walking through the city centre.

“I became aware that I was actually walking like a normal person, upright, eyes up and looking at my surroundings,” she said.

“I found this to be a very emotional moment as the realisation swept over me that this had been a positive decision and that I was on the road to a new chapter bringing me closer to normality.”

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Banbury grandmother Sharon Morgan won a triathlon just six months after undergoing knee surgery. (Image: Sharon Morgan)

Even before travelling to Lithuania, Sharon had set herself the challenge of competing in a triathlon, because although she could swim and cycle, she had not run for 40 years.

On Sunday, May 24, six months after her knee replacement, she completed a triathlon race in Spain after training in swimming, cycling and following a couch to 5km running programme.

“I was so surprised by how strong my knee was and how well it stood up to the demands of the event,” Sharon reacted.

“I still pinch myself that I can now do these sorts of events, which I gave up some years ago. The most amazing thing of all… I came first in my age group!

“Who would have thought that after all this time, you can still do it if you put your mind and heart into it.”

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Banbury grandmother Sharon Morgan won a triathlon just six months after undergoing knee surgery. (Image: Sharon Morgan)

Modern triathlon is a relatively young sport, with its first recognised swim-bike-run race staged by the San Diego Track Club in California in September 1974 as an alternative to traditional track training.

That Mission Bay event saw athletes complete a short run, bike and swim in succession, and it quickly caught on with endurance enthusiasts in the United States and then Europe.

The format grew rapidly through the late 1970s and 1980s, helped in part by the creation of the gruelling Ironman race in Hawaii in 1978, which combined a 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike ride and a full marathon run.

Triathlon’s first world governing body, the International Triathlon Union, was formed in France in 1989 and went on to standardise the now-familiar Olympic distance of a 1.5km swim, 40km bike and 10km run.

The sport made its Olympic debut at the Sydney Games in 2000 and has since expanded to include events such as paratriathlon and mixed team relay on the world stage.