Tania Harris' path to triathlons was paved with failure. After nine miscarriages, two stillbirths and a pulmonary embolism within four years, the executive coach embraced the sport as a way to experience success in her life.
"I was spiralling downwards without realising it," says the 50-year-old from France.
During her depths of depression four years ago, Harris attended a talk given by some runners who had competed in the 2009 Racing the Planet desert ultramarathon in Namibia, a 250-kilometre, seven-day race. She was inspired by one of the female runners, Joanne Eades.
"Her story was all about achievement and it resonated with me because I felt like a failure - a woman who could not have a baby," says Harris. "I had professional success but personal failure."
At the same event, she struck up conversation with Philip Penaloza, the president of the Hong Kong Triathlon Association, who encouraged her to take part in a sprint distance triathlon - a race that consisted of a 750-metre swim, 20-kilometre bike ride, and five-kilometre run - that was taking place in five months. Without hesitation, Harris signed up.
At first, she couldn't run a kilometre without running out of breath. "My husband said I looked like a cross between a duck and a grasshopper," says Harris.