Los Angeles-based Herbalife Nutrition today congratulated its sponsored triathlete Heather Jackson, who finished this year’s IRONMAN World Championship in fourth place and holds her rank as top American female triathlete. Jackson completed the 140.6-mile journey with an overall time of 9 hours, 2 minutes and 29 seconds, improving her 2016 finish time by 9 minutes.
“It’s an honor to be ranked the top female American triathlete, and I hope I can inspire people to live a healthier and active lifestyle,” said Jackson. “All the days, hours and sacrifices have paid off, and I am thankful to my husband, family, friends and to my official nutrition sponsor Herbalife Nutrition for fueling my entire journey leading up to Kona, and for being there when I crossed the finish line.”
Jackson, who trains in Bend, Oregon, competed in seven triathlons this year to lock in her spot at the World Championship. One of only 2,365 athletes competing, Jackson completed the 112-mile leg on the bike in 4:53:55 minutes, which advanced her ahead of the competition, giving her the lead she needed for a fourth-place finish.
“Our distributors and employees are proud of all our sponsored athletes who competed in this grueling race, and we applaud Heather on her tremendous win,” said Rich Goudis, CEO of Herbalife Nutrition. “Heather is one of our heroes, both on and off the course. In addition to fueling her performance with our nutrition products, she shares our purpose of making the world healthier and happier by giving back to the community. Earlier this year, Heather donated her prize money from the IRONMAN Peru race to those impacted by this year’s floods. She’s always a winner to us.”
Jackson was among more than 80,000 athletes who competed for a starting slot in one of the world’s toughest endurance races, the IRONMAN World Championship in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, combining a 2.4-mile rough water swim, 112-mile bike race, and 26.2-mile marathon into one event.
In addition to Jackson, 15 endurance athletes sponsored by Herbalife Nutrition competed in the IRONMAN World Championship race. Herbalife Nutrition supports more than 190 athletes worldwide.
