Millicent Simonics, September 18th, 2025 • Volume 7 • Issue 1

This October, Ridgeway local athlete Carly Zanatta will be among the world’s best endurance competitors at the Ironman World Championship in Kona, Hawaii—a race considered the pinnacle of triathlon. For Carly, it’s more than just a race. It’s the culmination of years of resilience, reinvention, and sheer determination.

Carly’s athleticism began with highland dance. While the traditional team sports did not appeal to her, the endurance aspect did. She eventually discovered rowing in grade nine with the South Niagara Rowing Club out of Dane City. She pursued rowing for her entire high school and university careers.

“Some people thrive in a team boat,” Carly reflects. “But when you’re in a single [boat], you have more internal motivation – I feel like a lot of my motivation is internal”.

Despite standing at just under 5’6” in a sport that favours height, Carly made up for it with relentless training. She lived by the quote: “Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard”. Her efforts paid off when she achieved a rowing scholarship to the University of Massachusetts, before transferring to the University of Guelph and later completing her master’s at Brock University.

She competed at the national level, rowing for Canada’s U23 team, and had the honour of rowing in a Henley Regatta. Carly eventually stepped away from rowing during the COVID-19 pandemic. “I felt I had accomplished everything I wanted in rowing. The Olympic stream was difficult to break into, especially as a lightweight.”

With rowing behind her, Carly turned to running during the pandemic. In 2020, she participated in her first marathon, a grassroots event called That Damn Hill, which allowed her to qualify for the Boston Marathon at 3:12 (three hours and twelve minutes). Due to COVID-19 restrictions, she was not able to participate in the marathon until the following year. At that point, she ran an impressive 2:52 (two hours and fifty-two minutes), securing her Boston entry for a second time.

To Carly, Boston was an unforgettable milestone, “people told me not to focus on time goals because it’s such a tough course. It was about the experience, and it was amazing”.

But running also brought injuries. During recovery periods, Carly began cycling more seriously, which naturally led to duathlons—run-bike-run races. In her very first, in Gravenhurst, she not only won but nearly caught up to the overall male winner.

While running and cycling came naturally, swimming was different. “I actually quit swimming lessons as a kid,” Carly admits. “Every time I got into the water, I would panic.”

Despite her fear, she was committed to learning and joined the Brock Masters swim program. She’s only been swimming for two years, but has already completed five full Ironman competitions: Texas and Maryland in 2024, as well as Muskoka, Ohio, and Louisville in 2025.

It hasn’t been without challenges. At Ironman Texas, she suffered a panic attack, hyperventilated, and had to swim the first half of the course with her head above water. At Ironman Ohio this year, Carly had to race in rough and choppy water without a wetsuit, which triggered another panic attack—forcing her to drop out mid-swim. The gravity of this moment came just two weeks after winning Ironman Muskoka.

“Those moments taught me a lot,” she says. “It showed me where I need to train harder, especially in tougher water conditions”.

Her qualification for Kona came at Ironman Maryland in 2024, and now she’s preparing for the most legendary triathlon stage in the world.

Kona presents unique challenges: no wetsuits, ocean salt water, and running through hot weather and lava fields. To combat the mental challenge, Carly is preparing without expectations. “People say you can’t go into Kona with time goals. It’s about survival and experience. My goal is simply to finish strong.”

The Ironman World Championship has two divisions: the Professional Division (Pro Field), which comprises elite athletes with professional cards who compete for prize money and international rankings, and an Age-Group Division for Amateur athletes who qualify through their age category at Ironman events worldwide. Carly will be competing in the age-group division in October 2025.

But her long-term plan is to step into the pro ranks after Kona, where she’ll line up against the best in the world for prize money and professional standing. Here, she’ll have the opportunity to compete for prize money and build a presence in the sport.

But at the heart of it all is her love for the process. “Becoming pro is a long-term goal – even if I weren’t racing, I would still be training, because I do enjoy the aspect of training, the endorphins you get – it’s the best part of starting your day”.

With 20-hour training weeks, Carly maintains balance with the help of her fiancé, also an endurance athlete whom she met through a running group. “He’s like-minded, and we train together. [It’s important to have] someone that is going to be supportive of goals and what you’re doing”.