Have you always been a sporty person and if so what were some of your earliest sporting memories and successes?

In short, yes – and all credit must go to my family for this. We had a very active childhood, from sailing to kayaking to hiking to cycling, and were fortunate to grow up in a country – New Zealand – that offers endless opportunities for outdoor recreation. 

At primary school I competed in netball, sailing and cross-country running, then focused more on triathlon while at high school (with a bit of basketball, cycling and mountainbiking on the side). I always loved racing (even though I was a little less keen on the training side of things!), and some of my best memories from this time come from the trips we made to various regional or national championships around the country. I love being outside and exploring new places, and sport has always been the means by which I incorporate adventure into my life.

Tell us about your time at Cambridge University and how you got into rowing there?

I was fortunate to receive an academic undergraduate scholarship to Cambridge, and spent four years there pursuing a Masters degree in Chemistry. I had decided to ‘retire’ from triathlon after racing my final national championships in 2003, but quickly got sucked into rowing at university instead – it’s such a popular sport at Cambridge that it’s hard to avoid! 

After a couple of years rowing at the college level, I joined the university squad and was part of the Blue Boat that beat Oxford in the 2007 Women’s Boat Race. I then went on to complete my PhD at Oxford University and continued rowing there for the ‘other side’, adding three more Blue Boat wins in 2009, 2010 (as President) and 2011. 

Although it can be a challenging sport at times – we had more than a few training sessions where we’d come off the water with icicles in our hair! – I’m enormously grateful of the opportunities, experiences and memories that rowing provided during the seven years I spent at university.

When did you move more into endurance events and what were some of the successes you had in those?

I had a few months off between finishing my PhD and starting my first job with McKinsey & Company, and as a long-time fan of the Tour de France I decided to spend that time cycling in the Pyrenees and Alps. During this time I competed in a couple of endurance events, and discovered that I really loved spending 6 – 8 hours going uphill on a bike!

However, after starting work I quickly realised that running was a much easier sport to fit in around the regular travel and long hours. I recorded a couple of wins over the half marathon distance, then decided to skip the marathon in favour of something a little longer – a 111km ultramarathon across the north of England! I somehow managed to win the race outright…then promptly suffered a mountaineering accident which took me out of competitive sport for the next couple of years.

Tell us about your move to triathlon and when it was you well and truly caught the ‘triathlon bug’?

Like many Antipodeans, I first learnt about triathlon from the side of a Weet-Bix box, and completed my first ‘Kiwi Kids Tryathlon’ in 1997. I raced in triathlon, duathlon and aquathon events throughout high school, but was more focused on the academic side of things and just wasn’t fast enough to be competitive at the higher levels of the sport.

In 2017 I started a new job in biotech venture capital, and decided that I needed a bit of a hobby to keep myself fit. I’ve always wondered if I have a bit of ‘unfinished business’ when it comes to triathlon, so I jumped back in the pool, bought a bike and ramped up my running with Ironman Italy being my goal for the season.

My training progressed well, and after a while I realised that I might just have a shot at turning triathlon into a professional career. Lots of soul-searching and difficult discussions followed, and now six months later I find myself at the start of my very first pro season in triathlon!

It’s hard to say exactly when I caught the ‘triathlon bug’, but I have great memories from my time racing as a junior, from the fast and furious swim starts to the dreaded beach run courses to the obligatory sausage sizzle (for the non-Antipodeans, this is how you get your post-race fuelling in – a barbecued sausage wrapped in a single slice of white bread, with or without cooked onions). In contrast, over the last year I’ve come to deeply appreciate the structured approach to training and racing, the endless opportunities for improvement, and the camaraderie that comes with being part of an awesome group of pro athletes at Purple Patch Fitness. I do wish there were more sausage sizzles at races though!

What have been some of your biggest triathlon successes to date?

Unfortunately my 2017 season was a bit derailed due to an extended period of illness, but I managed to win the age-group events at both The Championships in Slovakia, and Challenge Geraardsbergen in Belgium.

 
Tell us about your first Ironman race last year and are you keen to compete in another one anytime soon?

Sadly I wasn’t able to make it to Ironman Italy in 2017, so Ironman Mont Tremblant 2018 will be my first attempt at the longer distance. Although I do find the distance quite intimidating, I can’t wait to take on the challenge in six months time!

How hard are you currently training and what goals and ambitions do you have for the season ahead?

Under the careful guidance of my coach, Matt Dixon, I’ve steadily ramped up my training over the last few months. I have a number of key sessions each week which are always pretty hard, but these are interspersed with lower intensity workouts where the focus is on technique and recovery. I complement these swim/bike/run sessions with strength and conditioning work in the gym, and I try to get a massage once a week too.

2018 will be my first season racing as a professional triathlete, and my aim is to learn as much as I can while hopefully recording some strong finishes throughout the year!