The new Ironman World Champion and Red Bull athlete talks to us about maintaining a positive mindset and using visualisation to reach your full potential
Has your wellbeing been impacted by your profession? ‘Being a professional athlete is an emotional rollercoaster. Winning my first world title in 2021 was the highlight of my career, but I’ve sustained quite a few injuries since then. It can be mentally hard to trust your body after injury, but returning to win the Ironman World Champs – while setting a new course record and being the first woman to lead from start to finish – is testament to the selflove I’ve been showing myself to keep going and never give up.’
How do you deal with setbacks? ‘When you’re told you can’t train anymore due to injury, it can be difficult not to spiral into a negative state because your whole livelihood feels like it’s over. Recently, I’ve heard a lot of athletes say it’s crucial not to let your self-worth become attached to your career, and while it’s hard not to let the two become intertwined, I think I’ve started to learn how to be happy with who I am, for who I am, and not attach that to winning titles.’
How do you prepare mentally before a competition?
‘Mental prep is almost more important than physical training, especially for an event as long as an Ironman, when I’m racing for eight or nine hours. Maintaining a good headspace for the entire duration is vital, so when I’m training, I visualise how I’m going to feel at certain points, or I’ll think about the self-talk I’ll need to give myself if I’m struggling. I pushed myself harder than ever before for the Ironman World Champs because no amount of physical pain would have been worse than not winning that title after coming second four times. I just had to endure the pain knowing that the reward would come at the end.’
