At Home With.. LIZ BLATCHFORD
Born in the United Kingdom, Liz Blatchford spent most of
her childhood in Australia and, as a dual citizen, has
represented both countries in her professional triathlon
career.
“I did my first triathlon at the age of 14. I went to university
and studied marine biology for a couple of years, but I
ended up leaving my studies when I was 20 to race full time
as a professional, and I haven’t looked back”
Liz is on the Ironman comeback trail after giving birth to
her daughter Mahli. She is loving her life as a new mum
but she admits that the road back to fitness has been
tough, balancing her new role as a parent and the demands
of a professional athlete.
"During the pregnancy, I embraced things such as
pilates to keep me stretched and balanced and
worked that all-important pelvic floor. Mahli
came into the world via c-section, following
that, I was told no exercising for 6 weeks, it was
the hardest 6 weeks of my life. I gradually
developed a passion for walking”
Liz's first race back after having Mahli
was the Noosa Triathlon in November
2017 "It was so nice to be out on the
course and I placed 7th, I was super happy
with that place having had nearly 18
months not competing."
"With the help of Kris from Strength For
Endurance on the Gold Coast, we developed a
training program I could do at home with a
kettlebell ( which I could swap for Mahli
when she was grumpy ) some bands and a
TRX suspension trainer."
No-one knows more about winning,
racing and relaxing in Cairns than Liz,
who dominated the Cairns Ironman in
2013/14/15, and, although not completing this year, she is
looking forward to sharing her passion for the event and
Tropical North Queensland with everyone.
“The course is so stunning. I like warm conditions and in
Cairns, you are always guaranteed nice balmy conditions.
The coast road up to Port Douglas is so beautiful and as
much as you are racing, it is hard not to find yourself look-
ing around in awe. It is amazing that these roads are closed
for us to race on in a World Heritage listed area. The run is
one of the best I have done and with the crowds on the
finish chute and down the Esplanade, it is as good as running
Ali’i Drive in Kona. And race morning in Palm Cove is
another special moment. Standing on the beach and
looking around at how beautiful it is, is truly inspirational.
Ironman Cairns just has everything.”
Liz said the Asia-Pacific Championships status of
the Cairns Ironman event is a bonus that adds a
number of other dimensions.
“It has the extra points, it draws a stronger
field and it has more kudos, so it brings a
whole lot of extra factors into play. You
don’t get much better than Javier Gomez
and Mirinda Carfrae and it is very exciting
to see that Javier is coming to Cairns. He
has proven that he is amazing over the
70.3 and we know his credentials over the
standard distance racing. It is always
exciting to see someone of his calibre take
on their first Ironman. Everyone knows
Rinny and she is a true champion"
"I’m super excited to be racing in the
Ironman Philippines in just a few
weeks, following that, Mahli, Glenn
and I are excited to arrive back in
Cairns and share in all the fun and
excitement of this incredible event”