Nikki to concentrate on having a baby, not racing

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 21: Nikki Butterfield will be putting her triathlon efforts on the back burner as she and husband and fellow triathlete Tyler Butterfield attempt to have their second child.

She said: “As a female pro, one of the hardest things is family planning. If you want children there is certainly a ticking clock, and you have to decide how long you’re prepared to race before, or even between kids.

“Most of the girls racing at the moment have decided to focus 100 per cent on racing, then retire and become moms.

“That’s great if you’re happy to wait, and if you want to get the most out of yourself as an athlete.

But for me, having a child is something I couldn’t wait any longer for. Now, with Savana almost two, I want our kids to be close enough in age to be around the same stage developmentally so they can do a lot together.

“Since I didn’t make it to Kona (for the Hawaii Ironman) this year there is a big gap in my race schedule, so the timing is right to try. Regardless, all rational reasons aside I’m really keen to have another baby.

“I’m under no illusion it’s going to be easy. All of my friends with two kids have told me that it’s a totally different dynamic, but I’m up for the challenge.

“Who knows? Maybe I’ll never make it back to racing. If not, I’m okay with that, but I think it’s doable if it’s what I want to do. I won’t try to come back as fast as I did with Savana, however.”

Butterfield returned to racing just five short months after Savana’s birth, earning three 5150 podiums and the #1 ranking heading into the 2011 Hy-Vee race.

She finished fourth in the prestigious championship event, less than 30 seconds behind women’s winner and 2012 Olympic silver medalist Lisa Norden.

Butterfield followed up her Hy-Vee performance with a win at Ironman 70.3 Syracuse, then capped off her comeback to triathlon with a victory at the Abu Dhabi International Triathlon in early 2012.

Rivals

That win, where she edged out race rivals Caroline Steffen and Angela Naeth to score a $50,000 paycheque, marked her biggest victory since her return to the sport following a foray into professional cycling and the subsequent birth of Savana.

In an ideal world, she is targeting Abu Dhabi 2014 as her comeback race after having a second child, but she’s cautious about thinking too far ahead.

“I had a lot of ups and downs in the six months leading up to conceiving Savana. I’ve learned there’s no rushing these things, so for now I will just hope and pray to have a smoother road this time around.”

Butterfield’s major sponsors — Tokio Millennium Re, Philadelphia Insurance Companies, Specialized and SRAM/Zipp/Quarq — have all pledged their support for whenever she returns to racing.