The accidental champion

Chrissie Wellington became a world champion because she was willing to take a chance.

The four-time Ironman World Champion told the audience at the Women in Sports Expo at the Fairmont Hamilton Princess on Saturday that she never set out to compete in triathlons, but she also never let fear stop her.

The Brit said in school she was focused on her academics and “sport was something for fun; I did it recreationally”.

Wellington did compete in swimming through school but said she was not successful. 

After she graduated from university Wellington worked for the Government. 

“It was then I started running. I had been travelling to Australia and eaten too many pies and drank too many dark and stormies. I thought the best way to lose some of the puff was to start running.”

Wellington worked her way up from 15 minutes until eventually she thought she could run the London Marathon.

“I had no clue about training for a marathon. I just went out and ran at the same pace at the same place and at the same time.”

When she ran the London Marathon in 2002 she completed in 3 hours and eight minutes. 

“It really, really surprised me. I defied anything I ever thought possible… so I started taking running a bit more seriously.”

In 2004 she met a person who said she should try triathlons. 

“I’ve never ridden a road bike before. I didn’t have a clue about gears or know about brakes. I didn’t let the fear of learning something new stop me.”

She did her first triathlon and in her own words said she was “terrible”.

Wellington then went to work in Nepal and bought a bike, cycling all over the country, including one trip that was 1,400 kilometres at 16,000 feet high in the Himalayas.

Strength

Wellington said that showed her a strength she didn’t know she had.

When she returned to the UK in 2006, Wellington gave triathlon another chance, but using a borrowed wet suit that was too big for her, she had to be rescued from the water when the suit filled out with the liquid.

But she was determined not to give up.

In her next race she qualified for the World Amateur Championships. 

“I wore very proudly the GB vest. I went into this race never ever expecting to win — that’s what happens to other people, not to me.”

Wellington crossed the finish line first.

“It was at that point I had a huge decision to make — “Do I give up a job that I love or become a professional athlete?”

Wellington said she was scared of stepping out into the unknown world of being a pro.

“We’re all fearful of failure. We’re all fearful of what we look like in lycra. We can let that fear stop us or we can take a chance and take the leap off the cliff and take a plunge into the unknown.”

Stupid, crazy people

Wellington said at age 30, she became a pro triathlete.

“I did so with the intention of doing the shorter triathlons. Ironman was what the stupid, crazy people did and not me.”

Her coach coaxed her into an Ironman race, and she won it. That qualified her to do the Hawaiian Ironman, the world championships.

“I lined up at the start line never, ever expecting to win.”

Wellington shocked the world by winning it.

“I went from being a total unknown to being the World Ironman Champion.”

Wellington went on to win three more times, including once after having a nasty spell on her bike two weeks before the Hawaiian Ironman.