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LIZZY DEERY

Lizzie Dreery

@lizzy.tris.ironman

I began running in 2009, but I didn’t get into triathlon until early 2016; I’d bought a road bike to commute in London the year before, but a move to Chester meant I was cycling for enjoyment and really loving it. 

I’d joined the local triathlon club to meet new people, and it went from there! I did a sprint triathlon, Deva Divas, in 2016 and was instantly hooked! In 2019 I did my first Ironman event, which is a 2.4 mile swim (3.9K), 112 mile bike (180.2K), and 26.2 mile run (42.2K). Since that I’ve focused on middle distance events and worked on improving my times and bike handling.

Endurance sport gives me the chance to push myself in ways I never thought possible. There are life lessons to be taken from sport- resilience, patience, perseverance.  I’ve found that developing these through sport gives me an edge to push harder in everyday life.  Ultimately, endurance sport reminds me almost daily that we can do just about anything we put our mind to and that the limits are where we set them! Chrissy Wellington said it best:

 “Neither have I ever wanted to be left wondering ‘what if?’. To my amazement at so many stages along the way, the limits that I thought I could see in the distance dissolved as I approached them. They turned out not to be real at all, but more assumptions and that has been the most exciting revelation of all”. Chrissy Wellington, A Life Without Limits

I took part in the Mourne Skyline in 2018, and this was a brutal Mountain Trail race which I was really proud to complete.  Then in 2019 I completed my first Ironman in treacherous conditions and the feeling crossing that finish line was like no other.  It’d been seven months of consistent training and overcoming personal fear and doubt around my capabilities. Outside of sport I would say completing my PhD in 2020 is my greatest achievement to date. Everything I’d learnt about endurance sport up until that point got me across the PhD finish-line which I still class as my toughest endurance event to date!

"Triathlon is amazing for the body and mind, but tough on the skin! I am normally battling dry hair and skin from sea salt and chlorine, whilst trying to avoid and then treat chaffed skin and lips from hours in the saddle in all elements. Add onto that the mud-packed trails and blistered toes and you have not got a very pretty picture!"

In a less-than-glamorous sport I want to feel my best outside of training, so am always on the look out for new products to help me do that- with minimal effort!