20 Questions with Ironman Australia Champ Laura Siddall

Britain’s Laura Siddall enjoyed her third consecutive victory at Ironman Australia this weekend, coming out on top after an exciting battle with Caroline Steffen. Siddall rode with confidence to claw back a six-minute deficit from the swim, but she knew that holding off Steffen on the run would be no easy feat. When Steffen caught her about four miles into the marathon, Siddall says she was determined not to relinquish the lead, which meant the pair ran stride for stride for the next two miles before Siddall got a gap that she ultimately turned into a five-minute winning margin. Her raw display of emotion on the finish line was evidence enough of how much this title means to her.

Triathlete.com took the elevator up to Cloud Nine this morning to steal a few minutes with the now four-time Ironman champion and fire 20 quick questions at her.

Triathlete.com: Best part of the race for you?
Laura Siddall: Finish chute

T: Worst part?
L: Cleaning up all my kit after and packing up

T: Did you and Caroline exchange any words while running together?
L: No, no words were exchanged – she is a steely one!

T: At what point did you realize you would win?
L: I was doing the calculations with about five miles to go, trying to work out how fast I needed to keep running in order to win. But I never really let myself relax or get too far ahead of myself, so it was probably just the last kilometer when I knew I had the win.

T: First thought as you reached the finish line?
L: F*ck yeah!

T: Anything you wish you’d done differently pre race?
L: Had more belief in myself

T: Anything you’re particularly pleased with looking back at the race?
L: The finish chute!

T: What did you eat post race?
L: Fish and chips

T: Post race beer?
L: Nope, bubbles!

T: Post race cookie or chocolate?
L: Chocolate, of course

T: First words your coach Matt Dixon said to you post race?
L: Well done!

T: How sore are your legs today, on a scale of 1-10?
L: 7

T: How stinky is your kit, on a scale of 1-10?
L: 11

T: Any blisters?
L: Nope

T: Any chafing?
L: Yes!

T: Any sleep the night after the race?
L: A whopping three hours

T: First thought when you woke up the day after the race?
L: Damn. It’s only three hours since I went to sleep.

T: What you ate for breakfast the morning after the race?
L: Smashed avocado, poached eggs

T: First workout since the race?
L: Bike ride the day after, about 90 minutes easy

T: Next race?
L: Barcelona 70.3