About Chrissie
School Days
I was born in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk on 18 February 1977 and went to the local comprehensive school - Downham Market High School and Sixth Form. I was a member of most school sports teams, although I focused more on my studies than I did on reaching my full potential on the pitch. I was also a member of the local swimming club, Thetford Dolphins, from the age of 9. This was memorable as much for my first kiss as it was for any significant sporting achievements!
The best thing about sport was the opportunity it gave me to spend time with my friends, keep fit, play in a team and the social life which came with it all!back to top
University, travelling and more studying.
I left home at 18 to go to the University of Birmingham. Three years later, I gained First Class honours in Geography. Studying was always my main priority and sport was something I did more recreationally. I was the captain of the swim team but I only trained twice a week and for me those were big social occasions. Drinking and swimming took place in equal measure!
After University, I went travelling for a couple of years, through Africa, New Zealand, Australia and Asia This experience brought me into contact with some wonderful inspirational people and environments and I realised then what power we have to make a positive difference to the world in which we live. I decided then to pursue a career in international development and enrolled in an MA at the University of Manchester.
I started to run (and played water polo, very badly!) whilst doing my MA. I found that I really enjoyed the buzz that running gave me, and the challenge of going that little bit further each time. It had always been a dream of mine to run the London Marathon, so I approached a charity and asked if I could run the marathon for them. I raised about £800, and set to work training myself. I graduated with a Distinction in October 2001, moved down to London and ran the marathon in April 2002, in 3.08.17.
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Starting work, more running and triathlon
In 2002 I got a job working for the UK Government (the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs – Defra) on international development policy. I was part of the team that negotiated for the UK at the World Summit on Sustainable Development, and was heavily involved in its follow up – particularly the government’s and UN commitments on water and sanitation. I also did a lot of work on post conflict environmental reconstruction policy.
During this time I also started training a lot more seriously, and got a coach – the legendary and inspiring, Frank Horwill. Unfortunately I got hit by a car in March 2003, and was unable to run the marathon that year. I decided to start swimming again and in 2004, injury free, I decided to try triathlon - even though I had never sat on a road bike! I bought a third hand Peugeot (which I still have!) for £300, (complete with toe clips) and set to work learning how to ride it! In 2004 I did a few sprint triathlons and a couple of Olympic distance races, all with the toe clips and with an extra large, borrowed wetsuit! They didn’t go too badly, and gave me a great taste of the triathlon buzz.
Nepal
During this time I was still working for the Government, but in September 2004, disillusioned with bureaucracy and paper pushing, I left to work in Nepal for 16 months. I lived and worked for the Nepalese development NGO, Rural Reconstruction Nepal (RRN - http://www.rrn.org.np) in the capital - Kathmandu. I was a jack of all trades, writing papers,editing books, preparing project proposals, eating curry, but mainly managed a Community, Water, Sanitation and Health Project in a conflict affected district (called Salyan) in the west of the country. I also raised money to pay for the health treatment of some local Nepali people, including a little girl with a spine deformity. I purchased a small cart for her mother and father to use to sell nuts, popcorn and seeds in the market, so that the family could support themselves; and also helped out at a local orphanage when I had time.
Kathmandu is only at 1500m, but it was here that I developed a love for mountain biking and cycled in the countryside around the city every morning before work. This gave me the opportunity to meet some fantastic people, including many nepali mountain bikers and through this I gained a much deeper insight into their lifestyles, views and culture. I also enjoyed running on the many (hilly) trails in the Kathmandu Valley, although getting chased and bitten by rabid dogs wasn’t quite as enjoyable!
During one of the religious festivals I had some time off work, and I spent two weeks cycling with my friends over the Himalayas from Lhasa (the capital of Tibet) back to Kathmandu. The journey was 1400km and we crossed mountain passes at over 5000m and even cycled to Everest Base Camp (5400m), through sand and snow storms. All of this gave me both mental and physical strength. You lose many of the physical benefits of being at altitude after a few weeks of returning to sea level, but I think the mental strength always stays with you.
After leaving Nepal at the end of 2005 I visited friends in New Zealand (where I got roped into doing the Coast to Coast Adventure race) and cycle toured around Tasmania (Australia) and some of Argentina.
'Toilet Talk': mobilising communities to find their own solutions to sanitation (pdf)
RRN Newsletter
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2006: back to work and back to triathlon
When I got back to the UK in May 2006 I returned to my old job at Defra. The less said about my first triathlon of 2006 the better! On one rainy May day I toed the start line at the Redditch Super Sprint. I borrowed a wetsuit, which didn’t fit. I sank in the swim and had to be rescued by a kayaker! Undaunted, I entered the Shropshire Triathlon in June that year. The night before I remember being taught how to mount and dismount, and use my shiny new clip-in pedals and shoes! This goes against all the rules about using new kit just before a race! Much to my surprise I won this race and qualified for the World Age Group Championships in Lausanne. I got a coach and trained really hard for 10 weeks - juggling 20hours of training with my full time job. I was so proud to wear the GBR vest and compete for my country. I had no expectations for the race, but was hoping for a top 10 – in my age group. Again, to my surprise, I managed to win my age group and was the fastest overall female. The party afterwards was one to be remembered!
Then I had to decide whether or not to take the risk, give up my job and have a go at professional triathlon. I never want to look back and think ‘what if’. You only get one chance at life and the most important thing is for me to know that I have given it everything and been the best that I can be. I didn’t know where that would take me in terms of triathlon, but unless I gave it a shot at going pro I would never really know. So, I was put in touch with the well known coach, Brett Sutton. I travelled to Switzerland to spend a week with him in January 2006, and by February I had left my job and was making plans to join the new professional triathlon team, TeamTBB (www.teamTBB.com), at their training camp in Thailand.
Needless to say I am so glad I decided to take that risk!back to top
Going Pro
TeamTBB is a pro team, which has been established since December 2006. Together with the bike franchise (The Bike Boutique) it aims to promote cycling and bike related sports, help underprivileged kids and identify and support talented youngsters in Asia. The website www.teamTBB.com includes all the info, as well as the athlete’s profiles, dodgy pictures, the online forum and blogs.
There are about 16 pros on the team, from all over the world – household names from Iron Man and Olympic distance triathlon, including Bella Comerford, Stephen Bayliss, Andrew Johns, Belinda Granger, Nicola Spirig, and Reinaldo Colucci. Social development is a key part of the Team’s vision and mission. The Team, together with Damha, is supporting the development of a kids sports programme in Brazil. This began in 2006, and now has over 350 children taking part - the majority of which are from underprivileged backgrounds. Reinaldo Colucci is acting as a mentor and role model to the kids. The aim is to replicate this programme with Asian countries, and the Team is now working closely with young athletes from the Philippines, along with some of their coaches to make this happen.
I went pro thinking I would be a standard distance triathlete, and had the Olympics as a distant dream. I know now that Brett had other ideas, but never told me at the time! I won Olympic distance events in Bangkok, Subic Bay in the Philippines and Zurich and the wonderful sprint distance race in Bleinheim in the UK.
I also did the Alp D’Huez Long Course triathlon in July 2007. This has to be one of the best, most beautiful and well organised races I have ever done. The location is simply amazing - swimming in the crystal clear waters, the legendary Tour De France climbs and snakey descents which pass through lush forest, green meadows and small alpine villages, and the beautiful views from the run course at the top of Alp D’Huez itself. The support was fantastic from start to finish, both from the organisers and also the large crowds that turned out under the blue skies to cheer for each and every athlete. This is a race that I will never forget, and I really hope I can return again in the years to come.
A few weeks before Alp D’Huez Brett asked me whether I wanted to do an Iron Man. I said to him, ‘am I ready?’. He said ‘yes’. So I said ‘bring it on!’. We negotiated a start at Iron Man Korea, and on 26 August the gun went off and my first Iron Man had begun. I never expected to win this race, and certainly not by such a large margin. It was a difficult race, in very hot and humid conditions - but I enjoyed every minute of it. The most inspiring thing was seeing an 80 year old Korean man cross the line 20 minutes before the midnight cut off. Truly magnificent! It was of course at Korea that I qualified for Hawaii.
After IM Korea on 26 August I flew straight to Singapore to do the 70.3 there. I got my first Time Trial bike (the Cervelo P2C) that weekend, and took it back to our training camp in Thailand. I spent the month before Kona learning how to ride it and getting it set up to fit me! I trained as I always do – hard! We train 7 days a week, 2-3 sessions a day – and for the rest of the time I was eating or resting. I flew to Hawaii on 4 October, 9 days before the race.
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The World Championships
I was so proud and pleased just to have been on the start line at Kona - to have the chance to pit myself against some of the best and most experienced triathletes in the world is one thing I have dreamed of since I took up the sport, but never thought it would happen this quickly! I still cannot quite believe that I have become the best in the world!
I went to Kona hoping for a top ten – to win was something I hadn’t really even considered, so to cross the line as Iron Man World Champion was amazing and incredibly overwhelming.
During the race, I cycled at my own pace – and found my rhythm after about 30km. I was slightly worried when I slipped away from the leading girls in the initial stages, but I trucked on and caught them at about 130km. I realised then that I still had beans in the bank, so I went past them and into the lead. I didn’t know whether any of them would come with me, but luckily for me they didn’t!
I guess I never really KNEW for sure I was going to win until the last 10km of the run. I realised then that I still had enough left to finish strongly (although I got a bit confused about where the finish actually was and I had to run about 1km more than I was expecting, whilst clutching hold of the Union Jack and smiling like a mad woman!). To cross the line first, and more importantly to stand there until midnight watching people achieve their dreams, is a memory that will never fade and one which I will treasure forever.
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What’s next…?
Winning this event has changed my life – there is no doubt about it. But I cannot afford to rest on my laurels. There is always room for improvement and I will not stop striving to be a better athlete, mentally and physically. Winning Hawaii has definitely made my life busier, but it has been really enjoyable too. I have met some amazing people since the race, and had a lot of fun doing interviews and letting my hair down a bit! Life has been very hectic, and I do feel pulled in lots of different directions by many people - but it hasn’t changed me as a person. I still feel exactly the same, and my friends and family are helping to keep my feet on the ground! I have to try and keep things simple, let my manager deal with the business side of things, and just focus on what I love – training and racing. Because if I don’t have a successful 2008 all the attention will fade very quickly!
Success this year will rest on how I cope with the attention. It will be a mental as much as a physical contest for me. But this is the test of a true professional, and I look forward to rising to the challenge! It is important to remain focused and concentrate on what is important. I will carry on training hard, racing hard – but perhaps doing it in some nice new kit and with a few more dollars in my pocket!
In addition to my own sporting goals, as I said at Kona (and have rambled on about since) sport has a tremendous power – and can be a force for considerable change. I hope that through my victory in Hawaii, I can inspire and encourage people to take up triathlon and other sports and to generate more interest and support amongst the media, government and business, both in my home country the UK, but also all around the world.
First and foremost, I am supporting the work that my team is currently doing, especially with the Filipino triathlon and duathlon team. I am acting as a mentor to some of the athletes, and helped to establish the development programme that we have started with them.
In terms of my own personal support for individual charities, I am trying to do my research into which ones best fit with my values and dreams - rather than rush into something without knowing exactly what I am putting my money and support into. There is however a number of smaller charities that I am closely involved with. One is called Girls Education Nepal - www.girlseducationnepal.org; and another is a UK based organisation called Envision - www.envision.org.uk.
In terms of other projects that I might start independently, again, there is no rush. The worst thing I could do is get caught up in the moment and start something that I can’t finish. Sustainability is so important, so I am doing lots of research, exchanging ideas with lots of different people with a wide range of experience and learning more about what is already taking place, and what more might be needed.
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