Laura Siddall’s Back From Injury & Back On The Podium!
Laura started the year with a hiss and a roar, with a 3rd and a 4th at Challenge Wanaka and The New Zealand ironman Champs. She then went up a gear, winning both the Motatatpu Off Road Marathon and The Australian Ironman Champs! Then it all come to a screeching halt, a broken collarbone had Sid on the sidelines all be it not for long. Laura’s not one for sitting around & quickly got stuck into everything she could while on the mend. She wrote several articles for Red Bull, Challenge Triathlon’s and other multi-sport outlets, took part in public speaking engagements (including speaking at Manchester City Football Academy), appeared as a guest on podcasts (Fitter Radio Podcast & Tri Talking Sports) and even tried her hand at sports commentary at the ITU World Cup in Banyoles! We have no idea how she has the energy to take on so much, It has to be her overwhelmingly positive attitude.
Before no time Laura was back in the saddle with consecutive 5th place finishes in Ironman 70.3 Barcelona and Ironman 70.3 Dun Laoghaire. Then at the world famous Ironman Wales Laura made it back on the podium! Despite feeling low in confidence coming into the race due to coming off her injury, the atmosphere in the tiny town on Tenby plus the support of her family on the sidelines gave Laura a boost & managed to cross the line in third! The impact the collar bone injury had on Sid’s training caught up to her in Kona at the Ironman World Champs, where she finished 25th. 25th in the entire world is nothing to turn your nose up at but when you’re there to win, it can sting. Laura didn’t let the result damper her spirits, choosing to volunteer her time helping ‘Kona Kids’ an organization dedicated to helping the local kids learn the basics of water safety and swimming.
And now just this weekend Laura ripped straight back onto the podium in the inaugural Challenge Cape Town. Despite a slow start on the swim (which included patrol boats to protect swimmers from orcas, not sharks because the orcas had already eaten the sharks!) Laura powered through the field on the bike to earn a third place finish. With her form and fitness now starting to return and her positive attitude in tow, Laura is ready to boost into 2020.
Wanna learn more about Laura Siddall & her journey? Check out her Website or give her a follow on Instagram.