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Athletics: Debbie Greig ‘thrilled’ with top-five Ironman finish in Marbella

Debbie Greig finished fifth in the Ironman 70.3 Marbella, which was her first race of 2022.
Debbie Greig finished fifth in the Ironman 70.3 Marbella, which was her first race of 2022.

From a treadmill in her garage in Alford to a top-five finish in a half-Ironman, triathlete Debbie Greig was “thrilled” to be on the podium in her first race of 2022.

In Marbella, Greig finished the half Ironman – a 1.9km swim, a 90km bike ride and a 21km run – with a time of 4 hrs 50 mins and 21 secs, which saw her secure a place on the podium, as the top five triathletes earn a place on the stage.

Not only was it her first race of the year, it was also Greig’s first pro-Ironman since having her second son in June 2021, so with two youngsters to look after, her preparations mostly took place in her garage on a static bike or treadmill.

Prior to the race, Greig only had the chance to go on one long road ride in the Cairngorms, and had been unable to train in open water due to the cold weather in Scotland.

She was delighted to even break into the top eight, which is the threshold for payment for the pro races, and was even more delighted to get a place within the top five, considering the circumstances.

Greig, who won the Judges’ Choice award at Aberdeen’s Sports Awards, said: “I couldn’t have done any more with my training given I’ve got an 11-month-old and a 2-year-old.

“I would have loved top eight, so for me to come fifth, I was thrilled because the field was stacked.

“It was 31 degrees – which is nothing like Aberdeen, so after winter training in my garage with long-sleeves on, I was just hoping it would be enough.

“My training involved a lot of trying to mimic the course. For example, on the bike, I’d go up to a harder gear to sort of replicate going up a hill.

“I knew it was a flat run and in Alford there isn’t really a lot of flat roads to run on, so I did a lot of that on the treadmill, because it was hotter than running outside and it’s flat.

“I couldn’t have gone away on a hot weather camp, so I’m really pleased with the way it went.”

A family affair in Marbella

With the race taking place in the sunny climes of Spain, Greig treated the race like she was mainly away for a family holiday, rather than an elite competition, something which actually helped her while competing.

Greig reckons that it helped calm her nerves, and it wasn’t until her husband told her around the halfway point that she was in fifth that she realised a top-five finish might actually be possible.

She said: “I was treating like it was a family holiday with a race thrown in. I had trained hard for it, but it was just my mindset to try and trick myself into relaxing.

“Because I was feeling relaxed on the bike I was just taking in the scenery and just smiling. I passed my family four times and that gave me a big boost.

Debbie, and her husband Kyle, who is a ultra-runner.

“It was my husband, Kyle, who said I was in fifth – I had no idea, I never knew where I came out on the swim, but I went into serious athlete mode then.

“Anything can happen in the last half-hour, you can hit a brick wall, but I was just hoping nobody else would pass me.

“I was saying to myself ‘you need this’ – I knew how ace it would feel to get in the top-five and getting to go on the podium.”

The podium was not the only incentive, as Greig got to celebrate finishing the half Ironman with two of her biggest fans – her young sons, Lennox and Logan.

She said: “My whole family was there so I didn’t really hang about in the athletes village – I just wanted to go and see them.

“It’s celebrating in a different way and I just went straight into mum mode and wanted to spend time with them.

“The boys didn’t have any clue. I could’ve finished first or last and they would have been just as excited to see me. It’s quite nice to have that to look forward to.”