Alford triathlete Debbie Greig is taking a trip into the unknown as she makes her return to ironman competition for the first time in five years this weekend.
Greig will test herself on the biggest stage after entering Challenge Roth in Germany on Sunday.
The event, which boasts it has the best women’s field in European triathlon history, will test the 3,400 participants to the full.
More than a quarter of a million spectators are expected for the race which encompasses a 2.4-mile swim in the Main-Donau Canal, a 112-mile bike race and 26.2-mile marathon.
If you are going in, you might as well go all-in.
Greig said: “It’s the world’s biggest. People might have heard of Kona (Hawaii) being the official ironman world championships, but this is the one which is most popular.
“I’ve always liked being the favourite going into a race only from the point of view that I’ve known, if I work har,d I have a good chance of being up on the podium.
“But with this one there is zero pressure.
“The women go off alone, so it will just be me shoulder to shoulder with the celebrities.
“I’ll be fangirling.
“They have a stadium at the finish and they are expecting to have 15,000 in the stand. Then you have the finishing straight where people will be lining the streets.
“I like to race, too, so it will be nice to see how far behind I’ll be or whether I can be in amongst them. That would be cool.”
Greig has been building up to her ironman return
Greig’s return to ironman competition comes after taking part in several events in the last year.
There have been hurdles to overcome along the way, but also small victories, too – as well as bragging rights at home with her husband Kyle.
She said: “I did Ironman 70.3, a half-triathlon, in Marbella in May last year, but I haven’t done a full iron distance event since 2018 before I had my kids.
“I’ve still done high-calibre events in that time though.
“I was in the elite field in a mountain marathon in Austria last year and came fifth when I was recovering from Covid.
“That was a nice surprise, but again there was no pressure on me then – and I beat my husband, who recovering from Covid.
“He’s an elite ultra-runner, so it was funny to beat him.
“We both caught Covid at Ironman 70.3 and I struggled a little bit, but we had already booked to go to Austria the following month.
“We both did the Tallahassee marathon in January and we finished second in that. The field wasn’t great, but I was second to a Kenyan and that was pretty cool.”
Triathlete has juggled family, work and training commitments
Juggling her law career, family commitments and training has been a challenge, but one Greig has relished.
It is not without its challenges – however, she is confident she has the balance right.
Greig said: “This event was on my radar at the start of the year and it was around three months ago when I was planning the race season that I decided to enter.
“The day after I entered, Logan, our three year-old, came back from nursery with the worst bug ever and we were all throwing up.
“It was one of those bugs which lasted for three days but you still feel ill for a week-and-a-half later – I thought this event maybe wasn’t meant to be.
“It was 10 weeks ago I started properly training. It doesn’t sound like much, but I’m hoping I have some sort of base.
“I’ve averaged 16 hours a week of training in that time on top of work and family life so I don’t tend to sleep much.
“When work lets you be flexible it makes me want to work harder for them, so I’ll maybe get up early and do a few hours work while Kyle is out running.
“We’ll then have breakfast together as family time is important, then it’s nursery.
“Lennox, who turned two last week, is usually babysat by my mum or Kyle’s parents.
“I try to fit in a session and lunchtime and another one at the end of the day, and then do some more work when the kids have gone to sleep.
“I can’t go and train after a day of carnage with two kids and work.”
Being a triathlete mum of two with a full-time job is a badge of honour
For Greig, home has come first in recent years after her and husband Kyle started a family.
But the mum of two insists she will be running for her children, three year-old Logan and Lennox, who recently turned two, and all the other mums this weekend.
Greig’s motivation has been fuelled further after she was awarded the Judges’ Choice at Aberdeen’s Sports Awards last year in recognition of her efforts in combining motherhood with elite athletic achievement.
She said: “The fact I was recognised at the sports awards last year made me want to do it for the mums and the workers.
“I’m excited, but I hope it’s not too hot – it was 31 degrees last year.
“I want to show having kids doesn’t mean you have to change your life. You learn to train smarter and I certainly have.
“In all seriousness, I don’t think I could have trained harder with my life situation.
“I’m the only mum of two that works full-time on the pro start field, but I don’t want to use that as an excuse.
“I’m racing for the family.
“These girls have been out training for at least two weeks while I’m flying out on Friday and will miss the pro briefing because I’ve got work.
“But I did really well in 2018 when I flew in Challenge-Almere in Amsterdam in 2018 – when I flew in on the Friday afternoon for the Saturday morning race.
“I did make briefing for that one, but I didn’t do any recon of the course. I was like: ‘Oh, there’s nice windmills there’, ‘that’s a nice hill’ and so on.
“It keeps it exciting not knowing what’s around the corner.”
‘I’m running faster than ever’
As for expectations for her ironman comeback in Germany, well it seems Greig will be competing against herself – or rather the former version of herself when Sunday’s race begins.
She said: “I do put a lot of pressure on myself and I think I’m fitter than I’ve ever been.
“I’m running faster than I have ever ran.
“I used to be a swimmer, so I’ll never hit the times I used to get, but they are still decent and the cycling is as good as I’ve ever been, so I don’t see why I can’t be as good as I was before kids.
“It would be really nice to finish and be there or thereabouts to what I used to be.”
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