Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

‘I won the world’s hardest ultra triathlon and so can you’ says Aberdeen’s Eilidh Prise

Eilidh Prise reveals the secrets behind winning the world's toughest triathlon and why she thinks anyone can follow in her footsteps.

Eilidh Prise shares the secrets behind her success at the world's hardest triathlon.
Eilidh Prise shares the secrets behind her success at the world's hardest triathlon. Image: Kami Thomson/DC Thomson

Nothing makes Eilidh Prise happier than getting up each day and pushing her mind and body to the limit.

It’s this go-getting attitude and her insatiable sense of adventure that saw the 28-year-old from Aberdeen win the world’s toughest ultra triathlon in Norway.

Consisting of a 3.8km open water swim in an icy fjord, a gruelling 180km bike ride across a mountain plateau and a mind over matter marathon up to the top of Mount Gaustatoppen, Eilidh crossed the finish line at the Norseman Xtreme Triathlon 2022 in just under 12 hours.

“It was really surreal,” says Eilidh.

“Although I knew I could do well I definitely didn’t expect to do that well especially as I’d only bought my first back two years previously off Gumtree.”

Eilidh Prise after winning the world's hardest ultra triathlon
This photo captures the sheer elation Eilidh Prise felt when won the world’s hardest ultra triathlon. She is pictured celebrating the special moment with her dad Gavin. Image:Lars-Erik Blenne Lien/ nxtri.com

Mind over matter

Determined to show others that anything is possible if you put your mind to it, Eilidh has opened up about the story behind her formidable sporting feat and how anyone can emulate her success if they’re willing to put the work in.

“I believe that anyone can do what I did if they wanted to do it enough,” says Eilidh.

“It’s all about creating a lifestyle that enables you to do it.”

Sport has always been a huge part of Eilidh’s life especially as her mum Trish was a PE teacher.

“I’ve come from a very sports orientated family, you couldn’t be lazy in our family,” laughs Eilidh.

“I did all kind of sports because my mum was a PE teacher and she thought we should do everything.”

Eilidh on her bike
Eilidh’s never happier than when she is on her bike.  Image: Kami Thomson/DC Thomson

Enjoying sport from an early age

From an early age, Eilidh competed in the modern pentathlon, an Olympic sport consisting of freestyle swimming, equestrian show jumping, pistol shooting, and cross country running.

“I used to compete for Great Britain and then Ireland at World Cups, European Championships and World Championships events,” says Eilidh.

“But in 2019 I decided that I wanted to step away from the elite side of sport because I found it quite intense and all-consuming.

“I wanted a bit more balance in my life but that didn’t really happen.”

Running in the local countryside near Aboyne
Eilidh can usually be found running up local hills like Carnferg near Aboyne. Image: Kami Thomson/DC Thomson

Inspired by her dad

Everything changed for Eilidh during Covid when she found a love for cycling, thanks to encouragement from her dad Gavin.

“I bought a secondhand cross bike off Gumtree and I started cycling with my dad and then I started running up hills and just doing things that were a bit more adventurous than I had previously been doing,” says Eilidh.

Soon Eilidh found herself doing longer cycles and hill runs before signing up for Celtman, an extreme triathlon in Wester Ross.

“My dad was doing this race and when a few extra spaces came up, he encouraged me to sign up too,” says Eilidh.

“A lot of people thought I might need another year to train but I thought I’d just go for it.”

Eilidh leaning against a wooden fence
Come rail, hail, sun and snow, Eilidh trains twice a day, every day. Image: Kami Thomson/DC Thomson

Racing for 13 hours

With a 3.4km swim in jelly fish infested waters, a leg busting 200km bike ride and a marathon over two Munros, the race is certainly not for the faint hearted.

But during the arduous race, Eilidh proved that she is made of strong stuff as she crossed the finish line in first place.

“I was shocked to win the race,” says Eilidh.

“I finished in 13 hours and eight minutes and I also got a course record.

“I also qualified for the XTRI World Championships which was in Norway in 2022 at a race called the Norseman.”

Eilidh during a race
This photo shows Eilidh racing at the Bealach Beag sportive where she secured first place. Image: Eilidh Prise

Eilidh Prise on winning world’s toughest triathlon

The following year, Eilidh went on to win the Celtman for a second time before going on to win the Norseman Xtreme Triathlon and being crowned as the world champion.

“I kept imagining myself stopping, but I did end up finding my rhythm,” says Eilidh when speaking about the Norseman.

“I just had to not think about far I’d already went – I had to think about it from each turn to the next.

“When you break it down into small chunks, you don’t let yourself get overwhelmed by how much of challenge it is or how much more you have to go.

“And then you just surpass whatever you thought was possible. You look back at the end of the day thinking: ‘I did that’ – without really knowing how you did it.”

Eilidh running outside
Eilidh loves pushing her mind and body to the limit. Image: Kami Thomson/DC Thomson

I’m not made for normal life at all

After the race, Eilidh, who works in the oil and gas sector, moved to Norway for a year.

“I tried to be more normal,” laughs Eilidh.

“I still rode my bike and I still ran but I didn’t enter any races and what I found by the end of that year is that normal is boring and that I’m not made for normal life at all.

“I missed the feeling of getting up each day and pushing yourself both physically and mentally.”

Eilidh siting on a rock in the countryside
Eilidh is now gearing up for the Celtman race on June 15 in Wester Ross. Image: Kami Thomson/DC Thomson

Extreme but fun sport

Admitting that she is addicted to endorphins, Eilidh, who has moved back to Aberdeen, is now preparing for her third Celtman race next Saturday (June 15).

“It has been a different journey to the race this time,” says Eilidh, who was keen to point out that there are a few other local people who are taking part in the race.

“There’s pressure from myself because I know what I did previously.

“I would love to perform the way I performed before but I don’t know if it’s possible.

“I just need to remember the reasons why I’m doing it because it’s fun and I love doing these types of things and I love the extreme element of it.”

Eilidh Prise training for a Triathlon on her bike
Eilidh puts the miles in when it comes to cycling.  Image: Kami Thomson/DC Thomson

Anything is possible

Through her remarkable story, Eilidh hopes to show people that you can achieve anything if you put your mind to it.

“It’s easy to think that the race is extreme but actually if you break it down as a smaller part in your lifestyle soon you might find yourself signing up for one of these crazy races,” says Eilidh.

“You don’t need to start extreme, you can start small like going for a walk in a new place and then maybe starting some running.

“What I found is that things got bigger and bigger organically as I was enjoying the training on a day-to-day basis.”

Eilidh Prise training for a Triathlon
Eilidh says she’s grateful to be able to take part in extreme sporting events. Image: Kami Thomson/DC Thomson

Eilidh Prise trains 7 days a week

Eilidh, who trains twice a day, every day of the week, says that rest is also very important as well as having plenty of support around you.

“Sleep is so important for recovery so I try to make sure that my sleep quality is good,” says Eilidh.

“It’s also about surrounding yourself with people who support you and understand how important it is to you.”

A constant source of inspiration for Eilidh are her sporting parents and also her sisters Siobhan and Kerry.

Eilidh Prise training for a Triathlon
Eilidh loves training and pushing herself out of her comfort zone. Image: Kami Thomson/DC Thomson

“Siobhan does ultra running and has completed a 100 mile ultra race along the West Highland Way – she’s a mountain goat,” says Eilidh.

“My other sister Kerry is a marathon runner and just completed the Rotterdam marathon in 2 hours and 49 minutes which is mental.”

Together with her family, Eilidh is keen to give a shout out to the local triathlon shop Total Endurance who have supported her adventurous endeavours immensely.

After the Celtman, Eilidh is planning to focus her attention on a new sport.

“There’s a new type of race called gravel cycling which is off road biking,” says Eilidh.

“I actually went to Spain in February to do a gravel cycling competition and I really enjoyed it.”

For more information on Eilidh, check out her Instagram page @venture_with_ep

 

Conversation