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.”
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.”
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.”
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.”
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 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.”
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.”
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.”
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 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.
“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
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