Search
shop

British triathlon star reveals the “bumpy road back to racing after pregnancy”

Former world champ and 17-time 70.3 winner Holly Lawrence on balancing parenthood with a return to racing - and a first Ironman
News Director
Last updated -
STRENGTH. ENDURANCE. PERFORMANCE.

Holly Lawrence is back in training following the birth of her first child and hoping to make her Ironman debut this summer.

The American-based Brit, the IRONMAN 70.3 World Champion in 2016, hasn’t been in race action since a superb third place at T100 Miami last March when she knew she was in the early stages of pregnancy.

And she’s been navigating her way back towards race fitness since the birth of daughter Poppy last October, balancing parenthood with training.

Advertisement

So little information out there

That journey hasn’t been without its challenges and in a lovely first YouTube video since the birth, alongside her husband and coach Sean Jefferson, she says it’s been a steep learning curve, especially with so little guidance for elite athletes both during pregnancy and then postpartum.

Just one example of that is highlighted by Sean in the video when he says: “It’s frustrating that maybe it’s not more publicly discussed or there’s information out there around how should a woman who is breastfeeding return to training, especially at a high-performance level.”

Swimming and then cycling resumed first of all for Lawrence but five weeks into her running return she revealed things were halted by a sacral stress reaction.

And she adds: “If I knew then what I know now, I probably would have… say taken a calcium supplement during pregnancy when you could have been bolstering your calcium stores. Because I think the losses in the third trimester are almost the same as breastfeeding as you are physically making their bones inside of you.

“And then I’m supplying enough for twins so it’s like big losses. But then, do I know 100% that if I’d taken a calcium supplement that it would have changed it? I don’t know.

“But though I was upset that it happened, I was glad that it happened so early because I didn’t even see it as an injury. I’d only been back running for five weeks. So for me it was a bit of a blip – not ideal but it’s not derailed the season.”

Countdown on to race return

The absolute joy that Poppy brings them every day shines through the video and the obvious next question is when does Lawrence expect to pin on a race number?

“Originally I was eying up IRONMAN Hamburg but now I think I’ll be doing IRONMAN Lake Placid on July 20th to try and qualify for Kona,” she says.

“There are still other opportunities after that if I got something like a mechanical but I’ll be super excited to toe the line then.”

As a 17-time 70.3 winner, it will be fascinating to see how Lawrence transfers those talents to full distance.

Holly Lawrence finished a fine third in Miami.
Holly Lawrence takes third place at T100 Miami in March 2024 [Photo Credit – PTO]
Jonathan Turner
Written by
Jonathan Turner
Jonathan Turner is News Director for both TRI247 and RUN247, and is accustomed to big-name interviews, breaking news stories and providing unrivalled coverage for endurance sports.  
Discover more
Dave Ellis / Luke Pollard - World Para Triathlon Championships Pontevedra 2023
Golden opportunity – British Triathlon launches search for LA2028 paratriathlon guides
IRONMAN Lanzarote 2024 - Anne Haug on run course
Best marathon shoes for Ironman – the ‘legal’ super shoes you CAN wear to level up your run split
Challenge Sanremo 2024 - Photo: Jose Luis Hourcade
How to fuel your triathlon training: Expert nutritionist tips to help you nail every session
swim start IRONMAN World Championship Kona 2024 photo credit Tony Svensson IRONMAN
Level up your Ironman swim split – must-read tips from an expert swim coach
Ironman gear guide – everything you need to get to the finish line of a full distance triathlon
latest News
Richard Varga Jonny Brownlee Arzachena
Triathlon legend Jonny Brownlee reveals ‘Last Dance’ motivation behind latest challenge
IRONMAN Kona 2022 Age Group Results
How will “re-imagined” IRONMAN World Championship at Kona actually look for Age Groupers?
Lucy Charles-Barclay IRONMAN World Championship Kona 2023 Finish
IRONMAN World Championship goes ALL IN on Kona again with men and women to race on same day from 2026
Laura Philipp and Kat Matthews on the run at the 2024 IRONMAN World Championship
Nice gets consolation prize of 70.3 Worlds after IRONMAN World Championships return to Kona
Kona scenic 2022 photo credit Getty Images for IRONMAN
The survey results which prompted IRONMAN’s dramatic Kona U-turn
triathlon on your terms
Never miss out with our triathlon alerts & digest. Get a dose of adventure & inspiration with Boundless.
The 247 Group

The home of endurance sports

Share to...