Search
shop

Laura Siddall wins in New Zealand

A week after a disappointing performance in Taupo, Great Britain's Laura Siddall rekindles her smile and mojo... by winning an off-road marathon!
Chief Correspondent
Last updated -
Get the ultimate guide to destination racing

Off-road Marathon win a week after IRONMAN New Zealand

What a difference a week makes….

If there is one thing that we’ve known about Great Britain’s ‘global’ athlete, Laura Siddall, for a long time it’s that she is both exceptionally resilient and consistent. She rarely has a ‘bad’ race, is a regular on the podium in a remarkably high percentage of her event and in 2018 – with three full distance wins at IRONMAN New Zealand, IRONMAN Australia and Challenge Madrid / ETU European LD Champs – entered 2019 off the back of her best season yet, seemingly improving every year.

Her career mantra has been  Don’t Die Wondering, and so when – by her standards and expectations – she started 2019 with off-par races at Challenge Wanaka and IRONMAN New Zealand, in a country that is all but a second home, you can feel her pain. Making no excuses, reading her brutally honest social media posts like, “...come race day for some reason I’m not delivering it’s frustrating and upsetting – letting all my team down that have put in the hard work to support me and help me“, is painful – but also a raw and honest insight into the mindset of an Elite athlete. The highs are great… but it doesn’t always go well, despite the best of preparations.

How do you get out yourself of that potential hole? For some, perhaps the best way is to back off a touch and take a break to recover, both physically and mentally. For Laura, taking on the Macpac Motatapu Off-Road Marathon a week after IRONMAN New Zealand (along with three days of mountain biking immediately prior), may well prove to be the ultimate re-boot to 2019.

While she won the race, having a day when “…I had the biggest smile, I was laughing, this was ridiculous…it was friggin AWESOME”, might well prove to be an unconventional and unplanned way to re-find your mojo and far more important than any position or time. Reading her Instagram post below, it could well be inspired.

Congratulations ‘Sid’ – it’s great to see the smile back. Time for a (brief) rest now?!

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bu20ULSj-lH/

Macpac Motatapu Off-Road Marathon – Sunday 10th March 2019
Queenstown, New Zealand

Women

1st – Laura Siddall – 3:26:56
2nd – Lucy Batholomew – 3:39:56
3rd – Claire Rayner – 3:42:50

Men

1st – Ewan Cameron – 3:00:22
2nd – Vajin Armstrong – 3:00:35
3rd – Hamish Elliott – 3:07:03

FULL RESULTS

John Levison
Written by
John Levison
TRI247's Chief Correspondent, John has been involved in triathlon for well over 30 years, 15 of those writing on these pages, whilst he can also be found commentating for events across the UK.
Discover more
Laura Siddall Challenge Roth 2025 finish line
PremiumLaura Siddall: 10 things I’ve learned from my professional triathlon career
Ruth Astle finishing IRONMAN Vitoria 2024
PremiumHow to cope with a DNF: Elite athletes share their stories
PremiumIs your evening workout routine wrecking your recovery? Expert physiologist on how to improve recovery and what NOT to do
Caroline Pohle Lena Meissner ironman 703 jonkoping sprint 2025
PremiumTriathlon’s mid-season report card: Tim Don on who’s raising the bar this triathlon race season
03/07/2025 - Tour de France 2025 - Grand départ Jour 2 - Lille - Présentation des équipes -Jonas Vingegaard (Team Visma-Lease a Bike)
PremiumWhat triathletes can learn from the Tour de France pro peloton
latest News
Sam Long - T100 San Francisco 2024 bike
‘No No No’ – culture shock and bike crash for American star Sam Long in Italy
Georgia Taylor Brown wins supertri Chicago 2024 photo credit supertri
Georgia Taylor-Brown on enjoying her busy “year off” and wanting “to go out on a bit of a high”
challenge roth race ranger
Challenge Roth publish RaceRanger anti-drafting data from both pro races in a first for triathlon
Sam Laidlow celebrates Challenge Roth win 2025
IRONMAN Leeds 2025: Date, start time and how to follow live
Anne Haug wins Challenge Roth 2024 [Photo credit: Simon Fischer | Challenge Roth]
Triathlon legend and current world record holder Anne Haug announces her retirement
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

TRI247-LOGO_Primary-Black_RGB-1

CHOOSE YOUR MEMBERSHIP TO BECOME PART OF SOMETHING EPIC

We’re on a mission to elevate the world of endurance sport, becoming your go-to resource for expert training tips and inspiration, unbiased reporting and creating a platform for grassroots voices. But we can’t do it without you on board! Choose a TRI247+ membership option below and become part of something epic.

£7.95/month

Unlimited access. No ads. A whole library of tips, advice and inspiration at your finger tips, and the chance to shape the future of triathlon journalism.

100+ new articles/month

You’ll also gain access to our other premium websites:

Have an account? Sign in

£47.95/year
£95.40/year

50% Discount

100+ new articles/month

Unlimited access. No ads. A whole library of tips, advice and inspiration at your finger tips, and the chance to shape the future of triathlon journalism.

You’ll also gain access to our other premium websites:

Have an account? Sign in

Share to...