Lisa Perterer in her own words is “a new long distance triathlete from Austria, who just enjoys triathlon”. She is of course much more than that.
As we head into the IRONMAN World Championship on Saturday, Perterer comes into the race inside the top 10 of the world rankings. Not a name anyone knew at the start of the year, yet with her results in 2025, she has established herself as one to watch.
She suddenly came to everyone’s attention when she was second at Singapore T100, after being given a Wild Card to race. “Who is she? Who just came second?” were just some of the reactions that day.
She went on to finish third at IRONMAN Texas, second at IRONMAN Lake Placid and is sitting third in the IRONMAN Pro Series and 12th in the T100 Rankings.
So, who is Lisa Perterer and why should you make sure you know her name before Saturday?
Lisa’s long-distance journey
Perterer is a three time Olympian (she actually qualified for four Olympic Games). Always loving sport, she was inspired by watching IRONMAN Kaernten-Klagenfurt, just 20 minutes from her home. She would go to volunteer when she was young, helping out during the event, which she did for five years or so.
She was a very good swimmer, and also rode horses, until she broke her arm falling off. She still has no feeling in her thumb, and not full range of movement in her arm.
Looking for something new, and as a naturally talented and fast runner, she started doing aquathlons, and at 15 did her first triathlon.
Her coach saw something in her from a young age. She was third in her first World Cup in Canada and at 19 years old qualified for the 2012 Olympics in London. When that came around she was just 20 years old and the youngest in the field.
She went on to qualify for Rio 2016 (but didn’t compete due to having a stress fracture), then Tokyo 2020/2021 and Paris 2024.
She then started to look for new motivation, combined with her feelings that she didn’t think she would get any faster. She was still enjoying the sport, but just looking for a new stimulus, and with four weeks warning (much to the disapproval of her coach and team) signed up for IRONMAN Cozumel and finished second! In the process qualifying her for Kona 2025.
Upward trajectory
Her focus then became the IRONMAN World Championships but at the start of 2025 she was offered a Wild Card to compete in the Singapore T100. Lisa pivoted her training to prepare for that and, thriving in the heat, she surprised everyone – and perhaps herself – by finishing second.
Just a couple of weeks later she finished third at IRONMAN Texas, entering really because of her boyfriend (a Texan) training for that race.
This then gave Lisa a pleasant dilemma – go with the original plan of the focus on Kona or try to do both, competing in the T100 events when a Wild card opportunity arose. Or in fact a third option, which now also included looking at the IRONMAN Pro Series as well, something that she’d not really considered prior to Texas.
Few people can do both series, though Kat Matthews did so successfully in 2024 winning the IRONMAN Pro Series, and finishing fourth in the T100 as well as taking second place at both the IRONMAN and IRONMAN 70.3 World Championships.
Not having a T100 contract, Lisa would be reliant on Wild Cards. Her podium in Singapore would pretty much guarantee her another Wild Card, but further race starts for T100 weren’t as certain.
Different mindset
Lisa has now experienced, in a short time, all the distances of the sport, from the Olympics through T100, IRONMAN 70.3 and then the full distance. She still feels it’s too early to find out which distance her preference is, although I think this week in Kona is giving her a pretty good idea of where her passion lies.
She told me: “I need to see. I am happy. I wasn’t always this way but I’ve found out in the last year that I’m a racer I think. I’m not a trainer, I’m a racer – and I’m really enjoying racing again.”
Whilst with long course racing, there are a lot of unknowns around nutrition, and getting that right, and the preparation that leads into the race, Lisa simply says: “I’m standing there (on the start line), and I can’t wait to just start.”
This is very different to how she felt in short course racing, where every second counts from the off, with Lisa admitting: “That just made me so nervous and slower on the swim.” But as she points to the ocean from her Kona accommodation, she adds: “I can’t wait to just go out there and swim. I can’t wait to swim here.”
Learning curve
Lisa is not just excited to swim here in Kona, she’s excited about the heat, knowing that’s a strength she has. As well as the wind making the bike course tricky and technical, which suits her well. Whilst incredibly solid across the board, the bike is where Lisa feels she can “play the most”.
She explains: “On the bike is where I can play the most, I have different levels. If I really want to be somewhere, I can usually do it.“
Yet she’s also made big improvements in her run. To be honest, Lisa is only just starting her long-distance discovery of just how good she can be, and how fast she can go. Kona isn’t necessarily about finding the latter out – given the nature of the course and the respect that’s needed here.
She’s also very aware that now successfully ranked in third in the IRONMAN Pro Series, she “can’t just drop out of a race”, adding: “Even here. Every second counts, and it’s better to finish than not finishing.”
She’s also learning every time. She learnt that spicy food (before London T100) isn’t a good idea, subsequently suffering with stomach issues even with the race being in the afternoon.
Also gone are the days of just eating plain rice: “I’m over rice. I’ve eaten too much in the last few years.” Instead she chooses plain bread, Nutella and carb drinks. And she likes her sweets.
The Ladybug and the Leopard
When talking about other superstitions or race day rituals Lisa mentions her ‘Ladybug buff’ and no matter how warm it is on race morning, she’ll always be wearing it, along with the same compression socks.
Or as she said on Instagram when unveiling her custom-painted helmet for race day: “Luck on one side (ladybug), wild and power on the other (leapoard). My first IRONMAN World Championship just got a little more me.”
What I took away from speaking with Lisa, and spending a bit of time with her over the last few days and prior, she’s just so happy and excited to be here. That can be powerful.
She’s always smiling, even in the middle of the long run in The Energy Lab. She is indeed, as she says, the racer and just can’t wait to get out there.
Having raced on the biggest stage at the Olympic Games, she knows the pressure, and also has the advantage of racing with 60 other women on the start line here, something that throughout the year isn’t the case. This can throw athletes, if they are not used to battling it out with so many other amazing women.
But Lisa has a self-confidence about her. She knows her strength and abilities. Yet it’s not an arrogance, nor does she not respect the distance or the Island and this race. It has a special vibe racing here, and even running along Ali’I Drive gives her goose bumps.
She knows there is a lot of suffering to come on the day, but she appears to have this calmness and accepting about that, but also, this fire to just get started and race. It is indeed the Ladybug and the Leopard.
Talking about what a good day would look like for Lisa on Saturday, she tells me: “A good race would be top 10, I would be happy. It’s my first time here and all new for me but I think I can be capable of a top five. But I’ve surprised a lot of times this year, so why should I not surprise myself one more time and get on the podium?”
She has in fact, over her career, surprised a lot. Her first Olympic qualification at just 19 surprised many. As did her third at her first World Cup, or the runner-up spot in Singapore this year followed by the podium at IRONMAN Texas.
I can go on. You can see the excitement in her eyes and hear the energy in her voice. Again, it’s not an arrogance but this calming inner belief. And even stating the above out loud, you could see her just grow a little taller in belief, and in happiness.
I for one am a Lisa Perterer fan and can’t wait to see her race the course on Saturday. Luck on one side, wild and power on the other.
Are we in a triathlon boom, or hurtling towards burnout? Laura Siddall on the growth of the sport
