A vegan athlete who cited her special diet as the secret to her success ran and biked her way to victory at the World Championships.
Lisa Gawthorne, 41, won the gold medal for her age group at the 2023 World Triathlon Multisport Championships in Ibiza, just two months after winning the European Duathlon Championships in Italy.
Lisa, from Formby, took part in the challenging sprint duathlon race, which involved a 4.8km run, followed by a 19km bike ride and another 3km run. She finished a full minute and six seconds ahead of second-place winner Marisol Vargas Martinez of Mexico. Fellow Brit Katie Hine took third place.
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Lisa said: “I am so happy; I really didn’t expect this one. It was amazing to become European Champion, but this is a dream of dreams to go one step further taking a world champion title in my age group amongst the best of the best in the world.
"There were 27 in my race, and I knew I needed to get out strong to try and maintain a good lead. I didn’t know until after the race, but I got into the leading position 2km into the first run and managed to maintain and grow that lead throughout the race. I just kept the pace up on the first run, reserved a little well needed energy on the bike – where I had to just keep my head down for the first 4.5 miles as I was out on my own.
"I came out of transition tired off the bike, but just dug in for another solid run. I really had no idea where I was as so many waves went off at similar times and it was only when I crossed the line, I heard them call my name as the winner and realised I took the gold medal.’’
Lisa, who runs for Liverpool Pembroke Sefton and is part of local multi-sport club Mersey Tri, trained for her place in the World Championships by taking part in the Mersey Tunnel 10k on April 16 and the Mersey Tri 10-mile cycle on the Rainford Bypass.
As well as celebrating her World Championship win, she is also celebrating two decades since going vegan - which she believes has helped her on her road to athletic success.
She said: "I carry the vegan-centric logos of the “Go Vegan” campaign, Veganuary and The Vegan Society, as they are organisations very dear to me and pivotal in the industry. I am all about spreading the positive vibes associated with veganism and in particular its beneficial effects in sport and overall athletic performance, which come as a nice extra for me as I have always been vegan for animal welfare reasons.
"It’s been an absolute joy to see a lot of my Team GB pals and other teammates from other countries that have decided to go vegan over the years and have either reached out for advice or mentioned that I inspired their choice – this always makes me beyond proud.”
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