Chrissie Wellington
AUTHOR

Chrissie Wellington

I am a retired, British professional triathlete and four-time Ironman Triathlon World Champion.

I hold, or held, all three world and championship records relating to ironman triathlon races: firstly, the overall world record, secondly, the Ironman World Championship course record, and thirdly, the official world record for all Ironman-branded triathlon races over the full Ironman distance.

I won the World Championship in three consecutive years (2007–2009), but could not start the 2010 World Championship race because of illness, then regained the title in 2011. I am the first British athlete to hold the Ironman Triathlon World Championship, and was undefeated in all thirteen of my races over the ironman distance. I am the only triathlete, male or female, to have won the World Championship less than a year after turning professional, an achievement described by the British Triathlon Federation as "a remarkable feat, deemed to be a near impossible task for any athlete racing as a rookie at their first Ironman World Championships."

Since retiring in 2012 I have done countless endurance events, from cycling sportives, to marathons and ultra-marathons and even a cross country ski marathon or two!

I was awarded a first-class degree by the University of Birmingham (BsC Geography) and a Distinction from the University of Manchester (MA Econ Development Studies). Prior to becoming a professional athlete in 2007, I worked for the British Government’s Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) as a policy adviser on international development and also managed water and sanitation projects in Nepal.

I now devote my life to work to improve individual and population health and wellbeing, and specifically interventions to increase participation in physical activity. I am the Global Head of Health and Wellbeing for parkrun and am committed to engaging people of all backgrounds, ages and abilities in our events, thereby addressing the entrenched health and wellbeing inequalities that impact many countries across the world.

I published my Sunday Times Best Selling autobiography, A Life Without Limits, in February 2012, and my second book, To the Finish Line: A World Champion Triathlete’s Guide to Your Perfect Race, in September 2017. In 2021, I co-authored and published two fully illustrated children's books with friend, former athlete Susie Bush-Ramsey entitled You're so strong and You're amazing, as a means of sharing messages about belief, trust, love, friendship, trying ones best and embracing change.

I was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2010 Birthday Honours and Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2016 New Year Honours for services to sport and charity. I was also named the 2009 Sunday Times Sportswoman of the Year and have been awarded Honorary Doctorates from the University of Birmingham and the University of Bristol.

I live with my husband, former professional athlete Tom Lowe, and our daughter Esme in a small village in Somerset.

Website: www.chrissiewellington.org
Twitter: @chrissiesmiles
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