Member Spotlight - Bella

A new member to the community club this year, Bella has been an incredible addition to the team. For Bella, Cairns 70.3 was more than just a race—it was proof of what can happen when you trust your training, lean on your community, and keep moving forward when things get hard.

Taking on her first long-distance triathlon, Bella arrived at the start line knowing there would be challenges ahead. What she didn't expect was just how much the people around her would shape the experience.

"The atmosphere of everyone supporting each other and cheering for even complete strangers was incredible," she says. "But the one thing that takes the cake would have to be my friend from my triathlon club. Our mascot is a wolf, and she flew up to Cairns just as support crew and wore a blow-up wolf costume to cheer us all on!"

While the support on course made her smile, it was on the bike where Bella surprised herself most. Despite never having ridden 90km in a single ride before, she stayed patient, trusted her race plan, and focused on getting the basics right.

"I was so excited to nail every bike aid station and get into Cairns feeling strong coming off the bike, with my nutrition and hydration nailed so my legs weren't cramping and my stomach wasn't feeling nauseous."

Of course, no long-distance race comes without moments of doubt. For Bella, having the right people in her corner made all the difference.

"I would have to credit my lovely boyfriend," she says. "He supported me through all the weeks and months of training leading up to the race. He never let me spiral when I was worried about my back injury, and he gave me a hug and pep talk when I needed it most around 14km into the run."

That support became even more powerful when a fellow competitor stepped in during one of the toughest moments of the day.

"Margaret stopped and wrapped me in a hug. She said, 'Come on girl, of course it's hard. If it was easy, everyone would be doing it.' Those words really got me over the finish line because we can do hard things, and we really were doing it."

When asked about the most extraordinary moment of the race, Bella's answer perfectly captures the spirit of endurance sport.

"I was cycling along on my older road bike and saw someone riding in thongs. It really put my efforts into perspective! It takes grit to not let clothing mishaps DNF your race, and that's what I believe triathlon is about."

It's that perspective that makes Bella such a great example of one of our favourite values: Fuck Average, Be Extraordinary.

"A lot of my life I have struggled with body image and trying to equate how my body fits in the world," she says. "When it comes to triathlon, I've really found that not everyone's body can do it, but my body can. I may never look like most people's perception of an athlete, but I keep proving to myself that I can do hard things with the body that I have."

"Why be average? Why do the same thing anyone else can do when I can push, and work, and grind, and be extraordinary?"

And after crossing the finish line of her first long-distance triathlon, what's next?

"I've got the long-distance bug now. I definitely think I'll be going to Taupō next year, and optimistically I'll be competing in the full Ironman."

Until then, she'll keep building, improving, and enjoying the journey.

"I'll keep working hard, improving margins where I can, increasing my hours on the legs and in the pool. And of course, drinking all the coffees and eating all the almond croissants after training because I've absolutely earned it."

We couldn't agree more.