Last
month we
proudly announced the signing of professional triathlete (make that 11x Ironman Champion professional
triathlete) and mom Gina Crawford. Gina, a native of New Zealand, is currently
on the road racing in Europe, accompanied by her husband Brett and young son
Benny. (“Benny, Benji, Benjamin–any of those are fine, just not Ben! We started
off calling him Benji, but now it's usually Benny, and that's what he calls
himself, too,” says Gina.) Never one to sit idle, this amazing mom just
finished a trio of half iron-distance races in the space of three
weeks–Challenge Rimini, where she finished 4th, Ironman 70.3 Pays
D’Aix, where she claimed 3rd and Ironman 70.3 St. Poelten, where she
again earned 4th. And these races were just a warm up–Gina will
tackle two more half distance events in June before one of her key races of the
season, Ironman Frankfurt on July 6th.
In light of Gina’s recent 3-peat, we thought we’d have a bit
of fun getting to know our SOAS ambassador via a 3-themed Q&A:
What
are 3 of your favorite things about your nearly 3-year-old son Benny?
1)
His incredible energy. He never seems to get tired and he is so busy all day
long, biking, running, building blocks, reading books and playing make-believe
games–and he never stops talking at all the whole time.
2) His
sense of humor. He may be only two but we have a lot of fun together and
he gets a lot of jokes. You can never really be down for long with Benny
around–he brightens up the world.
3) His
sense of adventure. He loves doing new things and seeing new things. We travel
a lot and everywhere we go he gets so excited to be somewhere new and he notices
so many little tiny details that we would totally miss without him.
What
are 3 thoughts that go through your mind when you’re racing?
1) With
every step I am closer to the finish.
2) When
I am going through a good patch I tell myself to enjoy it and make the most of
it.
3) I
am doing this for Benny, so whatever happens, do not give up.
What
are 3 goals you hope to achieve this year?
1) To
put together a great race where I swim, bike and run to my potential in the
same race.
2) A
sub 3-hour ironman marathon. I ran a 2:58 in 2012 but I haven't been back below
this mark since.
3) A
sub 9-hour ironman at Ironman Frankfurt. I’ve gone sub 9-hours at Challenge
Roth twice and once at Ironman Western Australia.
What
are 3 of your off-season or post-race guilty pleasures?
1)
Post-ironman, for a few hours post-race I always have a huge craving for fries
(salt and fat).
2) I
enjoy baking, so I tend to do a fair bit in the off-season!
3) I
don't drink a lot of alcohol but after my last race of the year I like to let
me hair down and have a few of my favorite cocktails.
What
are 3 things you like most about your new custom SOAS kit?
1)
Comfort. I don't get chafing anywhere at all!
2) Color.
I love bright colors and my kit stands out. In no way is it boring!
3) Distinctive
design. My husband can see me coming from a long way away. In an ironman there
are only a few times where we flash by for a few seconds and then we are gone
for another hour or so, so I don't want him to miss me!
You can learn more about Gina and follow her racing and
family journey via her blog ginacrawford.com
or on Twitter @Gina_Crawford
photo credit (all): Annette C Photography
