Tuesday, May 27, 2014

GET TO KNOW GINA

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