Athlete Profile – Elizabeth Dornom
Today’s Athlete Profile is on Elizabeth Dornom. Elizabeth and her sister Bernadette have a wealth of off road and racing experience to draw upon and are in great form. Elizabeth has registered to take on the Ultra Adventurethon at Anglesea in December. We spoke to her to find out a little more about what makes her tick.
Have you competed in Adventurethon before – which one?
this will be my first one. I had a false start for the Townsville Adventurethon this year, as I registered but then was unable to compete due to an injury from a previous race.
Have you always been active?
I was a bit of a jack of all trades from a young age, netball, athletics, tennis, baseball. My parents were often taxiing us around to and from various sporting activities so were happy when I got my license so could take myself to them!!!
Tell us about why do you do off road events
I always love getting a bit of mud and dirt (or sand) on me during a race and enjoy the challenge of trying to beat not just your competitors but also the course and it’s own unique elements
Where do you feel your strengths lie?
I guess having just come off some specific ironman training my endurance base will be pretty strong so the longer and tougher the race is the better it is for me.
Who inspires you to push yourself?
I train with some pretty inspirational people in an excellent squad – Triathlon response Group with coach Julie Tedde. Seeing so many of her athletes achieve such great results given various other commitments, family, life events, etc always makes me keep pushing to get the best out of myself.
Where do you live and play?
I am Melbourne based which is very fortunate as I think we have a good range of different playgrounds for on and off road adventures not too far from my doorstep.
How important is your support crew to achieving your goals?
I believe that experiences are always made better if you can share them with someone, brag about them to someone or even exaggerate how tough it was with someone.
What does your race day breakfast look like?
I am a bit of a creature of habit – if it ain’t broke don’t fix it. My race day breakfast is the same as my breakfast most mornings. Yoghurt, banana and muesli.
What’s the one piece of equipment that goes with you to every race and why?
I don’t know about just “one” piece of equipment. This is adventure racing afterall, my bike, bike shoes, runners, lifejacket, paddle, nutrition…. the list goes on. I don’t know how many times I do a double and triple check to make sure I have not forgotten anything before I leave home.
What piece of advice would you give someone attempting their first Adventurethon?
Enjoy it!! Try to keep a smile on your face the whole day, it honestly does help when the going gets tough. A little bit of training probably won’t go astray either.
You have a history of racing, can you give us a little more info for those who might not realise some of the cool stuff you have done.
A bit of everything really, from fun runs, marathons and 100km Oxfam trailwalkers, to all lengths of triathlon and then various multisport and adventure races. My first multisport race was the Marysville to Melbourne race which I competed in all 3 years it ran and was lucky enough to win twice. My first attempt at ocean paddling was in the Lorne Adventure race in 2012 after bit of a crash course with Jarad Kohler and Peak Adventure as I had only a background in flat water kayaking. From there I have done some team stage adventure races both in Australia and China and am always looking forward to the next event. I like using races as an excuse for a holiday in a different place.
What is the best thing about being a woman in sport?
Hmm, that is a tough one. I mean – what is it like being a man in sport??? I have only ever had experience of being a woman!!!!!!!
But here goes…
I love being a “sporty woman” because being active is a true joy and has the added benefit of nurturing my competitive side. I love in adventure races how men and women race together on the same course with the same challenges. I hope that other women will not be afraid to give it a shot and also stick it to the boys out there!