Inside Sport has found possibly Australia’s most active woman – it’s Belinda Halloran: professional triathlete.
Power of yoga. Image: Warren Clarke
Before Belinda and her husband Grant welcomed four-year-old Audrey and Drew (one) into the world, Halloran was one of Australia’s prominent triathletes, racing at the elite level for 11 years under her maiden name, Cheney. She finished 19 full and half-Ironman races between 2000-05, winning Ironman Malaysia in 2001 and 2005.Kids are cute and married life’s bliss, but Halloran is hell-bent on returning to triathlon’s elite stage again, too. “People say to me, ‘Belinda, are you still racing?’ But I love it. If I can fit training and competing around my family and around my husband’s work, then why not keep going?” Here’s how she does it
Super parents
“When I look at some of the greats of sport, many have had wonderful, balanced lives. Take the late Kerry McCann for example, who was a mother of three kids and a two-time Commonwealth Games medallist. She will always be my hero, and people like Andrew Gaze, who was a father as well as a fantastic basketball player.“Just like some of the rugby greats who held down full-time jobs – Nick Farr-Jones was a lawyer as well as an international rugby player – you can be a wonderful role model in your community by showing that you can be a parent and still compete on the sporting arena.”
Back to her best
“I had a break after the birth of my first child four years ago and then I returned to the sport and represented Australia in the World Long Distance Triathlon Championships and the World Duathlon … Now I’m making my second comeback. I’m 32 and hoping to return to my best form. In endurance triathlon they
say your early 30s are your best years. I have one child starting school next year and I’m hoping 2009 and the next few years beyond will be some of the best of my career.”