Growing up in rural New South Wales, Fiona Souden had always had a dream of competing in triathlons, and once making a start – it was the motivation and support from her daughter that pushed her to take that next step.
“I grew up in a rural farming area in NSW and wanted to do triathlon as soon as I heard about Ironman in the late 70’s,” Souden said.
“I finally had the opportunity with the ACT SunSmart series in the 90’s – I did the swim in a relay team with two friends at Tuggeranong Lake.
“Men and women went off together in the swim, it was carnage..but this was a life long passion, so I wasn’t put off by the challenges of the swim, I waited this long and I loved it.
“A favourite memory from my triathlon journey was my daughter racing a Jackie Fairweather Triathlon with me and announcing after the race, ‘Mum you’ve wanted to do an Ironman all your life, so we’ve got 12 months to train and we are going to do a 70.3 Ironman together….and that’s your 50th birthday present from me!’
“We did the Sunshine Coast 70.3 Ironman, followed by Western Sydney and Geelong 70.3 and this gave me the confidence to enter Port Mac Full Ironman.
“When I finally got to run down my Ironman finish line, I was filled with emotion – it was a lifelong dream and I was hooked.”
Through being inspired from an early age, and then having the support of her daughter, triathlon has given Fiona a new world of connections, and a community that welcomes all.
“Triathlon has given me a healthy outlet to manage work, raise a family and stay healthy during those chaotic years,” she said.
“I’ve been doing triathlons for almost 30 years and 4 years ago I joined the Vikings Triathlon club.
“This has opened up a whole new world of friendship and connections, allowing me to find like minded people that love triathlon as much as me, has been life changing.
“I would highly recommend joining a club and finding your triathlon tribe.
“Triathlon is very inclusive, it doesn’t judge age or ability – that’s what is so attractive about triathlon.
“Nothing says this better than the Ironman finish line when the loudest cheers are for the final Ironman coming over the line – that sums up the true spirit of Ironman.
“I highly value the friendships I have made with my fellow competitors, and as an older triathlete there’s a switch from competing to being grateful to be able to race.
“I love catching up with all my age group race buddies, there is something very special in the Aquabike 55 – 59 year age group, it’s full of amazing women.
“Every time we line up, it’s anybody’s race… and without these incredible women, there would be no race.
“For any women thinking about starting their journey, find a triathlon club like Vikings, try a super sprint or find 2 friends and start in a relay team – if that’s what you are comfortable with.
“The personal growth and reward you get from training, working hard and then racing against yourself is empowering.”
