She crawled through mud, jumped out of helicopters, and went days without sleep on SAS Australia – but this weekend, Riana Crehan is taking on something even tougher.
The V8 Supercars commentator and reality television recruit will line up at IRONMAN Cairns – her first since becoming a mum.
“I’m still asking myself the question why I decided to do this,” Crehan laughed.
“I did my first IRONMAN back in 2021 and I thought the balance of training and having a social life was difficult then – boy was I naive.”
Crehan crossed the finish line that year with a smile and every intention of never signing up again. But after welcoming her son Dash in 2023 and navigating a challenging pregnancy, something shifted.
“To be perfectly honest, after I did my first IRONMAN I was in the mindset of one-and-done. I had a good day, so why try again and potentially have a bad day,” Crehan said.
“After having a baby, you get very caught up in relinquishing what life way before, doing everything for the baby in that first post-partum period. You get so caught up in trying to navigate motherhood and how to do it.
“I was very unwell for the best part of nine months. We had some concerns with the baby in the last ten-weeks, which really threw a spanner in the works and was quite frightening. Dash spent a week in special care after he was born, and I got unwell too. I think because you’re in such a fog, you don’t appreciate your own health because you’re so focused on the baby.
“I got to a point where I thought: ‘I really want to do something for myself, something that’s not for anyone else besides me.’”
Like many mums, doing something for herself hasn’t come without challenges or guilt. Crehan has wrestled with the conflict of carving out time away from her child to pursue her personal goal of returning to the IRONMAN start line.
“Mum guilt absolutely played on my mind. I’m sure every single woman who is toeing the start line that is a mum or a caregiver would be experiencing the exact same thing I’ve been experiencing,” Crehan said.
“You really must allow yourself this time. It is not selfish, you’re doing something that is wonderful, its healthy, it’s great for your physical and mental health, and it’s important to you.
“We have to give ourselves a bit of grace, it’s okay to give myself some time away every now and then to do something that makes me happy.”
Crehan had set her sights on IRONMAN Busselton as the key event to mark her comeback to racing after becoming a mum. But those plans were abruptly derailed when she suffered a serious bike crash during training.
She faced another setback: her own mum’s sudden illness required her to step away from home for six weeks to provide support.
Ongoing travel commitments for her commentary work added further challenges, making it difficult to find consistent time and space for training while on the road.
With all the disruptions, she admits her preparation has been far from ideal, yet remains realistic about her goals and what this race means to her.
“It’s very different and this IRONMAN build has not gone to plan – I’m not sure if they ever do,” she said.
“I just wanted to get to the start line, getting to the start is harder than getting to the finish. I don’t have a goal in mind, I just want to enjoy the day.
“When I’m swimming, because there’s no ear-pods or anything to distract me, it’s my time where I think and reflect on what I’m doing this. That’s when you really think: ‘I want my kids, my family, my husband, and my friends to be proud of something I’ve done.’
“I hope that Dash sees my training. He’s too young to understand but I hope there comes a time he looks at his mum and can say: ‘I’m proud of her, she works hard, she committed, she’s constantly chasing something bigger.’ Hopefully I can cross the finish line having had a good day and see him – it’s going to be special. It’s certainly something I’ve thought about the past few months.”
As for advice to other mums thinking about getting back into the sport, Crehan says triathlon couldn’t be a better fit.
“It’s all about juggling, multitasking, and having to do multiple things at once – which is where we as women and mums excel,” Crehan said.
“Of all sports – triathlon is perfect. I find the community everywhere I’ve gone has a real family atmosphere. Triathlon is hard, there is no doubt about it, and that’s why the people that do it love it.
“I love the sport, the people that are in it, and I love what it does for me.”
COUCH Charity Fun Run and Women For Tri Breakfast:
Start your IRONMAN Cairns weekend with a morning that celebrates the strength, spirit, and stories of women in triathlon.
Riana Crehan will join the COUCH Charity Fun Run before taking the stage as a guest speaker at the Women For Tri Breakfast, sharing her journey through sport, media, and motherhood.
Friday 13 June:
Fun Run – 7:35am, Cairns Esplanade – https://bit.ly/CairnsWFTRun
Breakfast – 8:00–10:00am, The Chambers – https://bit.ly/CairnsWFT
*Panel starts from 8:45am
Attendance is free but places are limited, so be sure to secure your spot by registering.
