Lisa Bentley (BMath '92) explains how she became a professional triathlete, and how a genetic lung disease gave her purpose
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IRONMAN triathlons are about 4 times as long as their Olympic counterparts, and take hours to complete. To the average person — or average athlete, for that matter — the IRONMAN probably seems like an overwhelming challenge. But Lisa Bentley (BMath '92) built a whole career out of these epic races.
Lisa is an 11-time IRONMAN champion and has represented Canada on multiple national teams. She also has cystic fibrosis, an often-fatal genetic lung disease that she now considers a super power. After retiring from sport, she employed that superpower in a new way: as an author and motivational speaker.
Listen to this episode or find it in your favourite podcast app
(1:18) Lisa started running triathlons as a student
(3:42) From Olympic triathlons to the IRONMAN
(5:54) Going pro
(9:22) The daily routine of a pro triathlete
(11:50) Exercise as a retired athlete
(13:05) Lisa shares the different phases of her triathlete career
(14:00) Training for her first IRONMAN win
(15:59) The desire to have an impact
(18:48) Lisa's transition to motivational speaking
(20:24) What drives Lisa as a speaker?
(22:45) How did Lisa prepare to announce Olympic events?
(26:25) "I wasn't that talented as an athlete"
Cystic fibrosis is my superpower: Read Lisa's story in Waterloo Magazine
IRONMAN: Learn more about the race and community.
lisabentley.com: Learn more about Lisa's current roles as author, speaker, coach and more
