The Deloitte Business Woman of the Year who became a professional triathlete heads back to the corporate world

She was no slouch in the corporate world. While juggling a career as a professional triathlete, Sarah Crowley was also more than a little busy working as a Director in Corporate Finance at Deloitte. Crowley did her first triathlon in 2004, the same month she started in the Deloitte graduate program. She is the embodiment of a type A triathlete – managing a competitive triathlon career with a steady rise in the corporate world. In 2006 she won the Deloitte Business Woman of the Year Award and would continue to excel in both triathlon and the corporate world. As her triathlon career started to blossom, Deloitte granted her a six-month leave to train at the Queensland Academy of sport – in 2008 she shared the podium with Olympic gold medalist Emma Snowsill and bronze medalist Emma Moffatt at the prestigious Noosa Triathlon. Her run at the 2012 Olympics was sidelined by a hip injury in 2009, which prompted Crowley to return to work full time.

Crowley turned her sights to long-distance events, winning Ironman 70.3 Cairns in 2012. A win at a Ironman 70.3 Korea and a fourth-place finish at Ironman Malaysia in 2015 convinced her it was time to see what she could do as a full-time triathlete, so in 2016 she left Deloitte to pursue the sport. She finished 15th at her first Ironman World Championship in 2016, while winning three 70.3 events that same year.

In 2017 Crowley won the Ironman European Championship in Frankfurt, Ironman Cairns and the ITU Long Distance World Championship, then rounded out her season with a third-place finish in Kona. A year later she won Ironman Hamburg and Ironman Mar del Plata. In 2019 there was another third in Kona along with a win at Ironman Arizona. In 2022 she became the first person to win Australia’s Triple Crown – Ironman Australia, the Ironman Asia-Pacific Championship Cairns and Ironman Western Australia.

While 2023 began and ended with wins – Ironman 70.3 Davao to start the season, Hervey Bay 100 at the end – Crowley found herself dealing with a number of injuries in 2023. After racing at Ironman 70.3 Tasmania in February, she decided it was time to head back to the corporate world and give triathlon racing a bit of a break.

5 weeks ago Sarah Crowley broke two ribs and her sternum. Somehow she’s still racing in Cairns

We caught up with the Crowley to get some insight on the decision and her thoughts on her impressive career.

Triathlon Magazine: So why did you decide it was time to call it a career?

Sarah Crowley: I realised racing Ironman 70.3 Tasmania that I had lost the burn to perform. I felt like I was simply completing the race rather than competing. I always knew that when I lost the fire it was time to go because elite results require full focus and dedication. I didn’t want to just run through the motions for the sake of it, because I have other things I want to achieve in my life. To be honest there have been moments since mid 2022, when the winning feeling didn’t feel like it used to, so it’s been in the back of my mind for a while.

Looking back, what are you most proud of in terms of your achievements in the sport?

There are of course the awesome results, podiums in Kona, ITU worlds etc., but my biggest achievement was to overcome my swim weakness. It held me back for so long in triathlon and prevented a short course career. Overcoming injury was also something I was proud of. I had a consistent career because I always found solutions to move forward.

You had a bit of a different entry into the sport. What was it about triathlon that enticed you to leave the finance world for the sport?

I left my career because I wanted to know what I could do. Simple as that. I backed myself, gave myself a time limit and poured myself into reaching as high a level as I could.

You seemed to do really well (especially compared to other pros) on the sponsor front. Do you think your background helped you as a pro triathlete? 

Yes, I think triathletes are spread very thin compared to other professional sports. The media, the management piece, coaching, aero testing, mechanical skill, nutrition, body work – everything is self funded or self directed. People may not appreciate the resources required to be at the highest level of the sport. 20% here, 20% there, fee here, fee there – without proper support from sponsors, elite sport is not possible. I am lucky to have my background in business advisory. I understood contracts, negotiation and value. This truly made my career possible.

What’s the message that you would like to pass on to others, especially women and girls, about triathlon and sports?

Back yourself.

What’s next for Sarah Crowley? Will we see you at triathlon events in the future?

I am excited about being able to re-establish my career as it is definitely not too late to be truely successful in professional services. I believe I will bring some different perspectives in my new consulting role at RSM. My dedication and focus is a given. As for training, at this point I am enjoying training at its most basic level, with no schedule and no goals. I am interested in trail running because I love the discovery. I will stay connected to triathlon, but my focus has firmly shifted.