Pregnancy inspired pro Holly Lawrence to chase Kona this year

The British pro has been a fixture on the scene for years, amassing an impressive career at short course and Ironman 70.3 distances, but she’s never stepped it up to the full Ironman, until now.

An ambition she has always had brewing in the back of her mind, Lawrence pushed the idea down the road, never willing to truly commit to the new challenge. That all changed, she said, after having her daughter. She openly shares her journey from pre-to-post pregnancy on social media. Recently, she announced that since giving birth there is no more time to waste. She takes the leap this year to compete in her first full distance Ironman in pursuit of a qualifying spot at the 2025 Ironman World Championships in Kona.

She’s waited long enough, she said.

Race schedule unconfirmed

Although Lawrence hasn’t announced which races she will target for a Kona spot, she’s headlong into the distance training. Focusing on building durability and anticipating the specific challenges of racing in Hawaii, she said she is looking forward to the long training days.

She enters this new phase of life and career with a fresh perspective. Instead of procrastinating about workouts, her extra responsibilities have forced her to sharpen her time management skills and make every moment count, she said. The circumstances have brought more meaning to everything she does now, she added.

Postpartum training challenges

The gradual return to training after giving birth was not smooth or linear. Despite working with a nutritionist to ensure she wasn’t underfuelling in managing training and breastfeeding, she still ended up with a sacral stress reaction. After investigating the potential cause, she concluded the demands of breastfeeding may have compromised her bone health and put her in a higher risk category.

The repercussions of producing milk can be result in calcium depletion in the bones, which pregnant and postpartum women should be aware of in order to take the necessary precautions. The stress reaction was detected not long into her return to training program, so she was able to back off of running for a time and focus on the swim and bike. Now, she said, she is ramping up again with eyes cast towards Kona.

 

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Homegrown training environment

From the outset, Lawrence said navigating pregnancy and training was a mystery. With little concrete advice or evidence for women about best practices, she was left to feel her way through the process. Fear of the unknown and questions around competing at the pro level after pregnancy floated above the void of information and direction. Lawrence was surprised how little information is available to support females during these phases, and she had to resort to trial and error.

Coming off of a third place podium at Miami T100 last year, she announced she was pregnant and ended her season. She continued to swim and ride, but admits running didn’t go as planned and after about four months she had to pivot away from it altogether and focus on the other disciplines. Her endurance for longer sessions also took a hit, often turning back not long into a ride for lack of energy.

Through it all she has been able to keep progressing. Having her husband as a coach has created a nice homegrown training environment with lots of support and the best of all worlds.

Her long ride coffee stops are now a sweet treat in the form of a visit from Poppy, and her husband and coach Sean Jefferson. The road to Kona for Lawrence is very cute and cuddly.