Eloise Wellings is a long-distance runner and two-time Olympian. Earlier this month, she ran the fastest marathon debut by an Australian woman, finishing the London event in a time of 2.29.42.
Despite her serious ambition, Eloise tries not to take herself too seriously.
In this week’s episode of SportsParenthood, we speak with Eloise from hotel quarantine in Sydney, where on the day of the interview, she had one sleep to go before being reunited with her husband and two young kids, her biggest supporters.
Eloise’s dream to be an Olympic athlete started when she was 10 — watching the 1992 Barcelona Games. At just 16 years of age, she qualified for the 2000 Sydney Games, when a heartbreaking stress fracture eventually meant she couldn’t compete.
What happened next is extraordinary. Eloise missed the Athens and Beijing Olympics, before qualifying for London and Rio in the gruelling 10,000 metre and 5,000 metre events. This year, she didn’t make the time for Tokyo and decided to give the marathon a go.
This is a story of having faith, celebrating effort, taking risks, and not giving up.
EPISODE PUBLISHED ON THURSDAY, 28 OCTOBER 2021