Lyndsey Fraser says she has Thailand to thank for introducing her to triathlon and helping her get to number one in the world in the 2015 Ironman rankings for women between the ages of 25-29.
Two of the three years she has lived in Thailand have been devoted to refining her skills in this discipline. The 28-year-old was introduced to the sport by a colleague at Bangkok Patana School, where she teaches PE to students between the ages of four and 12.
The high-spirited athlete, born in Scotland, honed her skills in swimming, cycling and running while training with Ironguides Triathlon club and training with top notch swimming instructors at Patana.
While there is room for improvement in all three disciplines, she said that out of 10, she gives herself a seven for running, 7.5 for cycling and four for swimming.
Since launching her semi-professonal triathlon career, she has won more than 20 races, in Thailand and abroad. Recently she captured the Ironman 70.3 Subic Bay (1.9km swim, 90km bike and 21.1km run) and Ironman Taiwan (3.8km swim, 180km bike and 42.2km run) titles, which helped her qualify for the upcoming Ironman 70.3 World Championships in Austria and Ironman World Championships in Kona, Hawaii.
Her initial days of competing in events made her realise that she was good enough to take the sport seriously.
"My first triathlon was in Hua Hin two years ago, and I was surprised to win the age group title after little triathlon training," said Fraser.
"The desire to beat my time gave me the push to get into better physical shape to improve my swim, bike and run. Over the last year, I have increased my training and been more conscious of eating nutritious foods. It is very satisfying to see continual self-improvement, which makes all the hard work and sacrifice worthwhile."
There was one tournament that she competed in that sealed the deal for her.
"The 'change' moment to really step up my training was after The Ironman 70.3 World Championship in Canada 2014, where I raced with no specific programme and finished with a top-10 placement for my age group," she said.
"I knew I could have performed better with a better training regime and had a lot more left to give. It was time to step it up so I joined the Ironguides Triathlon club, where I have been able to train and compete with many like-minded people who push each other to become better and stronger. I now have personal and specific training plans designed by Ironguides head coach Vinnie Santana."
Fraser is seriously contemplating turning professional soon, and has shown a desire to represent Thailand. One reason for this is that it is here she began her triathlon journey. Honing her skills from scratch and enjoying tremendous support from Thais, who are always smiling and giving her words of encouragement, made this expat feel right at home in the country.
"Races in Thailand are something I always look forward to because the atmosphere at events and the people are great. The triathlon scene here is very welcoming and there is a great community that I am proud to be a part of," she said.
"I have no exact date for when I will transition into the pro scene. As from August, I will be able to put more time and focus into my training and I look forward to seeing how much more I can improve. Once I am satisfied I will be competitive at a professional level then I will make my transition to compete against world-class athletes." Fraser said she has been fortunate to receive sponsorship from SALA hotels, Brooks Thailand, CEEPO bikes and Aspire Fitcorp Asia.
She has also recently teamed up with BEC-TERO Entertainment to promote cycling, running and triathlon in the country.
Fraser admits that without sponsorship, she wouldn't have come so far.
"I am both grateful and flattered by the support that I have been given," she said. "Sponsors are an integral part of an athlete's progression, and without the support, for many people, the opportunity to pursue their dreams and ambitions would not be possible. It has made the impossible now possible and opened up so many opportunities."
The former physical trainer in the British Army said triathlon attracted her, not just because of the buzz of the races and electric crowd atmosphere, but also the strong camaraderie among competitors.
"During the course of the race you can see people encouraging each other to reach the finish line. It also spurs you on when you see the crowds are there to support you," she said.
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