FIONA FORD
INTERNATIONAL TRIATHLETE, AUTHOR, SPEAKER
Fiona Ford is a full time sports coach, former Professional triathlete, sports nutritionist, researcher and writer. Fiona has competed in triathlon for 20 years and is a former age group European and World Champion at ITU Triathlon and Aquathlon. For four years she raced in the Pro ranks in Ironman triathlon, with top ten finishes, while working full time running her coaching businesses. Fiona’s racing career can be found here.
Fiona coaches, mentors and advises triathletes, runners, swimmers and cyclists to discover their potential using an athlete centric system and latest sports training technologies. She has successfully applied the athletic mindset to set up, create, rebuild and evolve her own business through adversity. Her coaching credentials and qualifications can be found on this page.
Fiona holds an MSc in Applied Sports Nutrition, is a graduate registrant on the Sports and Exercise Nutrition Register and is ISAK Level 2 qualified in measuring body composition. Fiona’s MSc dissertation research examined the effects of periodised carbohydrate intake in improving triathlon performance and in further developing her findings, she currently completing a PhD in endurance sports nutrition.
Fiona has created articles for triathlon and open water swimming magazines, the Speedo App, and reviews for The Independent online. She has appeared in the TV series ‘How to Win at Everything’ on the Discovery Channel presenting different rationales to improve efficiency in swimming technique.
Recovering from a life changing incident
A serious bike accident whilst out training in 2012 caused multiple serious injuries that were deemed by the medical consultants at the time to be ‘life changing’. Fiona sustained a broken pelvis, sacrum, collarbone, and some vertebrae which resulted in two years in rehabilitation and recovery. She progressed from learning to walk again, basic mobility and strength to resuming her coaching and eventually sport.
Fiona developed a multi-sport approach to recovery and documented her return through her book ‘‘Back on Track’. This was published in October 2015 and charted her return to competition following the near-fatal accident while cycling home from the Surrey Hills on a training ride. This accident put an end to her career as a Professional triathlete.
Her inspirational journey was highlighted in a range of media, including BBC Radio 4, The Independent newspaper, BBC Radio Surrey, and interviews with Bob Babbitt’s ‘Breakfast With Bob’ after her podium finish at the Ironman World Championships Kona, Hawaii. Fiona was interviewed on the Injured Athletes Podcast and featured in the book ‘Rebound’, delving into that it takes to return to full fitness when the medical profession had resigned Fiona to a non-active life.
In 2016, four years after the accident Fiona had raced her way back to the very top of ultra endurance sport, to compete at the Holy grail of Triathlon competition – Ironman World Championships in Kona, Hawaii where she finished on the podium. In her comeback year, Fiona finished in the top ten female field at Challenge Salou (age-group win), Ironman Maastricht (age-group win) and Ironman 70.3 Western Sydney (age-group win), convincingly ‘back on track’ with performances that defied her injury prognosis by consultants who informed her that her ‘running days were over’ 3 days post accident.
Since then Fiona has lowered her PB at the London marathon 2017 qualifying for and competing off the Championship start from 3:09 from 3:15.
Her story is full of resilience, determination, courage and human spirit which continues to inspire people from all walks of life to not only enter sport but follow in her footsteps to successfully implement a process vs outcome approach and return to sport to compete at the highest level. As a coach Fiona offers experience, applied science and individuality in her approach with athletes of all levels.