The idea of giving up the 9-5 for a career in pro sport might be an appealing one. But how many of us would really risk quitting the well-paid corporate world at the age of 34 to go for it? <\/strong><\/p>\n

For Laura Siddall \u2013 known to her mates as Sid \u2013 that question was easy to answer. While the pension pot might be bigger had she remained a management consultant, there are no regrets on taking a decision that\u2019s enriched every other aspect of her life.<\/p>\n

A five-time iron-distance champion, including a hat-trick at Ironman Australia, 2022 has peaked with two top-10 finishes in this year\u2019s Ironman world championship double-header.<\/p>\n

That would be classed as an Indian summer for many 42-years-old. For Siddall, it\u2019s as if she\u2019s just getting started, as 220<\/em> found out when sitting down with her in the King Kamehameha hotel the day after racing in Hawaii.<\/p>\n

Laura Siddall:<\/strong> Mum was a maths teacher and dad an engineer, as are two of my three sisters, so I studied mechanical engineering and joined the grad scheme with Shell, moving out to Australia on a two-year assignment where I found triathlon.<\/p>\n

I left Shell but ended up staying out there and eventually moved into management consultancy.<\/p>\n

LS:<\/strong> Firstly, I was brought up with traditional values \u2013 GCSEs, A Levels, go to university, and sport looked great on the CV as a hobby when it came to getting a real job.<\/p>\n

Secondly, there\u2019s the financial security. I didn\u2019t know whether triathlon was going to work. I\u2019m normally risk averse, but having always played sport growing up but never given it full attention, with triathlon it was now or never.<\/p>\n

How much money do elite triathletes earn?<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n
How much can athletes win at Kona?<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>
<\/p><\/div> <\/section>
220:<\/strong> What is it that you love about the sport?<\/p>\n
LS:<\/strong> The community. Everyone has their own story, and I love going to races and meeting people. I walk down the street here [in Kona] and say hello to people I haven\u2019t seen for years, or others come up and introduce themselves as a friend of X, Y and Z.<\/p>\n
220:<\/strong> How important was it that the women had a standalone pro race in Hawaii this year?<\/p>\n
LS:<\/strong> Really important. Listening to people today [the day after the race] they got to see a race they\u2019d never seen before. It\u2019s always been sandwiched between men\u2019s races, so I think it was quite an eye-opener.<\/p>\n
Next year it will be female-only on Thursday [Update: Ironman have since announced that the women\u2019s race will be on Saturday 14 October, and the men\u2019s will be taking place elsewhere<\/strong><\/a><\/em>] so I think that\u2019s a great move as well.<\/p>\n
But while it was nice racing first, I would like to see it switching because there will still be more eyes on the Saturday race.<\/p>\n
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