🎉 Greatness Without the Applause!

What swimming with Chrissie Wellington reminded me about integrity, humility and doing the work when no one is watching.

Jan 08, 2026

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Source: SlowTwitch, Tim Carlson, January 20, 2012

Hey Swimmers,

Some training sessions linger in your mind long after the wetsuit is peeled off and the coffee is finished. Not because they were hard or heroic, but because they quietly reframe how you think about greatness.

That’s exactly how it felt swimming with Chrissie Wellington, one of my all-time favourite athletes and, in my view, a genuine GOAT of triathlon. Chrissie dominated the sport of Ironman triathlon, winning the Hawaii Ironman World Championships in 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2011, and being undefeated during her career over the Ironman distance. She seemingly disappeared from the scene as quickly as she had arrived: job done.

Greatness Without the Noise

What struck me most is something beautifully simple. She doesn’t even have an Instagram profile to tag. No feed. No highlights. No need to prove anything. And yet her impact on the sport, and on the people around her, is enormous.

It’s a powerful reminder that true greatness isn’t built on likes, followers or curated moments. It’s built on integrity, consistency, humility and the quiet confidence that comes from doing the work day after day. Walking the walk, long after the crowds have moved on.

In an era obsessed with visibility, Chrissie remains influential through substance alone. And that, to me, says everything.

New Year’s Day, Port Beach

Our first swim together was a relaxed but purposeful 3km open water session at Port Beach on New Year’s Day, joined by fellow pro Ironman athlete Caleb Noble, fresh off an astonishing 7h42m performance at Ironman Busselton.

Chrissie arrived carrying a bit of a running injury, which meant she couldn’t kick much during the swim. Anyone who has watched old footage of her knows this is significant. In a video shot by Swim Smooth Coach Julian Nagi back in 2012, a year after Chrissie’s fourth and final Kona win, she is visibly kick dominant. That leg drive was a huge part of her rhythm and propulsion.

The following morning, in the pool, she smiled and said something that perfectly sums her mindset:

“Feel free to give me some tips on my stroke.”

Technique, Timing and the Goldilocks Session

We swam a classic Goldilocks session together, using pull buoys and occasionally paddles:

Straight away, something interesting happened. Despite being naturally kick dominant, Chrissie was swimming around 20 seconds per 100m faster than she had been the day before in open water.

That’s unusual. For many kick-led swimmers, removing the legs exposes inefficiencies. In Chrissie’s case, it highlighted the depth of technical work she had done over the years to address those very weaknesses.

One thing that stood out was a pronounced thumb-first entry on her right side, something that would compromise the catch and pull-through. We also talked stroke rate. I handed her a Tempo Trainer and explained that at peak fitness her effective range would likely have been around 78 to 84 strokes per minute. To swim well in open water with less reliance on the legs, the rate has to come up.

This wasn’t new thinking for her. Just a timely reminder.

Lessons From a World Champion

In her book A Life Without Limits, Chrissie is refreshingly honest about her swimming. She describes herself as an average swimmer who loved the social side of her childhood swim club more than racing. Her rise in the water came later, built on consistency, technique and confidence rather than raw talent.

Buy the Book

Under coaches Brett Sutton and Dave Scott, she was repeatedly challenged to address her kick dominance. Pull buoys, paddles and bands became staples, not shortcuts. Stroke rate was emphasised as a tool for better upper-body recruitment and open water resilience. She focused on efficiency over speed, constant self-assessment, and being the best Ironman athlete overall, not just excelling in one discipline.

Would She Still Win Today?

Looking at the numbers puts her achievements into perspective. Chrissie’s world record first ever sub-9-hour Ironman in Kona in 2009 saw her swim less than five minutes slower than Lucy Charles-Barclay did in her 2023 win. Chrissie’s best Kona marathon, 2:52, is almost exactly five minutes quicker than Lucy’s 2:57, achieved well before carbon-plated “super shoes” existed. The biggest modern difference is on the bike, where advances in technology may explain the differential of approximately 20 minutes. Check out these comparisons if you’re a data nerd like me:

Chrissie's Ironman Results

Lucy's Ironman Results

None of this detracts from either athlete’s dominance. If anything, it invites a fascinating question.

“Would Chrissie still be winning today with modern equipment?”

I’m quietly confident the answer is yes.

Because true greatness doesn’t age. It adapts. And it always walks the walk.

Thanks for reading.

Your Coach, Paul.

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