Bronwyn Davies joined Blonyx on a hot Vancouver morning near Granville Island, for a run out to Kitsilano Beach. Filmmaker, triathlete, and self-proclaimed "yes girl," Bronwyn is still learning where to draw the line between saying yes to everything and saying yes to the right things—though a single bucket-list Ironman turning into a dozen half Ironmans suggests this is a skill she's still working on.
"They Got Me Good"
Ask Bronwyn what happened to Ironman being a one-and-done and she'll laugh. "They got me good! They got my clothes, they got my time." Talking to her though, and it's clear she was in from the start. "I'm still chasing the high from my first Ironman finish line. Crossing that finish line is a feeling like no other."
The sport has given her a lot more than finish lines. "It's been such a fantastic outlet for me. I love the opportunity to go to places I would never go to in a million years unless there was a race there." Training partners, travel, a reason to chase big, scary goals. "It's become such a fun pillar of my life, and it's hard to imagine my week without a bit of Ironman training."
Three Sports, Three Communities
Bronwyn grew up in Ontario playing pretty much every team sport there was—soccer, volleyball, basketball. Individual sports, on the other hand, were her idea of a nightmare, especially high school track. "This is literally just me and only me pushing myself. I don't have anyone to rely on," she remembers thinking. Then she found triathlon, and the same idea did a complete 180. "This is actually really sick, to push yourself and only have yourself to push. But you still get that community and that team environment."
"I would not be doing this sport if it wasn't for the community. Genuinely, I would not do any races." One of her favourite things about racing is the little conversations with other athletes, high-fives on the run, shouting encouragement at total strangers. "Everyone is there to support each other and get each other to the finish line."
Getting Off the Sidelines
"The beginning of my journey was on the sidelines, feeling this frustration that I'd put so many limitations on myself without really checking if they were real." Part of signing up for her first Ironman was realizing she didn't need to just be the person on the sideline cheering for everyone else.
That same belief is what she now tries to pass on to other women stepping into the sport for the first time. "I always say I will be your biggest yes person when it comes to signing up for any race or doing anything you want to try." She hears the same hesitations constantly, “I don't know how to swim, I'm afraid, that doesn't seem like a thing for me,” and she doesn't let any of them stand unchallenged. "Obviously you can do it. You can 100% do it." More women and more diverse people on the start line, she says, just makes the whole sport better. "It helps the sport, it helps the people, and I think it creates a better, more welcoming environment for everyone involved."
Fueling the Distance
"Nutrition is something you can't understate. It is so, so, so important, not just for training but also for race day."
Roughly 60 grams of carbs an hour is her high bar on race day, with most of it coming through hydration. "I really love my Blonyx Hydra+. It's fantastic, especially on a long bike ride or even just an hour and a half on the indoor trainer." On hot days, sodium and salt get added to the equation too, and everything she plans to use on race day gets tested well before then. "I will always, always eat and drink what I'm looking to use on race day," in part so nothing catches her stomach off guard mid-race.
If there's one thing she'd have started sooner, it's simpler than any of that: eating enough before training, period. "I spent too long trying to 'tough it out' fasted or under-fuelled, thinking that was discipline when really it was just leaving energy on the table." Once she started actually fueling properly beforehand, both her sessions and her recovery improved in ways she didn't expect from something so basic.
And, Action!
Balancing a full-time film career, which can involve twelve hours on set, against six days a week of training isn't easy, and Bronwyn doesn't pretend it is. "Some weeks I get two workouts in because I'm so busy at work or travelling. Some weeks it's all green in TrainingPeaks and I feel like a freakin' star."
Bringing on Karen, a former pro triathlete, as a coach has made building something sustainable a lot easier. "She's my therapist. She's my mom. I love her."
A Winning Mindset
For anyone lining up for their first triathlon, Bronwyn's advice is less about splits and more about mindset. "Trust yourself, trust your training, do what you can on the day, and have fun. If we're not having fun, then why are we signing up?"
Her trick for staying in that mindset on race day: set three goals instead of one. A goal that’s just to finish and have fun, a goal to hit a certain pace, and a stretch goal for a PB if the day is going well. Cross the line having hit even one, and it's a win. "You're not standing there being like, 'I'm beating myself up because I wasn't on pace, so what's the point?' You're here to have fun."
She admits the sport still scares her in places, for instance, harbour seals popping up mid open-water swim. "They're cute on land, but in the water where it's just me and the seal, it can get a little spooky." Swimming remains her least favourite of the three disciplines, full stop. But she still shows up to Kits Pool in Vancouver, because that's the only way it gets better. "You just have to get in the pool."
What's Next
Bronwyn's Ironman days aren't behind her, and she suspects there's at least one more full distance in her future, perhaps a big push at Kona one day, though it's not something she's rushing toward. "I'm waiting for that 60 to 65 age category in my life and crushing it when I'm that age. I think that's going to be the sickest thing."
For now, it's T100 on home roads in Vancouver and a lineup of half Ironmans. But ask her what she's most excited about outside of racing, and the answer is a completely different kind of adventure. "My wedding! Planning can sometimes feel more overwhelming than training these days, but it's definitely the A-race for 2027."
You can follow Bronwyn on Instagram @bwyndavies
That's all for this week! If you enjoyed reading Bronwyn's story, head over to the Blonyx Blog for more stories of athletic ambition.
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