Welcome to the club, Gitta! So, you’re into Hyrox?! Tell us about that…
I’ve always been an athletic soul. I swam competitively as a child and teen and played AFL during university. Work made continuing competitive sport difficult, and I drifted towards gym-based exercise.
Then Hyrox came to Australia in 2023 and I competed in the first Melbourne event. I was immediately captivated. There are a lot of similarities between triathlon and Hyrox, both suit middle-aged athletes juggling work and life.
Hyrox turns gym fitness into a competitive sport. It’s endurance athletics that doesn’t require equipment, or getting wet (a very compelling selling point!). It also allows for travel and offers multiple entry levels, so you can keep challenging yourself. Like triathlon, you’re ultimately racing against your own best time. I’ve now competed in multiple states and travelled overseas for events over the last couple of years. I mostly race in the women’s doubles division, though I have also suffered through a full Hyrox solo once.
Suffered sounds about right! We’ve seen the videos.
What made you join Bayside Tri Club?
In January 2025, I discovered the Altona series through Western Suburbs Triathlon Club. It’s a beautiful course and a gorgeous Sunday morning event, and it was there I realised you could join a triathlon club even as a novice. After a bit of googling, I found my way, in a very long and convoluted fashion, to Bayside Triathlon Club.
My triathlon journey actually started earlier, in 2023, when a girlfriend talked me into the Ramsay Health-sponsored Pink Tri at Albert Park. Neither of us had done a triathlon before, but as a breast cancer survivor it was a significant fundraising event for her. She wasn’t such a fan, but I was immediately hooked. Racing the fun-tri distance in the MSAC pool felt like a welcoming introduction without the open-water fear factor.
A year later, my then eight-year-old son and I entered Triathlon Pink together, loved it, and followed up with the final three fun and kids races in the 2XU series. By the next season I stepped up to sprint distance and even joined friends for a team entry in Ironman 70.3, officially drawn into the triathlon world (even if I was still on the periphery).
Still on the periphery? That sounds very “all in” to us 😊
What do you like about Bayside Tri Club so far?
It’s an incredibly friendly and sociable club.
Any particular race aspirations?
To survive… and occasionally thrive!
I’ve come to the sad realisation that I’m unlikely to improve without specific training. So you may actually see me at some training sessions throughout 2026…
Ha ha, we would love to!
What sporting achievements are you proud of so far?
I’ve never been an elite athlete, so I can’t point to medals and trophies. But I’m incredibly proud that as a busy mother and professional, I find the time to be fit, strong and healthy. I try to model a healthy and active lifestyle for my children.
My greatest achievement was recently completing the 220km Around The Bay in pouring rain, having only ever ridden 100km before the event.
(Did I mention I’m not very good at training?)
Equal parts inspiring and terrifying. Well done!
What’s something sport has taught you?
Sport is an essential part of life. Team sports in childhood teach commitment, discipline, structure and teamwork, skills that extend well beyond the sporting field. Both of my children are involved in sport, my son plays soccer and my daughter is part of a cheer team.
Talking of family, how did you meet your partner?
I met my husband at The Canberra Hospital. I was his junior doctor and he was my senior. It took me a while to work out whether I liked the discipline or the man, turns out it was both.
While I didn’t qualify in the same discipline, I now work in an adjacent speciality, Skin Cancer Medicine.
We do love a good medical romance.
What work do you do now?
I’m a Skin Cancer Doctor, diagnosing and treating skin cancers. So please, make sure you’re wearing a hat and sunscreen around me!
Yes, Ma’am. Many of us get our annual skin checks at Australian Skin Cancer Clinics Cheltenham, one of the clinics you work at.
Let's hop back to family - who else is there?
I’ve been married to a British-born Indian surgeon, fondly known as Snazz, for the past 15 years. He came to Australia from the UK on a two-year working visa that still hasn’t expired. We have two children, Hugo (nearly 11) and Mia (9), and two large Russian Blue cats, Strombi and Venki.
Those cat names suggest they run the household, as cats should.
What else do you do for fun, apart from triathlon?
If it involves travel or exercise, I’m probably doing it. If there’s an event to sign up to, I’m there, Coastrek, Around The Bay, FoamFest, Hyrox, triathlons, Run4TheKids…
Ah, an affliction that many of us in the club suffer from!
What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?
Focus on yourself and your own achievements, comparison is the thief of all joy.
It certainly is! Thanks for joining us, Gitta. I think you’re proof that you don’t need to be ‘elite’ to be impressive, you just need to keep showing up. We just won’t ask how much training you did beforehand 😉
