SURF lifesaver Lizzie Welborn admits she was more than a little overawed competing against the biggest names of surf on days off from school in last season’s Nutri-Grain ironwoman series.
Not any more.
Free from the confines of final year study and exams, Welborn has set herself the goal of making a real mark on the surf lifesaving scene this summer.
“I feel a lot more comfortable racing everyone now,’’ said Welborn, who finished an impressive sixth on debut in the series which in 2017 has been reduced to just a three-day event.
“And the more racing I do the better it is.’’
Welborn heads to the Torquay round of the Summer of Surf series this weekend hoping to break through for her first win of the season.
The 18-year-old was pipped in a sprint to the beach for the ironwoman honours last round by former Commonwealth Games swimmer Bec Creedy.
“That was pretty close so I’d definitely like to get the win soon,’’ she said.
Welborn, who plans to contest the Molokai to Oahu paddleboard world championships later this year, is also hoping to graduate from a second in the NSW ironwoman titles to the top of the podium this season.
“And with the Nutri-Grain the goal is to not just try and improve on my sixth but also to win at least one race,’’ she said.
The Nutri-Grain Finals Series will take place over three days from February 24-26 at Cronulla beach,
While Welborn has qualified courtesy of her result last season, the Summer of Surf Series will provide a qualifying pathway for other athletes hoping to race.