Vegan runner at the Commonwealth Games

The 26 year old vegan runner competed in two events. First was the 10,000 metres (track) where she finished eighth in fast-paced race packed with 13 runners.

In the late stages of the games she was also one of 26 runners in the 5000 metres, where she also took eighth.

The Olympian and double runner up in national championships has broken two South Australia records. She has been vegan for over seven years.

“I did a research project on the meat and dairy industry and after learning more about that I cut out eating fish and eggs and went vegan at the end of 2014. At that point I didn’t care if it affected my running negatively, I knew it was what I wanted to do. However, it turns out it was beneficial for my running! While going full vegan was brought on by ethical and environmental reasons, I am vegan for life because of the health benefits and the way I feel.

“When I first tried to go vegan almost a decade ago when I was 16 years old, people were very were not accepting of it and I was scared out of it! These days there are a lot of athletes, especially runners and endurance athletes who opt for a plant-based diet. I would say now it is quite accepted, and people seem to realize that plant-based foods are the ideal source of fuel for a runner.”

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