Isuzu sponsored IRONMAN athlete, Annah Watkinson, this week addressed Isuzu women and men during their annual Women’s Day programme held in Port Elizabeth and Johannesburg respectively. Watkinson, who ended third in the professional female category in the African IRONMAN Championship held in Nelson Mandela Bay earlier this year, shared her phenomenal story of balancing a career as a Chartered Accountant with a demanding training regime.
Having faced a challenging childhood Watkinson rose above her circumstances and today heads up Global Finance for the Coastal Region at Absa Corporate and Investment Bank. Her mantra, despite our circumstances, we always have choices, has been key to her success as a career woman and professional athlete.
She first entered the triathlon scene less than ten years ago and has already attained several medals in various formats of triathlon competitions. She heads out to Europe ahead of Women’s Day where she will participate in IRONMAN 70.3 in Poland on Sunday, 11 August and in Nice, France on 7 September before participating in the World IRONMAN Championships in Hawaii later this year.
Watkinson believes that one’s mind needs to be in the right frame for the body to perform optimally. “My success is attributed to the choices I make in life. I can either sleep in or get up and train,” she said.
She has an early start to the day to either run, swim or cycle. Thereafter, she diligently assumes her role as financial analyst, attending to her clients’ needs.
