Ella and Ben's Ironman 70.3 for Endometriosis New Zealand

Kia ora,

My name is Ella and myself and boyfriend Ben are training for the Ironman 70.3 in Taupo December 2022!

I am also 1 in 10 of the women/girls/those assigned female at birth, who suffer from endometriosis - a chronic and full body disease where tissue similar to the lining of the uterus grows outside of the uterus, causing a range of different symptoms impacting physical, social and mental wellbeing.

When I was about 15 my mum and I knew that something was wrong - and were lucky that my family doctor referred me to a gynaecologist. We tried many different management strategies and then I finally had my long-awaited laparoscopy when I was 20 years old. The first 2 years showed a great improvement, and then slowly the pain, nausea, IBS and other symptoms crept back in. I am now 26 and use a range of different strategies daily to help manage chronic pain.

I am fundraising for Endometriosis New Zealand, who's resources have been extremely helpful to understand what is going on in my body, and explain to others a disease that is invisible. The work they do for high school students, research and advocacy is huge for the endo community in Aotearoa. Their website is https://nzendo.org.nz/ .

Competing in the Ironman 70.3 is going to be a very big challenge! But I am hoping that training for this event can raise some awareness about endometriosis and prove to myself that while this disease is a big part of my life, it doesn't control it.

Any support is very much appreciated x