For more than 14 years, Olympic triathlete and Underworks ambassador Natalie Van Coevorden has lived life in motion — racing around the world, standing on Olympic and Commonwealth Games podiums, and pushing her limits in one of the most demanding sports on the planet. Now transitioning from the Olympic circuit into half Ironman racing, she’s discovering a different kind of balance, one shaped by choice, rhythm and a deeper connection to what keeps her grounded.
In this conversation, Natalie opens up about staying consistent when motivation dips, why recovery matters more than most people think, the mindset that helped her prove early doubters wrong, and what joy and rest look like when she finally steps away from performance mode.
You’ve been competing on the world stage for over a decade. What does balance look like for you now, as an athlete who’s constantly training, traveling, and performing under pressure?
Triathlon has been a huge part of my life for the past 14 years. As it’s my full-time job, I know that at certain times of the year balance can be hard to maintain because there’s only a limited window in my life when I can perform at the highest level. Balance for me is finding time for myself when I need it, catching up with friends when I’m home, and making the most of opportunities to explore new places when I travel.
Transitioning from the Olympics to competing in half Ironman events this year has made me realise that I now have more control over my race choices. How I structure my daily training has become a major part of restoring balance in my life — I can shape my routine, take control of my movements and create a rhythm that works best for me, without being tied to a strict timetable every day.
For people juggling work, family, and fitness, staying consistent can be tough. What are some simple routines or mindset shifts that help you show up even on the hard days?
The biggest thing I have learned in my career is that the mind is a really powerful tool for performance. We all have days when we don’t feel good or feel motivated, but a saying I keep in the back of my mind is: “Feel good, go good, feel bad, go good.”
The hardest part some days is just getting started or getting out the door. Linking up with friends is a great way to help the time pass quickly and keep the enjoyment around sport. I also think sometimes you just need a good playlist to lift the mood and keep you motivated through your workout. Another great way is finding somewhere new to train like making a trip to the beach and then making a morning out of it afterwards.
After years in elite sport, what have you learned about recovery and injury prevention that everyday runners or weekend athletes can apply?
Fuelling properly before, during and after your workout is an important aspect of recovery. Having easily accessible options ready to grab straight after training is ideal, especially if you are going straight into something after. The first thing people will skip when they are tired is gym or rehab exercises over a main workout. I do a lot of gym work not to get big in the gym, but to create a strong, robust body that can handle the load that I do. Even just spending 10-15 minutes a day stretching or foam rolling is something easy to do whilst watching TV or taking the time to put your feet up and rest.
Injury prevention also comes down to the smaller choices we make – like the shoes we run in or the surfaces that we run on. When I’m doing a long or hard run, I make a conscious effort to avoid too much time on the hard concrete, choosing grass or trails instead.
Competing in triathlons takes an incredible amount of discipline. What keeps you motivated when training feels repetitive or when results don’t go to plan?
I like to think tough times don’t last – but tough people do. We work so hard every day to try and be one of the best athletes in the world. Believing in what you’re doing on a daily basis is an important part of keeping focused on long-term goals. I like to think that every session and every day is a new chance to change the narrative and that there is always another race just around the corner. In the off season when I don’t have any races on, I like to get involved in fun runs or community events, just to remind myself why I started this in the first place and that’s for the pure love of the sport and pushing myself to my physical limits.
You’ve gone from being told you wouldn’t make it in elite sport to standing on Olympic and Commonwealth Games podiums. What mindset or support system helped you push through those early doubts?
I think I used the fuel of others not believing in me to never stop believing and fighting for myself. Ever since I was young, I was very determined and strong-minded and that showed in the daily discipline of going to swimming training in the early hours of the morning before school, and heading back there after. My whole life I have been blessed with good people, coaches and support staff that have pushed me to achieve big things and told me to keep fighting when I did have self-doubts. Sometimes it just takes a consistent block of work or one good result to spark the beast inside of us to keep showing up.
Outside of training and competition, what keeps you grounded, what do rest, community, and joy look like for you when you’re not in performance mode?
When it’s the end of the season, I like to go on a holiday with my partner and see a new part of the world or go back to somewhere we really love. After travelling so much during the year, it’s nice to just come home and have familiar things and people around me. I actually don’t need to do much because I feel like home creates a relaxing zen in itself. During the year when I am in full triathlon mode, I like to spend time by myself to binge one of my favourite series or head to the beach with a coffee and my dog.
