Rebekah Keat: There’s Another Chapter After Sport

Rebekah Keat is the fourth fastest female Ironman in the world, and one of the most sought-after coaches alongside long-term partner Siri Lindley. Trizone caught up with Bek to chat about retirement from triathlon and the importance of giving back.

“For me, I wanted to do something outside myself,” Keat told Trizone, “you have to be so selfish as an athlete, anyone does if they want to be the best. Now, it’s my chance to give back.”

When Keat retired from racing as a pro, she was at a loss of what to do with her time. “Triathlon was my identity, it’s what I’ve had in my life forever, I never really thought about what’s next.” said Bek.

Constant calf tears end Keat’s stellar career

Now 39 years old, Keat has been involved in swim, bike and run for 23 years, but her last two years in competition were brutal on her body. “In the last few years, I always had gastroc and soleus tears in my calf, but I kept pushing through.”

A bad race for Keat was finishing off the podium, but calf tears were ruining her impressive record of results. “My mind wanted to be doing it, but my body was saying ‘you’re done’” laughed Keat. It was her body that eventually gave in, with Keat tearing both calf muscles in her left leg during Ironman Cairns at only the 3km mark. “Straight away, I knew it would be my last one.”

Uncertainty leads to a new clarity

After crossing the finish line though, Keat became overwhelmed with the unknown. “I felt like retiring from triathlon was one of the biggest tragedies of my life. I was like ‘what’s next?’” said Keat.

While floundering in the unknown, Bek’s partner and revered coach Siri Lindley urged her to attend one of Tony Robbins seminars; Unleash the Power Within. I was definitely a skeptic, said Keat, I walked out of there a new person no longer terrified but excited  and I knew exactly what I wanted to do. I knew I wanted to stay in the sport.  I also realised I wanted to give back and contribute to something much bigger than myself and that was saving animals”  …triathlon will give me the financial freedom to create a comfortable future but also be the platform to help save the lives of innocent animals.

Joining Siri to coach everyone – Yep, everyone

I decided to immerse myself in the coaching, Siri and I formed Team Sirius Tri Club in January 2017 and now our triathlon club is ranked one of the top clubs in the world so we’re very proud of that” said Keat. We have over 140 members, but we really wanted the training to be accessible to everyone.

Regular coaching is a hefty investment though, and for age groupers starting out in triathlon it can be far too out of reach, but Keat and Siri are changing all that. “We found out the club was regarded as too intimidating for beginners, but we’re turning that on it’s head by offering a triclub hangout group.

“Every week, we offer a free live chat where athletes can ask Siri any question, for a whole hour!” said Keat.

“There’s also video of the pros training everyday in a live session. We really offer a lot now, we give a lot” added Keat happily. “We want our coaching to be available to everyone.”

“Together we have 45 years of combined experience, and we have a great team. We do want to try and get more men on board as we attract a lot of women at the moment,” said Keat.

Believe Ranch and Rescue; Another dream realised

A portion of all the proceeds of the Team Sirius TriClub go to Siri and Bek’s other passion project; Believe Ranch and Rescue. “I’ve loved animals my whole life,” Keat told Trizone.

“Siri and I have always loved horses, and we’ve always had the dream of saving horses from abusive homes and kill shelters.”

This dream has become a reality, with Siri and Bek saving nine horses from one auction alone, with countless others being adopted from the ranch regularly. “We really want to take on more horses, give them the medical attention they need, then adopt them out to forever families,” Keat said, “all the services and care we give the animals we adopt is free of charge. We rely on donations to operate. Tony Robbins has been a big help; he’s donated a lot of money to save these horses.”

“This incredible sport of triathlon has given me the life tools to be able to contribute in a much bigger and deeper way than I ever thought possible.”

With her impressive 23 years of experience in the triathlon world, Bek Keat lost herself for a moment after retirement, but has found her feet in a big way. Coaching others who love her sport, plus working with animals to help them experience a new lease on life after trauma, Keat is settled into her post-pro life and loving every minute. “We have an awesome team, and awesome culture, and Siri and I have always had the dream of working with animals.” Keat has now realised these dreams in a big way, and with Siri, is encouraging you to realise yours too.

For further information and donations, you can head over to the website. www.believeranchandrescue.org