How Saudi Arabia's ‘Ironwoman’ is inspiring the next generation of triathletes

Not many have seen and experienced a paradigm shift in the sporting landscape like Dr Dina Al Tayeb has in Saudi Arabia.

An endurance athlete with more than two decades of experience, Dr Al Tayeb was the first Saudi female triathlete and also the first from the kingdom to participate in the Ironman World Championship – in 2018 and 2019 in Hawaii.

Dr Al Tayeb has competed in 18 full and 45 half Ironman events and over 100 races in the past 20 years. She now plays a prominent role as a board member of the Saudi Arabia Triathlon Federation, overseeing the development of the women's section of the sport.

The Ironman competition is extremely difficult in itself – a 3.9-kilometre swim, 180-kilometre bicycle ride, and 42-kilometre run, all within a 17-hour time limit. On top of that, she also had to overcome societal challenges to train and compete.

But now, all that has changed. Especially after Saudi Arabia launched Vision 2030. The mission has provided incentives for women to exercise, practice, and participate in various national and international sporting competitions.

For Dr Al Tayeb, it is a dream come true.

“It’s really an exciting period for Saudi Arabian sports, not just for women but for everyone,” Dr Al Tayeb told The National during a recent visit to Dubai.

“There is definitely more support now for Saudi women. When we send a contingent to any championships overseas, it now consists of both men and women. I have noticed the women athletes are more committed and are working really hard to achieve their objectives."

Dr Al Tayeb says becoming a professional athlete in any sport is a major achievement.

“It may take around seven years to reach that level, and we have just started,” she said.

“We hosted the West Asia Championship last December and we plan to host more in the coming years.

“Now it’s very easy. I don’t think anyone can complain that they don’t have access to training because you now have all the support, unbelievable support, which wasn’t there a few years ago, either for women or men.”

Riyadh was recently awarded the 2034 Asian Games. For Dr Al Tayeb, it is a sign of how much things have changed.

“The West Asian Games was very important for the local people to come and watch. That would certainly motivate them to pursue in sports of their choices,” she said.

“It’s amazing how the landscape in sports has changed in the Gulf countries. I did my first triathlon here in Ghantoot, Abu Dhabi. It was a local race run over a short course and that was 20 years ago.

“Since then, the sport has reached an international level in the region with Abu Dhabi hosting one round of the ITU World Championship Series, and of course the finals for the first time in the Middle East. This is great for the region.”

Athletics is an important part of Dr Al Tayeb's life, but not the only one. As well as a mother to three children, she is a practicing dentist and co-owner of Dentalia Dental Clinics in Jeddah, where she is a full-time periodontist.

“In my early days, my mother was my role model,” she recalled. “She was an athlete, and I’m talking about her time as an athlete in the 1960s. I grew up watching and training with her. I also did some martial arts – taekwondo – in those days.

“This helped me to develop my personality. This sport taught me discipline, respect for others and consistency in your work ethics, how to listen to instructions. This is a big part of my personality.”

She then completed her higher studies, got married and had children, before picking up triathlon later in life while she was doing her postgraduate dental studies at Tufts University in Boston, USA, in 2002.

“I started triathlon to lead an active lifestyle and didn't get competitive,” she said. “It was fun runs, going to the gym. I have been an active person and when you are at it, you become a role model for the kids.”

She says it was quite a challenge for a non-professional athlete like her to find time for training, with a job to do and children to feed.

“We are normal people and have to manage our life while participating in competitions. Sometimes, family matters take priority. The family is number one for me. If my kids need me, I’m always there for them.

“My kids are now older, and they can manage most of their work by themselves. For me, it’s about time management and priorities.

“I have a daughter who is in the US studying and she swims for her school team, and a daughter who is a yoga teacher. My son is an active person, even though he doesn’t play any sports.”

Reflecting on her two-decade long career in the sport, Dr Al Tayeb said she has learnt a lot of lessons as an endurance athlete.

“It’s not that every year I had a successful race,” she said. “Sometimes I didn’t have the results that I really wanted, but I learnt that the most important thing was to enjoy the journey.

“I will keep doing this as long as I enjoy, and as long as my body fuels me and brings joy to my heart, I’ll keep on doing it.”

Dr Al Tayeb didn’t have the luxury of training outdoors or the facilities that are now readily available, but that didn’t stop her from training and competing at international level.

“I did most of my running on a treadmill. I planned my preparation for a big event with a training camp abroad,” she said.

“I also planned my participation in races during the school vacation. I would travel as a family so I could compete in my races and the children could enjoy their time in whatever they wanted. It worked out well."

Her most memorable moment in the sport was when she qualified for the Ironman World Championship in 2018. “It took me about 15 years to qualify for a world championship,” she said. “I didn’t know if I was strong enough or what to do but at the end it gave me the ultimate outcome.

“It was just like qualifying for an Olympics. Once you are there, you feel like you are one of the best athletes in the world. It’s such a blessing."

Now, her objective is to help Saudi women achieve their objectives.

“I had to learn by trial and error but the women in Saudi now have access to the state-of-the-art facilities, coaches and above all, support from the federations to pursue fulltime in whatever sport they want to do,” she said.

Dr Al Tayeb competed in the Half-Ironman World Championship last year and has qualified again for the world championship in Finland, which will take place on August 27.

“For August, I’ll try to be as fit and healthy as possible,” she added. “And as an older athlete I have to see that I’m injury free, alongside muscle strength and the necessary nutrition.”