BEAR X Ella Lamplugh
BEAR X ELLA LAMPLUGH
Ella is a superstar. Whether she's leading the charge or cheering from the sidelines, Ella brings the kind of energy that can’t be taught - it’s just who she is. Try keeping up… I dare you.
Give us an elevator pitch.
Hello!! My name is Ella - I’m a 24 year old who has hit their quarter life crisis and am currently spending a LOT of my time training for endurance events. However, my number one passions are my friends, travelling and spending time with my and my boyfriend’s family whenever I get the chance to get back to Tassie. Speaking of Tassie - that’s my home town - or has been since I was 8 - before that I was living in the Outback of Bourke, travelled around on a bus with my family for a couple of years and ended up living on a tiny coast town called Boat Harbour where we were home schooled by my incredible mum, got the privilege of living with my grandparents for a year and then settled in the home my parents still live in Ulverstone. Once I graduated to the ripe old age of 18, I moved to Melbourne which I lived in for 6 years until March of this year - when I moved to the South Coast of NSW. I’ve gotta say out of everywhere I’ve lived so far, this place feels the most like home. I’ve had the most blessed upbringing and it’s really shaped me into who I am today. Besides my numerous hours spent travelling, training and socialising - I somehow fit in my corporate job. If you can’t tell I’m kinda a person who can’t sit still - but I wouldn’t have it any other way.
You compete in Ironman events (!!) – tell us how you got into the sport!
I have always been a sporty kid. I did everything from Soccer, to Judo, to being in the circus for 5 years. When I turned 14 I got selected to the Tasmanian Institute of Sport for cycling so I had a background in that aspect. What really got me into triathlons however was my partner Tom - he grew up with the sport - and after a big euro summer he decided to knuckle down and give Ironmans a go. Juggling long distance (with him in Tassie and myself in Melbourne) was hard enough - so chucking in him training for 18 hours a week, I decided I didn’t have much option but to join him. It’s something I love about him, he is so dedicated to the sport and having fitness goals and joining him on that gave me a way back into pushing my body and seeing what it could achieve in a way that I hadn’t had since leaving high school. I loved it straight away. I did a sprint triathlon in April 2024 and after having the best time ever I decided to have a go at a 70.3 Ironman. Whilst I can’t say I enjoyed the whole of my first race that much (it was so so so tough and I have now learnt nutrition is as important as the training...) I did decide this is something I wanted to commit to and see what I could achieve. The group of friends we do it with also make it so much more special. So here I am about one year later and still loving it!
You and your partner Tom are both epic at the sport, which has given you some incredible opportunities to travel – where has been your favourite triathlon event, and where is somewhere you want to tick off the bucket list?
I would have to say Lake Taupo in New Zealand! It was actually the World Champs race for 70.3 Ironman 2024 - I qualified at my first race which was really unexpected but so exciting because the race was just a four hour flight from Australia - meaning my whole family and even some cousins came to support Tom and I. The scenery there was impeccable and the atmosphere on the day was something that was incredible to be a part of. New Zealand did such an amazing job at honouring their Māori culture and the amazing pre and post race events ran by locals made it feel pretty magical. We had a group of 6 of us from Tasmania that all qualified together - with all of us competing in a sport we love, at a world stage, representing a charity that means a lot to us - it’s a memory that will be hard to top and I’m sure will not come around often if ever again.
You’ve just been in the US for work and seem to have packed your trip with goodies. Can you give us your favourite bite, your favourite view, and anything else you think is a must do.
I have never been on a trip like it. Firstly because I’ve never been flown internationally for work so that was pretty special! The first couple weeks of work was what you expect... long hours in the office. However I got the opportunity to travel for a few weeks after and my favourite part by far was hiring a campervan and solo travelling around The Rockies in Canada. It was just coming out of winter so there was so much snow still but there were some spots that you could do some incredible winter hikes at. My favourite hike was walking pretty much vertically up the side of Sulphur Mountain in Banff. The views were jaw dropping and there was even a cafe at the top you could grab a hot coffee at and sit around a fire taking in the view.
If i had a top recommendation besides that hike it would be to go to Whistler Snowboarding. I had the luck of having some friends that worked there on staff - so I had free accommodation and met some incredible people. The snowboarding over there is just like nothing you could here in Australia and the town has so much life to it with all these international travellers coming through constantly.
3 songs that belong in every road trip playlist.
This is a great one!!
Moves - Suki Waterhouse (I think Tom and I played that 1000 times on our Euro trip)
Peeps with the Goods - The Dreggs
Come With me Now - Caamp
You’ve just moved to a tiny town called Thirroul! What are some hidden gems you’ve found so far?
Sooo many!! I was a bit nervous moving to a small town from the city but I couldn’t love it more. There are so many people in their 20’s and young families with kids just constantly covered in sand at the beach. A hidden gem is Franks’ Wild Years - an incredible little wine bar with some seriously talented musicians playing. Park Street Garage has hands down the best Egg and Bacon roles I have ever, and will ever eat. Whilst it might not be a hidden gem, the coast line run from Thirroul towards Wollongong is 10km of coastal walkway, with views of people surfing, dogs running around, people on their morning walks with a coffee... it’s so nice to see so many people enjoying nature every morning in whatever way they choose.
The biggest travel fuck up you’ve had?
Hahaha this is a fresh one... I had couple of my best mates staying with me the night before my trip to the US and we had a few too many wines after becoming friends with the owner of Francos Pizza Bar in Thirroul (another absolute gem) who just poured us top shelf wines - his family were visiting so we stayed until midnight with them all. I woke up with a very dusty head, got to the airport for my international work trip and when I went to check in they asked if I had a US visa. Spoiler... I did not. I would say I’m a hyper organised person but I don’t know how I dropped the ball on this one. My boss had to come out from his connecting flight from Melbourne and try it sort with me. I applied for one and I got told the wait time was either 2 hours or 3 days. I don’t’ think I’ve ever been that stressed and with a genuine 15 minutes to board on my international flight, whilst on the phone to the travel agency on hold to spend thousands to book me another flight for tomorrow... the qantas employee ran up to me with my boarding pass, said my VISA had come through and told me to RUN to my flight. Safe to say I’ll be checking visa requirements 10 times every time I travel from now on.
Tell us a story from your time in Europe.
There’s a few I probably shouldn’t tell so I’ll go with our time in Switzerland. We hired a van (the only way you can do it without having no money left over) and Tom found a hike called Suxer Lucke. It was probably a 6 hour hike and had some pretty intense cliff drop-offs along the walk. Once we’d made it up the mountain we hiked down to the bottom of the valley and in one of the most remote and secluded areas I’d ever been to was a family-run home stay and restaurant. Everything was farmed there - there was no way in by car, so it was doing that 6 hour hike or nothing. This place had stood for 50 years and a family had established the most breathtaking little cottage serving hot food and drinks. I still think it’s the most beautiful place I will ever see. It’s the only time I’ll think paying $60 for a hot rosti, bacon and eggs will be worth it. There was a lake which we swam in after lunch, it was freezing but magic.
The best stay you’ve ever had?
I’ll pat myself on the back for this one. I booked an Airbnb for Tom’s birthday present last year. It was a tiny house near Healsville in Victoria (with some beautiful wineries around). It was the most special stay, on a farm with a hot bath outside. It has to be one of the most relaxing, special weekends stays I’ve been on I couldn’t’ recommend it more! I also made the best lamb ragú pasta I’ve ever made - I still can’t find the recipe I used which is now my life’s mission.
What’s your airport alter ego? Are you an airport dad that arrives four hours early, or are you an agent of chaos that gets your name called over the PA?
From my previous story you’d think agent of chaos - however usually I’m a hyper organised person which hates wasting time. I have been on so many flights (I promise I’ll start offsetting my carbon....) so I’m pretty aware of the exact time I can leave down to the minute to give me time to “calmly” check in and wander to my gate but not have to wait more than 15 minutes to board (I wouldn’t say patience is virtue I have).
