Paula Newby-Fraser

Natal swimmer and Ironman World Triathlon Champion

Paula Newby-Fraser and Simon Lessing are both world champion triathletes who started their careers in Durban, being inspired in the 80s by all the endurance sports on offer in the sport-mad province of Natal, such as Comrades Marathon, Dusi Canoe Marathon, and Midmar Mile swim race. 

Paula was born on June 2, 1962, in Salisbury, Rhodesia, and raised in Durban where she swam with coach Alisdair Hatfield. She represented Natal at SA Schools as well as at the South African Senior Swimming Championships between 1975 and 1978. She finished second behind Esme Oosthuizen in the 100m butterfly in 1976.

After matric she completed a degree in psychology at the University of Natal, graduating in 1984. As a novice she entered - and won - the South Africa triathlon championships in 1984, which won her a trip to the Ironman in Hawaii. After that experience, she wanted more, so she left South Africa for the USA in March 1985 to concentrate on triathlons. Paula won the Ironman World Championship, held every year in Hawaii,  8 times between 1986 and 1996. This race consists of a 3,86 km open water sea swim, a 180km bike ride, and a 42 km run. These victories were so impressive that she was once named "The Greatest All-Around Female Athlete in the World".