Christie Sym certainly adheres to her personal motto of "never give up." The Australian Sym can do it all, being a professional triathlete, a member of teamTBB, a three-time Australian adventure racing champion and also an Australian cross-country running champion. Sym joined teamTBB in April 2012, and says that it has not only given her access to great coaching and the team's amazing sponsors, but also "a group of dedicated individual athletes that work toward a common goal of being the best they can be not only as athletes, and as people." "How can I not be inspired and encouraged by the performances of my talented and hard working team mates surrounding me?" she says.

It was curiosity and a desire for a new challenge that promoted Sym to make the switch from adventure racing to Ironman. "Many of my training buddies had done an Ironman at some point, I was naturally curious as to how I would fare," she says. "So it was really a matter of when, not if I would do one." Sym, who rides a Cervelo P4, believes her adventure racing background set her up perfectly for demands of Ironman, particularly the mental stamina required for both sports. No wonder her favorite quote is, "Only those who will risk going too far can possibly know how far one will go."

Her first Ironman race, the 2009 Ironman Western Australia, also delivered a personal career highlight. Sym said she "had no idea, and finished second."

In 2010, she placed fourth in the Ironman 70.3 Miami, Ironman 70.3 Racine, Ironman 70.3 Austin, Ironman 70.3 Cancun and fifth in the Ironman Canada. She also came third in the Long Course St Louis Obispo.

In 2011, Sym won the Ironman 70.3 in Cancun, the Ironman 70.3 in Racine, the Decatur Memorial Triathlon and the Evergreen triathlon. She also came second at the Triathlon at Alcatraz, third in the Challenge Wanaka and 9th Ironman 70.3 World Championships.

This year, she placed third in the Ironman 70.3 in Sri Lanka.