Lisa Dobriskey‎

Lisa Dobriskey, an English middle distance athlete and current Commonwealth Games Gold Medal Champion from Ashford Athletics Club has previously had difficulties with low iron levels.

Lisa’s experience with low iron levels is not uncommon with studies showing that more than 50% of all female athletes are deficient in iron¹. Low iron levels result in fatigue and poor endurance since an insufficient amount of oxygen is supplied to the working muscles.

After trying ‎to top up her iron levels with various food supplements including iron tablets, Lisa found a solution just ‎in time for the Beijing Olympics: Spatone.

Lisa comments: “When my iron levels were low, my training and racing times were all significantly ‎slower than when they were at a healthy level.
Everything felt like such an effort and I would really struggle, particularly with the aerobic sessions. I found I was very wheezy and generally felt flat.”

“I tried many different iron supplements which seemed to help but took up to three weeks before I ‎noticed an improvement and I struggled with side effects such as tummy cramps. I started to take ‎Spatone, before the Beijing Olympics which really helped my iron levels. I haven’t had side effects and my iron levels have really improved”, recalls Dobriskey. 

Sports nutrition expert Kristoph Thompson says:

"Iron nutrition presents a real challenge as iron is one of the most difficult nutrients to absorb. Added to this, iron availability in foods is often ‎poor and athletic work-outs can deplete iron stores. It is not simply a matter of consuming ‎enough iron but of taking it in a way that makes it most readily available."

It’s a good job Lisa found Spatone - it helped her achieving an amazing personal best time of 3:59.50 over 1,500m – a time the former-gold medal winner Kelly Homes only surpassed twice!

Lisa's personal bests:

• 400 m - 56.00 (2002) Eton,UK
• 800 m - 2:02.90 (2004) Zurich, SUI
• 1,500 m - 3:59.50 (2009) Zurich, SUI
• 3,000 m - 8:54.12 (2007) Loughborough,UK

Lisa's major results:

• 2006 Gold 1,500 m, Commonwealth Games, Melbourne, Australia
• 2009 Silver 1500 m, Athletics World Championships, Berlin, Germany

Preparation for London 2012: Spatone helped funding Lisa’s training trip to South Africa!

Lisa is now targeting Olympic Gold and the British record after making the decision to split with her long-term coach, George Gandy. Lisa has maintained an eight year alliance with George Gandy, the renowned coach who has worked with the likes of Sebastian Coe. Lisa has now turned to her husband, Ricky Soos, as her new coach.

The split between Lisa and George was amicable, as he was appointed UK Athletics National Event Coach for Endurance in 2009 and could not give her the attention she needed.

Lisa who is looking forward to the year ahead and training with her new coach, Ricky Soos, comments: “Ricky and I are married now. He’s with me 24/7 and understands the injuries and issues I have, because he sees it on an emotional and personal level, too. He gives me more than I could expect from a coach.”

1 Beard J, Tobin B. Iron status and exercise. Am J Clin Nutr. 2000; 72(2): 594S-597S.
Malczewska J, Raczynski G, Stupnicki R. Iron status in female endurance athletes and in non-athletes. Sport Nutr Exerc Metab. 2000; 10: 260-276.
Schena F, Pattini A, Mantovanelli S. Iron status in athletes involved in endurance and in prevalently anaerobic sports. In: Kies C, Driskell JA, eds. Sports Nutrition: Minerals and Electrolytes. Philadelphia, Penn: CRC Press; 1995: 65-69. Clarkson P, Haymes EM. Exercise and mineral status of athletes: calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, and iron. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 1995; 27: 831-843.