03 - Sara Lise Harris

Reflections Interview: Sara-Lise — What Endurance Takes Away, and What It Gives Back

Interview by Ben Lane

Sara-Lise Harris is an endurance swimmer, triathlon coach, and lifelong water-lover Sara-Lise has crossed oceans, rivers, and personal thresholds. From childhood afternoons at a Zambian swimming pool to ultra-distance challenges like the UltraEbre, her relationship with water has shaped her life, her coaching philosophy, and her understanding of what humans seek when they push themselves to the edge.

The Pull of Endurance

Ben Lane: When you push yourself way beyond your boundaries, such as seven hours in the water as I did at UltraEbre in 2025, for example, something happens. At the end of that swim, I had nothing left inside me. Completely empty. But it was a positive emptiness.
It strips away all the emotional clutter: the stress, the bad boss, the frustrations.

Endurance takes and takes and takes but in a way that feels cleansing. I think many people who do these long events have something deep-rooted that they’re working through. Endurance becomes a release.

Sara-Lise: I totally agree, it is a powerful force. When I attempted UltraEbre I did not finish! I could see the finish line but just couldn´t reach it... lessons learned... just because for the first 20km you are absolutely flying down the river, does not mean you will complete the last 10km. The last 10km involves a widened river, headwind, and an incoming tide. It was brutal. I passed the cutoff point at the Tortosa Rowing Club with about 20 minutes to spare, and the wind and waves picked up and then kept crossing us diagonally across the river.

It was me not the event! I just couldn’t get over the finish line! The UltraEbre swim was really well organised in every aspect, safety, timing, and the organisers are top notch people.

Early Life in the Water

Ben: Let’s go back to the beginning. Who are you, and why swim?

Sara-Lise: I was born in Zambia in the 60s, when women didn’t work and the days were long and hot. We had this massive Olympic-sized public pool where all the mothers gathered in the afternoons. They basically threw us in, and that was that, we swam from day one.

Later I became a scuba diving instructor for about 20 years, and a free-diving instructor as well. The ocean has always been home to me.

From Dubai Beaches to Triathlon Coaching

Ben: How did that evolve into triathlon and coaching?

Sara-Lise: When I moved to Dubai in 2005, I kept swimming in the sea. A friend I’d taught to free dive said, “You should try a triathlon it’ll be fun.” I had no idea what it involved. But I trained, did one, and loved it. Dubai was booming with events at the time, so I started doing open-water races. When the first Oceanman event came along, I got involved, eventually became a tri coach in 2012, and later did Oceanman coaching courses too.
I also ran group sea swims, mostly women, all around the same age and that community became really special to me.

Discovering Ultra-Distance

Ben: How did the UltraEbre enter the picture?

Sara-Lise: We bought a house near the river, and a guy I knew said, “Oh, I did a river swim there once.” That planted the seed. Then I learned about the UltraEbre and thought, Right I’m signing up.

My coach was an ultra-swimmer, and that helped. But really, it started with curiosity. The idea of swimming right past the house was too cool to ignore.

Training for a 30 km Challenge

Ben: What advice would you give someone training for a 30 km swim like the UltraEbre?

Sara-Lise: As a coach, I always work backwards.

If you’re swimming 30 km in July, then three to four weeks before, you should simulate that load: 30 km over six days, broken up however you choose. Your body needs to feel what that volume is like.

Before that phase, plan to swim 12–18 km per week in cycles. As older athletes, our shoulders need structured recovery, so I use a boom-and-bust method:

Week 1: Low volume (10 km total)
Week 2: Medium build
Week 3: High-volume push
Week 4: Back to low recovery

Then repeat. It’s the only sustainable way to prepare.

Nutrition: What Actually Works

Ben: And nutrition? That’s where a lot of people struggle.

Sara-Lise: My coach’s nutrition plan, via her nutritionist in Australia, was invaluable.
I bought a load of squishy bottles, numbered them, and created a feed list for my kayaker.

Every hour: bottle 1, then bottle 2, and so on.

I mixed:

gels (sparingly)
boiled potatoes
tortilla de patata – potato omelette
and the holy grail: a thermos of hot tea with honey

The tea was the best advice I received, something warm, sweet, and comforting that wasn’t a gel or starch. It kept my core temperature steadier and lifted my spirits every hour.
During training you need to rehearse this, even if you look ridiculous on the pool deck with all your bottles.

People ask what you’re training for, it sounds impressive, but really, I’m just another swimmer putting the work in.

Finding Your “Why”

Ben: Where does your motivation come from? Why do you do this?

Sara-Lise: That’s the question and it’s what I ask my athletes too.

Why an Ironman?

Why the UltraEbre?

Why your first triathlon?

Everyone’s reason is different. Some people race because a friend is sick and they want to honour them. Some want to lose weight, find purpose, or reconnect with themselves. Others join because their team is racing and they want to belong.

For many endurance athletes there’s something deep-rooted driving us. Endurance becomes an outlet, a release valve. Long rides or long swims are ways of putting the world to rights when life feels overwhelming.

Closing Thoughts

Ben: What do you think endurance gives people?

Sara-Lise: Space. Quiet. A way to strip life down to its essentials.

At the end of a seven-hour swim, you’re raw, empty in the best way. Maybe that’s why we all keep coming back.

You can watch the interview on our YouTube Channel link