The 2012 Olympics in her home city of London were meant to be a crowning moment in Louise Hazel’s distinguished athletics career. But the heptathlete’s preparations for the Games were badly hampered by her Ulcerative Colitis, which wreaked havoc on her training. The condition was subsequently a major factor in her decision to retire from the heptathlon in 2013.
Seven years on and at the age of 35, Hazel is thriving. Now a highly successful personal trainer, she has her own gym called Slay on Hollywood Boulevard in Los Angeles, where her clients include actress Sophia Bush, screenwriter and producer Mara Brock Akil, the dietitian and influencer Radhi Devlukia-Shetty and reality star Tori Deal. Between them her high-profile clients have an Instagram following of more than 4.5 million people.
Yet the former athlete still finds herself fighting daily battles with Colitis, nine years after she first experienced symptoms of the disease.
“I remember training for the Olympics and having to go to the bathroom in between reps of 200m runs,” recalls Louise. “My track-mates would be recovering and I would be running under the stadium to go to the bathroom to make sure I didn’t have an accident. It brought a whole new meaning to the word running! You are in constant panic and living life in fear and anxiety.
“I have never been an anxious person and have performed in front of 20,000 to 80,000 people before, always giving it my best. To then be in a place where you feel debilitated is completely disempowering.
“When I started treatment I was on nine tablets a day and was also given suppositories and rectal foam, which is brutal. It is not the type of thing you would want as part of your bedtime routine. You don’t feel particularly sexy.”
An extraordinary athlete
Born in London and brought up in Cambridgeshire, Louise Hazel made her senior debut at the 2006 European Championships. Her finest hour came four years later at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi, where she won gold and set a new personal best in four of her seven events.
At the 2012 London Olympics, Louise got a personal best in the javelin before finishing 25th. Her friend and team-mate Jessica Ennis-Hill famously secured the gold but Louise's efforts, given the backdrop of her illness, were herculean. The following year Louise announced that she was retiring from the heptathlon at the age of 27. “It was very bad after the Olympics and my doctor advised I should take six months off,” she remembers. And although she later considered a return to the sport for the 2014 Commonwealth Games, a flare-up meant that it wasn’t to be.
The discipline and positive attitude Louise showed in her athletics career continue to come in useful, not just in her triumphant new career but also in the management of her Colitis, which is currently being treated with mesalazine.
Mind over matter
“At the moment I would say I have mild Colitis, so my symptoms day to day aren’t stopping me from doing anything,” says Louise. “But when I feel I am having an aggressive flare-up it can be very challenging. What I’ve learned is how to apply mind over matter. If I can control my mind I have better control over my body.
“I rely on breathing techniques to take my mind away from the Colitis. I almost meditate myself away from situations such as when I could quite easily be going to the toilet in the car. I try to breathe in through my nose and out of my mouth to calm myself so the knots in my stomach and cramps subside.”
Louise can never ignore her Colitis, but she has found effective ways of living with it – both in her personal and professional life.
“When I enter into a new relationship I have to be candid and say: ‘By the way, I need to be near the bathroom’. I am open and honest about my Colitis from the get-go. I will explain that if I have to run to the bathroom I am not trying to be rude or leave you or anything!”
In March 2019 Louise opened the Slay gym on LA’s Hollywood Boulevard. Here her athletics-influenced training schedules are shared with a wide range of clients who are looking to get into the best possible shape. She gets up very early to ensure she has enough time to go to the toilet at least twice in the morning before working with clients.
“Symptoms can be very dormant or extremely active so it can be difficult to manage,” she explains. “It’s usually at its worst in the morning. I often wake up and within 60 seconds to two minutes I am getting up to go to the bathroom.
“I see my personal training clients at six or seven in the morning. So it means I have to give myself a good hour before I can welcome anybody.”
When those clients walk in the door of Slay, Louise is fully charged and ready to offer a challenging workout combining strength training, cardio, positive psychology – and a sprinkle of Team GB magic.
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About the author
James Nursey is a staff sports reporter for Reach, which publishes the Daily Mirror, Daily Star and Daily Express. He has lived with Crohn’s for more than 20 years since being diagnosed as a teenager
