'My Bones Literally Broke' - Georgia Bell Reveals Crisis That Shortly Drove Her From Athletics to Cybersecurity

The world 800m silver medallist has reflected on the painful setback that pushed her out of the sport and into cybersecurity before her eventual return.

Georgia Hunter Bell spent nearly seven years in a successful cybersecurity career, having initially stepped away from athletics in her early twenties.

Her time as a student at the University of California was plagued by injuries from an intense training regimen that involved running 50-70 miles a week.

While Georgia Hunter Bell has now found a training program that works for her, she doesn't regret her time in the American collegiate system.

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"My bones literally broke," she recalled in an interview with the Telegraph. "I kept getting stress fractures that would appear from too much impact. Now, I do around 35 miles a week and a lot of cycling on the bike. So, I’m getting the intensity without the impact on my body."

"You are a business deal. For that, they want you to race, and it can be really tough if you’re injured. But at the same time, if I had a child in the future and they got a scholarship, I’d tell them to go, if it was the right programme and right coach."

After graduating, Georgia Hunter Bell decided it was time to ‘join the real world,’ taking a cybersecurity sales job in San Francisco and later London.

Despite her demanding corporate role, the athlete within her never faded, and she maintained a rigorous training schedule.

Her routine often involved two-hour bike rides around Walton-on-Thames at dawn, a full day at the office, and an evening track session in Battersea.

"In London, there’s a massive culture of working around training, and that’s how I got into it," she said. "I was enjoying it, but it was tiring."

Georgia Hunter Bell's transition to a full-time professional athlete over the past 18 months has allowed her to adopt the rigorous regimen of her competitors.

"I was up against athletes who were taking a two-hour nap every day, having physio, and going to the gym, things I wasn't doing," she explained. "I've finally been able to do that."

Despite her athletic success, Georgia Hunter Bell's passion for cybersecurity remains strong, and she has not ruled out a return to the field in the future.

"It was a really cool job," she reflected. "I enjoyed it, but balancing both was just hard work. You had monthly quotas, and if you didn't hit your tech sales, you could be fired."

The dual demands of a high-pressure job and intense training took their toll. "I was really running myself down," Bell admitted.

"I knew it was unsustainable. I could see myself going back into it in some way; I just don't know when. I still listen to cybersecurity podcasts, keep up with the news, and have lots of friends in that world. I do find it fascinating."

For now, however, running is Georgia Hunter Bell’s sole focus. When asked how she would have reacted if someone at her first Bushy Parkrun had predicted she would become a world and Olympic medalist, she smiled. "I would have said, 'I don't believe you.'"

At the moment, Georgia Hunter Bell believes her best years are still ahead and she remains optimistic about her potential.