Essential oils in elite sports

November 15, 2024

Interview with Swiss triathlete Daniela Ryf

Essential oils have accompanied Daniela Ryf throughout her entire career – she already spoke about their importance for performance and resilience in her presentation at the farfalla Aroma Congress in 2015. Her career is a powerful testament to the combined strength of women and plants: Daniela Ryf is one of the most successful triathletes in the world. Born in Solothurn in 1987, she won the Ironman World Championship in Hawaii five times and the Ironman 70.3 World Championship five times. In 2023, she set a new world record for the long-distance triathlon with her victory at Challenge Roth. Two Olympic appearances, numerous other titles, and records have made her the leading Swiss athlete in the Ironman distance.

The Ironman distance consists of a 3.86 km swim, a 180.2 km bike ride, and a 42.195 km marathon. What is it about this that fascinates you, something that sounds like an immense ordeal to us?

The distance is really quite long when you write it down like that. Until three years ago, I never thought I'd do an Ironman, and I thought it was impossible. However, it's all about training. If you prepare and train your body, it can even cover that distance in a high gear. So for me, the main focus isn't on covering the distance, but on finishing as quickly as possible. This makes the whole thing harder, but at least it's shorter!

One to two competitions per month – that's grueling work for your body. Or is it precisely this regular challenge that has programmed you for success? What has contributed to your current success, and how do you recover after these peak performances?

That's not entirely true. While I do have one or two races per month in the summer, they aren't all Ironmans. I don't race during the winter and focus specifically on preparing for the summer season. This is important because you need to give your body a break. I've just had a rest and wouldn't be able to finish an Ironman. Over the next few months, I'll be building up my fitness again, so I won't be able to perform at my peak again until June/July. One of my greatest strengths is my rapid recovery. This is partly due to my diet, but also to my muscles, which can withstand significant stress. For about two years now, I've been using essential oils for massage. I've found that I recover faster if I rub in, for example, lavender oil after training. Peppermint oil helps reduce muscle soreness, and I use rosemary oil before training because it helps prevent my legs from getting sore so quickly.

A few years ago, your health wasn't so good for a while. How do you manage to maintain your motivation during difficult times?

I constantly focused on the next day. If I felt bad today, I always held onto the hope that things might be better tomorrow. This hope helped me get through that time. It was during this period that I came across essential oils and began to study them more intensively.

Despite your training and competition schedule, you found the time to give a presentation at the Farfalla Aroma Congress 2015 entitled "Aromatherapy in Elite Sports: How Aromatherapy Measures Can Positively Affect the Immune System." A truly fascinating topic! As you just mentioned, essential oils play an important role for you. How did you first discover them?

It was right around the time I was having health problems. I was in Australia at the time and started treating my sinusitis with lemon oil. I also noticed that my stomach problems improved with tea tree and peppermint oils. That's how I began to explore their various uses. It wasn't until two years later that I discovered that essential oils are also very effective as massage oils.

Can you detect an increase in performance through the use of essential oils?

Yes, I'm convinced that performance can be improved this way. In various ways. For my muscles, rosemary oil helps me before training, as it improves blood flow to the muscles, and I feel it makes my legs less prone to fatigue. For sore muscles, I use peppermint oil, and for recovery, lavender oil. For my immune system, I use lemon oil in the form of inhalation or gargling, which, in my opinion, is the most effective remedy for sore throats, colds, or sinusitis. When stressed, or a few days before races, I use lemon balm oil, which calms the nerves. And during training, I spray lemongrass or rosemary in my gym, as it enhances concentration and masks the smell of plastic (on the treadmill).

Very interesting! What makes the use of aromatherapy so interesting to you?

The effectiveness is astonishing. When I started using it, I went to the doctor and asked him to check if it was all legal, as I was so impressed by the results. I find it fascinating that inflammation can be treated effectively naturally without medication. Just 10 ml of essential oil contains a potent dose of beneficial properties. It's concentrated nature, so to speak. Normally, the substances in lemon peel protect the inside of the lemon from parasites and bacteria. Therefore, it's a concentrated form of protection and, when used correctly, can help us with many problems.

Can amateur athletes also benefit from your experience – not only in relation to essential oils, but also in general?

A definite. Anyone who pushes themselves to their limits and needs muscle support can use essential oils. The oils not only affect the muscles, but also the skin and the immune system. They help with firm legs or tired legs. Legs can also be refreshed after a long journey or a long workday.

You travel a lot – Hawaii, Bahrain, Dubai, competitions here, training camps there. Do you ever feel at home? Or is there something that makes you feel at home even in unfamiliar hotel rooms? What brings you balance and equilibrium in your life?

I spend quite a bit of time in Switzerland during the winter. I'm also lucky enough that my coach lives in St. Moritz, so I'm there often in the summer too. Whenever I go anywhere, I always take a coffee machine with me. It's practically my most important tool for waking up in the morning ;) If I'm going away for a longer period, I also take a small humidifier. That way, I can use essential oils if the hotel room doesn't smell very nice or if I have a sore throat, to humidify the room. The scents then also create a feeling of being at home.

The interview was conducted in 2016.