Elizabeth McMillen

Lizzy McMillen is one of the bravest athletes in our sport. It is not because she competes in the 35km race walk, one of the most demanding events, but because she has a daily battle with endometriosis. Lizzy said: “We need to say the word endometriosis and get some media attention to help more girls like me.”

After starting athletics in the U7s, Lizzy has for over a decade won NSW and Australian race-walking titles. In her journey she has shown glimpses of brilliance, but after a seven-year challenging medical journey, in 2024 she was finally diagnosed with endometriosis, helping her understand why she would deliver mixed performances.

Aged 19, she had made her senior Australian team debut in 2023 at the World University Games, then in 2024 she competed at the World Race Walking Teams Championships. Her times had been dropping, but her 2024/25 domestic campaign would be a breakthrough. It started with the 35km walk Australian champs/world championship trials in December 2024. But her leadup was extremely challenging. Three months out from this race she had finally been diagnosed with endometriosis and in September 2024 had laparoscopy surgery. She then continued her preparation for the December race. “I spent time in an altitude chamber only one week after a laparoscopy training for my first 35km because I couldn’t walk fast and twist my stomach as the wounds hadn’t healed but I needed to get kms in my legs.”

Lizzy made it to the race and achieved something special. Her determination was rewarded with a breakthrough performance, placing second in the national 35km walk and clocking a world championship qualifying time of 2:47.26. “I didn’t know if I was physically capable of finishing, but I pushed through a lot of pain and I am incredibly proud of myself for walking an automatic qualifier for World Champs in the conditions of my body that day.” Three days after the race there was more surgery for Lizzy.

Then in February she jumped up to #4 Australian all-time in the 20km walk clocking 1:28.35 for third at the national championships. Her time was also a world championships qualifier. In May she was named for the 35km walk in the Australian team for the 2025 world championships in Tokyo.

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Lizzy McMillen started her athletics journey in the U7s at Manly Warringah Little Athletics. “I loved race walking from my first competition in the U9s at Little Athletics so stuck with it through the years.” Over the next decade she would regularly place on the podium at NSW and Australian championships. She competed in her first 20km walk at 18. “I then began a more intense training regime and focus on building my strength as a race walker over these long distances as I have transitioned from the junior age group into opens.”

Lizzy speaks candidly about her battle with endometriosis and is hoping for more attention of the condition:

It had taken me seven years to finally get a diagnosis for the debilitating pelvic pain I have. I have tried over 11 treatments, been told it was anxiety, parasites, food intolerances to finally only September 2024 to be told I have a cause for my pain. It is not just a monthly pain, it is chronic, it can occur any day without reason, it has affected my racing, my training, my school, my friendships, my ability to eat at times, my ability to sit or stand and yet I am training for one of the harder events on the body. I spent time in an altitude chamber only one week after a laparoscopy training for my first 35km because I couldn’t walk fast and twist my stomach as the wounds hadn’t healed but I needed to get kms in my legs. There is no cure to this condition right now, we need to say the word endometriosis and get some media attention to help more girls like me.

Occupation: student…Education: Second year studying Bachelor of Political Science and International Relations / Bachelor of Criminology and Criminal Justice at Griffith University (in 2025)…Hero: Sifan Hassan, especially following her success in Paris, she is an inspiring representation of how capable women are in sport and how far we can push the human body…Most influential person in your career My parents, both have encouraged me to pursue race walking since under 9s, over more recent years they have worked so hard to help me get through training weeks – sometimes Mum has clocked up over 100km on the bike with drinks and gels and words of encouragement, Dad has gotten up at 3:30am to help me get through a long walk in the middle of winter, they have driven me to training for years, help cover the costs of training – I genuinely could not be where I am as a race walker without the two of them…Advice to your young self Don’t be afraid to ask for help when you need it, you’re deserving of being helped out once in a while…Hobbies I love the beach, anything where coffee is involved, animals, cooking and reading…Sporting ambition: Podium finish at the Olympic Games

@14 Jul 2025 david.tarbotton@athletics.org.au