Anna Comet: "Feminism, the way it's talked about, tires me out a lot."

VicAnna Comet (Girona, 1983) greets some mothers from her eldest son's school while we take her photographs for this interview in the center of Vic. She lives very close by, in Guixa. She has been a resident of Osona for years. Trained as a skier, she has been shining as a cross-country athlete for years. trail running with success in races on Everest and the Sahara. He has also earned two degrees, written books, and writes articles like those published in the ARAA few weeks ago, she received a call informing her that the Union of Sports Federations of Catalonia (UFEC) had awarded her for her personal and professional goals. It proves that you can compete at the highest level while being a mother. In fact, she became a mother for the second time just a few weeks ago.

What were your thoughts when you received that call?

— I didn't know this award existed, and it really surprised me. I've never considered myself a feminist, although my husband says I am, because I've always fought hard for rights. I simply don't believe in standing up; I believe in doing things naturally. I didn't want this award to be just another part of the March 8th program, since I've never liked March 8th. Going out with purple banners doesn't do me any good. I work every day, and the award was meant in this direction, recognizing the work done so that women and girls, the new generations coming up, see that exercising is natural.

The award also praised her for proving that she can be a mother and still compete at the top level.

— True. When I became a mother for the first time, we didn't have any kind of role model. And I said I wanted to keep competing despite being a mother. I kept training despite being pregnant. They said so many bad things to me back then. I'd always somewhat rejected feminism, because the way feminism is talked about tires me out. That always very negative, always demanding tone is tiring... I see it differently; I want to do positive things. And when I got pregnant, I listened to women who told me they'd had to give up a lot of things to be mothers. Well, you did it, but I don't have to! Obviously, when you make the decision to be a mother, it affects you. But I don't want to give up anything.

Do you consider yourself a pioneer?

— Maybe. Especially during my first pregnancy, with Gil. The first time, I talked to doctors about it, looked for information, and realized that competing at a top level while pregnant could be bad for the fetus and the mother, but that training wasn't. And when people saw me training with my belly, they criticized me. People always judge you. That's why I decided to go public, normalizing it on social media, and wrote the book where I talked about it. Running for love (Column). Fortunately, things have improved over the years. It's helped famous athletes like Ona Carbonell and Serena Williams talk about the topic after becoming pregnant. The second pregnancy has been easier.

With your second pregnancy, haven't you received criticism for training?

— No, much less. It seems like it's no longer seen as a bad thing. It hasn't been completely normalized, but we're on the right track. Now the reaction is different. People make positive comments, and I get a lot of questions. I try to respond on social media whenever I can. In the end, being an athlete is selfish. We don't really serve much, to society (smiles). A doctor cures you, a professor teaches you, a lawyer defends you, but what does an athlete do? I want to convey something to other people, and I'm finding meaning in all of this.

You're almost talked about more as a mother than as an athlete. Does it bother you?

— No, nothing, because, in fact, now that I'm a mother, I'm getting good results. Anna, an athlete, has exploded once I'm a mother. I'm enjoying it so much, everything. Living it and telling it. Your priorities do change, being a mother. Sometimes you find yourself the day before a race playing soccer with your son. Before, I wouldn't have done it, suffering from injury. Not now. Now I don't navel-gaze so much. Before, perhaps I thought too much, I was thinking about competing, and that wasn't good psychologically either. Being a mother has made me forget about sports at times. It helps me disconnect. And it's made me compete better.

As an athlete, he began skiing and suffered a serious accident at the age of eighteen. It wasn't all easy.

— I've suffered. I always say I'm living a second youth with my family. But you know what? I wouldn't change anything I've been through. I'd go back to skiing, I'd get injured again... I am who I am thanks to everything that's happened to me. What I would perhaps change is being a mother sooner. It took me a while. Gil had him at 35, and Lluc, at 41. I admit I was afraid of losing my sporting career if I became a mother, since at 18 I'd already lost my skiing career, and it was a real blow. So there was the fear of losing what I'd achieved racing, the contracts, being at the elite level... and I put it off. It was a time when it was already difficult to be a woman in general in this sector, because there were so few of us. What we did wasn't valued because there were so few female racers. And look, even back then the prize money was the same for men and women, but it was clear that men's competitions generated more interest. It's a sector that has changed a lot. I've gone from being an amateur to having decent contracts, but I've never wanted to focus solely on sports, because one day it will end. And then what? I didn't want to stop writing, or doing other things. Sometimes I'm called to give talks at companies. And I've discovered that in many companies, when a woman holding important positions becomes pregnant, she often decides to resign and be demoted within the company. I like to explain to these women that we shouldn't do that. We can't give up.

His greatest success remains having won the Marathon des Sables in the Sahara Desert in 2022?

— Yes. I mean, it was the triumph that relaunched my career after motherhood. Being a mother allowed me to take a huge step forward because people started to get to know me, but the Marató des Sables relaunched my athletic career. In fact, I'm coming back next year.

Thinking about winning again?

— If I'm going there to win, I'll be there. Then you can fall on the first day, but we'll compete.

How do you remember that time when you took a break from sports due to injuries?

— It was after the pandemic. I had a string of injuries one after another. They weren't fractures or breaks, but I had injuries that were probably a result of issues like anxiety. I wasn't lifting any weight, and suddenly, an intestinal infection came on. It was tough because at first they didn't know what I had, and I was afraid it was cancer. Luckily, it was an infection, but it was complicated. In fact, Lucas has arrived now because I had to wait two years to become a mother again, for all of that. Just think, after becoming a mother for the first time, I had two good years competing, and suddenly, the pandemic and the injuries hit. It wasn't easy.

Now it's time to compete again after the birth of Lluc.

— This weekend I'm starting my first race. Then the idea is to qualify for Chamonix, a magical place I love, since I lived there at the foot of Mont Blanc. Plus, the team that will go to the World Championships will be decided there. It's tough, but I'll try. Their level is high, and the team has six spots. Some people have told me that to have more options, I should give up the marathon, my favorite distance, and do ultramarathons. But I don't like them; I get bored when it's so long. I like being home to eat (smiles).

Does Gil already follow you live when you compete?

— Yes. He's very passionate about it. He likes competition. I hope he grows up to have a passion like mine, but whatever he wants, it's his own. If he wants to play the violin, we'll go see him. But it's good to have a passion in life.