Fact 2: People with diabetes can play all types of sport and reach elite levels.

Exercise is good for everyone. As well as keeping fit and having fun, exercise is good for people living with diabetes as it can help reduce the risk of diabetes-related complications. Just like everyone else, people with diabetes can play professional footy, compete in the Olympic Games, run marathons, cycle the Tour de France – or simply go for a run to stay fit.

Laura has never considered her type 1 diabetes as an obstacle to compete in triathlons. She has even challenged herself to complete several Half Iron Man competitions, beating her personal best time along the way. Laura needs to prepare intensely for those long endurance events, and her diabetes adds another layer of planning. It took some time to figure out how to adjust her nutrition and insulin doses and she still needs to check her blood glucose levels before, during and after every training session and competition.

Exercising with type 1 diabetes can be about a million times more challenging than exercising without diabetes – but it can be done!