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Elizabeth Smart Enters Bodybuilding, Finds Liberation After Marathon Injury

5/4/2026

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Summary

Elizabeth Smart Bodybuilding

Elizabeth Smart competed in her fourth bodybuilding contest, appearing in a bikini and posting Instagram photos on April 21.
She said knee pain from marathon training prompted her to start bodybuilding with Robyn Maher, which she found terrifying.
Smart said the competition let her feel liberated and be seen as a bodybuilder and child-safety advocate.
She runs the Elizabeth Smart Foundation and lives in Utah with her husband and three children.

Summary

Elizabeth Smart Wins

Elizabeth Smart won first place in Fit Model Novice at the Wasatch Warrior competition in mid-April 2026 in Salt Lake City.
She also placed second in Fit Model and third in Fit Model Masters 35+ at the same event.
Competing as Elizabeth Gilmour, she entered after marrying Matthew Gilmour in 2012.
In an Instagram post, Smart shared crisis-text-line 741-741, urging sexual-abuse survivors to text “STRENGTH” for counseling.

Summary

Elizabeth Smart Healing

Elizabeth Smart said many sexual-abuse survivors feel their body betrayed them, linking this to a trauma-related body-image crisis.
She noted self-harm, eating disorders and deep self-loathing are common among victims she meets through advocacy.
She described celebrating her physique as therapeutic, reshaping her body relationship after trauma and urging survivors to move from shame toward strength by caring for their bodies.

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Elizabeth Smart Bodybuilding

Elizabeth Smart competed in her fourth bodybuilding contest, appearing in a bikini and posting Instagram photos on April 21.
She said knee pain from marathon training prompted her to start bodybuilding with Robyn Maher, which she found terrifying.
Smart said the competition let her feel liberated and be seen as a bodybuilder and child-safety advocate.
She runs the Elizabeth Smart Foundation and lives in Utah with her husband and three children.

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