With 2016 seeing Windsor Duathlon make its début, Great Britain Age-Group Team manager, Jez Cox, shares his knowledge of how to book your spot on the start line in Aviles and get your hands on a sought-after GB tri suit.
"The chance to represent your country. Priceless.
Not only is the inaugural Windsor Duathlon a big step forward for closed-road duathlon in our country, but it is also the third and final qualifying race for our Great Britain Age-Group team for this the 2016 ITU Duathlon World Championships. The Worlds are returning to Spain in 2016 having been held in Adelaide, Australia towards the end of this year and it’s a welcome return; with Spain having hosted some of the best duathlon championships in the last 15 years.
The process of trying to qualify is actually a pretty simple one. You need to be a Home Nations member of a British Triathlon Association (Triathlon England, Triathlon Scotland or Welsh Triathlon). Then you need to register your intent to qualify via your chosen race, here. After that it all comes down to your finishing time. My job as team manager is then to go through all the results and work out who has and hasn’t qualified. It’s actually very objective and fair.
After that point comes the enjoyable task of informing athletes that they will be representing their country. For some, it’s something they’re done many times before whereas for others it may be their first time competing overseas. The team itself is made up of athletes in 5-year age bands from those aged under 20 to 85+. Trust me, the older age-groups are no less competitive than the youngsters.
Great Britain has the enviable tag of being the best nation in the history of ITU Duathlon World Championships (by medal count) and it’s something that my team is always aware of as they toe the line. Not that that stops us having fun and enjoying the far flung places we go to each year. The camaraderie is a big part of why we do so well as a team and it certainly makes us the envy of all the other nations. Going to ITU World Championships in our team means a good few days of team photos, briefings, course recces, meals in fascinating places that you would otherwise never have visited, as well as life-long friendships that are forged in the arena of international sport and so often go on to last a lifetime.
It’s not easy to qualify, but it’s also not impossible. I’ve met many newbies who consider it well out of their reach but then set their sights on the qualifying standard and find themselves in the hallowed GB tri suit. Many of our best athletes only started racing after they’d retired, so it really is never too late. It’s all about planning ahead, finding how much you need to improve and then registering your intent to qualify.
I wish everyone taking part in the first ever Windsor Duathlon a great race and I look forward to seeing a good number of you take those final places on offer in our Great Britain Age-Group Team for the ITU Duathlon World Championships in Aviles."
For more information on competing for the Great Britain Age-Group Team, please visit here.
