Have you always participated in sport? How and when did you start triathlon? What attracted you to the sport?

 

I was originally a (not very good) swimmer, then did multi sports at college through modern pentathlon - and discovered I was quite a good runner. I kept running and swimming after uni, and tried one or two triathlons in the early eighties, but didn't find the non wetsuit swimming appealing (I'm NOT good in cold water).  So I stuck with mainly running and a bit of swimming until about five or six years ago when I discovered modern wetsuits. This encouraged me to try again, at a time when I'd got everything I could out of running so I was ready for a new challenge. The attraction was mastering three sports, not just one, and the enjoyable (but tough) training regime at my club - Optima Racing Team.

 

You became world champion in your age group in London in 2013. Was this the highlight of your career? What are your future ambitions?

 

It was a great thrill to compete on the Olympic course and get yelled on by such a crowd - just an awesome experience - and easily a career highlight. My ambition has not changed - I still go into events "aiming to be the best I can be" on the day, as I did that day in London, rather than thinking about winning. Imagining winning is good for getting out of bed on those cold winter mornings!

 

There seems to be increasing numbers of competitors in the older age groups. Have you noticed changes in your age group? Are your competitors getting stronger? How do older British age groupers compare with those of other countries?

 

It's great that age is no longer seen as a barrier to competition - judging by the start lists participation seems to be growing everywhere - both in the UK and in other countries. The standard at least in the UK seems to be rising dramatically in the younger age groups, and this will feed through over time. In recent years Team GB has made a big showing even in far away places - like China and Canada - I don't think we've quite matched the success of London, but that might be the effect of travel. We are not so practised in this as the Brownlees\Stanford\Holland\Stimpson level

 

What health and training issues do older athletes face? Have you got any tips for those wishing to prolong their participation in triathlon?

 

Recovery takes longer - both from heavy training and injury - so you have to be patient about that. That's sometimes harder than not being able to do the sessions or times done in the past - that's more understandable. To manage that, it's useful to get proper physio support, either after injury or on a preventative basis. It's also important I think to train with a wider age range of athletes - that helps make the sessions more fun and challenging at the same time. In a good club structure it also means you can help others progress, put a bit back in, and get some extra satisfaction and motivation from helping team mates progress. Optima Racing Team has produced two elite level athletes and a dominant performance in the recent Club Relays from a base of around 50 people - it's great to be part of that success too. 

 

Interview by Chris Holland, from Westcroft Triathlon Club and part of the London Region Media Team.

 

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