Last week 40 aspiring junior triathletes from England, Scotland and Wales headed to Leeds for a training camp ahead of upcoming national and international events.

Taking place across a number of venues including the Brownlee Centre, Otley Sailing Lake, Leeds Beckett University and John Charles Aquatic Centre the young Youth and Junior triathletes from across the Home Nations were put through their paces by Home Nation staff, Pathway Coaches and staff from the Leeds Triathlon Centre.

A number of Senior athletes from the Leeds centre including Jess Learmonth, Alex Yee, Tom Bishop and Olympic medallists Alistair and Jonathan Brownlee were also on hand to train with and offer advice throughout the week, including taking them on rides across the Yorkshire countryside.

Spending time amongst some of the sport’s most well-known names, the next generation athletes were given the taste of life as a full time triathlete, as technical challenges and race simulations tested the group physically and mentally.

Whilst at the camp, the 15-19 year olds were allocated groups of five to plan and cook meals together with support from a British Triathlon nutritionist and staff. Planning healthy and balanced meals gave them the opportunity to learn more about the importance of fuelling for training every day, and the importance of nutrition for full time athletes.

Many of them will be racing this weekend at Bryn Bach Park, and the Junior European Cup in Riga, British Triathlon Big Weekend and Super League Triathlon Jersey in the coming months and this experience will go a long way to enhancing and preparing them for these events.

Matt Divall, England Pathway Manager, said: “The camp was a tremendous experience for all the athletes who came along and took up the challenges placed in front of them. My thanks go to our Home Nations coaches and staff and the coaches and staff from the Brownlee Centre for all their efforts to help develop these young triathletes. I also want to thank all the attending athletes for their commitment and attitude throughout the week.

“Opportunities like this are important for their development as they learn about the lifestyle of elite triathletes, as well as the training that goes into reaching the top. Being able to spend time with the senior athletes is priceless, along with making use of the facilities at the Brownlee Centre, will have given them an insight into what it takes to race at the top level.”