As the youngest member of a triathlon-mad family, we asked Edith to tell us all about her experiences of learning how to swim, run, bike from an early age…

Name: Edith Hancock

Age: 11 years old

Club Name: Brighton Tri Club’s Sussex Tristars

What level of triathlete would you associate yourself with?

‘I compete in local races but I have also represented the South East Regional Team for duathlon.’

What or who made you try out triathlon?

‘I wanted to train for triathlons because I spent a lot of time watching and cheering on my Dad when he was racing. I was nearly seven years old when I joined Brighton Tri Club and I am so passionate about the sport that I train four days a week. As I live at the top of a big hill all rides end with a steep hill climb and I sometimes practise hill reps when I need to get some extra training in!’

What piece of kit could you not live without?

‘My amazing Asics running shoes because if I didn’t have them I would definitely hurt my feet!’

What are your training goals for the season ahead?

‘I would like to focus on improving my swimming stamina so I will be spending a lot of time in the pool during training.  In our Sussex Tristars sessions we swim twice a week and cycle or run following the swim session (or vice versa) – my Dad is one of the coaches so he makes sure I am focused.’

What triathlon-related achievement are you most proud of?

‘Racing and being part of the winning team for the South East versus London at the inter-regional duathlon. I was super excited to be invited to be part of the team, and even more excited when we won the trophy.’

How would you describe your experience of triathlon in three words? Not using ‘swim, bike run’!

‘Gotta get faster!’

What has been your favourite race/event?

‘Hever Castle Triathlon which is part of the Castle Triathlon Series. I have raced in this triathlon a couple of times but I still find it challenging as it has an open water lake swim. it’s also funny when I get my wetsuit stuck and Dad has to help me pull it off.’

What is your favourite discipline?

‘Definitely the run, all you need is running shoes and it is fun to cross the finish line.’

Who is your role model?

‘Non Stanford – because she has been an Olympic Triathlete and an ITU Triathlon World Champion. She has also walked the blue carpet and ‘tweeted’ me when I used photos of her for my Brownie Guide Role Model project. She inspires me because I would one day like to race at the Olympics.’

If you could give any advice to yourself when you first started out, what advice would you give?

‘I would say, “when you get offered an opportunity you should take it with both hands before it disappears” – an example of this is when I was invited to compete in the South East Regional Team, I definitely wasn’t going to miss out on that opportunity.’

We wish Edith all the best for this coming season!