INTRODUCTION
BECOMING A CHAMPION
Mention the word “triathlon” 20 years ago and you would probably have been met with a blank stare. Back then, triathlon was perceived as the sole province of muscle-bound masochists. Thankfully times have changed. Triathlon made it on to the Olympic stage in Sydney in 2000, and ever since has been one of the world’s fastest growing sports. Triathlons of all shapes and sizes (see the Annex for more details on different types of triathlon) are appearing on our television screens and reported on in newspapers, triathlon clubs are spreading like wildfire and the annual race calendar is chock-full.
It wasn’t until I was in my mid-twenties, and with a demanding full-time job, that I had my first foray into triathlon, and a few years later I was fortunate enough to start making a living out of the sport with which I’d quickly fallen in love. I was driven by a desire to know—to find out what I was capable of and how good I could be. I never want to look back on my life and think “what if.” Triathlon presented me with a fantastic challenge truly to be the best that I could be, and I was determined to rise to it.
There is a multitude of benefits to triathlon. Combining three different disciplines spices up training and racing; you never get bored. Plus the range of events—from relays to sprints to long-distance triathlons—means there is something to suit every slow or ch-muscle fibre. Then there are the numerous health benefits, the chance to travel and, best of all, you can share all this pleasure and pain with the thousands of others who have taken up the challenge of swim, bike and run.
One of my most treasured memories is of my first Ironman World Championship in Kona, Hawaii, when I watched in awe as competitors ran, walked, staggered and crawled their way across the line. There were people of all ages, from 18-year-old students to 80-year-old grandparents, to daughters, wives, husbands, fathers… even those who have been on the brink of death and survived. I realised then that each triathlete has a unique and special story to tell, but they are all united by one thing—the journey to that hallowed finish line.
Never in a million years did I think that I would be where I am today—writing this book as a four-time Ironman World Champion. It still baffles me to think about the paths I have travelled and the experiences I have been fortunate to have along the way. I see life as being like a tree—branching in a range of wonderful ways, and triathlon is one of the most prominent branches; one which changed my life for ever.
I achieved more than I ever thought possible in the sport, but after Challenge Roth in 2011 and the World Championship later that year I instinctively knew that I’d reached my personal pinnacle. A crash I had only two weeks prior to the latter race had left me with wounds all over the left side of my body, and internal bruising that caused intense pain. Yet it was the race I had always dreamed of; the one where I dug to the depths and battled with my valiant competitors to cross that finish line in first place, conquering fears, adversity and self-doubt. It was my perfect race, even though—paradoxically—the build-up and the race itself were fraught with imperfections. I felt utterly complete. I felt liberated. I’d achieved my holy grail. It was now time to carve out a new path, and one that didn’t have triathlon as the axis around which everything revolved.
Since retiring from professional triathlon in 2012, I’ve continued to add new branches to my own personal tree; whether that be collaborating with the UK government to inform the development of sport and physical activity policy, working for parkrun and setting up the successful junior parkrun series of events, lobbying for gender equality in sport (and, specifically, successfully calling for a women’s race at the Tour de France), throwing myself into different endurance events or giving birth to our daughter, my proudest achievement to date.
Although I am no longer a professional athlete, not a day goes by when I don’t think about triathlon and the fantastic opportunities it offered me as well as the thousands who take up the challenge every year. The triathlon door is now open to all, and I am living proof that anything truly is possible with some passion, self-belief, support and a lot of hard work.
I want to seize the wonderful opportunity that I have to inspire and encourage others to take up the sport or push that bar a little bit higher, and it is to this quest that I now dedicate my life.
In 2015, I headed out on my bike to the hills of Somerset (aka the Mendips). It was a glorious day and I felt free, psychologically “light” and at peace. I often find that this is when I am struck by my best ideas.
I have written for 220 Triathlon since 2008. The prose has taken various forms, from ramblings about whatever tickles my fancy, to answering readers’ questions and more recently as a mentor to novice triathlete, Katy Campbell. It was during this ride that a bolt of inspiration hit. I had a collection of articles that aimed to inspire, enthuse and inform readers about all things triathlon-related: contributions that have hopefully enabled the reader to understand the mind and body of a champion and, in turn, learn from what I, and my fellow professionals, do.
I have also had the privilege of delivering countless presentations and seminars on all manner of subjects related in some way to my triathlon journey. During these presentations, I have conveyed some of the important lessons that I have learned and been asked a wide variety of questions by people in the audience, which I’ve done my very best to answer. I have also received countless emails and social media messages requesting my advice on all manner of issues, which, again, I have tried to answer as comprehensively as possible.