My experience with triathlon

Tail End Triers is something that’s been in my mind for a while now.

I’m a member of Manchester Tri club and they are really great and supportive of all abilities. But they do struggle to provide training that is relevant and enjoyable for slower triathletes -and they are one of the biggest tri clubs.

I’m someone who has always loved sport but always been completely useless at it. Slow, poor coordination and always last pick for any school teams. I’ve had a go at lots of things over the years but it wasn’t until I hit my fifties and got diagnosed with cancer that I discovered triathlon.

I’m now 58 and have been doing tris for 4 years now. I’m a competent but slow swimmer, a weak cyclist and a slow runner but I absolutely love it.

Finding relevant advice

It’s not always easy to find the right kind of guidance for people like me.

Most of the advice I’ve found for older triathletes assumes you’ve been active and need to adjust as you get older. Advice for beginners is frequently aimed at swimmers, cyclists or runners who want to move into triathlon.

There’s very little for those who want to start from scratch in later life. Or who need to balance training with ongoing health issues like arthritis or diabetes. Or who don’t have the time/inclination to train 6 days a week. And there are plenty of us.

I’ve also found that many training sessions and training plans tend to equate slow with beginner and they really are not the same. Having caught the triathlon bug, I want to improve and be the best I can be (even if that’s not very fast by most triathlete’s standards).

Sport is for all

I want to create a place for those of us who are in it for the fitness benefits, the challenge and the enjoyment. Who want to get the most out of triathlon without feeling that they are too slow, too old or the wrong shape.

We have just as much right as anyone else to enjoy sport. In any case what is “too slow”? There wouldn’t be many events if only the super-fast were allowed to compete (and pay the race fees).

What I want Tail End Triers to be

As well as tailored training advice, Tail End Triers will be a place where we can support, motivate and encourage each other. Where we can discuss the issues that are relevant to us and make sure our needs are heard by coaches and event organisers.

Over the next couple of months I’m going to be working on building our community and developing plans for the next stage. Please do let me know what you need so that I can build Tail End Triers into something special.