No better time than now for link-up with Aussies
Fair City club embarks on 14,000km test
Perth Triathlon club is thrilled to finally be linking up with its friendly Australian namesake.
And Fair City members were yesterday primed to get stuck in to the unique virtual challenge which will see them clock up more than 14,000 kilometres in the coming weeks.
Temperatures have been rising across the city in the past couple of days as determined athletes prepared to walk, run, bike and swim towards their total distance marker.
Andrew Miller, head coach of Perth Tri Club (Scotland), thought there was no better time than now to get in touch with Down Under and spark a new relationship.
He said: “We had always known there was a Perth Tri Club, Australia because we get about 10 enquires a year with people looking to join them, but messaging us by mistake.
“When I sent an email to Australia for the first time, they said exactly the same thing.
“It seems people have been confusing us for years, although I think their water temperature might be slightly more appealing.
“I looked up their email address and sent them a message. They responded immediately and were keen from the start.
“Together, we decided to make the challenge as simple as possible so that everyone could take part, no matter their ability or fitness level.
“All of the challenges we’ve put on have been between our club members and we thought it might be time to expand the challenges to see how we stack up against other clubs.
“Because all of our challenges need to be virtual right now, how far away a club was based really didn’t matter.
“Therefore, our namesake seemed like the perfect place to start. Anyone can contribute towards the total distance.”
Members will be tracking their data on fitness apps such as Strava.
“All our members have to do is record their activities be it swim, bike, run, walk, kayak, surf, pretty much anything that isn’t motorised,” Andrew added.
“We’ll add up the distance covered and see how long it will take us to make it to Perth Australia.
“PTC Australia is going to do the same and we’ll see who makes it to 14,689kms first.
“Both clubs were very keen to make sure that this was a friendly competition and that all the participants adhere to the government guidelines of their country.
“It’s important to make sure everyone who takes part stays safe because ultimately it’s just a bit of fun.”
Keeping members active and engaged through the coronavirus lockdown has been important and this latest challenge is sure to provide a further boost.
“Our members are very excited about setting out on this challenge,” Andrew explained to the Perthshire Advertiser.
“One of the main things that we’ve all missed during lockdown is the sense of community and group activities.
“By doing something collectively as a club, we hope that we can help with that.
“When you first hear about the challenge details, it seems impossible to swim, bike and run to Australia.
“But once you sit down and think about it, 50/60 people collectively pulling their distance, it’ll take a lot less time than you think.
“We hope it will take us a few weeks to cover the distance, so it’s an activity which should keep us focused for a while.
“I think doing activities like this can provide a real boost for the members, for the people organising it and also for their families.
“A lot of our members exercise with their family members which is great to see and something we’d definitely encourage.
“It also gives us a focus and motivation which could be lacking if you thought about the current situation all the time.
“We plan to put on challenges to keep our members motivated for as long as this situation goes on.
“The coaches are always coming up with new ideas and we have a few months worth of virtual challenges ahead of us to keep us entertained.”
Perhaps more than anything, the main benefit in all of this is that a new friendship has been created - and one Andrew is keen to build on further.
He said: “Perth Tri Club Australia has been incredibly friendly and keen to take part with us, we’d love to link up in the future.
“It has a very positive attitude and it’s great to come together with a club as motivated as them.
“Also, whoever wins the Perth to Perth challenge, I’m sure the other club will want a rematch – triathletes are a competitive bunch.”