YOUR ROUTE INTO TRI

Watched the Olympics and fancy a go at this marvellous sport called triathlon? Then simply check out this expert guide to find the right way in for you…

By the time you’re reading this, triathlon’s moment in the limelight at the Tokyo Olympics will have been and gone. Whether the British contingent achieved hero status or not, watching them battle it out over an Olympic-distance is a spectacle to behold. And if you’ve never raced before, it’s one that may get you thinking… ‘Could I do a triathlon?’ The answer is a big, fat yes. Everyone starts somewhere, it’s just knowing where and how. “People enter the sport in so many different ways and we love that,” says Jenny Vincent, head of participation at British Triathlon. “We see it as a journey… The beauty of the sport is that there’s something for everyone. If you don’t swim, do a duathlon. If you don’t cycle, do an aquathlon.” There’s no need to worry about shelling out loads of money on kit, either. As inspiring as it may have been to watch Team GB romp home for gold (we hope), it’s also likely to have left you gawping at the expensive-looking gear on show. But the beauty of many of these different routes into multisport is that you really can just get started with nothing more than a swimming costume and a pair of trainers. Having said that, Tri Training Harder founder and triathlon coach Philip Hatzis believes joining a local club is worth considering: “Whatever the level, the local community club environment is probably the best place to start off, regardless of the distance and level that you want to be racing at.” This, he says, is so you can tap into local knowledge on where to train and feed off the motivation and knowledge of others. Whether you decide to join a club, race an Ironman or try an aquathlon, the most important thing is that you enjoy it. So have a read over these next few pages, and we’ll see you on the starting line…