Ayro squad line up for sprint event bid
The British Sprint Triathlon Championships will be held at Strathclyde Park at the end of May and already no fewer than 33 AYRODYNAMIC athletes have signed up for the 750 metres open water swim, followed by 20km bike and 5km run.
In addition, several others will take part in a shorter novice event.
The club are likely to have perhaps the most representatives in the entire British Isles for the event.
The first club race of the new season – The Martin McMillan – will take place near Irvine, on March 19.
It is a club- only event in memory of a club athlete who passed away from heart disease, and the proceeds go to the British Heart Foundation.
Club member Alice McNulty will take on the challenge of the London Marathon in April, to raise funds for Muscular Dystrophy UK.
The young son of one of Alice’s friends and colleagues has just been diagnosed with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, a muscle wasting disease which affects about 2500 people every year in the UK. Little Ewan, who is eight years old, will eventually be confined to a wheelchair but treats each day in a cheerful and brave manner.
Alice wants to raise money for research into the disease and will do so by pounding the streets of London.
Triathlon Scotland held their annual conference for coaches in Edinburgh, and AYRODYNAMIC TRI club were represented by no fewer than five of their coaches – the biggest turnout of all Scottish clubs.
Lead coach Stewart Bailey was supported by Davie Auchie, Lorna Sloan, Ross Muirhead and Grant Young.
The focus of the day was on the planning of coaching for triathletes and there were presentations from two outstanding experts in sports planning – Professor John Lyle and Adrian Stan.
The latter, a Romanian, has masterminded the rise of British Gymnastics from almost obscurity to a major world force and winner of Olympic medals. He told delegates how meticulous planning has contributed to these achievements.
There was much for the Ayrshire coaches to take away and think about how the day’s learning could be applied to their sport of Triathlon.