Member Profiles
Matthew Rush
I am a PE and Duke of Edinburgh Teacher, Level 2 Mountain Bike Leader, Level 2 Judo Club Coach at Rushjudo, and British Team Coach for Special Needs Judo.
I started training in 2015, due being over weight and drinking to much but the gym didn't work for me. I joined a Tri club because swimming and cycling would be better for my knees and once I started losing weight I started running.
In my 1st year once I was more confident in my swimming ability I started entering short distance races. The following year my confidence and fitness grew and I entered my 1st Half Ironman.
Before Covid, I have completed 2 Full Ironman distances races (Outlaw) and 5 Half Ironman distance races.
Since Covid I have completed a 60 mile Ultra Marathon over the Lake District (Man vs Lakes 2021 blog), a Trail Marathon and Ive just done London Marathon (Matt's London Marathon Blog) .
In 2022, I have entered Edinburgh Marathon and will be completing in the Worlds Longest Triathlon (5km swim, 200km bike and 50km run).
Being part of a club and training with friends has allowed me to be the fitness and healthiest I have ever been.
Nigel Lee
'Coming from a cycling background, I'd taken a distant interest in triathlons for a while, and would make the effort to catch any triathlon action being shown on TV, all the while secretly wondering exactly how hard could it be to learn the two, very alien, additional disciplines needed to become a triathlete.
So, in 2015 I decided to find out. With a full 2 months training behind me, I entered my first triathlon, the pool based Halton 'mini Olympic' event and, from that day, it's probably safe to say I'd caught the triathlon bug. Over the next couple of years I concentrated on building fitness and technique, primarily for swimming and running, and started setting a few goals, including completing an Olympic distance event for the first time in 2019.
Plans for 2020 mostly went out of the window, but I did compete as a Weekend Warrior at the Blenheim Palace Triathlon, completing 7 Sprint Distance triathlons over the weekend.
2021 proved fruitful and frustrating in equal measures. My main goal for the year was to complete a Middle Distance triathlon, and I stood on the start line for 3 events. However, due to various issues including a fog bound lake, and a torn calf muscle, it wasn't until the third race before I was able complete the 'challenge'.
In 2021, I also went back to Blenheim Palace as a Weekend Warrior (6 Sprint and 1 Super Sprint triathlons). Earlier in the year where the training gave me something to focus on during lock down, I also completed a Virtual Everesting. During my time as a triathlete I've never really 'let go' of the fact I'm a cyclist at heart. So, in 2018, 2019, and 2021 along with other members of the club, I've taken part in the Red Bull Timelaps 25hr race, a team relay event held over the weekend that the clocks go back. On each occasion, usually somewhere around 4 in the morning, I've vowed never, ever to do it again... Goals for 2022? Apart from the fairly obvious trying to stay healthy and injury free, I will be returning to Blenheim Palace again as Weekend Warrior. I also hope to have another crack at a Middle Distance event.'
Mark Falkus
I was asked to write a member profile a few years ago and what I wrote then still applies. I include it here to show how joining a club and training with like-minded individuals can take you wherever you wish to go. With great support from fellow members you can take it as seriously (or not) as you like, having fun along the way.
Then:-
“Ask my wife and kids why I do this and they’ll tell you it’s some midlife crisis but I have always loved participating in sports of every type. Unfortunately, there just isn’t enough time or funds to do them all. Triathlon works for me because I get three sports for the price of one. The age group bands that are part of triathlon competition are a huge draw to me. They allow everyone to remain competitive whatever their age and as I approach my 50th year, I need all the help I can get. My goal is to get good enough and go long enough to justify getting a Triathlon bike. If I can remain injury free the plan is to attempt a half ironman next year.”
Now:-
My 50th is now a long distant memory. I got the Triathlon bike and completed the half ironman and despite a few achilles problems haven’t looked back. In the past 2 years I’ve competed in races of every distance from Sprint through to Ironman. The highlights were getting together with 6 other members of this club to race our first Ironman; completing 7 back to back triathlons at the Weekend Warrior at Blenheim and donning the GB age group strip to race at the European Middle Distance Championships in Romania.
Looking forward, I have some unfinished business with the Ironman distance but that will have to wait until 2021. 2020 will see me back racing at Blenheim and at the European Championships, this time in Austria.
Sarah Williams
About 5 years ago I decided to do some training in preparation for my 5th race for life. So I started my own couch to 5k training, having done almost no sports since school. A few months later I started running with a small group of like minded people. After working up to 10km distances I saw an advert for a local triathlon club and decided to give it a go. I'd always liked swimming in my teens and cycling had been my main mode of transport through my teens and early 20's.
I was shattered after my 1st swim but went back for more and am just starting my 3rd year of triathlon training. Over the previous 2 years I have completed 3 sprint triathlons and 2 sprint relay triathlons. I love the races and always suprise myself with how well I do. I am a busy mum of 2 with a shift working husband so fitting training in is tricky, but the most important thing to me is that I keep training and competing.
Jean Underwood
8 years ago a friend asked me to take part in the Blenheim Triathlon. I could sort of swim, had ridden a bike round the block a few times as a girl and did a bit of running for fitness after the births of my 4 children.
We completed the event drafting and chatting most of the way round and having a little picnic and chat during transitions, (we never even thought that they were part of the race). That was my first event, and at that time my last.
2 years later I became a single mum. My confidence was at an all-time low, my fitness non-existent and carrying too much weight. I needed to get fit and build on my self-esteem. Zumba classes didn’t work with my family commitments, the Bootcamps were always full, so I came across a local tri club which had varied weekly training which would work around my family and was affordable.
My first session was a swim meet at the local pool and I was extremely nervous. I was surrounded by Tri “Athletes” I never had any real expectations and at the time no real dreams, I just needed to get fit and get confident again.
...Fast forward 4 years...
With the support of my new partner, my Tri buddies, my family (who still think I need to punish myself for some reason) and a coach, I have achieved goals and dreams I never knew existed.
Starting with sprint Triathlons, then the overwhelming prospect of competing an Olympic distance race. I completed this and dared to dream of completing a half distance race. This dream came true the following year. The year after I completed the Outlaw full distance event with my Tri buddies. In 2019 I completed Iron Man Zurich.
I doesn’t matter if you just want to train to get fit, lose a few pounds, have a hobby, or have a goal in mind , your own reasons are what is important – your “Why am I doing this”. Having friends who share the same interest, who offer endless support, share experience and knowledge and share ideas and events. That’s why a Tri club is such a good idea. When your training feels like hard work or you have an injury its good not to feel alone.
My next dream is taking me on a slightly different journey into the Coast to Coast Ultra run. I am carrying an injury into 2020, but I haven’t lost sight of dream big, get a little bit scared, but you wont know until you Tri…
Happy training.
Adam Poland-Goodyer
Life is busy for everyone and in 2015 I was looking for a Triathlon club to train with to help me get better, more motivated and improve all aspects of my performance. This club met all those requirements with swim sessions in an evening and not super early in the morning, a variety of mid-week and weekend sessions and a great group of people to train with. This club fitted in with my lifestyle.
I did my first triathlon (sprint) in Bicester in 2012 on my old mountain bike and I quickly got the bug. Since then I have completed 6 half ironman distance events (a mixture of Outlaw and 113 events), 1 full ironman distance. 2 Weekend Warrior events at Blenheim Palace and I cycled the length of the Ridgeway (out and back) on my Mountain Bike.
This is a family friendly club with friends and spouses taking part and supporting. Partners have helped marshall at events we are competing in (just to get free t-shirts and goodies) and all of our events and athletes are well supported. This year we mixed a club ride in with supporting 3 of our athletes compete in the Oxford Triathlon series!
We are a small club, but we have fun, we are supportive we enjoy challenging ourselves and we like to have fun! We do not just to Triathlons. There is a large group of us attempting the King Alfreds Way next year as a pre-season fitness challenge.