January Newsletter 2026
Highlights of the Tri2O Awards Night
The Tri2O Awards Night is traditionally the club’s biggest social event of the year. This year we decided to bring some festive vibes and moved it to December, and our outgoing social secretary Stella picked a gem of a venue right in the centre of town, for her swansong. The Three Guineas had a great downstairs area which we commandeered, and there were sparkles and partywear aplenty. It’s always a treat to see fellow club members scrubbed up and out of lycra, and of course is the perfect opportunity to say “I didn’t recognise you with your clothes on”!
We were treated to a delicious buffet and this meant lots of mingling too. It was great to have a mix of longstanding members and newer joiners, and we hope everyone met someone new. Aside from the opportunity to socialise and talk non-triathlon, the Awards night enables us all to reflect on the achievements and memories of the year, celebrating so much more than just race results. Prizes were awarded for Female and Male winners of the Club Championships in all categories of Sprint, Standard, Middle and Long distance triathlon, and multisport categories (to include Duathlon, Aquabike and Aquathlon).
In addition to the Club Champs, there are a few special awards, nominated and voted for by you, the membership. This year, we had a new award – the Mark Stokes Against All Odds Award – to add to the different ways in which we celebrate members’ contributions to the club and to triathlon. We also said our goodbyes and thank you’s to three committee members who have worked behind the scenes over the past year(s) to support the club’s activities and successes: Stella Ferguson Social Secretary, Kasia Kurowska Communications Officer, and Nora Holford Club Secretary.
For those who weren’t there on the night, here’s a list of the Club Championships & Award Winners – well done to all!
Club Championship Winners
Sprint Distance : Andi Jay & Francis Martinez
Standard Distance : Nora Holford
Middle Distance : Nora Holford
Full Distance : Clavelle Olivier-Smith & Mark Berriman
Multisport Event : Sally Waterman & Adam David Phillips
Club Nomination Awards:
Henderson Personality of the Year : Stella Ferguson
Mark Stokes Against All Odds : Kate Kitto
Most Engaged Newcomer : Ocean Allen
Most Improved : Keira White & Alex Marsh
Membership Update
Please join me in welcoming our new members to the club:
I hope you will enjoy training with us. For anyone that wants to get the most out of the club and would like a call to talk this through – please let me know.
Coach Corner
Tips for Winter Training
Days are short, weather is unpredictable, and race season feels like an eternity away. For many reasons, training can feel like harder work at this time of year. Thanks to member Esther for suggesting this topic for the newsletter – hopefully here are some ideas to keep you motivated and safe.
What sort of training should I be doing?
Having fun (but I say this for every time of year, to be honest!). But this is the time of year to get yourself the foundations for more race-specific training nearer to your race season, and there are a few different aspects of “fitness” to prioritise.
- Skills & technique (improving efficiency). This could look like (not an exclusive list):
- Swim: Stroke drills in the pool, slowing down to swim mindfully, getting a video analysis, mixing up your strokes, not worrying so much about how fast you are at the moment.
- Bike: Pedalling drills on the turbo e.g. high cadence without bouncing, spin-ups, pedal stroke quadrants, going off road (cyclocross, or mountain biking), not worrying about your FTP.
- Run: Technique drills (but ideally you’d want these coached) e.g. butt kicks, strides, postural cues & visualisations, trail running (great for balance, stability, strength, fun, adds variety to each stride), focus on heart rate training & RPE.
- Endurance “base building” – traditionally long slow easy training, but this isn’t always easy when it’s cold and dark outside! This is where your weekends and going off road for bike & and run can be hugely beneficial – not so much ice to contend with, and the wind chill is less when riding at lower speeds off road. Aim to train (mostly) at an intensity that allows you to have a conversation without getting out of breath, and breathe through your nose.
- Strength & mobility – this could look like:
- Cross training e.g. climbing, hiking, rowing
- Sport-specific strength e.g. big gear work on the bike (careful of your knees), sprints & hills (bike & run), resistance aids for swimming (paddles, drag shorts, pull buoy & ankle band, parachute), short sprints – beware really big paddles unless you have excellent stroke mechanics, and don’t overdose on them.
- Weights – specific S&C coaching, Circuits, Pilates, Kettlebell classes, even Body Pump classes, which although not highly triathlon-specific, will still give you some all-round strength. The best strength training is the stuff you’ll do consistently.
- Yoga: also great for training body awareness, mindful movement & balance.
- Intensity – it can be a great time to do high intensity short intervals, in any of the disciplines, to improve aerobic capacity and . The indoor bike trainer is particularly suited to these, and you can either do traditional VO2 max style intervals (RPE ~8-9) for 30s – 3 min with equal or slightly less recovery, OR longer recoveries with intervals on the shorter end of this range (think 20-30s) to prevent overloading too early in the season
How can I train safely and stay motivated?
- Consistency now will build a more resilient body for adding harder work – build a sustainable routine
- Having a stronger foundation will reduce injury risk further down the line
- Don’t be tempted to do too much and burn out or get injured before race preparation comes around
- Have your big goals visible to remind you why you’re training e.g. a post-it on the fridge, or the bathroom mirror (and move these around often to stop them becoming “invisible”!)
- Put your training in your diary/calendar, make it part of your life plan
- Stick to well-lit areas if running in the dark, make sure you wear high visibility clothing, head torch etc. – this may mean running lots of laps, or out and back routes. The club run sessions can be great for this.
- If you don’t feel like training, just take the first step to get changed into your gear. Start with a walk. And if it’s still not happening, then your body is probably trying to tell you something, so listen!
- Consider making a commitment to train with others – it’s much harder to bail if someone else is depending on you! That’s also a big benefit of being in a club 😊
- Early morning training – getting up when it’s dark – pack all your stuff the night before.
- If there’s ice on the roads, I don’t ride my road bike – I don’t think it’s worth the risk for me, but it’s a personal choice. Another reason to vote for off-road! Be careful running on the pavements too – look out for the areas in the shade and black ice. Grass in the park is often safer.
- If you do ride on the roads:
- Take it steady, particularly on corners and descending – this is not the time to be chasing your Strava segments!
- Try to remain relaxed and responsive to your bike: tensing up will not help you control your bike.
- Don’t brake whilst cornering – slow down before the bend, then ride around
- Look up ahead, look where you want to go, not at your front wheel
- When cornering, put your weight more through the outside pedal e.g. if you’re turning left, your right leg is straight and weight through the right foot, your left foot at the top of the pedal stroke, knee bent. Shift your hips slightly to the outside of the turn too.
- If possible, learn to descend “on the drops” as you are more stable with your centre of gravity lower, and have more leverage to brake quickly if you need to.
- Remember, something is almost always better than nothing; you might have planned an hour session but are short on time – doing 30 minutes is still worth it compared to skipping it all together.
Caveat with running hill reps:
As is usually the case with training, those activities which reap the highest rewards often come with higher risk. If you have a history of run injuries (particularly calf, Achilles or knees), then do be conservative. Start with very gradual inclines, don’t sprint from a standstill (build into your pace), walk the descents, and stop if you have any niggles or pain at all. Running up steps can be a much safer way to get similar benefits, if this is an option available to you.
Don’t hesitate to ask any questions in the club WhatsApp community – there is a wealth of knowledge and experience within our membership and lots of people keen to help and train together!
Georgia Jackson
Head Coach
My First Year Doing Ironman
Written by Mark Berriman
The start of my Ironman journey involved a fairly naïve approach back in November 2024, when I signed up for Leeds Ironman on 26 July 2025 with the view of worrying about everything else a bit closer to the time!
By January 2025 it was very much a “new year, new me” vibe — let’s start building an Ironman. I fired up the PC, with Uncle Google as my main research hub and all the Instagram influencers by my side. Let’s just say it didn’t take long to realise I was completely out of my depth. The lack of knowledge and experience quickly hit home, along with the reality of what I was trying to achieve. With my whole one year of triathlon experience, it was a no-brainer that I needed a coach if I was going to get anywhere near ready. After asking around, I found my man, Brendon Parry. Following a phone call and agreeing on terms and expectations, we were off — the first day of our bromance began on 14 February, which I think is beautiful.
Training
February & March
This consisted of Brendon setting me around 10 hours of training per week, spread across six days, plus a few FTP/CSS tests and a couple of timed runs. He was assessing where my fitness levels sat, while I was learning what worked — and what didn’t — during sessions.
April & May
By now I was fully into the swing of weekly training, around 12–14 hours, knowing what was expected of me and starting to see improvements in my times while feeling stronger week on week. This was the first real block of training. On 1 June I completed the Cotswolds 70.3 (half distance) as preparation for the full distance, finishing just under six hours with seven weeks still to go before Leeds IM.
After the race I had a bit of a reality check. While I was over the moon to finish a half distance, I realised that the full six hours doesn’t even equate to the bike leg of an Ironman! Following the race debrief, Brendon put my nerves at ease, reassured me I was on track, and reminded me to trust the process.
June & July
The final phase of training ramped up to around 15–16 hours per week as we built towards race readiness. Five-hour rides and two-plus-hour runs at the weekend were now in full swing. Developing the fitness to complete these weeks felt great, but I’ll admit this was the only part of training where I started questioning the enjoyment. Looking back, it’s what needs to be done — and in the grand scheme it’s a small part — so it hasn’t put me off.
Two weeks before race day we tapered, with Brendon laying out what to expect. The hard work was done, and I felt at ease knowing I was ready to go.
Race day
Finally, race day arrived. As an AC/DC fan and a swimmer, standing on the start line of your first IRONMAN just after sunrise, with Thunderstruck blasting through the air and thousands of people cheering around the lake as you’re about to get into the water… it’s something not many people can say they’ve experienced — and something I’ll never forget.
Swim
All charged up and ready to roll, I jumped into the 60-minute group with the plan of sitting on someone’s feet to conserve energy — it’s a long day ahead. Within 10 minutes there were no feet, just bodies, so I swam out wide and settled into my own pace. Box ticked: under 60 minutes.
3.8km — 59:37
Bike
The first 5km was uphill before heading into the three-loop course, and then the heavens opened for about 10 minutes. Everything was soaked, but it eventually dried out. During the first hour I focused on settling in and not going too hard as all the fast athletes on TT bikes flew past me — after I can proudly say I gapped them on the swim!
The bike was pretty uneventful in terms of issues. Legs were turning well, stayed on the aero bars where possible, got out of the saddle on the hills to stretch things out, but everything was controlled. I was targeting 7–7.5 hours and finished in 7:06:26 for the 180km. I know I could have gone quicker, but that would’ve been robbing energy for my first ever marathon.
Run — my first marathon
I felt good off the bike — better than any brick run in training — so I settled into a pace of roughly 6 minutes per kilometre and went from there. The plan was simple: run comfortably to the aid station, walk through it while taking on nutrition and recovering, then get running again at the end. Eat, run, repeat.
Everything was fine until 17km, when the darkness arrived. My head and body felt okay, but my legs were unbelievably heavy. I could feel the bottom of my shoes clipping the ground mid-stride. My mindset became, “Don’t walk until the aid station,” and I worked through it kilometre by kilometre. By 27km it eased slightly, and I just kept ticking them off.
At 38km you know you’re going to finish, and the emotions hit hard — huge relief, discomfort from everything aching, pure joy, and even a little cry. I knew I was on for around 13 hours, maybe even under. I kept thinking, “If you walk and finish in 13 hours and 1 second, it’s going to feel horrible — so keep running, fat boy.”
It worked.
42.2km — 4:30:47.
SUCCESS.
Total time: 12 hours 54 minutes
So, what’s next?
A healthy obsession with triathlon has developed in 2025 after completing one Ironman… so why not do two in 2026?
IM Lanzarote — 23 May 2026
Current goals: sub-12 hours and a sub-4-hour marathon. Lanzarote is widely regarded as one of the top three hardest Ironman races in the world, so it’ll be a huge challenge with the heat, wind, and elevation on the bike.
IM Copenhagen — 16 August 2026
Target: sub-10 hours, broken down as a 1-hour swim, 4:50 bike, and 3:50 marathon. It’s a fast PB course, but am I capable of a sub-10? If not, I’ll be back in 2027 to try again!
I hope anyone reading this who’s thinking about doing a full distance gets a bit of insight into what’s involved. So just go and sign up for that race now and worry about the rest later — it worked for me!
Looking forward to seeing you racing in 2026!
My 2026
Written by James Lemin
Training for a physical event like triathlon — in my case, a half Ironman — is not only a huge commitment, but also a physical and mental journey.
While training, I constantly ask myself “why?” As I plough up and down the pool, sit cycling on my indoor trainer, or run the roads of my local area, my mind drifts between past experiences and future challenges.
I look back on my achievements since beginning this journey in 2022, when I hadn’t even attempted a triathlon. Since then, I’ve competed in several events: Luxembourg, Swansea, Sunderland, Menen (European Championships), Weymouth, Taupō (World Championships), and back to Weymouth — where I’ve now qualified for the 2026 Half Ironman World Championships.
Visualising my achievements beyond the race fuels my determination during the toughest moments. Travelling the world — Belgium, New Zealand, Wales, and soon Nice, France — climbing mountains in Morocco, Wales, and Scotland, or learning new skills all remind me why I keep going. With each lap and every kilometre, I tell myself that the resilience built here will serve me well when chasing other dreams. The discipline, courage, and self-belief developed in training don’t just prepare me for race day, but for every future adventure — especially playing with my grandchildren.
One important thing always stays clear to me: none of this would have been possible without the love and support of my family. They say consistency is key in training, but in my mind what truly matters is family. Training must fit around everything else and, sadly, often comes last.
I have never completed a half Ironman in under seven hours (with the exception of Weymouth 2025, when the swim was cancelled). I have never competed against anyone else — I compete against myself. If I cross the finish line, I believe I am a winner, even if I’m the only one in my age group.
If you’ve read this far, stop. Find a race — be it a Sprint, Standard, or, if you’re foolish (and I hope you are), a Middle or Full distance event — and start training. Good luck on your journey. If I can do it, so can you.
I enjoy triathlons because, at 80 years of age, they keep me fit enough for my grandchildren, who run and jump all over me.
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We would love to hear from you
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