I joined the club in 2012, with no triathlon experience. Having been out of “formal” sports training for 20 years, I was keen to get back into pool swimming for fitness and the social side. I didn’t own a bike and I’ve never described myself as a runner.
Since joining the club I’ve completed events I had never thought about before – triathlon, half-marathon & marathon, mud obstacle running and open water swimming. If I could get my piriformis issue fixed, I’d be up for a 70.3 or a full IM distance…. I now own a mountain bike and road bike, more neoprene than you could shake a stick at and lots of training (and recovery) kit.
I particularly enjoy coaching because I love being able to pass on to others the encouragement I have received from great coaches across different sports. It’s also really handy for helping iron out some of your own technique wrinkles!
Coaching qualifications
BTF Group Coach (Level 2)
Finest sporting moments
Discovering it doesn’t matter that I’ll never be the fastest over 100m (at anything) and that endurance is more my thing. Once I realised I wasn’t limited to an hour’s pool swim or a run for the bus, I’ve increased distances to complete 26 miles running and 26km swimming, both of which I would never have said I could do (or enjoy). I might even get to 26 miles swimming, you never know…
An actual win is always great – my first outright win was probably the Big Brutal 10K swim in 2023
Chester Triathlon Club – Alan Cronin Club Member of the Year 2023