GO TRI is good exercise

Claire has shared her GO TRI experiences with us and we think you will all agree with us that she is inspirational.

‘Having lost over 8 stone since November 2016, I felt like I needed something to focus on. While away for my 40th birthday girly weekend with two of my closest friends. We were discussing the fact that I needed some challenges in my life. One of my friends had put up with my trying to run with them earlier in the year. They decided that I needed to challenge myself to an open water swim and a triathlon as I had previously entered these events.

‘Once I returned from the girly weekend, I was given a copy of a triathlon magazine to go through. After I had finished reading through the magazine, I went to scroll through Facebook. This is where I noticed that another friend of mine had been tagged in a GO TRI event.

‘I decided to consider GO TRI but felt nervous as I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to do it because I was too slow or didn’t have the right equipment. I quickly e-mailed GO TRI, and they put my mind at ease by reassuring me that the events were aimed at beginners who wanted to test whether they would be able to achieve an event. It didn’t matter if I walked slowly because I could go at a pace in which I was more comfortable.

‘Because I am a stronger swimmer and cyclist than I am a runner, I decided to take on the Hamble GO TRI Aquathlon in August. This was to get a taster before I entered a full on GO TRI triathlon event. I entered my first GO TRI triathlon event which took place in September. A couple of friends decided to keep me company throughout the event, although I still didn’t feel confident in my running ability. I wanted to change to another aquathlon, but my friends managed to convince me to stick with the triathlon.

‘When I took part in my events they were reaching the end of the season locally. Despite the fact that there are no more events until 2018, I haven’t been disheartened by this fact as I am now using my spare time to build up my fitness in running. I even went out and brought myself a new road bike which I started cycling the 15-mile round trip to and from work. This is something that I wouldn’t have been able to achieve a year ago, so I am feeling proud of myself.

 ‘If you are thinking about getting involved in triathlon my advice to you is go for it. I had never been a runner but decided to give it a go one day and I have never been so pleased. I’m not looking back now, I’m looking forward to 2018.'

Inspired by Claire's story? Why not sign up for your local GO TRI activity and Give TRI a go.