Ross @ The World Triathlon 2026

I’ve finally completed one of my lifetime goals - to compete in a World Triathlon for my age category (40-44)

It was the most AMAZING experience…..

SWIM (750m)

This was in the River Lerez and for the first time ever in a race I was able to practice the swim the day before. It was beautiful - so sunny and the water was clear. I loved it.

On race day I met 2 other guys from GB and we hit the pontoon together. The plan was to go to the far left where you had a straight line to the first buoy.

The start was a little hectic but I kept it smooth and paced the swim well

14:21 (1:55/100m)

BIKE (20k)

This was an up then down course. The uphill was hard but I got into the zone and started overtaking other athletes. Then just as I got to the turnaround point a group of GB athletes gave me the shout to join their peloton!

The downhill was awesome - we worked well as a group, hit some good speed and came into T2 feeling pretty fresh!

34:48 (av 34.5kph, max 67kph)

RUN

This was through the beautiful old town of Pontevedra. After a short worry that my right calf was going to cramp coming off the bike, I started to feel good and I built into the run.

The feeling was amazing - all the build up had come to this moment. When I got onto the blue carpet I felt so happy my body was strong and I could have this incredible experience

20:58 (4:12/km)

OVERALL

Was well pleased with my overall position of 38th/80

Dambuster Tri 2023

This year I am attempting to qualify for the GB Age group team for next year’s World Championships. The qualifier is in September so I entered the Dambuster in June as a practice event….

Pre race

The training in the build up hasn’t been ideal as I sprained my ankle playing 11-a-side football at the start of May. This meant I have done no running for 6 weeks! And no running off the bike.

However, I have hit all my swimming sessions and starting increasing the cycling - the good thing with triathlon is there is always an option to train. And I felt pretty good going into the race

Nutrition

I often think simple is best. I always have a slow releasing carb breakfast (in this case weetabix) followed by a banana pre race and plenty of water.

Then I work on the basis of around 1g of carbs per kilo of bodyweight after 1hr. With my race plan lasting 2 hours 20 this would mean around 100g of additional carbs - this would be 2 carb drinks with electrolyte on the bike and 2 gels on the run.

This worked pretty well, although there was no option to grab the 2nd gel on the run so I was just going to finish with pure effort!

Swim 28:55 (1:51/100m) 🏊‍♂️

Not a bad effort for me. The first 500m is always pretty crowded so it think it’s best to keep relaxed and build into it. Then the 2nd 500m was right into the sun (I recommend proper open water goggles to maximise visibility). The final 500m I felt strong and was starting to really pull through the water

Bike 1h 16 (av 34.5kph) 🚴

This is where I get competitive! I can see other people around me and race them! My plan was to stick at a pedal speed of 90 rpm with a heart race of around 160 bpm and this plan worked well. The best bit was the downhill and hitting 66.4kph! 💨

Run 44:24 (av 4:27/km) 🏃🏻‍♂️

This was going to be the dodgy part. I decided to run with an ankle support. This started well but ended badly - 4k from the end I could feel it rubbing badly, then bring on the blisters from hell. That said I stuck to my pace target of going under 4:30/km, which considering the injury and the heat that was okay

Total time 2h 25 (7th / 38 in my age group)

Now I think my ankle will take it I will start ramping up the running (when the blisters have died down!) and build up through the summer 💪🏼

Ross' 40th bday challenges

The last decade I found my love of triathlon and as I love a challenge I thought I’d set myself 3 challenges before I turn 40 - 1 swim, 1 bike, 1 run….

The Swim

I have got loads better at swimming over the last few years. Mostly thanks to my dolphin-like wife Sarah and my mother-in-law Jane, who have both grown up swimming. I also joined local club EAST for a season and it was amazing to see how fast people are when they swim regularly. Unfortunately my legs still seem to sink but I am trying to improve that every session!

This challenge is something I could never have done 2 years ago and it’s going to be very tough going every 2 minutes…

The Challenge

40 x 100m efforts (every 2 mins)

*If you want to join me you can join in on any of the 100’s - it will be great to have more people in the lane

Date - Sat 9th Apr

The Bike

I have biked everyday since my Mum sent me off my bike to CNS and I love it. Cycling has provided me with so many memories over the years - from climbing hills in Italy, flying down the Rocky Mountains in IRONMAN Canada and especially the rides to the pub! (Gunton Arms is the favourite).

For this challenge local professional IRONMAN Joe Skipper has offered to pace me. I am super grateful to Joe to fit me in with his training schedule as he builds up to the World IRONMAN champs! Joe Skipper

The Challenge

40k time trial (as close to 1hr as possible!)

*Come and join on the back of the peloton (lead by a pro athlete!)

Date - Sun 20th Mar

The Run

Ever since I can remember I have loved sport - my main sport over the years has been Korfball, which involves short sharp running intervals. I have always enjoyed team sports chasing a ball, then as I got older I just enjoyed running for running. I love the challenge it gives you, exploring nature and getting the endorphins afterwards!

I have always wanted to run faster than further so I am going to attempt a speed challenge…

The Challenge

10k in 40 mins (25 laps of the track)

*I am going to book the UEA track so if you want to join me you can pace me round a few laps

Date - Sat 16th Apr

Ross' IRONMAN Canada blog - Pre Race

Departure

The adventure started at 6am in Norwich on Thurs 21st July, where my bike was expertly packed into the bike bag for the flight - thank you to Andy Blackwell! The bike was then loaded onto the plane at Gatwick - easy as pie so far.

On the flight I went through my race day plan. It was great to have some focused time to break down each part of the race and decide about the pace I wanted to race the swim, bike and run. I also used this time to plan my nutrition - such an important part to the success of a good race.

It was really helpful reading James Walsgrove's ebook, 4 Hours Faster, to get some good tips for the race too! 

Arrival and Athlete check in - day 1

After a cracking first night in Vancouver with my brother, Mitch, I was on the bus to Whistler the next morning. What a beautiful drive! Arriving in Whistler was stunning, and there were signs everywhere displaying 'IRONMAN Canada'. This just got real!

Whistler Olympic Square was the venue where all the action was happening and it is also where the finish line is. Check-in was easy and I decided to get a visor for what is going to be a potentially hot and sunny run on Sunday. 

The athlete briefing was very good too, with some inspiring speakers giving everyone confidence for the race. Phrases such as: 'don't give up', 'just keep moving forwards', 'remember your training', 'anything is possible'..

Bike and Run Prep - day 2

After a great night's sleep I woke up early (in prep for the early start tomorrow) and had the same breakfast as I will have on race day - muesli, banana, energy bar, coffee, electrolyte drink.

I then put my run stuff in Transition 2 and got the shuttle bus to drop off my bike at Transition 1.

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So all the preparations are done and now all I need to do is relax (I have a free Spa pass for the Whistler Scandinavian Spa!) and have a good high carb dinner this evening.

I am really looking forward to my biggest challenge so far! The race starts at 6:50am local time and 2:50pm (BST). If you want to follow me then you can do so on this link: http://www.ironman.com/triathlon/coverage/athlete-tracker.aspx?race=canada&y=2016#axzz4FGnSqE9C. I am race number 838.

Almost time to smash it!

Ross

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Norwich Triathlon 2015

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This year Team Dynamic Fitness entered into the new Gym Challenge, winning both the male and female categories!