Last year I somehow qualified for the GB Age Group team at middle distance in the Outlaw X triathlon, right at the end of a bad season for me.

Let’s jump back to 2019!

My year started well with running PB’s in 10k and marathon before heading to Ironman 70.3 Mallorca for the first race of a busy 2019 schedule. Mallorca was my second race over the 70.3 distance, following on from Ironman 70.3 Staffordshire in 2018. After a good training block and impressive start to 2019, I had big hopes for Mallorca. A PB and GB Age Group qualification were my targets.

All that came crashing down when I torn my right calf muscle on the run from the start line to the ocean. I did carry on with the swim and pushed through the bike leg but couldn’t walk let alone run so I pulled out in T2.

That calf tear was a grade 2 strain of the calf muscle and resulted in 6 weeks off running, meaning I had to pull out of Ironman UK and Ironman Wales.

I started back running in July and signed up for one last go at a middle distance race at the Outlaw X in September. With only 10 weeks to go from no running to middle distance ready, my hopes were to just finish this race and have fun.

In the end, it turned out to be everything I had hoped to achieve in Mallorca. A 40+ minute PB and I came with 112% of the 35-39 AG winner. This meant I could apply for a place on the GB Age Group team. Somehow, that was good enough to get on the team, despite racing with just 10 weeks of training going from zero to PB.

As we all know, 2020 hasn’t been the best for races across the board.

The 2020 ETU Middle Distance Championship was cancelled.

Those who were registered to race in 2020 have been offered the chance to apply for a slot on the 2021 team so naturally, I put my name in the hat again.

This time however, I have moved to the 40-44 age group as British Triathlon take your age as at the 31st December 2021. Even though I will be 39 come race day in June.

Moving up to this age group has meant that I have not got a place on the 20 man 40-44 AG team now, as i currently ranked 22nd. Had I been placed in the 35-39 age group, which is actually my age on race day, I would have been placed 14th and made the team.

It is dissapointing to not be able to race for GB in 2021 but rules are rules and they have to make the age cut off somewhere. I had assumed it would have been the same as all the marathon majors I have raced, where they take your age at race day.

Given the troubles I had in 2019 to earn that place on the 2020 team that then ended up being cancelled, it only fires the desire to comeback in 2021 and try to beat my PB and earn a place on the team in 2022.