Trigirl is thrilled to announce our line-up of amazing ambassadors for 2013:
Rachael Willis, Chene Koscielny and Natalie Johnson. We can’t wait to follow their adventures in triathlon throughout the year.
Thanks so much to everyone who applied. We had a wide range of really cool women this year, so narrowing it down was not easy! Best of luck to all in your training and racing in 2013.
So how did I end up on the pages of Trigirl? I have always been ‘the sporty one’ – kickboxing, lacrosse, tennis, kayaking, running, cycling – so I suppose it was inevitable that I would fall into multi-sport at some point. I raced my first (and only) mini triathlon in 2011 and I loved it. After an injury setback in 2012, I decided I had unfinished business with the whole swim-bike-run thing.
While my focus may have shifted over the years from pitch to river to trail, what has remained constant is my love of sport and competition. I work as a personal trainer so I spend a lot of time encouraging my clients to enjoy the benefits of sport and exercise, to set goals, and to challenge themselves. So I thought I would ‘walk the walk’ by stepping outside my comfort zone and into the weird and wonderful world of triathlon.
When I heard the news I was delighted! Great company, great kit – recommended by my sister (a 2012 Blenheim finisher) – and, I confess, I shed a tear. This may seem overly emotional to you, but is quite a big deal for me. I’m not very fit, you see. I don’t really do exercise.
Well, I didn’t use to do any. I do now. And it turns out I’m not as bad as I thought! This is a shame really, as I have spent my entire life avoiding being fit, or anything that might be construed as exercise. Being almost 6ft tall this came from a lifetime of, “You’re tall. You’re sporty. You can play/run/throw”. No. I’m just tall, you see. Now, at 36 years old, this seems a bit of a wasted opportunity. But – as they say – better late than never, so I’ve every intention on making up for my years of couch-dom by being an inspiration to my three daughters and a training partner for my husband and friends whose fault, I mean encouragement, got me to this fantastic point.