Three words to describe myself? Sarcastic, motivated and very British! Aside from my sport I don't take life too seriously, I'd say I'm an optimist and will laugh at any opportunity. I'm very new to triathlon but I naturally possess some characteristics of a triathlete; I'm a little bit crazy, dedicated, enthusiastic, but also not forgetting my love for cake!! We all take obscenely long trips on the bike just to seek out a great cafe or tea room!
I have always been a keen sportswoman, ever since a young age. I was in all the sports teams in school and was playing sport at every opportunity, even during short lunch breaks. This reflected in my ability and I excelled in all sport, but ask me to play hockey now and it could probably be mistaken for football. Much to my sport teachers delight, there was two of me. Yes, I have a twin sister, and we made a great doubles team in tennis. Although there was little rivalry between us (we were more of a team), Liv and I were both still very competitive. I always had a training buddy and someone pushing me to my limit, which I loved! We were always running around or playing sport in our spare time and making the most of our rural surroundings. Once, we made a small high jump set up out of an old mattress and a fishing pole. It was indoors and it had about a 5m run up. I am keen for making the most of your environment, but thinking back now, that was just unsafe. Now we've grown up (a bit!) we've taken slightly different paths. Liv is an outstanding horse rider and a very reputable human and animal physio. Most importantly, she is my number one fan :)
Running and horse riding were the two main sports I did as a teenager, and once I started swimming with the local swim club (Sudbury Storms) I was soon taking part in Pony Club Tetrathlon. This involved shooting, swimming, horse riding and running, and I was competing at a National level up until the age of 20. When I started studying at Bristol University in 2007 it seemed sensible to take up Fencing to compete in Modern Pentathlon. So I did just that. I progressed quickly and I gained my first GB cap in 2010 where I competed in a World Cup competition. I continued making slow progress but 200m freestyle was not my forte, so I wasn't quite able to make it onto a funding programme. I did, however, make the Bristol University High Performance Squad in 2012.
I have always been a keen sportswoman, ever since a young age. I was in all the sports teams in school and was playing sport at every opportunity, even during short lunch breaks. This reflected in my ability and I excelled in all sport, but ask me to play hockey now and it could probably be mistaken for football. Much to my sport teachers delight, there was two of me. Yes, I have a twin sister, and we made a great doubles team in tennis. Although there was little rivalry between us (we were more of a team), Liv and I were both still very competitive. I always had a training buddy and someone pushing me to my limit, which I loved! We were always running around or playing sport in our spare time and making the most of our rural surroundings. Once, we made a small high jump set up out of an old mattress and a fishing pole. It was indoors and it had about a 5m run up. I am keen for making the most of your environment, but thinking back now, that was just unsafe. Now we've grown up (a bit!) we've taken slightly different paths. Liv is an outstanding horse rider and a very reputable human and animal physio. Most importantly, she is my number one fan :)
Running and horse riding were the two main sports I did as a teenager, and once I started swimming with the local swim club (Sudbury Storms) I was soon taking part in Pony Club Tetrathlon. This involved shooting, swimming, horse riding and running, and I was competing at a National level up until the age of 20. When I started studying at Bristol University in 2007 it seemed sensible to take up Fencing to compete in Modern Pentathlon. So I did just that. I progressed quickly and I gained my first GB cap in 2010 where I competed in a World Cup competition. I continued making slow progress but 200m freestyle was not my forte, so I wasn't quite able to make it onto a funding programme. I did, however, make the Bristol University High Performance Squad in 2012.
In 2011 I started a combined Triathlon and Pentathlon society with a friend and this is how the move to Triathlon begun. I thought I may be better at this endurance sport. I borrowed kit and equipment from friends (road bike included) and my first triathlon was BUCS super sprint where I finished 2nd. I competed in a couple of other races and I loved the atmosphere, and the excitement of racing that I didn't have in Pentathlon. I continued doing Pentathlon for another year, but trying to do a PhD and train for 5 sports was challenging and stressful. In 2013 I qualified for the the Age-group World triathlon Champs at the Bristol Harbourside triathlon, again still borrowing all the kit! It was after getting the silver medal at the champs in London 2013 that I made the definitive decision to switch the horse for a bike and pursue Triathlon. It was a good move for my health that's for sure! Or not some triathletes might say - it can take over your life!
I remained on the Uni High Performance Squad for my last year of uni, but switched sports. Last year I worked with them and my coach at the time, Andy Bullock, and despite my lack of experience we went straight for the elite races. I have now done 2 seasons at this level and still have much to improve on. At the beginning of this year I embarked on a new role as a guide for the British visually impaired athletes (you can read about this in my Feb 2015 blog). This has been THE best experience!! Doing the sport I love as a team and it's so rewarding. Not to mention the winter training camps, and other exotic locations for races. I have now finished working in Neuroscience research at Bristol and have moved to train full time with the paratriathlon squad in Loughborough. With Rio less than 10 months away I wanted to dedicate myself to guiding and working with Alison Patrick in Loughborough.