My triathlon career started out at the Borough of Barnsley Swimming Club at the age of 8. I was never a world-class swimmer; I competed at county level on numerous occasions but never getting into the medals. At the age of 13 I competed in my first triathlon, the Ipswich Junior Triathlon.

The following year I entered a few more races, my results improving in every race that I did. I continued to race the children’s series triathlons until I was encouraged to join Sheffield Triathlon Club in the year 1999. It was at Sheffield where I met Bob Pringle, who advised me on my run training and helped me for the next few years. I started cycling over the winter and really worked hard to improve it, so much so that in the first race of the national youth series of 2000 I rode away from everyone and despite a relatively weak run still won the race. I went on to get a silver medal in the national youth championships at Nottingham that year, also being selected for the World Class Start programme from time trials at Loughborough University. The next few years were difficult for me; I wasn’t being coached, I was struggling with my running and the world-class programme seemed to be favouring runners. Nevertheless I kept at it, but I was not strong enough to rival the other athletes who were starting to come through the ranks.

In 2002 I started working with my current coach, Simon Ward. I see this as being one of the major turning points in my triathlon career. I started taking my training more seriously and made big improvements. I was still struggling in national competitions, but Simon instilled confidence in me, and assured me that consistent hard work would bring me back up to speed with the other athletes.

Sure enough, the next few years saw gradual but definite improvements, and in March 2004 I was selected for the World Junior Championships in Madeira. The opportunity to race in the world championships gave me a new lease of life and enabled me to train exceptionally hard. I trained specifically for this race; partaking in some of the hardest sessions I’ve ever done at Leeds International Pool with Simon, and then when the weather picked up, at Otley Sailing Club! Not long after my selection for the World, I was approached my Racescene, a local bike shop who wished to sponsor me. I continue to work with Racescene and appreciate the service they provide to me.

Madeira was a learning experience for me, I emerged from the swim mid-pack and rode myself up to the second group on the brutal hills of Madeira, and ran solidly to finish 21st. Later that year I would be crowned National Junior Champion, which qualified me for the European Championships in Lausanne. I felt I had a lot more experience in Lausanne, riding strongly in the lead pack to finish in 13th.

I competed in my first Elite race at the London Triathlon in 2004, in which I had an awesome race to finish 17th.

After the 2004 season I moved to Loughborough University to study a degree in Manufacturing Engineering and Management, and also to continue to develop my triathlon career. My first winter in Loughborough was a learning experience; I was training more than I had trained before, and also living away from home for the first time. The 2005 season quickly came around; I did a few warm up races and then hit the big one – Windsor. I finished 7th, which qualified me for the European Under 23 Championships in Bulgaria and also the Salford World Cup! Not bad to say the 2005 season was my first year as an Under 23!

My first 2 races in 2006 didn't go too well, but worked well in getting me fit for my first big race at Windsor. I raced well here, qualifying for the Europeans in Rijeka, Croatia. I trained my ass off for this race and got into awesome shape on the swim and bike, and although my run was still my weakness I was in the best shape i have ever been in. We were by far the strongest team in the race, and controlled the bike section excellently, and despite popping big style I ran to 14th. My subsequent good run in London qualified me for the Worlds in Lausanne, and I had another hard stint of training up for this race. I improved on my running form before the late season, and ran to an awesome 13th in the World Champs at the end of September.

2007 wasn’t a great year for me. I got injured early season, and took a risk on a training strategy that in hindsight didn’t work for me. Plus the stress of my finals at Uni didn’t help me out, so I didn’t manage the results I wanted. However, I had an astounding race in the London Triathlon, finishing in 6th Place, really benefitting from a solid swim and bike section. It was at least something I could take from the season and be proud of, but I decided it was time for a change. At the end of the 2007 season I moved to Swansea to train with the squad down here – and work with coaches Rick Velati and Chris Jones. Chris has worked with Simon over the past few months to really work on my running form and I have made big improvements since the start of the Winter. I am now training full time, so I have no stressed of exams or coursework to worry about, and I can devote 100% of my attention to training and racing.

I am writing at the beginning of 2008 – Olympic year, and although Beijing has arrived a little too soon for me to be realistically competing for a spot, the Olympic Games provide a great deal of inspiration for aspiring athletes such as myself. I am about to embark on a 5 week training phase in South Africa, it is to be my first visit out there and I’m really looking forward to tearing it up!

Thanks for reading..... take it ez

DB x