Coaching World Championship Triathletes

Abu Dhabi World Championship Age Group swim exit

Peak XV triathlete reflects on ITU Triathlon World Championships – Abu Dhabi

Coaching World Championship triathletes can’t be easy! Well, here I am, a Peak XV triathlete and GB age group competitor exactly 7 days after the ITU triathlon World Championships Abu Dhabi.

I like to take time after a race to reflect on my performance before writing my post. I’m sitting here Saturday night having a beer watching Argentina and Australia play each other in the world cup and I can’t help but think that I am like Australia. You turn up to the biggest competition of your life full of hope and expectations. And as we brits know, it’s the hope that kills you. And you discover your level best is a number of levels below the actual best. As if to prove my point Argentina have just scored their second goal…think I may need more beer.

World Championship triathletes from all over the world

The race itself as you’d expect, was tough, 35-degree heat and fierce competition – but it is the world championships…what else should I expect. The race hype all week is something to experience, everyone seemed fitter and faster (and less pasty white, well pale blue if I’m honest) than I was. Muscularly tanned athletes from Australia, Mexico, Spain to name but a few made me feel even more self-conscious. I kept hoping I’d see one of them scoffing a burger or sausage roll but no chance of that.

To the race itself. I had an average swim, excellent bike leg, and poor run. Overall, I earned the result I deserved and came away with a ranking of 41st in the world for my Age Group. Hmm on reflection 41st in the world does sound pretty good, and considering the hurdles overcome on the road to the final its actually very good.

Peak XV Tri Coaching athlete Stephen Mundie racing the bike at World Championships

Peak XV Tri Coaching ‘High Performance Coach’ – Garrie Prosser

I was close to giving up the sport in 2018 as I’d fallen out of love with it. Thankfully my coach Garrie Prosser convinced me to tag along to a training camp in Lanzarote, that Peak XV Tri Coaching were organising.. Which rekindled a spark in me. Garrie inspired me and put together a quality training plan, I lost 8kg and started getting serious about training again. I met my best mate Tori Peter (another Peak XV triathlete, GB Age Group Team and multiple Ironman 70.3 AG Winner) with whom I’ve shared many an adventure on the way. But of course, it’s not always plain sailing (as Argentina have just discovered with Australia scoring from a wicked deflection). Having qualified for the GB team at a qualification race in 2019 everything went to hell in a hen cart when covid hit our shores the following year. Then I got hit with the news I had a brain tumour.

Brain tumour challenge

Yes, a brain tumour, sort of puts things into perspective. After 18 months of treatment and recovery and lots of false starts I won the Scottish AG Duathlon Championship in October last year to become the national champion.

And now, I’ve competed for GB at the World Championships. A lot of other things happened along the way; I’ve got to admit it’s been one hell of a roller coaster ride. The end of that ride came in the last 300m of the run last Saturday. A fellow GB athlete came past me past me on the run in and opened up a lead of 50m as we sprinted towards the blue carpet that marks the final 200m to the finish. I could see he was fading and at that moment a voice in me said “go just go” and I went after him with everything I had. As we both approached the line, I was rolling all over the place trying to catch him. And with that, I crossed the line totally spent and 2 1/2kg lighter through dehydration.