TRIATHLON was catapulted into the limelight this summer when brothers Jonathan and Alistair Brownlee swam, cycled and ran their way to gold and bronze at the London 2012 Olympic Games.

However, the sport has been thriving in Berkshire for more than 25 years.

The first recorded triathlon took place in San Diego in 1974 and it took a decade or more for clubs to appear in the UK.

Berkshire Tri Squad [BTS] was one of the first, starting in the late Eighties with just a handful of members. Now, it is a vibrant club with more than 120 members ranging from beginners to international competitors.

The club offers weekly cycling, running, swimming, spinning and pilates in Windsor, Slough, Ascot and Maidenhead and boasts an active social calendar.

The growth of the sport in recent years has meant a huge increase in the number of public races, many of them taking place in this region.

Dorney Lake has become a popular venue for races for all abilities, and the annual Windsor Triathlon is one of the sport's highest profile events.

So what makes Triathlon one of the UK's fastest growing sports?

According to BTS Chairman, Julia Hodkinson, it is a combination of variety, challenge and friendship and support.

"Let's be honest, training for just one sport can get boring," she said. "With triathlon you have three completely different disciplines so you can vary your training according to your mood, the time you have available and the seasons.

"There is always more to learn with triathlon. It is about challenging yourself and improving little by little." There are a range of triathlons from the the shortest super-sprint distance of a 400m swim. 10km bike and 3km run. The iron distance is a whopping 3.8km swim, 180km bike and 42km run.

Joining a club allows competitors to learn from fellow members and find suitable training partners. For many triathletes it is a way of life, and one that they want to share with as many people as possible.

There is no age limit. There are triathletes competing well into their 70s and 80s and BTS has equal numbers of women and men.

Paratriathlon offers a number of formats for athletes with disabilities and will be a Paralympic sport in Rio, 2016.

To find out more about triathlon in Berkshire go to www.berkshiretrisquad.com or contact Julia at jh@berkshiretrisquad.com. New members are welcome regardless of abiliity.

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