Do you like doing all this?!

My day began at 4.30am to go lead the training squad for the Pacific Mini Games in a time trial mini duathlon.  Someone asked me today if I enjoy doing this work? DO YOU LIKE DOING ALL THIS?! My immediate answer YES surprised me 😆 I had to stop and think about it (wait up, really?!) but the answer was still yes. I enjoy working with athletes, being their manager and sort-of coach. Its a bit like my old teacher job maybe? Seeing youth improve and learn a ton of useful things along the way, learning things not even about triathlon at all, but about being better humans? Seeing how it relies on lots of different people coming together to make that happen, not just that athlete. People like parents, teachers, their teammates, coaches, and then support and encouragement from lots of really lovely people outside this sport who give a lot to help the kids.

I know we’re supposed to be focused on getting triathletes who can go faster and win medals somewhere, but just between you and me – I sort of dont care about that? Its much more interesting to see them take on a new challenge or set a goal and then go after it, their absolute delight (and even sometimes their surprise) when they achieve it. Even seeing how they face disappointment and losses, work their way through them and keep going. Being a small part of that as the person who gets to counsel with them, brainstorm things to try, (yell a little as required 🤪), be stern when needed, and then be so very glad for them when they overcome that challenge or do that thing that seemed so impossible before. That is what is so very cool about this work.

And its in the little things that dont get awards or get noticed – unless youve been paying attention from the start. Like today at the group ride that was happening at the same time as the duathlon. Theres a couple of girls who when they started, they could barely balance on a bike, hung their heads and slouched their shoulders – shrinking into themselves like teenagers do when they really dont want anyone to notice them. Like they dread taking up space. (I remember well that look and that feeling from when I was a teenager and maybe even still now as a grownup sometimes!) One of those girls fell off her bike in one of the early days sessions and it was painful, she needed help to stand, to walk. There were tears. I worried that day, she wouldnt want to come back to bike training. That maybe her parents would say NO MORE. ITS TOO DANGEROUS!

Today those same young women rode 30km, strong tall and confident on bikes. They smiled, laughed and showed their #happy at being able to ride a bike in Samoa, navigating through Saturday morning traffic in Apia. They rode in a peloton with precision and care. They kept asking the Group Leader if they could all ride through town again, and then just one more time again please? And lets all go again! Afterwards they talked about how they enjoyed the group ride, ‘I was scared at the beginning and then I kept going and it was great!’

What brought about the change? Lots of things. They had the necessary bike handling skills, enough practise with their volunteer instructors, the support of their parents/family who willingly wake up at 4am to drive them and their bikes to training, the positive words of coaches and their teammates. PLUS a bicycle to ride on, given by generous donors who believe in the transformative power of cycling.

I like to believe that these athletes carry this same confidence and self-belief with them even beyond biking and beyond doing triathlon.

From my own experiences doing triathlons and some cycling, (even from my consistent last place finish all the time!) – I have found there is great strength in knowing you have the right to take up space. To be seen. To be heard. Strength in knowing you CAN do difficult things, even things that scare you at first. You can practise, keep going, ask for help, fall over and then get back up.

I dont love triathlon like how my husband loves his sport. But I am grateful for what triathlon teaches me. And thanks to the athletes I am blessed to work with – Im learning more every day.