TRI IN LOCKDOWN
The NHS on its knees. The economy in freefall. Bono writing a Coronavirus ballad. In unprecedented and deeply-troubling times such as these, triathlon can seem an irrelevance; those arguments about drafting, Strava PBs and the effectiveness of calf guards fading into the background as families say goodbye to their loved ones via Skype and the world’s social fabric is ripped up. And yet, if you’re anything like us, those cancelled open-water swim sessions, Sunday group rides and race calendar-plottings are a reminder of how ingrained multisport is in our lives.
When the Italian tactical visionary, Arrigo Sacchi, labelled football as “the most important of the least important things in life”, he could well have been talking about triathlon and its hold on committed multisporters worldwide. So, while us lamenting that our season starter, the Harlech Duathlon, is cancelled will rightly elicit zero sympathy in the current climate, we need to talk about triathlon and its future.
“It’s become clear that the whole country wasn’t prepared for this, event organisers included,” says Tim Lloyd, the founder of Always Aim High Events and organiser of Harlech, the Slateman and more. “Government support is great in principle, but the reality is that far too many successful and thriving companies won’t survive, with promises of
