Hi guys, hope you’ve all had a great July.
So this is what it’s like to have a summer! What a glorious month of weather we’ve had. I honestly can’t remember the last time it stayed this warm, this consistently, day after day. It really is fuel for the soul.
Quick update on my recovery before we crack on. I’m pleased to say I managed my first ride on the TT bike, nine weeks and one day after the accident, and my God, did it feel glorious. Even managed to find a few of my swimmers out in Richmond Park on that ride. I’m nearly twelve weeks in now and training is going really well. I’m starting to get that uptick in fitness where it suddenly clicks and you feel like you’ve got another gear. I can also manage 3-4 hours on the bike in the TT position, which, considering I had a broken elbow and a plate put in, is pretty remarkable. It feels completely comfortable. Credit for that goes to the surgeons at the Heath Hospital Cardiff, because the last thing I remember saying to the surgeon before they put me under was, “Can you please make sure my arm works properly, because I’m a swimmer and I like doing time trials on my bike.”
The one hiccup has been my right shoulder, which hasn’t been great in the pool the last few weeks. Turns out my collarbone is slightly out of position, so I’m doing a lot of physio to sort it. There are definite signs of improvement, so I’m hopeful.
But enough about me. Time for the team update.
This month I had the pleasure of heading down to the Cotswolds Classic Middle Distance Triathlon to support the squad at our team race for the year. I was gutted not to be racing myself, if I’m honest. It’s one of my favourite races on the calendar, for so many reasons. Beautiful course, but really it’s the organisation and the supporters that make it. They do an extraordinary job down there, and it feels like no other triathlon I’ve been to. The biggest compliment I could give the race organiser was telling him that his helpers make you feel like they actually know you. The support and enthusiasm out on that course is genuine in a way you don’t often find.
Even from the sidelines, I wouldn’t have missed it for the world, and I’m happy to say the sun shone on everyone all day. Our athletes performed brilliantly across the board, so huge congratulations to everyone who raced so well.
It was also particularly heartwarming to have so many of my athletes’ parents and loved ones at the race too, which made it all so much more fun. It really was a family affair. I always love meeting the mums, dads, and partners of my athletes, getting that extra bit of insight into them that only their nearest and dearest can give. I also loved having a whole team of athletes racing together. There was even “Team John,” with Anna, one of my longtime athletes and swimmers, joined by her son and his partner, all racing together. They put in an incredible performance and brought such great energy to the event.
I do want to give a special shout-out, though, because there was one performance out there that stood out, from a lady I’ve had the privilege of coaching for many years. What she did that day, at 72 years old, was extraordinary. Super Gran, as I call her, well and truly lived up to the name, and then some.
It didn’t start well. She got into a bit of a panic in the open water, easily done, even for experienced swimmers. Those moments can overwhelm you completely, especially with a lot of close contact, and Helen had one of those moments despite being a strong, regular open-water swimmer. When I saw her switch to breaststroke near the end of the swim, I knew something was wrong. She’d got spooked and was struggling to get her breathing under control. But like the trooper she is, she made it to transition, and there was a moment I genuinely thought she might pull out. But that’s not Helen Burton. Next thing I knew, she was walking past me with her bike, very sensibly taking the time to calm herself down. A few choice words from me, and she was off.
Her bad luck didn’t end there. A slipped gear on one of the hills sent her tumbling off her bike, but she managed to carry on. Shaken, not stirred.
I was delighted to see her making good progress on the bike and coming back into transition for the run, though I’ll admit she didn’t look her happiest. But her mental strength took over, and she did the only thing left to do: put one foot in front of the other.
What followed was one of the most extraordinary displays of toughness and resilience I’ve ever witnessed as a coach. She was clearly struggling, and the option to stop was there at every stage. She never took it. There were tears on her coach’s shoulder at one point on the run, and still she found something within herself to keep moving.
Despite being one of the last athletes out on the course, she’d caught the full attention of the race organisers. They knew she was 72, and they were just as inspired as I was. So much so that they gave her “Shouty Dave” (if you know, you know) as her chaperone for the final lap, to make sure she got round safely. It was a genuinely touching moment, and the whole team of organisers came out to applaud her across the line.
This is right up there as one of the most extraordinary, inspiring things I’ve witnessed as a coach. It was one of Helen’s finest moments: depth of character & fortitude in abundance, she deserves every superlative. It might not have been her fastest race. It didn’t need to be, because it had everything else.
What a woman.
Cotswold Classic Middle Distance Triathlon
- Helen Burton
- Swim: 1:01:42
- Bike: 3:59:19
- Run: 3:54:35
- Overall time: 9:04:50
- Age Category: 1st in 70-74 category
- Vicki Hill
- Swim: 40:32
- Bike: 2:34:57
- Run: 1:41:04
- Overall time: 5:01:46
- Age Category: 2nd in the 50-54 category
- Paul Harnett (TTT)
- Swim: 35:05
- Bike: 2:11:55
- Run: 1:39:05
- Overall time: 4:29:14
- Age Category: 2nd in the 50-54 category
- Team John (Anna, Holly, Dylan)
- Swim: 35:06
- Bike: 2:32:35
- Run: 1:45:54
- Overall time: 4:56:50
- Team Category: 3rd
- Nick Betteridge
- Swim: 33:47
- Bike: 2:13:37
- Run: 1:36:07
- Overall time: 4:27:01
- Age Category: 4th in the 40-44 category
- Oliver Wagner
- Swim: 38:01
- Bike: 2:29:15
- Run: 1:53:43
- Overall time: 5:06:53
- Age Category: 5th in the 50-54 category
- Bex Betteridge
- Swim: 32:50
- Bike: 2:37:05
- Run: 2:08:54
- Overall time: 5:23:53
- Age Category: 5th in 40-44 category
- Matt Berrill
- Swim: 41:04
- Bike: 2:15:22
- Run: 1:36:45
- Overall time: 4:37:05
- Age Category: 6th in the 30-34 category
Ironman Lake Placid
- Renata Gruda
- Run 1:33:25
- Bike: 6:51:22
- Run: 5:12:02
- Overall time: 13:52:45
- Age Category: 45-49 category
If ever a lady earned her giant lobster and chips at the end of an Ironman, it was this one. Renata took on one of the toughest Ironmans in the world and conquered it, but most impressively, she very nearly didn’t start the race at all, thanks to stomach problems through the night and into the morning. It’s a lesson to every triathlete out there: be careful what you eat and drink at race venues, because unknowingly to Renata, some of the products she’d taken on contained sweeteners that are known to upset her stomach badly. It led to an incredibly uncomfortable night and a morning spent genuinely doubting whether she should start at all. But true to form, she found her mental toughness once again, decided to start, and just see what happened.
She overcame barrier after barrier during the race, simply putting one foot in front of the other while considerably weakened from the night before. I also have to compliment her on one of the most flawless displays of consistent training for an Ironman I’ve ever seen from an athlete. Week in, week out, she put in the hard yards and the long hours, and the level of commitment and consistency she showed was genuinely impressive from where I was standing. I think that’s exactly what gave her the mental toughness to keep moving forward on race day, over a course with a brutally hilly bike and an equally hilly run.
Her goal was to break 14 hours. Despite everything stacked against her, she did it. And I think we both know there’s a lot more in the tank for when the stars properly align for her on race day.
European Triathlon Championships – Banyoles, Spain (Middle distance)
- Flo Smart
- Swim: 34:18
- Bike: 2:45:47
- Run: 1:06:57
- Overall time: 4:41:59
- Age Category: 8th in 30-34 category
European Duathlon Championships – Banyoles, Spain (Standard distance)
- Polly Rogers
- Run 1:53:23
- Bike: 1:18:30
- Run: 27:57
- Overall time: 2:44:33
- Age Category: 9th in 55-59 category
A huge shout-out to both our ladies who competed at the European Championships in Banyoles, Spain, across the Duathlon and Triathlon in July. Both faced fierce race-day temperatures, with the Duathlon reaching as high as 38°C and the middle-distance Triathlon still brutal at over 30°C, hot enough that the event was actually shortened due to the excessive heat.
I’m super pleased to say both athletes managed their efforts brilliantly and came through with terrific performances, doing themselves proud in conditions that tested everyone to the absolute limit.
Huge credit to Polly, racing for Ireland, and to Flo, racing for Team GB for the very first time. These were genuinely outstanding performances on the biggest of stages.
Swim around The Isle of Wight (71miles)
- Sami Roberston + The Wildpoolers (Team of 5)
- Overall time: 20hours 47mins 6 secs
Huge congratulations to Sami Robertson and his extraordinary Wildpoolers team on completing a swim around the Isle of Wight, a monumental 71-mile challenge that ranks among the toughest open water swims in the UK. It was a deeply personal swim for Sami, as the island is where his family originally came from, which made the achievement mean so much more. He took it on with five of his closest friends, all seasoned open water swimmers who’ve spent years training and pushing each other through some of the summer’s most demanding challenges, backed by a huge support team of 20, including boats, pilots, navigators, kayakers, and crew, all working together to get them safely around the island’s notoriously unpredictable currents and tides.
The glue holding it all together was John Caulcutt CBE, who lives with Parkinson’s and who Sami describes as one of the most selfless people he’s ever met, having spent years raising money for Parkinson’s research and motor neurone disease charities while quietly inspiring everyone around him.
The team swam as The Wildpoolers, a name given to them by Helen Matthews, CEO of Cure Parkinson’s, in honour of the Wildpool shoe project Sami has been working on. For Sami, that name sums up exactly what this swim was about: people coming together not for medals or records, but because they believe Parkinson’s can one day be slowed, stopped, or cured. Around 400 people on the Isle of Wight live with the condition today, and across the UK it remains the fastest-growing neurological disease. The team has already raised an incredible amount for the cause, with donations still open here.
Read more and follow the journey:
- 20 hours, 47 minutes, 6 seconds: “we’ll remember…”
- Swim Around the Isle of Wight 2026
- 71 Miles Around the Isle of Wight
Pub to club 1.5km Henley open water swim
Huge congratulations to all our squad swimmers who took on the Club to Pub swim in Henley this year: Sarah 25:15, Jo 25:16, Robert 26:04, Louise 28:50, and JT 34:00. This 1.5km swim starts at Henley Rowing Club, heads 400m upstream before turning round two large marker buoys, and finishes on the far bank at the historic Angel on the Bridge, one of the more picturesque and unique open water events on the calendar, swum straight through the heart of the town on a summer evening. It’s a good test of pace judgement, with the tricky upstream leg giving way to a fast, flowing swim back down, and a well-earned pint waiting at the finish line makes it as much a celebration as a race. Great to see so many of the squad take it on together and do themselves proud.
Athlete focus for the month of August
Most importantly, the focus for August should simply be to get out there, train, and have some fun in the sun while this extended run of fantastic weather holds, because, as we know all too well in this country, it’s not going to last forever!
Athletes will typically find themselves in one of three positions this month:
- Those who’ve just completed some of their key races of the year and are heading into a recovery or rest period.
- Those coming back into training for a second peak race in the second half of the year, Kona being the obvious one for some of you.
- Those with races coming up imminently in the next few weeks.
If you’re in recovery, just enjoy the feeling of having no pressure to push. If you’re coming back into training, do it slowly and surely. It really is about letting training compound gradually, building duration very slowly, and doing a lot of what you feel like doing rather than what a plan tells you to. This time of year matters more than people think. You’re waiting for that spark to reignite, the point where you genuinely want to get back into focused training, and that’s something you have to wait patiently for. It does come, but not on command. Just be patient for now, because that feeling will come.
If you’re building towards that second key race, whether it’s a few weeks or a few months out, now is the time to dial into race specifics. Specificity is everything at this stage: testing your equipment and kit choices, rehearsing pacing strategy, dialling in your nutrition plan, and putting in multiple brick sessions, leaving no stone unturned. Some of you may even take a trip out to the race venue itself if you’re chasing peak performance, getting to know the course and building that familiarity in your head so you can race it as fast as possible on the day. Recreate the demands of your course in training wherever you can. The better you do that now, the better you’ll fare come race day.
And a word for everyone, whichever camp you’re in: August in the UK is a gift. We don’t often get consecutive weeks of settled, warm weather like this, so use it. Get outdoors, train in it, enjoy it, and don’t take it for granted, because September has a habit of turning the tap back on.
Questions from the squad
Athlete asks: “During my last two open water races, I’ve had a bit of a panic and had to switch to breaststroke. What can I do to prevent this going forward?”
Coach says: First, know that nothing is “wrong” with you. You’ve completed Half Ironmans for years, so the physical ability is clearly there. This isn’t a swimming problem, it’s what your brain does when it believes you’re under threat.
Dr Steve Peters calls this the Chimp, the emotional part of the brain whose job is to keep you alive. It doesn’t reason. When someone gets on your feet, bumps you, or crowds your space, your Chimp doesn’t think “this is just racing,” it thinks “I’m trapped.” Your breathing spikes, your heart rate climbs, and the stroke that’s worked hundreds of times in training falls apart.
The goal isn’t to stop the Chimp turning up. It’s to notice it early and let your calm, thinking Human take back control. Remember: panic is uncomfortable, not dangerous. Your job is just to ride out the feeling without letting it dictate what you do next.
Build a simple reset routine. Don’t fight the panic, practise a routine until it’s automatic: Notice (“my Chimp has arrived”), accept (“this is just my alarm doing its job”), reset (exhale slowly, lengthen the stroke, ease the kick, look a few metres ahead, find your rhythm), then keep moving. Even at a slower pace, you’re still moving forward.
Give your Chimp a job. Trying to stop the thoughts rarely works, replace them instead: “long and relaxed,” “one stroke at a time,” “exhale,” “smooth is safe.”
Catch it early. Panic usually builds rather than strikes instantly, watch for rushed breathing, a rising stroke rate, a frantic kick, or tensing shoulders. Treat these as dashboard warning lights, not emergencies.
Reframe contact with other swimmers. Instead of “I’m trapped,” try “this is exactly what happens in open-water racing.” Every calm response teaches your brain that crowded water doesn’t equal danger. Just imagine its your fellow friendly squad swimmers or team mates having some fun with you.
Exhale before you inhale. Panic is often driven by holding your breath. Focus on a complete, calm exhale, the inhale will follow naturally.
Expect the Chimp to show up. Don’t aim for a perfectly calm swim, expect it, almost welcome it (“there you are”), and return to your routine. You’re not eliminating the Chimp, you’re teaching it you’re safe.
Practise controlled stress. Where you can, get training partners to deliberately swim close, touch your feet, or create mild congestion. It teaches your brain, “I’ve handled this before.”
Start slightly easier. Many athletes go out too hard on adrenaline. A calmer first few hundred metres gives your brain evidence you’re in control, you’re not racing the first 300m, you’re racing the whole course.
Redefine success. Don’t judge the swim by whether panic shows up, judge it by how fast you recover. “I panicked for 20 seconds, recognised it, reset, and carried on,” that’s a win, and every recovery teaches your brain panic doesn’t have to end your race.
Your race-day reminder: I’ve done this many times. My Chimp may get noisy today, and that’s okay. Crowded water is uncomfortable, not unsafe. Slow breathing, long strokes, one buoy at a time. I don’t need to feel calm to swim well, I only need to keep moving.
The finish line belongs to the athlete who keeps making calm, simple decisions, not the one who never feels afraid.
If you want to go deeper into this way of thinking, Steve Peters’ book The Chimp Paradox is well worth a read, it’s where a lot of this thinking comes from and it’s genuinely useful for any athlete dealing with nerves or race-day pressure.
Athlete asks: “Do you think 7.5km is a reasonable base for a 10K sea swim? I’ve built up the sessions in recent weeks, 4/5/6/7km and now 7.5km. I’ve also done lots of lake swimming and a 4km river swim, but I haven’t managed a proper sea swim yet, even though I know you said it would be a good idea. It’s just been impossible to get away. I’m heading to Portugal in two weeks and will be there a couple of days early, so I’ll get a chance to swim there before the event. I am quite worried about it, if I’m honest!”
Coach says: 7.5km is an absolutely perfect foundation for a 10K swim. You’re more than ready, so trust in that, I can assure you you’ll be absolutely fine on the day if you pace it well, stay calm and fuel well.
It also sounds like you’ve been ticking all the right boxes with the rest of your swimming to back that up. Take huge confidence from that.
The only real variable now is the sea itself. Conditions can be unpredictable, and that’s precisely why the Portugal window matters so much. You’re not walking into this blind, you’ll be out there a couple of days before the event, and that time is gold. Don’t waste it on the beach with a book. Get in the sea, feel what the conditions are actually like, practise your sighting, and get your breathing settled against the swell. Even one or two short swims out there will do more for your confidence than another month of pool sessions ever could. By the time you’re stood on the start line, the sea won’t be an unknown any more, it’ll just be water you’ve already swum in.
I always like to think of a 10K swim as broken down like this:
- First 2.5km: hold back, keep it almost too easy
- Next 5km: settle into a nice rhythm
- Final 2.5km: push with whatever you’ve got left, if there’s anything left at all
- Or simply maintain a steady, even pace the whole way through
It really is that simple.
Nutrition is the other piece people underestimate. A 10K swim is a long time to be working hard in the water, so you need to be taking on calories to match. As a general guide, aim for 60-90g of carbohydrate per hour. There are a few different ways athletes manage this during a long swim, and it’s worth working out what suits you before race day:
- Aid stations on the course: many 10K events have feed stations where you can grab a cup or gel as you pass, worth checking the event details so you know exactly where these are and what’s on offer.
- Support boat or kayak: if you’ve got a support boat or kayaker with you, they can carry your own gels or drink and hand them across at set intervals, this gives you full control over exactly what and when you’re taking on.
- Carrying it yourself: some swimmers tuck a small gel or two into their costume, wetsuit sleeve, or a bento-style swim belt, so they’ve got something on them regardless of support.
Whichever method you use, little and often works far better than trying to take on a big hit all at once. Get this dialled in during your sea swims in Portugal too, practising your feeding routine matters just as much as practising the swimming itself.
The open water swimming you get in before the event will pay enormous dividends on race day. When you get there, just do some light, short swims to get familiar with the conditions, and practise controlling your pace, breathing, and feeding. Stick to the pacing plan above and you’ll be absolutely fine.
One more thing: don’t be surprised if you feel flat, restless, or even a bit off in the days leading up to the swim. That’s not a warning sign, that’s just taper. Your body is soaking up months of hard work while you do less, and it can feel strange after being in “build mode” for so long. Trust it. The fitness doesn’t disappear in a week, if anything, this is when it locks in. Let yourself rest properly and don’t panic-swim just because you feel a bit twitchy.
And trust me, every athlete, whether it’s triathlon, open water, running, or cycling, gets nervous before long-distance events. If you weren’t nervous, I’d be more worried! Those nerves are exactly what drives you to the finish on race day.
Athlete asks: “I did an hour’s swim on the north coast of Denmark today, perfect calm, clear water, but the salt water really fried my tongue. What do experienced open water swimmers do about that? Oceans are much saltier, and I imagine it’s a real issue.”
Coach says: Great question. It’s something most people notice once they start spending more time in the sea, especially on longer swims.
The salt can definitely leave your mouth and tongue feeling pretty rough afterwards. Even experienced open water swimmers aren’t immune to it, they’ve just spent enough time in the ocean that they manage it well and don’t let it become a distraction.
A few simple things can help. Stay well hydrated before you swim, focus on relaxed breathing and good body position so you’re not taking in unnecessary salt water, and have some fresh water ready afterwards to rinse your mouth and rehydrate.
A few other tricks worth trying:
- Exhale steadily while your face is underwater. Consistent exhaling while your head is submerged is good technique anyway, and it also helps keep seawater out of your mouth in the first place, so it’s doing double duty.
- Rinse with fresh water or mint tea, not more seawater, once you’re out, rather than the more of the same.
- Some long-distance swimmers use a splash of mouthwash, swished and spat rather than swallowed, to cut through the salt and freshen things up, particularly useful on longer swims or channel-style crossings.
- Lip balm or a barrier product on the lips (something like lanolin) can help stop them cracking on longer swims, and some swimmers use a similar approach with a coating like coconut oil in the mouth before very long crossings.
- Sucking an ice cube or having an iced drink afterwards can be surprisingly soothing if your mouth is feeling raw.
I wouldn’t worry too much if it’s just your tongue feeling a bit “fried” after an hour in the sea. That’s a fairly normal part of open water swimming, and most people find it becomes less noticeable the more time they spend in salt water.
Like most things with open water, experience is a great teacher. The more time you spend in those conditions, the more your body adapts, and the less you tend to notice the little things.
Fuel for the mind
Sometimes the best training happens away from the bike, the run, or the pool — in the stories that stretch what we think is possible and remind us why we do this in the first place. Here is a docuseries that really struck a chord with me this month:
🏈📺🍿 Quarterback
If you’re after something to watch this month, I’d genuinely recommend Quarterback on Netflix, which has just dropped its third season.
The docuseries follows four NFL quarterbacks through a season, giving viewers exclusive, unprecedented access to the grind, glory, and grit that define one of the toughest jobs in sport, both on and off the field. This season it follows Jayden Daniels, Baker Mayfield, Cam Ward, and Joe Flacco, each at a completely different stage of their career and carrying a different kind of pressure.
What I find so compelling about it is the honesty. It strips away the highlight reel and shows the reality behind the position: the setbacks, the self-doubt, the relentless scrutiny, and the sheer mental toughness required to keep performing when everything’s on the line. As a coach, and as an athlete myself, there’s something deeply relatable in watching how these players handle pressure, bounce back from bad performances, injuries and keep showing up. It’s a brilliant reminder that resilience looks the same whether you’re stood in an NFL pocket or on a start line in a wetsuit, it’s built the same way, one difficult moment at a time.