Hi Guys,
Hope you’ve all had a great month.
As I sit here today writing this, I can’t help but feel incredibly emotional on learning the sad news that Alistair Brownlee has just retired from triathlon. In fact, I can’t believe how hard it hit me when I found out on Instagram. I love my sport but can’t ever remember feeling the same way when some of my other favourite athletes have retired in the past. Perhaps that says something about how lucky I feel to have witnessed his entire career from beginning to end.
All too often the words legend, game changer, GOAT are bandied around far too easily. Alistair truly was all those things and then some. He was gifted with two unique traits that only very few have; he was a born with an extraordinary will to win & he was as ruthless in the pursuit of this as they come. Most importantly he also had the rare talent that could back it up. On his day he was simply untouchable. I have no doubt in my mind that he was the greatest Olympic distance athlete of all time. The two Olympic golds are proof of that.
The greatest privilege for me was seeing him doing things that no other athlete had done before, like winning a race from anywhere be it the swim, bike or run. Time after time he did things that people said you couldn’t do and astounded people in the process. I saw him do things in races that were quite simply breathtaking, you couldn’t help but marvel at this young lad’s courage, talent and will to win.
He also has a very special younger brother too, in Johnny Brownlee. I guess that where the British love affair with these two young boys from Yorkshire taking on the triathlon world first started. They pushed each other to new highs as they dominated world triathlon for so many years. And who could forget that extraordinary moment in sport, when Alistair carried his brother over the finish line in 2016 in the final world series final in Cozumel, Mexico, just as he was about to collapse from heat exhaustion. It was as touching a moment in sport as you will ever see.
There are just too many incredible sporting moments to talk about here in this newsletter, but my all-time favourite sporting moment was watching Alistair win Olympic gold in front of his home crowd in Hyde Park, London 2012. I was in the stands that day and the sight of tens of thousands of people, that were at least 10 deep around Hyde Park, willing these boys on will never leave me. How Alistair dealt with the pressure that day at such a young age I’ll never know. What was even more impressive is he found probably one of the greatest triathlon performances of all time on the day that mattered. If that isn’t the mark of true greatness, then I don’t know what is.
I just can’t find enough superlatives to describe him as an athlete because he had it all. He made racing so exciting to watch and he single handedly changed the way other athletes trained and raced too, just to have a chance of keeping up with him! He was an outlier; he was a maverick and he also had a fearsome athletic intelligence like no other. He just saw things differently and backed himself every step of the way when many doubted his approach.
What a legacy he leaves behind, from humble beginnings in Yorkshire, to the top of the triathlon world. He inspired so many of us the process and we can only feel grateful to have witnessed such a rare talent. There’s no doubt in mind that he will continue that success into his next chapter too. The impact he had on our sport should not be underestimated.
One thing is for sure, there will never ever be another Alistair Brownlee.
Race results
November has been a quiet time for Team Nagi racing but we’ve had a few athletes kick start their campaigns for 2025 with some excellent performances in running races. Great work Louise, Toby, David & Rosaria who put in fine performances over 5k,10k & Half marathon distances. Even Coach got back in on the action!
But one performance I want to give a special shout out too was our Super Gran Helen Read, who took on the challenge of Ironman Florida at the tender age of 70. I rarely mention DNF’s in the newsletter, but this is one that deserves a special mention. That’s because this time she got close, very close, be it for one major mistake on the bike that ultimately cost her later in the race. This is a great lesson for all triathletes out there. All it took was one crucial aid station missed that left her without hydration for a huge part of the final section of the bike course. Up until that point she produced and outstanding swim (1:30), nailed her bike pacing (7:56) and managed to get to halfway on the run before dehydration took its toll in brutal near 30-degree heat.
This was by far and away her best attempt yet, but what impressed me the most was the way she trained all year to get herself in the best shape possible. I gave her a list of the things she needed to do. I was brutally honest in where I felt she was lacking. I also told her if she wanted to achieve her triathlon dream at her age then she must elevate her game in areas such as nutrition, pacing, S&C & heat prep. Most importantly she also had to learn to listen to the signs her body was given her and take more rest when was needed. On all of this I’m hugely pleased to say she absolutely delivered & it was wonderful to watch her change her game. You can ask no more as a Coach and I couldn’t be any prouder of her for this performance because she absolutely took her body to the well. All she needs now is a bit of lady luck, a cooler race, and not to miss an aid station and it could be game on.
Victoria Park Half Marathon
- Rosaria Vallesi
- Total Time: 1:38:46 (7min PB!)
- 2nd in the 40-44 age category
Fulham 10km
- David Magyar
- Total Time: 44:47
- 10th in the 60-64 age category
Osterley 5k Park Run
- Toby Dean
- Total Time: 19:50
- 2nd in the 50-54 age category/ 7th overall out of 330
- Louise Hutchinson
- Total Time: 24:04
- 1st in the 65-69 age category/ 13th overall out of 217
Battersea Half Marathon
- Coach
- Total Time: 1:39:49
- 15th/49 in the 45-49 category
This was a pretty special moment for me as for those who know my story will know that I haven’t been able to race since 2008 due to a long term illness. In only the last 2 years have I been able to run again after thinking it would never be possible because my body had become far too fragile. But with a targeted S&C approach and a change in the way I thought about running technique things have started to slowly move in the right direction. In the past 4 months I have been able to develop some consistency by getting back to running about 2-3 runs per week. All of this very slow training at about 5.40-6min/km. As an example of how slow I was running last year it was taking 2hrs 15mins to run a half marathon. Earlier this year I managed to run 1:54 in training, so my goal for this first race back was under 1:50. So to go 1:39 and feel so good with it absolutely astounded me. The reason it astounded me is I never went anywhere near that pace in training. I was just more consistent with my running and less injury prone in the past 4 months. Most importantly though it’s taken me two years to actually feel like I’m running again rather than plodding along like a baby elephant. I’m no medal collector but this one really did mean a lot.
I will also mention another DNF here as I then took on the challenge of the Battersea Marathon last weekend just a few weeks later. At 16miles I felt amazing and was absolutely flying, at 19miles I was unable to continue running and had to pull out. A problem I’d had with my achilles post half marathon reared its ugly head. It just started to get tighter and tighter until I was just hobbling along and that was just walking.
I’ll take the huge positives from this though, I set a new 30km PB by 10mins and felt amazing and pretty fresh even at 19miles, there was way more left in the tank so I will take solace in that fact. It’s just got me even more fired up for the next one.
What I’ve been reading this month…
Stanley Tucci: What I ate in one year
As many of you will know, I’m a bit of a food nut. When I’m not reading about or watching sport, I’m probably reading about or watching anything related to food. Stanley Tucci is by far and away one of my favourite food authors and his books are about as comforting as a bowl of homemade chicken soup on a cold Winter’s Day. This book is no exception and is written with his usual charm and wit. If you like food and you like Stanley, you will love this book. One thing is for sure it’s an easy read in bed after a hard day’s training when your brain is mentally fried, word of warning though…it will make you VERY HUNGRY!
Team out & about
Trips away don’t come better than this, while the rest of us freeze here in the UK, Nick has been topping up his tan with a Winter training camp in South America. Anyone else fancy a dip in that spectacular pool?
New bike day for Peter, a very special moment when you take charge of your first TT bike. May it be a long & beautiful love affair. Time to get aero!
One way to raise your game, chase your son around the track for an hour! Great work TJ, hope you showed the young gun a good set of heels!
Literally unrecognisable out of their swimsuits & silicone hats! What a magnificent, well-dressed, good-looking bunch you are. Swim Squad Christmas party in full flow (apologies to all those that we missed on the right!)
Watch out ‘The Swim Chicks’ are about. T-shirts on, must only mean one thing…Pumping Iron week at swim squad!
They get about these swim hats, spotted somewhere in deepest darkest Hong Kong. Missing you NJ.
Just as chilled as her Mum in the water this one, 10 metre swim with Dad – easy. Not quite sure Rosie’s head is big enough for a Team Nagi swim hat just yet, but I’m a patient man.