BATTLE ROYALE - ARMY VS RAF VS NAVY

Triathlons are competitive by their very nature, but when you add in a rivalry that’s spanned decades, things go to a whole new level. Step forward the Inter-Services Triathlon…

- ROB SLADE

On Wednesday 15 September 2021, hundreds of army, navy and RAF men and women descended on sleepy Cotswold villages near Tetbury. It was an invasion, but not the sort you’d normally associate with the armed forces. Sure, they were here for battle, but wetsuits, Lycra and bikes were their weapons of choice. They were here for the Inter-Services Triathlon.

“We deliver about nine events a year for military-only personnel,” says Stuart Irving, secretary of the Army Triathlon Association (ATA) and the man responsible for organising the race today. As with a lot of things, the race didn’t manage to go ahead last year due to the pandemic, and this year things have gone a little differently. Normally, the athletes in each service’s elite squads would battle it out for honours, but this year the organisers decided to bring everyone together for one big showdown.

The result is 220 confirmed entrants as opposed to the 85 that would normally compete, but even that is just scratching the surface of how popular triathlon is within the armed forces.

“Two years ago we had 261 members,” Irving explains. “Since then we’ve expanded and now have over 720 members. We’re the biggest collective triathlon club in the country.”

Among its members are people with varying skillsets and experience, from beginners to Team GB age-groupers and even pro athlete Kat Matthews, who wasn’t racing here due to her involvement in the 70.3 Worlds.

A NATURAL FIT

Meanwhile, the RAF Triathlon Association is roughly 550 members strong, including Dave Ellis’ paratri guide, Luke Pollard (who also wasn’t racing today).