Seventh heaven

How Olympic triathlon champ Alistair Brownlee keeps motivated

I think it's easy for every athlete - definitely me as much, if not more, than anyone - to get stuck in a routine. You end up sticking with the same old things and getting a bit bored. But I think it's important to mix things up to keep things fresh and interesting. Variety is the spice of life, as they say, and that is definitely the case with training and racing.

When I missed out on the Tokyo Olympics [due to being disqualified in a pre-games qualifying event], I decided to focus fully on long-distance Ironmans [3.8km swim, 180km bike, 42.2km run]. I've also enjoyed doing other types of riding, like gravel, and training with different people. It's given me a new spark. The first half of this year has been the best I've had in a long time. I've really enjoyed the challenge of preparing for a different event and all the new things that come with it. It's just what I needed.