Alister Brown Team GB Age Group Duathlete
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Alister Brown is an avid runner and represents Great Britain as an age group duathlete.
Have you always been sporty?
From the age of 8, I played Sunday league football so I've always been a little active; I was always average at a lot of sports but never really excelled in just one.
When and why did you start triathlon?
I was hospitalised after receiving a nasty tackle playing football at the age of 20 and it put me off contact sports all together. After a year not doing much I started running round the block because I could feel myself becoming sedentary. Then I met Sam Anderson at a local 10k, who's now a good friend, and she was flying in Age Group Triathlon and winning races for fun which planted a seed in my mind. Within a year I had joined my local Triathlon club to add some challenge and excitement to my life.
Why switch to duathlon?
I tried so hard to enjoy swimming but it just wasn't working out. I was impatient too which is not ideal when swimming as it takes lots of dedication and time to see small improvement your swim times. I was more of a natural runner and cycling was more interesting!
What’s been your biggest challenge to date?
Probably getting round and finishing my first long distance Duathlon at the European Championships in May this year. I hadn't trained very well with a dodgy ankle and my fitness was questionable! I had to dig in deep to finish the last run as I wasn't able to run in a straight line with 5k to go! The race photos speak a thousand words.
What are your goals now?
I'd like to add to my trophy collection and one day become a professional athlete!
How do you recover between training sessions?
By eating a well balanced diet, doing lots of stretching, getting at least 8 hours of sleep, and keeping myself hydrated.
What has been your best race to date?
My best race was probably when I finished 3rd at Hereford Duathlon - a small local race - but I remember feeling really good and even after a decent bike leg I was still able to run comfortably fast. Races like that make you feel amazing for days afterwards.
Tell us about your charity work and fundraising.
I have done some charity work in the past raising money for Variety, the Children's Charity by running 4 Marathons in 4 days in 2015.
However right now I am fundraising to travel to Izmir, Turkey to offer much needed assistance to some of the 80,000 Syrian refugees currently there trying to make some sort a life for themselves until they are able to return home to Syria.
What are your top training tips for tri and duathlon?
- Consistency is key.
- Be patient and never go for the quick fix.
- Enjoy everything you do and be happy in what you are doing.
