Steve Berry Triathlete

Steve Berry began his fitness journey as an overweight father worried about keeping up with his child. Now his son has tough shoes to fill as he has entered one of the toughest challenges on the planet: the Ironman triathlon.

How did your fitness journey begin?

My fitness journey began back in 2006 when my little boy was 18 months old. I was a bit of a couch potato, weighed 18st (115kg) and was on the verge of being morbidly obese. I started going to a local gym as I thought I would never be able to play sport with my little boy if I didn't do something about the weight. This turned into taking part in charity challenges and eventually competing on a bike for my local cycling club.

What made you decide to take the leap into triathlon?

I decided to take the leap into triathlon after I had been successful in cycling, winning a few National Time Trialing championships.  I was becoming a bit bored of just cycling all of the time, I wanted a new challenge, and the natural progression said triathlons, so I just took the plunge.

How does your first triathlon compare to your most recent triathlon?

Comparing my first triathlon to my most recent one and I think there isn't a great deal of difference. I am faster in the swim now which helps massively, but I am still more of a bike specialist. I don't get as nervous now; the first one was really nerve wracking with not really knowing what to do.

When is your next event?

My next event is a half iron distance triathlon. This is part of the Castle Triathlon Series and it will be at Cholmondeley Castle in Cheshire.

What does your training regime involve?

Training involves a pretty even split of swim, bike and run, with generally 4 swims a week of around 3 km for each swim, 6 bike sessions which are mainly turbo sessions with a long ride at weekends, some of those are 2 sessions in a day as well. The turbo sessions are mainly interval sessions of varying intensities. I normally do 4 or 5 runs a week of which one weekend day is 2 runs in the day. Mostly short runs of up to 12km, but one long one of around 20-25km, all of which generally have intervals in. Training on average is about 14-15 hours a week.

How do you find balance with work/training and your social and family life?

The balance of training is difficult sometimes. I do have a wonderfully supportive family, but I generally get my swimming done on the way to work, and the evening sessions are done either straight after work or while my son is at Sea Cadets, this way the disruption is minimised. The weekends can be tough as the long bike ride does take up time, and if I’m doing 2 sessions a day I have to try and fit in the 2nd session in the evening, so it can mean missing out on a film or family time for example.

What's your aim for your next triathlon?

The next triathlon is a bit of a stepping stone to a full iron distance triathlon I am doing on the 10th July, this is a target event for me as I want to try and finish on the podium, so the race next weekend I will be sort of training through so I am not expecting a great result. Saying that I still hope to do well enough to get top 10 and finish on the podium in my age group.

Why did you choose Sundried?

I chose Sundried as the quality is superb and the previous designs of the T-shirts were really fun. The new sports wear again is great quality and a really nice fit.