Quote

The variety of training is a major selling point of triathlon. Different sports, different venues means it's always interesting, and you can always switch things round if the weather messes your plans up.

The triathlon can be a very hard sport to train for. You see all the time when people try to improve - like their swim, for example: they train really hard for two to three weeks, and then when they go back to normal training, the swim goes back to where it was before.

I'm competitive. I like to compete, and that's basically what the decathlon lets me do.

In a triathlon, it's all about cycling in the most efficient manner. You need to save your energy for the run at the end, so you want to ride really efficiently and not waste your energy. The only way to do that is to spend a really long time on the bike.

I don't run the triathlons anymore like I used to. I do leg work on the machines and do the bike. I'm not as strong as I used to be, but I'm still good.

The run's the business end of a triathlon: it's where you win or lose the race. I like to get out very hard, make other people hurt sometimes, and other times leave it to the last kilometre and really win the race there.

Triathlon is a sport where the legacy is obvious. Anyone can do it; there are loads you can do. It is a massive participation sport. You can do it as a challenge, for charity or whatever. I believe it will continue to grow, and I will look forward to that happening.

I like to lift and do cardio to stay in shape, so I can walk the dog on somebody, and I like to be strong, but running 10 miles or a decathlon? That don't support my interests.

I set myself some specific goals, but the key one is just getting myself into as good a shape as possible for one day this year: the Olympic marathon.