British Triathlon member Katie Latham has eyes on becoming world champion after claiming the British title last month at the Standard Distance Duathlon Championships.
The Nantwich athlete admitted it was a surprise when she won the 35-39 age group race at nearby Oulton Park in March but is now using it as confidence for an even bigger challenge.
Latham, who also has European Age-Group duathlon medals to her name, will head Down Under for August’s World Triathlon Multisport Championships in Townsville and hopes her great start to the season can put her in good stead for global success.
“I wasn’t expecting the result, it was quite early on in the season, but I went along and thought let’s see where I’m at,” she said.
“I’ve got the World Championships this year out in Australia and training is in full swing but to win was a really nice surprise.
“I had a disappointing year last year. I went to the Worlds in Ibiza and crashed the bike, so that didn’t end well. It was a nice pick-me-up to the start of this year.
“To become British champion is obviously good, it’s a nice confidence boost. I have still got quite a little bit of work to do and I know now where I need to focus.”
There are eight British Championships in 2024 that cover various multisport disciplines and distances, with British Triathlon Core and Ultimate members eligible to become British champion. See when this year’s championships are here: https://www.britishtriathlon.org/british-championships.
Latham will have four months of intense training to fit around her job as a chartered accountant, as well as looking after her two children.
She admitted it can be difficult to carve out the time at points, especially with British weather dampening attempts to get to grips with the Australian heat, but revealed it is all possible thanks to her supportive family.
“We could do with the weather picking up a little bit more here,” she added. “Weather-wise it has been difficult to get on the bike, so I have been doing a lot on the indoor bike. Now that the weather is picking up a bit I can get out on the bike a lot more. I have the whole spring to build those bike miles up outside.
“It’s a really early start [in Australia], so hopefully it won’t be too hot. I have got two young kids and they are both very active, very sporty. I am fortunate enough to work part-time, so I only do 25 hours so that helps me juggle it from a family perspective. I have a day off in the week and can do some quality sessions during that time.
“My partner is also quite sporty so we are all supporting each other. We will all go and do Parkrun and it’s nice that we are all involved.”
Split into five-year age categories in the individual non-para races, only British Triathlon Core and Ultimate members are in with a chance of becoming British Champion, whilst the British Paraduathlon and Paratriathlon Championships also form part of the British Triathlon Paratri Super Series.
A world medal in Australia would be the crowning achievement for Latham, who only ended up doing duathlons following an injury after spending her early career as a runner.
She has never looked back since getting on the bike however and is now set to right the wrongs of last year’s World Championship, where a bike crash meant she finished 13th in the sprint distance.
“I turned to the bike for a bit of cross-training,” she added. “I then started with triathlons, realised I was quite good on the bike, good at running, but I just didn’t have time to do three disciplines.
“With two young kids, I didn’t have time to commit to the swim side of training when I was only just fitting in running and cycling. That’s where the duathlon journey came in.
“I find now that the cycling is really useful from the impact on the body. I don’t seem to pick up many niggles now because a lot of the aerobics is done on the bike and I am just doing quality rather than quantity. I stumbled into it and then have done it ever since.
“I have always been competitive, I have always strived to be the best I can be. It’s quite an individual sport so you are constantly trying to better yourself and that keeps me motivated.”
You can find out more about the 2024 British Championships and British Triathlon membership to be eligible to compete through the buttons below.
