Words by Gary King

 

"After 4 months of meticulous planning, research and meetings, Wallingford Triathlon Club was finally ready to launch itself upon the local community. Having gone through the process’ of ensuring the committee was in place, designing the club logo, website & Facebook, checking all governance considered, documents designed and written, coaches engaged, weekly training agreed, funding obtained, partners & sponsors approached and registration & affiliation with British Triathlon sorted, it was fair to say I was looking forward to some straight forward multi-sport training.

 

The forecast for Sunday 1st November was favorable for outside exercise, so it was with a feeling of slight apprehension, as I awoke to a thick fog. Was this feeling solely due to weather conditions? I think not ... the realisation of what I was letting myself in for, was starting to hit home.

 

The committee set up a refreshment table with Tea, coffee and lots of lovingly homemade cakes and flapjacks and ensured that all of the club information was available close to hand. Before we all had time to consider whether or not the Launch flyers had worked, people started to arrive.

 

The first arrivals looked decidedly nervous as I’m sure they were expecting a group of bronzed, toned & athletic people waiting to greet them. I was slightly sorry to disappoint them! Having grabbed coffee and had brief introductory chats, it was time for me to address my audience which by this time had grown to about 30 people. I nervously explained the concept and thinking behind the club and tried to convey the endless possibilities that I think are achievable, if all is to go to plan. 

 

I’m happy to assume that my speech was received well by the generous round of applause given and by the fact that the enthusiasm to workout hadn’t waned. ‘SpinBob’ (our regular spin teacher) then proceeded to induct 16 of our potential new recruits with an extremely tough 45min intervals session. I will only say that tea & cake followed very quickly!! 

 

Having allowed the spin class attendees to recover for about 2omins, it was time for a gentle 5km run around Cholsey parish. Fortunately the fog had lifted and the sun had started to shine, so 11 runners (including myself) enjoyed the early afternoon balmy conditions as they tackled road, trail and grass surfaces looping back to The Barn Fitness Centre, where we had left only 25mins ago.

 

The smiles remained as one by one information packs and membership forms were distributed and I’m sure that the promise of a free club shirt went a little way to ensure we had received 9 completed forms by the end of the day!

 

All in all, I think we achieved our first aim which was to get our club name and logo ‘out there’ and to let the public know what we stand for. The fact that, utterly exhausted, I left for home with 9 members already, was a dream come true. Wallingford Tri was GO!

 

The Inaugural week.

 

As the week continued, more and more completed forms arrived by email & post and our training sessions began in earnest. A beginner’s run session on Wednesday (attended by 2 members) started the ball rolling, whilst the Thursday eve inters run attracted 6 runners, who attacked 9.5kms in dark and wet conditions. We have already invested in equipment to aid our own vision and visibility for next week to ensure the safety and enjoyment of our members.

As the weekend approached, our members could be seen psyching themselves up for their first taste of coached swimming. On a very dark, wet and windy Saturday morning, the pre-dawn air was thick with tension. Eight intrepid members of very mixed ability entered the water not quite knowing what to expect. What followed can only be described as ‘perfect’. Our ability was assessed by Bridget over a few lengths and the decision was made to start from the very beginning!!

I can honestly say that all 8 members thoroughly enjoyed their first aquatic experience with WTC, judging by their comments on Facebook and I can imagine that the swim class will be the first booked each week moving forward. Just a word of warning though…Bridget says that Boot camp starts next week, so be prepared to drill!

To finish off our inaugural week, myself and Karen the kit officer decided that Didcot Parkrun during a storm named ‘Abigail’ was too good to resist. Times of 25:26 and 28:59 respectively, belied the effort that had already been put into the morning swim (although at times during the run it felt like swimming!) and we walked back to the car quietly satisfied with our week’s work."

For more information about the club click here