Triathlon = Community

I don’t want to repeat what everyone else has said, true and heartfelt though all of it is.

Instead, I wanted to focus on what sport and community can do.

Social media and the news can often make it feel as though we’re living in a downward spiral, that things are getting worse and all is somehow lost. I don’t see it that way. Rather than looking down at screens or inwards at our own worries, I think it’s healthier to look upward and outward.

When you do, you see wonderful people doing wonderful things all the time. Inspiring people. Helping people. Supporting communities. Spreading joy. Talking. Laughing. Moving.

I think that’s why I love triathlon so much. It’s a microcosm of everything that’s good in the world. It’s community-driven, supportive, welcoming, healthy and inspiring. It’s people lifting one another up. It’s upward and outward.

This weekend, for me, isn’t really about what we were able to provide. It’s about what we might have helped create.

Are people moving more? Are they getting outside more? Are they stepping beyond their comfort zones and discovering they’re capable of more than they thought? Are children choosing bikes over iPads? Are they seeing parents, grandparents, friends and neighbours work hard, persevere and achieve something that inspires them to do the same?

That’s why we do this.

And then there’s the “how”.

A roster of volunteering heroes that makes your eyes water. People who willingly give up entire weekends, early mornings and good nights’ sleep to help others achieve something they’ve worked so hard for.

These are the people who build communities. The people who make this community special.

Standing on road junctions for hours. Zip-tying hundreds of race numbers. Carrying racks. Erecting fencing. Registering athletes. Directing competitors. Cheering finishers home. Solving problems before anyone else even knows they exist.

Hundreds of small acts, carried out by people who simply choose to give their time to others.

People who choose to look upward and outward.

To the team who work tirelessly to make this event happen: your dedication, spirit and commitment inspire me, and they inspire thousands of others too.

And to the wider community that supports us year after year, thank you from the bottom of my heart.

You remind me that things are not falling apart.

In fact, when people come together like this, they’re very much being held together.

Gav.