Amy Brammar Athlete Ambassador

Amy comes from a sporty background and with triathlete parents, this sport is in her blood. She talks to Sundried about training, racing, and everything in between. 

Have you always been into sport?

Yes! My mum always tells people that I learnt to swim before I could walk. I have always loved sport and my family are super sporty too. Before triathlon, I came from a swimming background with a bit of netball, horse riding and cross country running thrown in.

What made you decide to enter the world of triathlon?

Both my parents are into triathlon and I remember watching them race the day I left for my first year of university and I thought ‘this looks great, I would love to give this a go’. I had also already decided that I wanted to continue my running and swimming at university, and it worked out cheaper to join the triathlon club than to join both swimming and athletics.

What’s been your favourite race to date and why?

Definitely the ITU World Triathlon Championships in Australia this September. I have just got back home and it was the most incredible experience and an opportunity that I am so grateful for. The whole race was so well organised and the standard was high which was inspiring, so I had my best race of the season. We were very lucky to be able to watch the Senior Elite Women the afternoon before our race which was very exciting and watching Vicky Holland win the world title definitely spurred me on in my race the next day.

And your proudest achievement?

It has to be qualifying for the Age Group World Championships this year and being able to race in the GBR trisuit.

Have you ever had any racing disasters/your toughest race yet?

I did a swim leg in a team triathlon last summer where it was a mixed start and I got totally pummelled. My goggles came off and I got caught up in a fight around the first buoy which meant I got held under the water and swallowed so much water that I had to stop and be sick before I could carry on swimming.

How do you overcome setbacks?

I absolutely love triathlon, so I am in a lucky position that even after a tough race I love being able to get back to training again. But I think that when you have a setback, you have to remind yourself of all the other positives that you have going for yourself. I am a firm believer that setbacks only make us stronger, even if it feels rubbish at the time. You can’t always have everything go your way.

What is the best bit of advice you wish someone had told you before you started competing?

To enjoy it! During my swimming days I definitely let the pressure get to me too much at times and you perform way better if you can just let go and love what you are doing.

What are your goals for 2018?

I am on my end-of-season break right now, which means 2 weeks where I don’t do any specific training so I can let myself recover from a long race season. But after that I want to establish a good base of winter training with some 10km run races to help with my pacing and maybe some bike time trials too. Then it is into 2019 where my main focus will be the European and World Age Group Championships in the summer - and finishing my degree! 

Who do you take your inspiration from?

My parents are a massive source of inspiration for me, balancing all they do with training whilst keeping it fun and always enjoying what they do. Vicky Holland has also been amazing this year. All the female elite triathletes are so inspiring, they train hard but always seem to love what they do. I am also super impressed with how humble they all are and how they really seem to support each other, even when they might not have got the result they wanted.

What do you like about Sundried and what’s your favourite bit of our kit?

One of my favourite things about Sundried is the hard work that goes towards making sure their products have the smallest carbon footprint possible. We could all do more towards minimising our carbon footprint so buying Sundried products is a great way to make a start. At the moment I am loving the Sundried water bottle - it means saving on plastic as I can take it everywhere so no more buying throw-away water bottles! It never leaks and is super easy to clean too.