Dave Catchpole Athlete Ambassador

Dave was inspired into triathlon by his uncle. He talks to Sundried about training and racing.

Have you always been into sport?

Until recently sport for me was bowls, both indoor and outdoor. The peak for me was playing for Suffolk county U25 and winning club singles two years on the trot back in 2009/2010. Although I’ve taken a step back in the last couple of years I do plan on getting back into it in the near future, it may have a reputation for being an old person's sport but it’s a great sport to get involved in whatever your age.

How did you first get into triathlon?

My uncle started triathlon a few years before I did, seeing what he was achieving and having myself started running and already enjoying cycling I thought I’d challenge myself, swimming was, and still is my weakest discipline.

What has been your favourite race to date and why?

Tricky one. I love the atmosphere of Run Norwich.

What is your proudest achievement?

Finishing my first Half Marathon in 2018, having barely been able to run 50 metres the year before

Have you ever had any racing disasters?

A couple of days before the start of a Winter Cross Country league I decided it would be a good idea to do a little Cross Country practice round the local common, at night, safe to say didn’t end well, although I managed to miss the rabbit holes and tree routes round the loop, recent wet weather disguised some exposed brick rubble and I badly rolled my ankle. Took 4 months to recover from that one completely.

How do you overcome setbacks?

Injury setback was a case of training round it in other ways to maintain fitness, wasn’t quite straight forward to start with but with cycling (indoor turbo with Zwift) being relatively pain-free I was able to keep the joint mobile. About the only good thing to come out of Lockdown was the fact that as so many events were being cancelled and postponed I had little pressure to do too much during recovery.

What are your goals?

Took the plunge and tried open water swimming during lockdown, in a controlled safe environment, goal is to partake in a Half Ironman, then Ironman events in the next 2-3 years.

Why work with Sundried?

Long life, sustainability and making kit out recycling materials is a good thing to support.