Erin Martin Athlete Ambassador

Erin is a triathlete who came from a football background. She talks about racing highs and lows.

Have you always been into sport?

Yes, I have always been into sport. My parents invested many hours driving myself and my 3 siblings around the country from a young age and this gave me lots of opportunity to get into different sports and find the one for me. I played county level football for 5 years, alongside running for county and then taking part in local triathlons when I was younger, so sport has always been a big part of my life.

How did you first get into triathlon?

I first got into triathlon through family friends; we went to watch them race and then decided to take part in the IronKids event - where I came 2nd - so I decided to compete in more events.

What's been your favourite race to date?

My favourite race has to be my local triathlon. I know the roads and route off by heart. It’s a great atmosphere with lots of my family watching and the run route goes past my house. I’ve taken part in it for 8 years now and never missed a year!

What's been your proudest achievement?

My proudest achievement is in football not triathlon. When playing at county level, I was able to play against high level teams such as Chelsea, Arsenal and MK Dons. When playing against Chelsea on their training grounds with John Terry and Frank Lampard watching I scored! This has to be my best achievement and I was able to meet them to get their autographs so it was a great day.

Have you ever had any racing disasters?

I haven’t had any huge disasters when racing triathlons, but last year I had a mechanical. My seat post dropped to the bottom within the first 5 minutes of the bike, it was a hilly course and trying to run after was hard work!

How do you overcome setbacks?

Personally, I think setbacks can help with increasing determination however the main thing to remember is everyone has them - you just need to find a way to cope with and overcome them. Always try to look at the bigger picture and long term goal.

What advice do you wish you'd been given when you first started out?

I’ve been lucky enough to have a lot of support and advice from my family and high level athletes, however I would say that for anyone beginning in triathlon or sport you must find it enjoyable as a main point to start with - if you can enjoy the training you’ll soon get the bug for it and then when the hard training comes you’ll stick to it.

What are your goals?

I am racing for Saint Piran Women’s Team so I am hoping to get some good bike races in and good results. I will also be aiming for new challenges in triathlon, moving from sprint to 70.3 distance.

Who inspires you?

I am inspired by two people. My coach, Ian Dempsey. He has had many set backs last year from injury to illness but still kept his focus and motivation and is coming back stronger! The second person who inspires me is Nikki Juniper. I wrote my dissertation on Nikki and I think she is a fantastic role model and inspiration to women in cycling. She shows persistence and drive in her training and racing and watching her at the Tour Series was incredible.

Why work with Sundried?

I am happy to work with Sundried as their commitment to the environment and quality of clothing is something I appreciate and would like to be associated with.