Rob Sneddon Ironman Triathlete
Rob learnt the hard way that you have to take good care of your body and train carefully. He tells us about his favourite Ironman race and his hopes for 2018.
Have you always been into sport?
Throughout my life I have always played sport, starting with football and golf and then moving on to basketball. Eventually, through getting dragged to do a 24-hour relay running event, I was hooked on running and transitioned to triathlon from there. Sport for me is so important and is about more than kicking a ball or swinging a club.
What made you decide to enter the world of triathlon?
Through a very inconsistent training plan and lack of looking after my body pre- and post-run I ended up getting injured and decided I wanted to maintain the fitness that I had gained. I really enjoyed mountain biking and I lived with someone who was an avid road cyclist so it felt right that I should transition into biking. Then once I had recovered from my injury I started running again so I joined it all up, started swimming then looked at competing in triathlon.
What’s been your favourite race to date and why?
My favourite race so far has to be the Outlaw Half Nottingham, a half Ironman (70.3) event which is incredibly well organised and a fantastic course. I will be doing it again in 2018 hoping to improve greatly on my time.
Have you ever had any racing disasters / your toughest race yet?
My toughest race yet would have to have been a standard distance I raced July 2017 After a few really positive races, I started to feel ill the night before and just had nothing in the tank when I got to the run, it was very frustrating at the time but it just made me more focused on ensuring I was in great shape for my next race.
How do you overcome setbacks?
Fortunately, I haven't suffered many set backs so far but I am sure they will come. I think if one does happen it will be to look at the reason why it happened and try to focus on preventing it in the future.
What is the best bit of advice you wish someone had told you before you started competing?
That's a tough one! From the start of my journey I have been lucky to have the advice of a very good triathlete who has pointed me in the right direction at each point. The main bit of advice that they have given me and the part that I advise everybody else is to take it slowly. Especially if you are training to go long distance, make sure you build a very strong and consistent base of training before you undertake any big sessions.
What are your goals for 2018?
My big A races for 2018 are Outlaw Half Nottingham and Ironman Copenhagen. I am hoping for a 4:50 finish at Outlaw and Sub 11 hours for the full Ironman.
Who do you take your inspiration from?
Being British, it is hard not to take inspiration from the Brownlee brothers, but other figures like Lionel Sanders who have overcome so much of a negative past to be one of the best Ironman athletes in the world is very inspiring.
What do you like about Sundried and what’s your favourite bit of our kit?
It's all about the ethics of Sundried and a strong brand ethos that I find fascinating. They create high quality, well-designed products whilst making sure everything fits within their ethical boundaries. In the modern day garment industry it is hard to compete with big brands and it is so important that companies like Sundried exist to give the customers product that they know has been made ethically.
