Despite there being numerous triathlons held on the Barony Park in Nantwich at different times of the year, the town did not have a triathlon club of its own - until now.
Nantwich Triathlon Club received £750 from the community fund, linked to our Kingsbourne development, that has enabled them to formally accredit the club with the British Triathlon Federation (BTF), provide coaching for its founders and cover one year’s start-up costs.
Paul McIntyre, chairman at Nantwich Triathlon Club, says after being a triathlete for 10 years - racing in sprints to Ironman events - he knows the social and health benefits will be positively received in the area.
“BTF affiliation, funded by Redrow, will allow us to run our club in the best way possible,” Paul explains. “And, having an official coaching qualification in the sport, will help us grow and make it easier to design activities in accordance with BTF guidelines and give people the confidence to join.”
Run by Paul and two others, the club already has 104 members in its Facebook Group and is open to anyone over 18 years old.
“Our aim is to help people to get the most from exercising outdoors, using a mix of swimming, cycling, running, circuit training and walking. It doesn’t matter if you do not consider yourself to be 'any good' at any of these sports and it’s not essential that you do all of them, we just want to help get people moving,” adds Paul.
Since launching, the club has started working with yoga and HIIT instructors so it can provide sessions to complement the running and cycling and has been active throughout the various lockdowns.
Paul continues: “I've been running Joe Wicks-style circuits online from my garden as well as outdoor runs and rides and they've had 6-7 people per time attending depending on the Covid-19 guidelines in place at the time. We have one extra coach to share out the workload with me for the circuits, and a couple of people stepping up to lead rides. To tackle the swim element of a triathlon, we’ve started to swim in lakes which has been both exciting and exhilarating.”
Simon Bennett, interim sales director the North West, says: “At Redrow we’re all about ‘thriving communities’ as well as building new homes. It’s great to see a new club like this already having so many members and I’m really pleased that our community fund has played a part. It’s one of a number of donations we’ve made in the area around our Kingsbourne development where £5,000 has been shared amongst some very worthwhile groups and charities.”
Nantwich Triathlon Club has also found a novel way to help would-be members who don’t have their own bike to join in.
Paul explains: “The club has collaborated with a Crewe charity called Community Cycle Recycle, who breathe new life into old bikes and sell them on to encourage people to become more mobile and healthier. We’re encouraging anyone new to cycling who may be in need of a bike to use the charity and join in on some socially distanced bike rides.”
Nantwich Triathlon Club also has an agreement with a growing list of local retailers for discounted sportswear and other goods and services for members.
To find out how you can join Nantwich Triathlon Club give Paul a call on 07786 393 317 or follow the Facebook group by searching Nantwich Triathlon Club.
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