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Teesside Sport

Academic athlete makes transition from newcomer to Team GB

14 June 2022

 

A Teesside University academic who only competed in her first ever triathlon last year is now set to represent Great Britain on the international stage.

Dr Alison Innerd
Dr Alison Innerd

Dr Alison Innerd has qualified for the 2022 European Championships which are due to be held in Munich in August.

She will compete for Great Britain in the Sprint Triathlon, 35-40 age group, where she will need to complete a 750-metre swim, followed by a 20km bike ride and then a 5km run.

Dr Innerd, a former hockey player, is a Senior Lecturer in Sport and Exercise in Teesside University’s School of Health & Life Sciences.

She has always been into fitness and exercise, but only started looking into triathlons last year during lockdown as an alternative method.

“Completing a triathlon was something I was keen to do, but first I had to learn how to front crawl and get over my fear of open water swimming,” explained Dr Innerd.

“I managed to complete my first triathlon in May last year.”

“I then did my first open water triathlon in June that year, followed by the Redcar Triathlon.

“The format really suited me, and it just seemed to be something I was quite good at. It was the Redcar Triathlon that enabled me to qualify for Munich.

“It is a surprise that I am going to be competing for Great Britain, but I am incredibly proud and will give it everything I’ve got.

As well as representing Great Britain, I will also be doing this for my University.

Dr Alison Innerd

“The Sprint Triathlons are categorised by age, so I will be in the 35 to 40 group, competing against athletes from all over Europe.”

Dr Innerd, who is part of Redcar Triathlon Club, is due to compete on 14 August and is using the specialist facilities and support at Teesside University to help her prepare.

She added: “There is a great team of sport scientists here at Teesside who are supporting my training. I have also got access to state-of the-art-facilities, such as the hydrotherapy pool, massage clinic and environmental chamber, which enables me to train in specific conditions.

“The University has been incredibly supportive and, as well as representing Great Britain, I will also be doing this for my University.

“I will be training hard in the coming months and can’t wait to get out to Munich and see what I can achieve.

“This will certainly be one of the highlights of my career and I can’t believe that in just over a year I have gone from doing my first triathlon, to competing at international level.”


In the News

Teesside university lecturer will represent Team GB at triathlon
Darlington and Stockton Times, p.3, Print, 17/06/2022
An academic is on course to represent Great Britain on the international stage just a year after completing her first triathlon.


Teesside University lecturer representing Team GB at triathlon
Northern Echo, p.44, Print and Web, 15/06/2022
A LOCAL academic is on course to represent Great Britain on the international stage just a year after completing her first triathlon.

 
 
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