When Tamsin Law joined Fleet Feet Triathletes she didn’t own a bike and she could barely swim.
Eight years on and the 39-year from Cove now thinks nothing about plunging into lochs, powering up steep hills on her bike before pounding the pavements to the finish line.
Happier and healthier than ever before, Tamsin, who is also a fully qualified coach with the club based at Aberdeen Sports Village, is now on a mission to show that triathlon is an accessible sport for everyone, not just the elite professional athletes we see on the TV.
“I didn’t come into triathlon as a super cyclist or someone who had swam heaps as a kid, I’ve come in as a beginner not knowing anything about the ins and outs of triathlon,” says Tamsin.
“Now I’m competing in triathlon competitions and I’m also coaching so it’s really nice to help other people.
“If there’s anything to emphasise, it’s that Fleet Feet Triathletes is a friendly and accessible club.
“We’re not an elitist club where you need to be a certain standard, it’s for anyone who wants to come and try.”
Swim, bike and run
It was after having her daughter Abbie, who is now 13, when Tamsin first became interested in triathlon.
“My husband Craig had gone along to a few sessions with Fleet Feet Triathletes so I had been along to see him doing a few different events,” says Tamsin.
“He suggested that I should enter an event called Try-a-Tri in Alford.
“So I borrowed my mother-in-law’s heavy mountain bike which had sat in a shed for a few years and I went along.”
Triathlon is a friendly sport
With nothing to lose, Tamsin took the plunge and just tried to enjoy her first triathlon experience.
“For the swim, I still couldn’t do the front crawl at this point so I just did breast stroke,” says Tamsin.
“It was quite an undertaking on the day but I got through it and enjoyed it.
“What really stayed with me from that day was the support and encouragement of the other competitors.
“When I was puffing my way up the hill on the bike I had folk flying past me on really expensive bikes and they were still saying ‘well done, good effort, keep it up’.”
From beginner triathlete to coach
The experience inspired Tamsin to join Fleet Feet Triathletes where she has excelled.
“Being able to go along to the training sessions and get better each week has been great,” says Tamsin.
“I’ve also made so many friends so there’s a massive social component to it as well.”
Tamsin says that the sport has changed her life in ways she could never have imagined.
“The person I am now compared to who I was before I did triathlon is completely different,” says Tamsin.
“Triathlon is very much a lifestyle and it’s great for Abbie to see myself and her dad being healthy and spending a lot of time outdoors.”
2024 is a milestone year
To celebrate turning 40 this year, Tamsin is marking the milestone in true triathlon style.
“My husband and I have signed up for an event called Long Course Weekend in Wales this June,” says Tamsin.
“It’s the full iron distance triathlon but they split it up over three days.
“So it’s a 2.4 mile open water swim, a 112 mile bike ride and a marathon run.
“We’re going to make a holiday out of it.”
Beginners triathlon event in Cove
Tamsin is also gearing up for the Devil O Deeside at Balmoral Estate in April which includes both 10k and 5k runs, a 15 mile trail race and a duathlon (a run, bike and run).
In between all her training and competing, Tamsin works as a massage therapist and is also studying an HND in applied science at North East Scotland College as she hopes to work in the healthcare science field.
And as if she’s not busy enough, Tamsin is also organising an aquathlon event for beginner triathletes in Cove.
“It will be at Get Active at Lochside swimming pool in May and it’s a swim/run event,” says Tamsin.
“So people can choose to do a 400m swim in the pool and a 2.5k run or a 750m swim in the pool and then a 5k run.
“Entries are open so people can sign up through the Fleet Feet Triathletes website.”
Super dad and triathlete
Equally as inspiring as Tamsin is Stuart Slater, a dad of three from Aberdeen who has also found his calling in triathlon.
Like Tamsin, the 41-year-old, who works in the energy industry, was also a complete beginner when he joined Fleet Feet Triathletes.
But over the course of just a few years, Stuart has worked his way up to completing an Ironman triathlon.
“I’ve always played football and as I got a bit older into my late twenties and early thirties I started running as well,” says Stuart.
“But I packed in football as I got a bit too old for it and running was getting a bit boring so I wanted to find something a bit more exciting and different.”
Ready for an exciting new challenge
By chance, Stuart took his family along to a sport open day at Aberdeen Sports Village and got chatting to one of the members of the triathlon club.
“Back in 2019, the BBC Sports Personality of the Year awards were held in Aberdeen and the day before the event Aberdeen Sports Village had an open sports day,” says Stuart.
“Fleet Feet Triathletes were there and I got chatting to one of them and it twigged that I wanted to try it.”
Hooked on triathlon
Despite Covid putting Stuart’s plans on ice, he eventually completed his first triathlon in September 2021.
“Every year Fleet Feet organise a triathlon at Knockburn Loch so I decided to give it a go,” says Stuart.
“I loved it and I became hooked on it quickly.”
With stellar support from his wife Gemma and family, Stuart took on one of the biggest challenges of his life by signing up for an Ironman.
“I did have the discussion with my wife as the training was going to be intense and a lot of hours but she was 100% behind me,” says Stuart.
“My wife is a marathon runner so we worked out our training between us.”
Immense feeling of achievement
Brutal yet brilliant, Stuart says finishing the Ironman was a huge achievement.
“It was very tough – it took me just over 15 hours to complete it,” says Stuart.
“I was really chuffed to finish it though as it had been a goal for a few years.
“I got to ring a bell at the end which was quite a good feeling as my wife was right there.”
Stuart, who is dad to nine-year-old triplets Cara, James and Emily, now has some more sporting challenges on the horizon with the Deeside Way Ultra (D33) – a 33 mile run – plus the Celtman Solo Point Five, an extreme triathlon race.
And what is his advice to anyone thinking about giving triathlon a go?
“Give it a go, there’s every age group and ability.”
For more information about Fleet Feet and their upcoming events, check out their website fleet-feet.com
Conversation