Sitting by the side of the pool unable to swim with his daughter Erin while other dads splashed about with their families was the moment when Scott Gray decided to take matters into his own hands.
Having never learned to swim as a child, Scott was absolutely petrified of being near or in water.
But within a few years of joining the TrYthan Triathlon Club in Ellon, Scott, 41, not only faced his deepest fears and learned to swim but he also came third in Scotland for his age group at the Scottish National Sprint Distance Triathlon Championships.
Today, Scott, who lives in Ellon with his wife Claire and 11-year-old daughter Erin, reflects on how he went from being a terrified non swimmer to a medal winning triathlete and how he hopes his story will inspire others to try things they think they can’t do.
“Learning to swim has made me realise that we can all overcome hurdles and take things on that we don’t think we can do,” says Scott.
‘I was petrified of swimming’
For Scott, his journey begins in the shallow end at swimming lessons as a child.
“Often people say they can’t swim when they can a little but I literally couldn’t swim,” says Scott.
“I remember swimming at school and being in the shallow end, feeling isolated.”
After a while, the lessons stopped and Scott never learned how to swim. Instead, he focused his attention on running and cycling.
“I’ve been a cyclist forever, that has always been my thing” says Scott.
“Then like most people, you get a car and that’s the end of that journey.
“But I started cycling again in my twenties and I also started running. I started running 5ks and 10ks then I progressed to a marathon and completed two ultra marathons.
“So I could run and cycle but I couldn’t swim.”
‘I literally couldn’t put my head under the water’
The reality of not being able to swim hit home when Scott, who is the managing director of Nortek, a company that manufactures instruments to measure movement underwater, began working offshore.
“It made a big impact when I worked offshore,” says Scott.
“I remember stressing about the offshore survival course for weeks beforehand as I literally couldn’t put my head under the water.”
Not being able to swim with his daughter Erin was also frustrating for Scott.
“It meant that on family holidays I couldn’t go swimming with my daughter,” says Scott.
“I saw these cool dads splashing around with their families and I had to sit at the side.
“So that was part of my inspiration to make a change.”
‘Beginner’s triathlon sessions changed my life’
It was through David Horne, his running buddy, that Scott found TrYthan Triathlon Club.
“I used to run with Dave who was the president of TrYthan Triathlon Club at the time,” says Scott.
“He was always encouraging me to come along to the club.
“One night he randomly messaged me to let me know that the club was going to put on a beginner’s session.
“So I joined up in late 2020 and I’ve been going there ever since.”
Thinking back to his first night at the club, Scott says he was a bag of nerves.
“I remember being properly petrified”, says Scott.
“I can actually remember someone saying to me, ‘Scott you look absolutely petrified’ and that was because I was.”
‘Swimming my first 100m was such a milestone’
But driving home from that first session, Scott felt a sense of hope.
“I can remember coming home from the first session feeling enthused, encouraged and supported,” says Scott.
With the dream of one day completing a triathlon, Scott continued to attend the triathlon club before he reached a major milestone about six months later.
“It was probably six to eight weeks before I swam my first length,” says Scott.
“The club were so supportive so within six months I was able to do my first 100m which is four lengths.
“That first 100m could’ve been 100 miles as it was such a milestone.
“One of the coaches, who is an amazing swimmer, joined me and everyone was clapping at the end.”
‘I can now go on holiday and swim with my daughter’
Scott says learning to swim has changed his life.
“When I work on vessels now, I’m not scared,” says Scott.
“It’s also great as I can now go on family holidays and swim with my daughter.”
Within 18 months of learning to swim, Scott started signing up for novice triathlon events.
“My first triathlon event was the East Fife Triathlon in Cupar in 2022 – just 18 months after I started,” says Scott.
“It was a novice event which is fantastic for people who are new to the sport.
“So it was a 400m pool swim, an 11k bike and a 2.5k run.
“Afterwards, it felt so nice to say that I was a triathlete.
“And I remember driving home and phoning everyone to tell them all about it.”
‘Open water swimming is a different kettle of fish’
Feeling motivated, Scott signed up for more triathlon competitions and as well as attending weekly sessions with the triathlon club at the Ellon Academy Community Campus, he also got his own coach.
“My ultimate goal was to do open water swimming which is a whole different kettle of fish,” says Scott.
“So in 2023, I got a coach called Fraser Cartmell who is a former Ironman champion from Inverness.
“He’s now based in Stirling but he coaches me remotely.”
Growing in confidence, Scott decided to take the plunge and signed up for the Scottish National Sprint Distance Triathlon Championships in Monikie near Dundee.
“It was a 750m open water swim, a 20k bike and a 5k run,” says Scott.
“My mission going into the event was to survive the swim and just get through it.
“The bike and run are more my happy places.”
Scott scoops medal in his first open water triathlon…
On the day, Scott shocked himself and others when he came third in his age group.
“It was very unexpected to come away with a national medal in my first ever open water swim triathlon,” says Scott.
“I actually didn’t know I’d won a medal so I just left and went home.
“But I got a phone call on the way home to say they had a medal for me.
“My one frustration is that I don’t have a photo on the podium but I have my medal on the shelf in my office.”
Since then, Scott now competes in longer triathlon events and is this year gearing up to compete in the 70.3 Westfriesland in the Netherlands.
“I’m doing the half ironman distance which is a 1900m swim, a 90k bike and a half marathon,” says Scott.
“That’s the big event for this year but I’ll always go back to the local events to support them as they need people to sign up and to support other club members.”
‘It’s never too late to try something new’
Reflecting on his journey, Scott is proud of how far he’s come.
“Triathlon has changed my life,” says Scott.
“All of this would never have happened if the club hadn’t put on that first session.
“And it would’ve been very easy to go along to that first session and go ‘nope I can’t swim’ and not go back.
“But now I’m swimming about three to four times a week.”
For anyone who is thinking about learning a new skill or trying something new, Scott has this message.
“It’s a little corny but success happens outside your comfort zone,” says Scott.
“It’s never too late to learn something new.”
- Anyone who is interested in TrYthan Triathlon Club can find out more by emailing trythantriathlon@gmail.com or via their Facebook page facebook.com/trythantriathlon or website clubs.britishtriathlon.org/TrYthan
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