Power, Pedals and Perseverance: Teen Finishes Duathlon Strong

Keen cyclist turned star runner, 15-year-old Tom, hasn’t always found sport easy. It’s only been in recent years that Tom has found his stride and has a love for both cycling and running.

Born with Down’s Syndrome, Tom’s family accessed SNAP when he was young, as a safe place for him to play and be himself with no judgement. His mum, Claire, also found a community  of likeminded people who just ‘got it’.

Claire found Try-A-Tri advertised on social media and thought the duathlon event would be the perfect opportunity for Tom to put all his training to the test! “He would cycle every day given the opportunity. He loves riding downhill!”

Tom began cycling at Trailnet a couple of years ago.  He wanted to be able to ride a bike but struggled with balance and coordination. His lovely instructor Jane has provided one to one lessons in Thorndon Country Park, and through this wonderful organisation he’s now whizzing around, loving it!

Tom started to run last year after watching his mum run a half marathon. He struggles with his joints and his breathing after having open heart surgery at the age of 7. Tom gets nervous when his heartbeat raises, so it was a challenge. However, Essex Community Foundation funded a running buggy, which meant that he could run as far as he felt able, then rest in the buggy until he was ready to go again. Tom has made so much progress over the past year, becoming fitter and stronger and now loves to run.

Tom took part in the Try-A-Tri junior duathlon event which included cycling and run. He enjoys both disciplines, so this was the ultimate ‘Tom’ event!

“Believe in yourself and you can do it too!”

On the day of Try-a-Tri, Tom woke up very excited, but nerves set in. Crowds can be difficult for him but, once he set off, nerves turned to joy, and he was ‘buzzing’!

Tom said, “I liked cycling because it is fun and I liked people cheering me on. The run was super-fast and fun. I loved it! I can’t wait to take part again!”

Try-A-Tri will be back next June – date to be confirmed.

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