Triathlon star puts pupils through their paces (From Oxford Mail)

Triathlon star puts pupils through their paces

1:00pm Monday 4th February 2013 in News

STUDENTS were given an Olympic style training session to introduce them to the sport of triathlon.

Former Olympic triathlete Emma Davis, who competed in the 2008 Beijing Games for Ireland, put 14 pupils from Bicester Community College through their paces.

Ms Davis gave the group a talk, then put them through a series of drills, including walking lunges, and offered tips on running.

But the main focus of the session was learning to make the transition between cycling, swimming and running.

Ending the training session on Tuesday, pupils were able to put their new-found skills to the test and took part in a team-relay duathlon – a run, bike, run race.

Ms Davis, now a professional coach, said: “The students from Bicester Community College impressed me.

“We have been able to demonstrate that triathlon offers an alternative to team sports for people who would still like to take part in a competitive and interesting sport without focusing on only one discipline.

“It is also easy to train for, without the need to pay for an expensive gym membership.”

Next month anyone aged 15 or over can take part in the Bicester Triathlon. For more information see http://onyourmarksevents.org