Tamsin, Restless Development’s School Partnerships and Programmes Events Officer for the Schools Triathlon, spoke with Martha from team Titanic Monsters and Sebastian from Multi Coloured Marshmallows and the whole of team Ciao Adios! from Farringtons School to get the inside scoop on their experience, and their top-tips to any aspiring triathletes.
Why did you want to take part in the Schools Triathlon?
There are many reasons to take part in the Schools Triathlon series, as our triathletes told me. For Sebastian, the motivation came from wanting ‘to raise money to help those less fortunate’ as well as participating in ‘a really fun day.’
Apart from raising money for Restless Development, they also emphasised the triathlon being a really great day with friends. As Martha told me,
‘I wanted to raise money for charity. Also I wanted to have a bit of fun with my friends. My favourite part was when I was running because at the end our whole team ran over the finish line together. That was really nice.’
Alongside the Schools Triathlons being organised to help fundraise for charity, for Ciao Adios! a big part of the triathlon was the teamwork involved. They told me: ‘We wanted to take part in the triathlon so that we could work as a team and spend time with our friends, whilst raising money for a good cause.’
What is your top fundraising tip for new Schools Triathlon participants?
There are lots of fun and creative ways to fundraise for the triathlons. Asking people to sponsor you is a great way to increase your fundraising awareness and kick-start your fundraising journey. As Sebastian mentioned, ‘I raised funds by speaking to friends, family and colleagues of my parents’.
Another great way to raise awareness can be via social media. Ciao Adios! told me how their parents uploaded ‘crazy pictures of us training’ to encourage online donations. Martha followed a similar approach, asking her Mum to use all of her social media platforms to promote what she wanted to say to raise as much money as she could. Alongside this, Martha told me:
‘I set up my own fundraising page so that people could donate money that would then go to Restless Development.’
Fundraising for Restless Development not only helps people around the world, but can also make a positive impact on those taking part in the triathlons. As Martha explained, ‘I asked my mum to start my fundraising page and I raised money for a good cause. When people started sponsoring me I felt really happy that I had achieved what I hoped I would.’
Sebastian also told me how grateful he was for all of the incredible support he received: ‘The motivation is to raise money to help others and I was very pleased that people were so generous and gave to such a worthy cause.’
On their top tips for fundraising, our amazing triathletes had some final hint for any would-be triathletes. Ciao Adios! told me to ‘Ask everyone you know ’, whilst Sebastian’s top-tip was to ‘Start fundraising early! And ask as many people as possible to donate.’
To help increase donations to make a bigger impact, Martha told me: ‘
My top tip for fundraising would be, start a fundraising page, it’s really easy, and then broadcast it everywhere you can think of.’
For other great ways to boost your fundraising online, check out our 17 Top-Tips on our website!
What is your top training tip for new triathletes?
Although the Schools Triathlons are a non-competitive sport, our triathletes do recommend training for the event so it isn’t such hard work on the day. For any aspiring triathletes, Martha told me: ‘My top tip for new triathletes is train, train, train! Practice makes you stronger, more confident and quicker.’
Martha was already used to the swimming aspect, being on her school’s swimming team. However, she did not lack in her training for the other events. She told me: ‘To prepare for the triathlon, I did X-country club at my school and my Dad took me out to the park occasionally and I practised biking.’
Sebastian also told me about his dedication to training.
‘I swam, rode my bike and took my dog for lots of walks. I was also a part of the Farrington’s running club and got up early to participate, it was good training.’
Those early morning were definitely worth it!
As Ciao Adios! have already told us, a big part of why we love the triathlons is the teamwork. Working together is really important for wellbeing, and was a massive benefit for Ciao Adios! in their training tactics. They told me, ‘We trained a few times at the weekend as a team, so that we were not scared on the day.’. They also gave me some teamwork advice for the event: ‘Support your teammates through the parts they are not so good at on the day, it helps them get through it.’ It certainly paid off for them!
These inspiring triathletes took on an incredible challenge, from fundraising to completing a triathlon. Thank you Martha, Sebastian and team Ciao Adios! for sharing your pro-tips. We look forward to seeing pupils from Farringtons, Bromley High School and other surrounding schools take part again this year!
