Four times silver medalist Chesterfield's Sara Sheppard tells her Triathlon story.
Words: Paul Chapman
Images: Sara Sheppard
Sara Sheppard dropped me an email after reading about Ann and Malcolm our masters 10k runners, Sara competes in the GB Age Group team in Duathlon and Triathlon in her age category, she also happens to be a four times silver medallist and lives in Ashgate.
I caught up with Sara and husband Gary at 94 Coffee on Chatsworth Road (if you like coffee you really should give them a try if you haven’t already) to learn more about the events and Sara’s route into them.
“I worked at Esporta Health Club in Millhouses and someone I worked with said I’d be good at triathlon, I just dismissed it as a rather unique chat up line!” says Sara. “I didn’t really swim and my last bike I owned was a Raleigh as a kid.”
However, the comment spiked her interest. “I went along to Racing TNT Triathlon Team in Sheffield and started running,” says Sara. “I’d travelled from the age of 19 and I returned to Chesterfield aged 30 due to a family illness. I’d always been into music; I’d attended music school in Los Angeles and didn’t really know where my career was going. I was working in gyms and was finding that my running was going from strength to strength.
“I purchased a bike from JE James and the guys at TNT commented that I was a natural on a bike. I’d go out with the men’s groups and was chasing them down, I was loving it.”
Sara was doing the safety slot at the pools for the TNT training nights by now at Doncaster Lake. “I’d hand out wetsuits and take money from people, we might have up to 200 people in the lake but I never went into the water myself, I’d never liked swimming,” says Sara.
“At this time I was working at the gym as an instructor and personal trainer. A lady asked if I could help with some weight loss sessions for her, I knew she was a keen swimmer, so we traded skills.
“I started in lane four, the slow lane, one evening and over time moved to the faster lanes to the point that I was outswimming some of the guys.”
It was 2011 when Sara entered her first triathlon, and she was instantly hooked. In 2012 she finished sixth in her age group at a Rother Valley Sprint event. “This gave me a qualifying time for Team GB for my age group for the following year and I’ve successfully qualified every year since.”
2013 was the first year Sara raced for Team GB. “People don’t realise that you don’t need to be elite to represent your country. I think it’s my enthusiasm that has resulted in four silver medals in duathlon, these are races across three stages, a 5km run, a 20km bike finishing with a 2.5km run… 1 hour and ten minutes and it’s all done,” Sara laughs.
Sara’s time line is; 2013 first European race in triathlon, Turkey, 2014 triathlon at Kitzbuhel Austria, 2015 Switzerland triathlon, 2016 Germany duathlon through a disused nuclear plant come theme park, 2017 Soria Spain duathlon, 2017 Germany triathlon. In 2019 Sara became pregnant, giving birth to her daughter she took four years out to enjoy time with Isla. 2023 Italy duathlon, 2024 Portugal duathlon, and in 2025 …Poland duathlon!
“Isla was born with Down’s Syndrome, and I’ve found this motivated me massively to keep going, I need to stay fit and healthy to support her. Training is hard work fitting everything in around work and being mum but it’s all definitely worth it.”
In 2022 Sara qualified at Clumber Park for Venice 2023 and she admits that, although over weight from baby Isla, she finished in 3rd place at Clumber.
Venice, 2023 she picked up a silver and qualified for 2024. It was her first big race wearing her tri-suit using logos and showing support for Down’s Syndrome, great for social media coverage and in this year, she overcame nerves to speak at a UK Charity ball about what she does.
Coimbra, Portugal 2023, another silver. “Performance now is as much mental as it is physical,” Sara points out. “In races I just tell myself to keep pushing, draughting is allowed on the bike so the first run is so important to get a good place in the first bike group leaving transition. My 5k time of 20:11 was fast enough to get out on the bike in the lead pack. The final run went well, and I was pleased to come away with silver, although I’m still chasing that elusive gold.”
Sara tells me that it’s great to see other parts of the world, husband Gary and Isla in tow. Gary came along to meet up with Sara and it was clear that these two have a blast doing what they do. Gary admits to chasing Sara on his charity shop bike before they met, now riding alongside, supporting and helping her with the training schedule.
Gary has a passion for sailing and told me of their first trip out on the boat, going from mill pond conditions to 55 knot winds, “I thought, oh no I’ve blown it, but it was just the start of many adventures we’d experience together.”
“I’ll be running in the London Landmarks half marathon event in April 2025, running for Down’s Syndrome UK,” says Sara. “A charity obviously very close to my heart so I’m keen to support them for all the fabulous work they do to support people.”
I really enjoyed meeting up with Sara and Gary, and Sara’s enthusiasm for the sport she loves is infectious. She as very keen to encourage young people who want to try duathlon and triathlon to track down their local club and get involved.
Sara trains with Chesterfield Triathlon Club should you want to check them out.
Chesterfield Tri Club
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