Back in the mid 1980s, I was a member of the local triathlon club. As triathlon was deeply unfashionable at the time ‘local’ meant nearly 40 miles away.
The club was made up of quite a few novices who hardly ever raced, a few who aspired to be really good but never really made it although they did local and regional races, and the totally committed who raced all over the country and often abroad. I fitted into the middle group – which was quite small compared to the top group.
We were all about the same age, though they were possibly 5 years older on average so nothing major.
I found out yesterday that almost without exception, the people who made up this group of supremely fit athletes have either died, have had life changing injuries or have debilitating and progressive, chronic illnesses from MS to severe arthritis. All this before any of them hit 60.
It is pretty sobering.
Had you asked me in 1986, when I was at my most active in the club, I would never have guessed this is what life had in store for all those people that I trained with.
