In case you didn't know, triathlon is a multi-discipline sport consisting of running, cycling, and swimming. Invented by the San Diego Track Club as an alternative workout to track training in the 1970s, it made its Olympic debut at the 2000 Sydney Games according to Olympic.org. It has since gained popularity around the world with more people participating in the sport and more triathlon clubs emerging worldwide.
So we reached out to the biggest triathlon club in Qatar, TriClub Doha, to learn more about the club, its activities and how enthusiasts can join. Scroll down to read the interview!
TCD: TriClub Doha is a triathlon club founded in 2013 by Nickel Nijman from the Netherlands and Emily Kelly from Ireland. The idea was to bring triathletes together to train, the club then expanded to its present-day now offering training and events, welcoming people from all backgrounds and abilities for the love of all things swimming, cycling, and running.
The club has 500+ members ranging from complete beginners to world-class triathletes. The club welcomes junior (Age 7+) and adult members.
We want to encourage anyone who is keen to try triathlon, even if you have never done anything like it before. Our ethos is one of inclusivity and enjoyment, we want to help people get the most out of the sport, but have lots of fun in the process. For the competitive ones, there are timed events and leaderboards, where you can race the clock and others in your category.
We have weekly club training and club events for juniors and adults. We also work with various businesses and partners to host local triathlon events throughout the year. For all training and events details please see our calendar. Our annual season starts on 1st September.
TCD: Our activities consist of Swimming, Cycling, and Running, the 3 disciplines of a triathlon. We have races, training sessions and workshops that cover all 3 of these disciplines.
The races we have are:
A lot of these activities are members-only events, but we do have Aquathlon, Duathlon, Running, and Triathlon Races open to the public.
TCD: Anybody who is a keen Triathlete, anybody who is interested in starting triathlon racing, anybody who wants to be involved in a Club with structured training sessions and races, for all ages and disciplines, in a variety of sporting codes.
They can join through our website via this link https://registration.triclubdoha.com/jointriclub. We welcome everyone from the age of 7 to 99, from Beginners/Novices up to Elite athletes.
TCD: We are the biggest club when it comes to organizing timed races within Qatar, namely Triathlon Races, Running Races, Duathlon Races, and Aquathlon Races. As well as offering unique races based on the disciplines from triathlon, Ocean Man Race, SwimRun Race, Time Trial Races, Superleague Style races.
We have been around for over 7 years and have gained experience in being a unique Club that welcomes everyone to be apart of our journey, we are family-oriented and offer not only professionally run races and training sessions, but we also have a social side where our members get together in a relaxed non-racing environment as well. Our training and racing facilities are some of the best and most picturesque here in Doha.
TCD: We held the first Ultra Triathlon timed race in Qatar, in Dukhan in December last year, and will be doing the same race again in January 2021. This was the first time in Doha, where athletes were offered a Sprint, Olympic, and Ultra Distance Triathlon Race.
Challenges were dealing with COVID-19 and keeping our members fit and busy with indoor activities. These worked well in the end, having virtual rides and races online for our members throughout lockdown and zoom training sessions. They ended up being a huge success and kept everyone busy, and in good health.
TCD: The COVID-19 outbreak affected us in that we had quite a few races cancelled at the end of the season, which did have an impact on us, racing wise and training wise with everything being stopped completely. Going into lockdown, we adapted everything to virtual races and sessions, which turned out well.
Once lockdown restrictions began to be lifted and we were allowed outside more, we began doing some socially distanced Club based sessions and small internal races, following guidelines and social distancing.
TCD: Passionate about the sport of Triathlon, coming from a competitive background and sporting background, being able to deliver these services and opportunities to so many people is a great feeling. The reward is seeing others achieve their personal goals, that feeling of success and self-accomplishment that they have, makes you happy and is rewarding.
Seeing people grow in their sporting abilities, achieving goals, growing as athletes and encouraging others is a satisfying reward. Everyone involved with the club is passionate about sport and triathlon and we want to be able to provide a safe, familial, and encouraging platform for people to come and be involved in sport, stay healthy and have fun most importantly.
TCD: Don't be scared to try something different, take that leap of faith, the hard part is taking that first step, you will never regret it. The rewards of doing something new that challenges you, far out ways the fears you have initially. Stay strong, stay positive, with a great support structure and the right motivation you can achieve anything.
Have you heard of TriClub Doha? What are you doing to stay fit and active in Qatar? Let us know in the comments! If you or you know someone who's interested to join a triathlon club in Qatar, don't forget to send them this article!
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