World Championship Triathlete...
World championship triathlete, Rob Whitaker reveals how his passion for competing in triathlons turned him from a chubby teenager into a super fit athlete. Now competing for his county on an international scale Rob explains more… “It’s like my whole life. If it was taken away from me it would be weird. It’s not really a sport - it’s a lifestyle… it takes up a big part of your life.”
Robs interest in sporting events began at the tender age of 5. He regularly competed in swimming galas but stopped at the age of 15. Rob soon began to pile on the pounds. Rob joked: “I was a bit of a porker back then because I’d stopped swimming. I got introduced to my sister’s boyfriend (now husband) and he got me into triathlon’s. He used to play Rugby and decided to give triathlon’s a go. He said if he finished in the top 50 he’d continue to do them.” Rob continued: “I used to be a good swimmer so in 1997 I thought I’d have a go. It was in Dewsbury and my first triathlon entailed a 500 meter swim, a 15 mile bike ride, and a 6 mile run. I didn’t do much training to get in shape. I was still pretty chubby when I did that one. I’ve only sort of leaned off now and eating better helps.”
Rob’s always had ambitious plans. Not content with competing in local events – Rob decided that he’d competed in the World Championships. Rob said: “I went to Brighton to qualifying for the 2001 worlds in Canada. My sister, her husband and my wife also went too.” Rob explained that his triathlon entailed a: 1500 meter open water swim, a 40 kilometre bike ride and a 10 kilometre run! Rob told me: “I didn’t finish the bike ride as I got three punctures. Can you believe I went to Canada and got three punctures! I didn’t let that stop me. I still finished though. I threw down my bike and ran so I could finish.”