From Sailing to Triathlon: Meet Annemijn

Why I Tri: Annemijn's Story

I was standing on top of the famous Cauberg hill (Limburg) cheering up my boyfriend who just finished the Tour for Life (in 8 days cycling from Italy to the Netherlands) and thought: this is what I want! It reminded me of the years when I was still in competitive sailing. The freedom of being outside, meeting different people, visiting new places, challenging yourself mentally and physically and doing it together as a team appealed to me.

Exactly two years later, I cycled the Tour for Life with the first women’s team participating. That was in the summer of 2013. Since then, I have been grateful for all the new friends I’ve made, the lessons I have learned and the beautiful new places I have visited, all thanks to my bike. In short: I owe a lot to cycling. 

Why I Tri

After 3 years of a lot of cycling, I wanted a new challenge. I became interested in triathlon, because I saw it as a real challenge for myself. I didn’t have a clue where to start, how to do it or what kind of things I needed to get to prepare myself. So, I just signed up for one and took a stab at it. 

I completed my first sprint triathlon last April in Amsterdam. I absolutely loved it. Although a sprint triathlon is only 1/8 of an Ironman, I felt like a real pro, just being able to say I finished. It isn’t easy. I remember being so exhausted during the last 5 km that I felt like my legs were made out of spaghetti. You start thinking you will not make it.. and then you do! 

I loved that feeling and really pushing myself. So, my next goal is an Ironman. I have one year to train. Swimming classes are booked; every Wednesday morning at 7am, with great coffee afterwards. Running workshops are on the calendar for Thursday nights and cycling in between. I am looking forward to this new adventure!

Annemijn Running