3 Golden Rules for Qualifying for Team GBR from Second time qualifier Mike Essex

Competing in Edmonton in 2014 was one of the best experiences of my life but this year was going to be different. I knew I would start a new job in May 2015 so was going to be difficult to get the time off to go to Chicago and I also felt that I wouldn’t be in the shape I wanted to be in. Also fancied something different and as the swim is my weakest discipline there was an obvious option…..

So, I decided to have a crack at qualifying for the 2016 euro sprint duathlon championships. The duathlon qualifiers are really early, usually March so have to start proper training in November and through Christmas (exactly…….). I signed up for the clumber park qualifiers in March 2015 which also doubled up to be the national duathlon championships. I was injury free and was running in PB territory so knew I was in with a chance.

Some of the 40-44s sprinted off like Justin Gatlin on EPO and red bull at the start of the race but I stuck to a pace I knew I could sustain. Got 2/3rds of the way round the bike and thought I got DQ’d as I overtook a bunch of Sunday Boris bikers and crossed the central white line in the road for 5 milli seconds in front of a Marshall. That seriously threw me off mentally but got myself together on the second run and crossed the line strongly to an eventual Q4 position.

I suggest 3 golden rules if you are serious about qualifying:

1) Make it your only goal for the whole year and focus on it

2) Tell your family and friends you are going for it – nothing like a bit of pressure to get you out training on a cold winters evening when you’d rather be on the sofa

3) Enter some smaller local events to get a top 3 AG – it really builds the self confidence so when you get to the line at the championships YOU DESERVE TO BE THERE!!!!