Manchester Triathlon Club: Three Sports, One City

Manchester Triathlon Club is one of the largest triathlon clubs in the UK, drawing members from across the city and Greater Manchester for swim, bike and run sessions throughout the year. Swim sessions are held at the Manchester Aquatics Centre in Ardwick, one of the best 50-metre pool facilities in the country, which gives the club access to proper lane swimming in a venue built for competition. Bike sessions head out from the city into the roads of east Cheshire and the flatlands of the Wirral peninsula depending on the route – Manchester sits at the edge of good cycling country with quick access once you clear the urban sprawl. Run sessions take place across the city, from the flat paths around Heaton Park to the hills of the Peak District edge.

The AJ Bell Manchester Triathlon, held at Salford Quays each summer, is effectively the club’s home event – the largest triathlon in the UK, with thousands of participants swimming in the Quays, cycling out into Salford, and running along the waterfront. Many Manchester Triathlon Club members use it as their season goal. The club runs a Couch to Tri programme for complete beginners who want to take on their first triathlon without needing to already be a swimmer, cyclist and runner. For existing athletes in one discipline looking to add the others, the structured sessions across all three sports make the club the most logical base in the city.