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London’s calling
Home-grown Olympic triathlon talent Will Clarke is well on his way to securing a place at London 2012. Ella Walker caught up with him to talk travelling the world, keeping in shape and eating – a lot!
CB Magazine 04/2012
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Will Clarke and Laurent Vidal at the Aussie Sprint Championships
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ambridge-born athlete Will Clarke is doing it the hard way. If bullying your muscles into competing professionally in one sport isn’t enough, he’s tackling a medley of three, and when it comes to triathlon, there’s no easy way to be the best. The 27-year-old, who started his athletics career swimming and cycling for Cambridge before getting talent spotted for triathlon at 16 (“I’ve been focusing my life on this ever since”), has already had one shot at an Olympic medal at Beijing in 2008. Now, with London 2012 just a few months away, he’s seriously notching up his training for what could be the most important race of his life. “I’m always preparing for London 2012!” he enthuses. “It’s going to be so hard to qualify for so I can’t take Beijing for granted. “The first thing any athlete has to do is to get qualified and this is a long hard process. It takes years of preparation and nothing is guaranteed ‘til you’ve done it. Then we’ll start focusing on the actual race itself, which will be amazing!” Will still has a bit of a wait before he’ll know if he’s made the grade to represent Great Britain at the Games but, after ranking 9th in the world at the end of an
CB Magazine 04/2012
impressive 2011 season, he’s definitely one to watch – and it’s impossible to doubt how in love with the sport he is. “I really enjoy competing and trying to be the best you can be for that chosen event,” he says. “We compete in really exciting venues all over the world ranging from Sydney Harbour to Kitzbuhel mountains to Beijing. I can’t describe how satisfying it is to achieve your goals in these events, and, after the race, I’m friends with most of my competition so I enjoy their company around races as well.” But it’s not all travelling the world and socialising. The former under-23 world and European champion is honest about the fact that making it as a professional athlete requires sacrifice as well as unshakeable commitment and consistently incredible results. “It is hard sometimes to stay motivated because it can be a very tedious and lonely sport, and it’s a very hard lifestyle,” Will admits. “I think of the big picture or what I can potentially achieve and also try to make my job as fun as possible by training with people I want to train with in places I want to train.” Hence why, when he’s not at home in Loughborough with wife Clare and their dog Lola, he’s likely to be found training in Australia. Right now he’s soaking up the sun on Australia’s Gold Coast and, with the triathlon season having barely kicked off, has already bagged a silver medal at the Aussie Sprint Championships.
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I ask what it takes for him to stay in competitive shape, and ‘formidable’ doesn’t even begin to cover it: “My weekly schedule consists of about 32 hours a week of swimming, cycling and running. Some of it is easy; some of it is maximum effort.” Broken down, that amounts to six 5km swims, 15 hours of cycling and a whole lot of running – it’s no wonder that Will needs huge amounts of food to keep him going. “I try to make sure I eat a healthy balanced diet. Five portions of fruit and veg and all that, but I do it without going over the top. I really enjoy my food. It’s something I really look forward to so I make quite an effort with eating out and what I’m cooking,” he says. “I guess the main thing to say is I eat a lot! I have my three big meals a day but I probably eat the same again throughout the course of the day in snacks!” Taking inspiration from his heroes Haile Gebrselassie and Lance Armstrong – who has just returned to his triathlon roots in aid of charity – also helps keep his mind on the right track. In the end though, it all comes down to Will working hard, pushing himself, staying focussed – whether it’s on the road, in the pool or on his bike. “I’m not a massive sports fan outside swimming, cycling and running but I am interested in any other sports like mine where people are pushing their limits physically. I love to see the good times and the struggles and am fascinated with peoples’ journeys because professional sport is never peaches and cream the whole way.”
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Follow Will on Twitter @theclarke and for more information visit www.will-clarke.com.
Interested in getting involved in triathlon? Will says: “Cambridge is lucky enough to have a fantastic triathlon club. When I first joined my sister and I were the youngest by eight years, now there are just under 100 junior members and they are well looked after so a visit there is a youngster’s best bet. “Other than that, join up with Cambridge Swimming Club and Cambridge and Coleridge Athletics Club and get those arms and legs pumping!” For information about Cambridge Triathlon Club visit www.cambridgetriathlonclub.com.
CB Magazine 04/2012
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