Kat Matthews believes her previous career in the Army has prepared her for dealing with the highs and lows of being a professional triathlete.
After taking up triathlon casually while working as a physiotherapist in the forces, she decided to swap Army life for athlete life, going professional just five years ago.
In this time, she has cemented her name on the circuit, becoming fifth-ranked in the world and is now making her mark on the T100 Triathlon World Tour 2024.
“The army training has helped me prepare,” Matthews said. “It definitely set me up for dealing with the hardships, reacting under pressure and working hard even when you don’t necessarily want to.
“Any experience with the British military changes who you are and how you perceive yourself, in a good way.
“It gives you the strategies and mindset to better yourself and it engrains the idea of working for a higher cause. I use all of that every day.
“When I joined the Army as a physio, I tried triathlon and soon realised I was quite good at it and it flowed from there.
“From going professional in 2019, it’s just spiralled and it keeps on spiralling.”
The T100 Triathlon World Tour 2024 features 40 contracted athletes competing in eight events around the world in a 100km triathlon distance. London is the fourth event, with Miami, Singapore and San Francisco completed and Ibiza, Las Vegas, Dubai and a Grand Final in the Middle East still to come.
Matthews placed second in San Francisco but insisted that this recent success gives no guarantees for the T100 London, as the races are incomparable.
“I don’t know if you can draw similarities between San Francisco and London,” she added. “The course is completely different.
“San Fran was a real adventure race whereas the London course is more controlled – it’s very flat so should be very fast and should be a case of best efforts and how hard can you push for 3.5 hours.
“With the tour, you have these different races which is great.
“It’s allowing people to dive off a boat in the middle of the San Francisco Bay and then attack a climb, but also allowing people to go flat and fast in a straight line.
“Athletes can play to their strengths and show that it’s not just one type of person in terms of physiology, body shape and weight who will succeed.
“Everybody has a chance to really excel and challenge themselves on the different courses as well.”
With six British women starting the race on Saturday, Matthews hopes the diversity of the Brits on show will inspire young females from all different backgrounds to take up the sport.
“It is pretty incredible having so many of us,” she added. “I hope that it’s inspiring because if you were to line up all of us British women, none of us look the same, have the same background and we’ve all come into the sport at different times in our lives.
“We’ve all done different things completely and I hope that shows the spread of what is possible and that can keep drawing females from totally different experiences into the sport.”
With the race being in London, Matthews is delighted that her family can come and watch her on Saturday, despite not feeling in top form.
“It’s so heartwarming already,” she said. “My family are mainly based down in the South West and so it’s quite a big trip for them, four or five hours.
“I’m just so grateful that they want to come to watch and support me, even if I’m not at my absolute best of the season – but it’s a tour and you have to peak and trough.
“I feel a tad jaded just generally with it being the middle of the year. I’m aware I have racing fatigue, but I’m just allowing the fluctuation to happen.
“I don’t feel any pressure from them coming. I just feel that their love will just help me in those moments of need.”
The first London T100 Triathlon weekend on 27-28 July is entirely free for spectators and includes a dedicated T100 Watch Party venue at the ExCel London Exhibition Centre for the very first time. Where fans will be able to see the world’s best triathletes come past at least 10 times during the 100km race format (2km swim, 80km run, 18 km swim). As well as being able to follow them live, out on the course, thanks to a big screen.
Image: Reuters via Beat Media Group subscription
