62-year-old triathlete to compete in World Championships next year

A 62-year-old triathlete is set to compete at next year’s Age-Group Triathlon World Championships in Bermuda, after this year’s event was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Phil Murrow, from Caerphilly, would have represented Great Britain at this year’s competition in Edmonton, Canada, which was set to get underway on Thursday, August 20, before finishing on Sunday, August 23.

Phil, who will compete in the 60-65 age category, qualified for the competition by achieving a top-ten finish in the Cardiff Bay Triathlon last year. However, due to the competition’s cancellation, his place in the competition will roll over to next year.

Having already represented Wales, the championships would have been Phil’s first time representing Great Britain – something he said would have been merely a “pipe dream” when he was younger.

A former control engineer, Phil first took up triathlon as a hobby to “motivate” himself after he retired aged 60.

In 1982, he ran the London Marathon and has been a keen sportsman for much of his life.

He’s now a member of the Caerphilly Tri-ers Club and completed the gruelling Ironman Wales event in Tenby last September.

The challenge saw more than 2,500 competitors from 75 different countries take part in a 3.8km swim, a 180km bike ride and a marathon – with a 17 hour time limit.

During lockdown, practising for the championships became difficult, with restrictions in place preventing group gatherings, as well as a five-mile travel ban imposed by Welsh Government, coupled with the closure of swimming pools.

He said: “I’m disappointed that I couldn’t race in Canada, but compared to the pain and devastation Covid has caused, it’s very easy to keep sports events in perspective.”

Phil said he’s hoping to “finish in a reasonable time and do the vest proud” next summer.

He will be supported in Bermuda by his wife, Rachel, who has represented Wales veterans in hockey, as well as his 12-year-old son Owen, who is a keen triathlete, hockey player and rugby player.