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Mar
Harrogate man, 74, to compete in British championships
A 74-year-old Harrogate athlete will race in the British Championships this summer.
Ian Dalby, of Bilton, has qualified for the standard distance Aquabike Championships on May 11. Aquabike is a form of triathlon that excludes the running.
Taking place at Burghley House, near Stamford, competitors will swim through open water for 1.5km before cycling 40km. This is Olympic-standard distance for the sport.
Ian is ranked in the top sixty globally and in the top five nationally in his age group, for 70-74-year-olds.
An athletic background
Ian told the Stray Ferret that he had been a runner since he was young. He was one of the founding members of the running club Ilkley Harriers AC in 1986, representing them as its captain for many years. Co-founding the club is one of the things that he is most proud of in his life.
Athletics has been a life-long passion. He said:
I’ve always been an athlete. I was a decent club runner as a young man and competed in many races, from 5ks to marathons.
I ran the British Cross-Country Championships in 1986, when I was 35. I ran the London Marathon in 1986, and the World Marathon Championships in Gateshead in 1998. It’s an activity I thoroughly enjoy, and have always thoroughly enjoyed.
As he got older, Ian also took up long-distance biking as a means of further staying fit.
At 59 years old, though, he had a serious accident after falling off his bike. Ian broke two ribs, his scapula and a knee, and was unsure if he would ever be able to compete again.
But the accident only inspired him, and he decided in hospital that he was going to do an Ironman Triathlon.
An Ironman is not for the faint hearted. It consists of a 3.9km swim, a 180km bike ride and a marathon.
Since then, Ian has immersed himself in Aquabike Triathlons. He told us that the injuries he sustained during his accident prevented him from running at his previous level, and aquabike removed the need to run in competitions.
Professional potential?
Ian told us that although he was a strong runner, the prospect of turning professional was never an option for him.
There was very little money in professional running until the famous Cascade Run Off in 1981. This race, in Portland, Oregon, was the first time race winners openly accepted prize money, and paved the way for professional funding in athletics.
This meant that prior to this, whilst Ian was in his 20s, becoming professional offered very little financial gain for athletes.
The Leeds-born runner has a wife and three children, and said that providing for them was the only thing on his mind:
I never wanted to go professional, and I had no offers to go pro when I was younger.
I have a wife and three beautiful children that I needed to provide for. I worked 40-50 hour weeks, so I did my sport in between work.
All I knew how to do was work.
Staying fit
Ian is extremely dedicated to his training and works on a weekly cycle of weights, swimming, cycling and yoga.
He swims four times a week, lifts weights three times a week, and cycles four times a week – upping that to seven times before competitions. His standard week of training would total between 15 and 20 hours.
The 73-year-old says his biological age is 42, and his resting heart rate is an impressive 48 beats per minute.
He said age shouldn't stop you:
You can still be quite good and stay physically fit at any age. Most people my age will be getting slippers for Christmas. I get bike helmets and sports gear.
I can go out and compete against people 30-40 years younger than me and still give a good account of myself. Anyone can do it at my age if they apply themselves.
With training, I just have to accept my age. What I try to do is work smarter, and work on the things that I know I’m good at.
Ian said the key to staying injury free was regular yoga, which he does at least five times a week, and told us "I can still do the splits, but I won't show you right now!"
He continued that it is incredibly necessary for him to stay flexible due to his age.
The athlete explained how he has learned to listen to his body during exercise:
When you get to the age of around 40, you can feel your athletic ability start to decline a bit. This continues as you get to 50, then 60. When you get to 70, it's like jumping off a cliff!
I'm a real advocate for listening to your body. If you feel something and you ignore it, then a little niggle becomes a big niggle. A big niggle becomes a little injury, and a little injury becomes a big injury. Next thing you know you're unable to compete.
World Championships
Ian hopes to be on the podium for his age group in the British Championships.
After this, he plans to represent Great Britain in the World Championships next year. They will be held in Abu Dhabi in the summer of 2026, although the exact date has not been set yet.
Ian told the Stray Ferret that representing Great Britain would be "by far the biggest thing in my sporting career."
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