All those years later she has gone on and taken part in even more racing, representing Great Britain at the age-group worlds, and also doing Ironman triathlons. She may be coming to a triathlon near you!
Peggy Crome, aged 74
From: Chulmleigh,
Devon
Lives: Bideford, Devon
Occupation: Retired maths and physical education teacher
I only got into cycling because it was
a triathlon discipline. I had cycled as a kid, though we had very old rickety-rackety
bikes at home on the farm. Those bikes had no brakes and we used to
put our feet up on to the back wheel to stop!! Riding around was okay in my
childhood as there was hardly any traffic where we lived. Then I left cycling
behind till I was about 40 years old when I started triathlons.
I rate cycling second out of the three
disciplines, as I came into triathlon from running and that’s what I do best at.
I do love the speed you can get with cycling
around though. It’s far more physical than standing around waiting for buses
and trains!
My first experience of being on a road
bike was when I borrowed a bike from one of my sons. I found it
quite scary. Then I had a bit of a nasty experience, with an
impatient lorry driver behind me. I thought I had stopped to let him
go by, but I hadn't quite stopped.
I found myself looking up under
the lorry - lucky for me I JUST escaped, and the lorry carried on without
stopping. My heart was racing!
Thankfully nothing like that has happened since.
I have my own bike now, a Specialized
Shiv, and it’s quite good. As I have got older, I have had more money to
spend, and we old folks need every bit of help we can get from technology to go
faster!
Since 2003, I have qualified for 23 age group multisport championships, and have had 19 podium finishes, including nine wins. My golds were at the European Triathlon Championships in Kitzbuhel, Austria (2014), Athlone, Ireland, (2010); at the World Championships in London - Aquathlon (2013), Eilat, Israel - Triathlon (2012), Gold Coast, Australia (Aquathlon and Triathlon) (2009), Vancouver, Canada -Triathlon (2008), Queenstown, New Zealand - Triathlon (2003). I also won gold in the Powerman Long Distance Duathlon (10k-60k 10k run) in Copenhagen, Denmark last year, and bronze at the 70.3 Ironman in Zel am See, Austria, in 2015.
Since 2003, I have qualified for 23 age group multisport championships, and have had 19 podium finishes, including nine wins. My golds were at the European Triathlon Championships in Kitzbuhel, Austria (2014), Athlone, Ireland, (2010); at the World Championships in London - Aquathlon (2013), Eilat, Israel - Triathlon (2012), Gold Coast, Australia (Aquathlon and Triathlon) (2009), Vancouver, Canada -Triathlon (2008), Queenstown, New Zealand - Triathlon (2003). I also won gold in the Powerman Long Distance Duathlon (10k-60k 10k run) in Copenhagen, Denmark last year, and bronze at the 70.3 Ironman in Zel am See, Austria, in 2015.
As I get older I find I have to work
harder to stay fitter and free from illness! I think the worst thing
about getting older is that you have to accept slower times and that you are
not going to do any more all-time PBs [personal bests]. I get around this
problem by setting new targets on January 1st each year. My goal this year is to compete in the World Age-Group champioinships in Rotterdam in September. I doubt that I will do really well there, because I will be the oldest in my age group. But I hope to do well enough to qualify for next year's championships in Australia.
When it comes to bike courses I say the
hillier the better! Although I hate hills, Devon is quite hilly and I find
that I have an advantage over those who don’t have hills near where they live.
During the bike leg I never get tempted
to draft, as I am rubbish at drafting. I like to see where I am going and
can never trust the rider in front not to stop suddenly.
When doing the 112-bike ride during an Ironman
I make use of the three positions you can get into with tri-bars - hands on the
bars, on the hubs and on the drops. I keep changing hand position
and shuffling my bottom around to keep comfortable. If the course is
flat, I change up a gear and stand on the pedals - this helps to stretch the
legs out.
I train a fair bit on the bike but I
don’t do a lot of cycling outside of training. However, right now my campervan
is in the garage for major repairs, so it is good that I can still travel
around on my old bike.
I do take part in local 10-mile and
25-mile time trials as I find cycling in races with the 'purists' helps to keep
me focused, and stops me thinking about putting the rubbish out or what I am
going to have for tea!
Last year I did cycle from John
O'Groats to Land's End with my granddaughter. I was 73 years old,
and she was 13! That was quite a fun trip.
When I go out riding I never go out
without my helmet. It’s the most important thing for me. I also take a
stopwatch – no Garmin as I’m not a tecky person!
I use a turbo trainer for when the weather
is really bad - like icy, though I try to do as much outdoor cycling as
possible. It is good to experience different weather conditions on the bike
because you never know what the heavens are going to throw at you on race day.
I find that in my age group, although
the number of people racing is fewer, the people that take part are very, very
serious, especially the Americans. Also, because they are, mostly, retired they
have more time to follow their schedules and most importantly, more time to
rest and recover.
I mainly do Ironman 70.3 races [1.2-mile swim; 56-mile bike; 21.1-mile run) rather full
Ironman races [2.4-mile swim; 112-mile bike; 26.2-mile run]. My family used to be amazed at what I was doing, but now
they are used to it and I can no longer 'wow' them. Friends, however, often
say, "I want to be like Peggy when I grow up!"...even
though they are in their 40s, 50s and 60s!
I have had a few tricky situations to deal
with in triathlons. Once, I had a bad crash on the bike leg during a race in
Cleveland, America. However I was able to recover and straighten the
handlebars of my bike and after checking my major bones I found the adrenaline
kept me going. The day after I discovered I had 14 major bruises on my body and
a broken wrist bone!
My toughest race was The World Ironman
70.3 finals at Zell am See-Kaprun, Austria. I like hilly bike courses but
this was mad!! There was a 10-mile climb followed by a one-and-a-half-mile 20%
gradient at the top of the mountain. My reward was third prize at the end when
a couple of others in my age group didn't make the cut off times.
My favourite race in the UK has to be the Ellesmere triathlon in Shropshire – at least once I’ve waded through the duck and
goose poo that squelches up between your toes at the start of the lake swim!
The rest of the course is good!
The most interesting person I’ve met in
triathlon is Tim Don. He has always been very helpful to us age groupers. I
remember him advising us how to push a bike up a steep cobbled road once, and
telling us how to take advantage of leaning on the bike as well as pushing it. I
had the privilege of sharing a taxi with him from Munich airport to Zell am
See. I also find Chrissie Wellington a very interesting person. She came down
to meet the North Devon Triathlon Club and did a Park Run in Barnstaple with us,
then followed us up to Woolacombe Bay for a sea swim. She was really
helpful with the triathletes who were apprehensive about sea swimming.
Triathlon has led me to do a lot of travelling.
I have been to New Zealand twice, Australia twice, Beijing, Honolulu, America and
lots of other places. I always travel with NIRVANA UK. Although it might
work out a little more expensive than travelling independently, it is well
worth the extra. All I have to do is put most of my stuff in a bike box and
case and get to the nearest airport.
For all the travelling I do, my
favourite place to ride is along the Tarka Trail, in North Devon, which I would
ride more if I wasn’t racing or training.
My advice to older people who may wish to
do endurance sports is to just have a go. Train to cover the distance. Only
ever compete against yourself and your own times. It’s best to do an
event for your favourite charity first, then the only pressure is to finish the
event. The next step is to do it again...quicker!
For me, cycling means three things –
freedom; speed; friendship.
