Kelso’s Lesley Cook hoping for gain in Spain as she takes on world at triathlon

The 39-year-old is competing at this year’s World Sprint Triathlon Championships at Pontevedra in Galicia, starting this Thursday and finishing on Sunday, and she’ll have to swim 750m, cycle 20km and run 5km.

That trip abroad follows wins in sprint triathlons in Galashiels and Haddington earlier this year and she was also first in her age class at this month’s Scottish national standard-distance triathlon championships in Aberdeenshire.

Cook finished tenth in what was then her 30-34 age group at 2021’s European championships in 2021 but she’s expecting tougher competition in Spain.

“It’s going to be really different to the European championships as there were perhaps a few hundred athletes there in total,” she said.

“This week there will be 78 in my 35-39 age category alone, and so if you multiply that across all the age groups, men and women, it gives you an idea of how big the worlds are.

“It also shows the growth of triathlon events. Triathlon didn’t really exist when I was a kid, or certainly wasn’t on your doorstep in Scotland, but now you see kids coming into the sport very young and racing all the way through their lives and that’s fantastic.

“I am a little jealous that I didn’t get started earlier, but the sport is massive now, and wherever you finish in these events, I just love getting out there and challenging myself.

“The Scottish scene is still quite small, so it’s fun, and daunting, to go up against athletes from all over the world at the top event and see where you stand.”