Happy birthday , welcome to the club.
Happy Birthday.
Expect bits of yourself to crumble to dust by the end of the week. Don’t worry its normal.
Happy birthday @joex !
The membership card is in the post, with flyers for Saga holidays and funeral plans
Welcome on board @joex
Edit: I’m not not sure what I’m welcoming you on board to? Stanner stair lift perhaps
I’m hoping for a number of ‘free passes’
Now I’m fifty, I can pretend the belly is something I’ve recently gained, the silent implication that I was slim in previous decades.
And that those afternoon naps I’ve been taking for the last ten years are age related.
My wife is also hoping for some ‘free passes’
Like, now I’m fifty that I’ll have no sex drive and no stamina.
And that I’ll give up having hobbies and dedicate every waking moment to the children.
I fear that both of us will be let down in these hopes…
So while I don’t feel training is any harder than it was in my thirties I am feeling some pressure from my kids on the training kit front.
It seems that having dad trying to conceal his nakedness in just a pair of too small split shorts was never acceptable.
So I’m trying to wear actual clothes most of the time now, suits in fact, but is there a more respectable training dress code I should be applying now I’m ancient?
Ancient? Wait until you get to my age youngster…..
Anyhoo - shorts - I wear shorts with a lycra liner so they sit tight enough around the important bits and are under an outer garment that looks like an ordinary pair of shorts. Everyday wear and for working out in.
John Lunt posted this today on his FB page:
“A very big Happy Birthday to Daphne Belt — 87 today & STILL RACING!
She did her first ever race with me some 37 years ago and now she is coming out to the Dubrovnik Triathlon on October 26, 2025 “
87
She’s a bloody legend and I think she’s still swim coaching in Littlehampton as well
Wow, met her in the 1990s, she was a bit of an inspiration then as a more mature female athlete, amazing that she’s still smashing it.
Yeah, her and Steve still do the odd 70.3 as well, fairly sure they did Venice in May.
One More Time was easily her best song, but Get Lucky is pretty good too
You are being Daft and have her confused with someone else. Her finest hour was getting bottled off stage at Reading singing U.G.L.Y. with her mate Celeste.
Do you remember Patrick Barnes? He was the elder statesman of UK Tri in the 90s. He did Fowey River Tri one year, which was some going given it’s profile! He must have been pushing 80 back then.
ETA this article would suggest he was in his 80s when I met him in Cornwall! Windsor Triathlon – Coventry Triathletes
Bruh, even the kids love Home Bargains
Have heard of Patrick but never met him when he was alive.
There are/were some interesting older triathletes around:
Peter Norman of Wrecsam Tri who died in 2023 aged 86 was still racing in his early 80’s and had multiple World and European a/g titles.
There was a guy in Kent called John Brown who raced when he was in his 80’s - I have a photo of him somewhere racing on his 80th birthday. He didn’t start till he was past 70 and didn’t tell his wife where he was going on Sundays with his bike in case she stopped him!! When she did find out a few years later she insisted their son go with him to look after him.
I went to Shropshire in 97 and Barnes was there. Only person in his age group, and I think the two below were empty. The organiser set him off in his own wave an hour before anyone else
I’m sure a Patrick barnes did the Windsor triathlon in .. I’m guessing here .. 92? 93?
They announced he was racing ?!
A great tri career he had.
I love that clip on YouTube. So so funny with them stood at the back of the stage dodging the flying bottles.