British Quadrathlon Association

Quadrathlon is an exciting and gruelling event that combines the disciplines of swimming, cycling, running and kayaking into one multi-sport race. The British Quadrathlon Team is now the leading squad on the world scene, having topped the medals table at the World Championships in Sedlcany in the Czech Republic in August 2007.

The British Quadrathlon Association looks after the sport in the UK, including the highly successful Great Britain Quadrathlon Team. “All quadrathletes need to transport a bike and a kayak to each race, and so Thule products are just about as important to each racer as efficient muscles and endless stamina!” comments Paddy Herlihy, chairman of the BQA.

In 2007 there were eight Gold medals, two Silver and one Bronze in a hugely impressive team performance; including the two key prizes - Men's World Champion Dan Corner, and Women's World Champion Helen Parkinson. The Men's team also won the Gold medal for the first time ever, narrowly pipping the Czech hosts to the top slot. The Women's team were just one place behind, with the Silver medal.

Quadrathlon appeals to all sorts of racers, from super fit World Champions to triathletes looking for a new challenge. Most riders take between three and four hours to complete a quadrathlon, but each race is different and anything can happen. Quadrathlon is no easy ride, and competitors need to keep fit to meet the challenge. The secret is to keep the whole body working efficiently. For example, a competitor’s legs will worked fairly hard in the swim, they will have burned with pain on the bike and they will then have got completely cold in the kayak section, before having to kick into action again for the run to finish.  Newcomers of all abilities can get advice from the British Men's Captain Andy Grimwood or British Women's Captain Jean Ashley and further information is available from the website www.quadrathlon.co.uk