Hello everyone!

I trust you are all well. It's been a quiet month of racing if I'm honest. I've had a World Championship qualification race, which went brilliantly and I qualified in first place as well as finishing 3rd in the race overall. I won't go into too much detail with this race as it actually welt very smoothly. The perfect swim got me out early. I didn't do much work at all on the bike and then had a really good run with very little pain in my knee thankfully. I took home a nice sized trophy and a bottle of wine. Good day at the office. Onto the next race.

The race I will talk more about in this blog was the British U20's Festival which also held the British Elite Junior Championships. It was a 750m swim, 20km bike and 5km run. The bike was so technical. There were around 6 dead turns/chicanes per lap meaning the bike would not be a fast one!
​I was feeling pretty good before the race. I felt fresh and like I had good speed in my legs and arms. On the race morning we were told it was a non-wetsuit swim. I tried to keep my confidence up telling myself that I can swim and I am fast. I think it helped as I did have a good swim. I felt strong and got stuck in the middle of it all. Unfortunately, so did everyone else. I exited the water in 10:50, but more importantly only 1:13 behind the leader which was a really good swim for me. However, pretty much all 60 juniors in the field finished the swim within 1min 20sec. 
I worked hard to get out of T1 in a good time and latch onto a group of people just ahead of me. However an average T1 meant I was working hard on the bike straight away too. Thankfully, I hooked on to the back of a group but it was not organised. It was splitting up and people were being dropped in the first two laps so we were losing time. Eventually the group stabilised with 14 of us and the then group starting working together. I did sit at the back and let other people do the work. I wanted to save my run legs as I was still unsure about how they would react. The 6 lap technical and twisty course made it very hard. You were always on the pedals pushing out of the corners and working hard to stay in the group. I was happy with my bike time and the performance and started the run with some ground to make up. 
The run was interesting. I didn't feel too good but was picking people off constantly. I worked hard. The sun was shining and the heat bearing down on the course but I handled it well. Halfway through the run I'd gained 17 places. In the final two laps I hung on for the 13th fastest run of the day and finished in 28th place. I was really happy with my splits, my time and my placing but just a bit disappointed about how far away from the leader I was. But when I told myself he is the best Junior athlete in the World right now, I sort of realised I actually performed pretty well compared to him! I came away knowing I'd had a good result but more motivated to do something special at the Worlds and over the winter prepare for the 2018 season.

Next up for me is the big one. The World Triathlon Championships in Rotterdam. I'm really excited about this race and really interested to see how I will perform and hopefully I'll be able to perform a lot better than last year. Namely, not to pass out! 

Now. I know I said I had something exciting to share with you in this blog, but you'll have to wait a little longer. Sorry! After these words I assure you all, everything will be revealed! But don't forget to follow me on Twitter and Instagram (@sammileham) where you might be able to see some hints or some sneak peaks! 

I'm really thankful to all my sponsors for all their support they have given me throughout the year and I am really excited to represent them at the World Championships and hope I can bring home a good result and do them proud. Thank you to:
Pedal Potential
Sam Farmer
Excel Physiotherapy
Zone 3
Swim Canary Wharf
Vorgee UK &
Max Curle 

See you in Rotterdam!

Sam


Redcar ITU World Qualifier Race Times                                              British U20's Festival Race Times 
Swim: 9.29mins                                                                                           Swim: 10:49mins
T1: 00.39mins                                                                                               T1: 00.59mins
Bike: 30.19mins                                                                                           Bike: 34.29mins
T2: 00.24mins                                                                                               T2: 00.31mins
Run: 17.24mins                                                                                            Run: 16.46mins
Total: 58.17mins                                                                                          Total: 1.03.35hours

Name: European Sprint Triathlon Championships 2017 
Date: Sunday 25th June 2017
Venue: Dusseldorf, Germany 
Distance: 750m Swim/20.4km Bike/5km Run

European Champion. I cannot believe it. It still doesn't seem real. What a day! So, how did it happen? It’s a very good question and if you asked me I would probably reply with “I don't know.” My coach might say I deserved it. My parents say you've worked nine years for this. This blog hopefully will give an insight into how it happened. 

Saturday 24th June. 
The day before the race. I had a little swim in the river looking at the course and swim exit, how I might start and got used to the warmth of the water as it was 24C. Obviously I was not wearing a wetsuit in anticipation, but deep down I was hoping the water temperature would drop. I then had a little spin in the hotel gym on the static bikes and went to eat my standard pre race meal…Chicken! I said goodnight to my parents and the lights went out. 

Sunday 25th June
Race Day. I woke up, had a coffee with two shots, cheerios and some water. I then headed down to complete the rest of my transition, as the bike had to be left there over night. Walking out of the hotel, it was chilly, it was damp and the roads were slippery. I knew the bike course could be a bit dangerous and I started to hear rumours that wetsuits might be allowed. Sure enough they were! The chilly air temperature meant that we were allowed wetsuits. I was a very happy bunny. Our wave was the U25’s, so it made for some good extra competition. 
I got ready and headed down to the start. I ate my energy bar, downed an energy gel and warmed up. I was feeling pretty relaxed, chatting to the other GB guys and just having a laugh. As soon as they said you can head to the pontoon I went into race mode. The horn sounded. I sprinted away into the lead. I had visualised myself leading the Europeans some nights before, a little goal I set myself, but it was weird that it was happening for real. I had over a 10 metre lead after 300m. After the first buoy the pack of three behind started to catch me and joined me turning into the final two buoys. One Brit overtook me but I wasn’t too worried. I knew I was still in contention. I’m sure I exited the swim in under 10mins, but after 66 steps and a little run the timing mat was finally under my feet so it clocked 10.27. However, at this point I honestly felt rubbish. Running the 670m to my bike I felt horrendous, but I ploughed on and leapt onto my bike. I suddenly felt a whole lot better. I was in 3rd for half of the bike, but then slipped back down to about 9th. 
Coming into T2 I sprinted through transition praying my knee would hold up as it’s now been three months without any run training and pain when I do run. In transition I made up 4 places and moved into 5th place. After the first 1km of the run I moved into 4th and was feeling surprisingly good. My knee wasn’t hurting and at the switchback I had a chance to see exactly where I was and who was in front of me. I was 4th, but more importantly I was in gold medal position in my age group! This spurred me on, but made me to check behind as I knew my running wasn’t as strong as normal. I couldn’t see anyone! I kept saying to myself it’s all or nothing, it’s all or nothing. With 400m to go I had another look behind and still there was no one.
Approaching this point I wasn't exactly sure where I was. Let me explain. In first place was actually someone in my age group, however he was from New Zealand…so is he allowed to win the European Championships? 
Nevertheless, I crossed the line screaming, cheering, astonished and delighted at  my position which was either a silver or gold. More importantly I had achieved my goal of getting on the podium at a major championships! I was also the first British person to cross the line! What a day!
It took a good hour or two to see that it was official. I was the European Champion! Wow! There were cheers all round, friends and family and fellow Brits. It was lovely. A day in my life I will never forget. 

I have been overwhelmed with all the kind words from people on social media and I know I have not replied to everyone, but I will be getting onto that soon. I cannot thank you all enough for your support and messages since last Sunday. A massive well done to all the other 29 British medallists including Jonathan, Kiera and Rosie who all secured a medal in the U20 race too. 4/6 on the podium, not bad!

There is no way I would have been able to have reached this podium position on my own. I am very grateful for the support from friends and family, but also from my sponsors. 
A huge thank you to Pedal Potential for their funding, Sam Farmer for supplying me with lots of personal care products, Zone 3 for their super speedy suit getting me the 2nd fastest time in the race and Swim Canary Wharf for coaching me to swim like a fish! I would not have been as comfortable in the swim if it wasn't for Vorgee UK’s Missile FUZE goggles. 
Thank you to Max Curle for his strength and conditioning programmes to keep me up with the best of the best, The Body Therapy Company for their sports oils keeping my muscles warmed up pre race and able to recover quickly post race.
I must thank Excel Physiotherapy a huge amount for the work Gary has put in over the last few months keeping my knee as pain free as possible and making sure it holds up for such important races. Finally, thank you Dermott Hayes for coaching me over the years and getting me this medal. 

I hope you enjoyed this blog and I look forward to writing about next race. I’m sure you will be hearing from me shortly but make sure you follow me on Twitter and Instagram @sammileham for regular updates!

​Happy training,

Sam

Race Times
Swim: 10:27mins
T1: 03:02mins
Bike: 33:54mins
T2: 01:37mins
Run: 17:49
Total: 1:06:47

Hello again. 
It's time for you to know what I've been up to over the last few weeks and what I have in store for the next month or so. INJURY UPDATE
Let's get this injury business out of the way. I haven't run for 8 weeks. There I said it. Its been tough! I love running and I've been seeing people on the streets running feeling more jealous than ever. Thankfully, things have begun to get better with the help of my great physio Gary, at Excel Physiotherapy. With extensive physio, strengthening and an injection on Tuesday I'm hoping I shall be pain free very soon. Yes, you read correctly .. injection. It's an anti-inflammatory injection which should get rid of the pain temporarily, but then it will mean 7 days at least of no exercise. Outrageous right, but if it means zero pain afterwards, let's do it and let's get racing. Anyway, onto the more positive things.
I podiumed at a criterium race. I then came 9th in another. I moved up to 3rd category racing. And then I did a triathlon. 

Wait a second, isn't he injured? He hasn't run for 8 weeks. Just a few things that may have popped into your mind and both are very true, but I did enter a SuperSprint triathlon at Dorney Lake, Eton. Only a 400m swim, 10km bike and 2.5km, just a little sprint to get the legs going. My physio said with only a 2.5km run I should be strong enough to get round and it would be a good test to see how the strength work has been coming along. So with no running in the legs I rocked up to F3 Events SuperSprint on Saturday morning feeling confident and ready to race the first two disciplines, at least.
I got there early, registered quickly, took the best racking spot (in my opinion) and went to warm up. I got my Zone3 Vanquish on as well as the extra thick and warm neoprene hat (which was a lifesaver) and headed to swim start. I was feeling confident after some promising training splits in swimming and cycling recently so I was really excited to see what I could do. I overcame the 13C water and got myself into a starting position. GO! I was off. I set off pretty hard aiming for first out of the water. I was for most of the swim, but always had a fellow swimmer next to me. Unfortunately, he got the inside line at the turn and took over the lead, but I stuck right on his heels until the swim exit. I climbed out of the lake in a time of 4:44 in 2nd place and headed to my bike. Choosing that spot in transition proved crucial as I took the lead and was first coming out of transition and onto the bike with 2nd right behind. I opened up around a 60-70m gap and powered round the flat, fast and windy bike course. At the turn around point I could not see 3rd at all so knew it was just me and him. That 70m gap never closed or extended as I entered transition for the second time with a bike split of 14:38, good enough for 2nd fastest on the day. I sprinted out of transition into the unknown, but leading. The legs felt weird I'll admit, not sure how to describe it but they felt odd. They were working and so far without pain which was good. I kept pushing and never looked back. Only at the turnaround point did I look behind and that was when he came past me. I tried my hardest to stay with him which I did for a little, but then the lack of running started to come through. He opened up a gap and took the win. I was pleasantly shocked to see a run split of 8:40 and a total time of 29 mins, a PB by a long way on that course! 2nd overall. 
Personally I was gutted not to take the win. I was happy opening my season on the podium don't get me wrong, but I knew at full running fitness I would've had it and that would always play on my mind. But let's talk positives. 4:44 for a 400m swim. Very pleased. 2nd fastest bike split. So happy. 8:40 run. Almost stunned. And I cannot forget the trophy, Getting a little trophy is always a nice way to start the season. 

I think what I can gather from that race is that these last 8 weeks have been amazing for my swimming and cycling, they have improved massively with the extra swim training and the criterium racing. And over those weeks it seems that I haven't lost too much run fitness, maybe a bit of top end speed but nothing too substantial that I should be overly concerned about. 

So, whats to come? 
First up, the injection. Then I'm not quite sure. A few days after I should be clear to exercise. I have a qualifier for the World Championships. My gut feeling at the moment is to swim and bike it and maybe not run, but that's something I shall decide and talk to Gary about later. 
My next race?
Ah, now that will be Saturday 28th May for sure. The European Aquathlon Championships in Slovakia. I will be flying out on the Thursday and am looking forward to going somewhere I've never been before. It'll be interesting as I would hopefully have run beforehand, but only a handful of times so we shall see what I can do over there when the time comes. 

I know I mention these people a lot, but I really couldn't do all this without their support. Pedal Potential, Sam Farmer, Swim Canary Wharf, Excel Physiotherapy, The Body Therapy Company, Zone 3 and Max Curle. I know I have a great team around me and am proud to represent my sponsors at every event I go to. Thank you for your continued support. Big thanks to iPrintStuff for printing all my trisuits for 2017! Need some logos on your suit, check out their website for some top quality printing!

Oh! I almost forgot, I should tell you all I will be starting my A Level exams very soon. Scary, I know. Therefore I'm not sure if I will be positing my next blog at the start of June as that's right in the middle of exams. If I can, I will, but otherwise you will be hearing from me towards the end of June. You can still follow me on Twitter @sammileham for regular little updates about races, training or any other tweetable things. I'm also on Facebook, Instagram and everyones favourite, Snapchat - sammymileham. 

Thanks everyone for reading and please enjoy the slideshow below of pictures from the last few weeks of racing. 

Take care,

Sam :) 

Hi there. It's me, Sam. I've got a blog to share with you. 

I'll be honest though, this blog may be quite short in terms of race reporting. I haven't had much racing as I'd hoped this month, but I'll get onto that in a second. Let's talk about some racing. Teddies Relays, St Edwards School, Oxford. My last cross country race for my school...ever! (If you're wondering ... my school is The Coopers' Company and Coborn School). The Teddies Relays is a 2.7km cross country course around the grounds of St Edwards and at the end of each lap you hand over a baton and the fastest time wins. Simple. 
I was first in my team to battle the course and I set off hard. I managed to fight for 3rd place and had a solid run. I felt pretty good and my fitness was up there, my average speed and heart rate was right where it should be. Great for the upcoming triathlon season. I was powering through the technical section, up the hills, along the flats keeping the leader in sight and at the same distance (which I should add was also a Coopers' team). However, coming into the home straight was where it really started to hurt. I'd been hurting for a bit, but this is where the pain really kicked in and I was overtaken by the group behind me to finish the leg in 6th place, but still keeping our team in a good position to finish high. The next three runners all ran brilliantly and we finished just outside the top 10 in 11th place. The second Coopers' team won the event in style, with my mate Ben Davis bringing them home in his last race for Coopers' too. A brilliant way to end the cross country season! 

However, when I was talking about the pain towards the end of the run, I wasn't talking about the pain from the effort. That's right, you guessed it, injury has hit me. This race was a bit of a trial to see how I would fair as I had to pull out of the Bedford Autodrome Duathlon. To keep it short and sweet, a weakness in my left side has been putting pressure on my ITB and where it joins the knee is a bursa sack and that's where the pain/agony is coming from. I cannot thank my physio Gary from Excel Physiotherapy enough for all his work, the acupuncture, the strappings, you name it. He's been awesome and hopefully in a week or two I shall be back running. Thankfully, I've still been able to swim and bike so these last few days have been perfect for getting some miles on the bicycle. 

I'm also really happy to announce I have been selected to go to Aldbury for a day with Ashmei. If you haven't heard of them they are a premium sportswear company who produce some top quality kit. Click the link below to check them out. I am very lucky to have been selected to go on this day as it's the final stage of their ambassador process. I am excited for this #bigdayashmei. It should be a really good chance to meet fellow athletes and the creators of the company and see what we can potentially offer each other.

If all goes well my next race is scheduled to be the British Duathlon Championships on 9th April. I've been waiting ages to start racing again so I'm excited to see what result I can put up on the board. Following that, the next big test for the early season racing will be Be Endurances' Storm the Castle Duathlon, the UK's Toughest Duathlon... not quite sure what I was thinking when I entered, but it'll be great fun! 

​A really big thank you to my sponsors and partners Pedal Potential, Swim Canary Wharf, Sam Farmer, The Body Therapy Company, Zone 3, Max Curle and Excel Physiotherapy for all their support and making all my training and racing possible. 

​See you on the start line.

​Sam 

I know what you're thinking. Why would you put yourself through the pain of cross country. Don't worry, I ask myself the same thing everytime I race! But I guess you could say it's fun and it's different. Different field of people, different, surfaces, different weather...
​
Anyway, in the last two weeks I've had two big races. First up was the prestigious Knole Run at Sevenoaks School. This race has been running for 43 years with a big participation every year from some very well known schools. As well as our school, other schools competing were Charterhouse, Harrow, Royal Hospital, Westminster and many more which you can see in the results. Over 47 schools and 200 runners lined up in the senior boys race on a snowy and freezing course. The course was 9.4km, two laps of a circuit which included many hills, two which looked very tricky indeed. Steep, long and torturous. Oh, and there were a few wild deer on the loose so we were hoping for no deer incidents! My school (The Coopers' Company and Coborn School) had 8 runners in total on the start line. One thing that helps a lot is having my best mate Ben Davis on the start line with me throughout the cross country season. He's a class runner and always a challenge to race against. Also a pretty good training partner in the pool!
The gun went and we all sprinted off to the first corner. There was a lot of jostling for position as the first hill was very close and very narrow. I got myself into the front pack of runners for the first 2km or so, but the speed was too much and I couldn't keep up. I dropped back and kept up a good tempo. However, just before I started the second lap one kind soul tripped me up on to some frozen mud. Landing shoulder first it hurt a tad and completely disrupted my rhythm. He was nice and he helped me up. Just wish he didn't have to help me up in the first place! The second lap was a struggle. I just had to make it to the finish in a good time which I did! Surprisingly I finished in 37min 50sec which I was very happy with considering the conditions! I finished in 57th place which was a bit disappointing, but after an amazing run from Ben coming home in 8th place and many other high finishes from our runners that was soon changed when we found out Coopers' had secured Team Bronze! This was the highest position our school had finished in the history of the run! We were pretty shocked and very happy! It was then time to put the heating on and get warm because it was freezing! 
Results for Knole Run

Up next was the Essex Schools Cross Country Championships held at Hilly Fields in Colchester. This time it was a chance to represent my Borough and try to qualify for the Nationals later in the year. The race was a lot less snowy than the week before, but still as cold. My Zone 3 Parka jacket kept me very warm indeed! Once again Ben and I lined up on the start line this time representing Havering. The course was two small laps, two big laps in total 6.4km. I had not seen the course so had no idea what to expect, except the rumours that it was 'hard'. The two small laps were very controlled. A fast but comfortable pace was set by Ben and we formed a group. Immediately up the first incline the group splintered, Ben and two others broke away and I was still in a qualifying place. I pushed hard round the first lap until I came close to the end of the lap and encountered an unexpected hill. It was pretty steep and took everything out of me. Loosing a few places I now knew what the course was like. Better late than never .... right! On the second lap I was in 11th place, outside of qualifying (8th) but paced myself a bit better. I overtook one person and worked hard to close the gap to 8th and 9th ahead of me. I knew I was catching them and when I turned to go up the hill I thought I had them. I closed the gap until I was right behind them, finished the hill and then thought 'Oh no! .... might have pushed that effort a little hard Sam'. I felt really ill and may have had to briefly stop to be slightly sick, but I was determined not to give up. Runners were passing me and this now put me outside the top 10, but I was not settling for that. I flew down the final hill and into the finishing straight sprinting like I've never sprinted before, and achieved a finishing place of 10th. Annoyingly it meant I didn't qualify for the Nationals, but did qualify for the Southern Counties where I can try to qualify again. A massive well done to Ben who finished 3rd in Essex and goes on to the Nationals where I'm sure he will do great! 
Results for Essex Championships 

I'm really looking forward to what's in store for 2017. A huge thank you to all my sponsors and partners Pedal Potential, Swim Canary Wharf, Sam Farmer, The Body Therapy Company, Zone 3, Max Curle and Excel Physiotherapy for all their support. 
 

Please enjoy this lovely selection of photos below, feat. Ben. 

Sam :)
​

Is it 2017 already! Woah, that went quick. Happy New Year and Merry Christmas everyone! I know I haven't written a blog since September, but not much has actually happened. I've had a pretty normal winter some with swimming, cycling and running. I feel it's been long enough so lets get started...

Name: Bedford Autodrome Duathlon ETU Qualifier 
Date: Sunday 16th October 2016
Venue: Bedford Autodrome 
Distance: 5km Run/20km Bike/2.5km Run

First off I had a European Qualifier at Bedford Autodrome. A chance to qualify for the 2016 European Duathlon Championships. It was wet, and I mean wet. It was also windy and I mean really windy. Oh, and cold too! I was feeling pretty good and ready to go. I had persuaded my good friend and training buddy Annabel to come along and race with me. On race day I think she might have regretted her decision when she saw the weather, but so did my Dad who was also racing. I was very popular that day! The race got off to a...bad start shall we say, well so bad we sort of missed the start. There was 5 minutes till race start so I was warming up, but suddenly the horn went. Unknown to us they brought the start time forward. After a lot of swearing and quick 'good lucks' to the people around me, I sprinted off. I was fuming but it probably helped a little. I knew I was never going to get close to the front so I did the best I could. I finished the first run with a time of 15:28 then came into transition only to throw a helmet of water onto my head. Lovely! Setting off on the bike I took some corners cautiously due to the weather conditions and did my best to get through those who we were lapping. A few screams and shouts at some people along the way, but came off the bike to then stick my soggy wet cap back on. My track record in Duathlons has not been great. Last year I only finished one of three. So I was a bit nervous about how the second run would go. Straight away I felt a cramp, but I managed to shake it off and get on with the run. I struggled as it was really tough because of the conditons, but I powered through to finish in 59:10. Nothing special, but it did secure me a place in the European Duathlon Championships later this year in March. However, I've decided not to start in this race. 
After finishing I quickly wrapped myself up in my Zone3 Parka jacket and watched Annabel and my Dad finish. They both did really well. Annabel did awesome, finishing her first race let alone a Duathlon of this distance! I was very proud of her! 
Afterwards it was lots of much needed hot coffee. Definitely one of the worst races weather wise I've ever done! A real shock after hot and humid Mexico!

Race Times
Run: 15:28mins
T1: 00:38mins
Bike: 32:18mins
T2: 00:44mins
Run: 10:01mins
Total: 59:10mins

Next up I must announce that I have qualifed for the European Aquathlon Championshps in Slovakia in May. I will be taking part in this race and look forward to going to Bratislava. Somewhere I'm very interested in visiting. Another country ticked off ... right!
Lastly for this blog I am very lucky and proud to announce that I have been shortlisted by the well known and UK's best selling triathlon magazine 220 Triathlon for the 2017 "Youth Triathlete of the Year" Award. I am very very lucky indeed to be nominated amongst such amazing athletes. I cannot thank everyone enough who has voted to get me this far, and for anyone who has not voted you can click here to submit your vote. I would really appreciate your vote as winning this award would mean everything to me. Thank you.
My sponsors Zone3 have also been shortlisted for "Triathlon Wetsuit Brand of the Year" and "Tri-Suit Brand of the Year". Good friends at Storm the Castle (Race of the Year <500 entries), Emma Deary (Womans Age Grouper of the Year) and Reece Barclay (Mens Age Grouper of the Year) have all been shotlisted and I would be really grateful if you could vote for them too. They all deserve their awards so much!  

This blog post can't go without a massive, huge, gigantic THANK YOU to all my amazing sponsors and partners for all their support through 2016. I look forward to continuing our partnerships through 2017. 
Pedal Potential 
Sam Farmer
Zone3 
Swim Canary Wharf
The Body Therapy Company 
Max Curle S&C
Excel Physiotherapy 

I would also like to say a massive thank you to the Jackpot Racing Team for welcoming me into their team for 2017 and look forward to racing with them.

Here's to a successful 2017! 

​Sam 

Name: WTS Cozumel World Triathlon Championships 
Date: Thursday 15th September 2016
Venue: Marina Fonatur Park, Cozumel, Mexico
Distances: Swim: 750m, Bike: 20km, Run: 5km 

This blog was a tough one to write. Amongst everyone's congratulations for my result in Cozumel there was disappointment mixed with the thrill of the event and my first World Championships. Thank you so much to everyone for their kind messages pre and post race, it means so much, but if you're wondering why I was gutted then carry on reading.

First though let's start from the beginning. We arrived on Sunday, a few days before the race. Wow, what heat and humidity greeted us. It was welcomed, but it was hotter than I thought. After a long transfer we reached the luxurious Cozumel Palace Hotel where we were treated extremely well for the rest of the week. Way too posh for triathletes, but I wasn't complaining! After a few pre-race rides, runs and swims with my good friends Paul Suett and Morag McDowall, I felt acclimatised. The pre race swim had to be one of the highlights. Never had I seen or swum a course so stunning. Cruise ships in your sighting line, fish wherever you looked beneath you and you could always see the bottom through the very calm and clear waters. 

Onto race day. Waking up early for the 8:55 start time I had my usual food and drinks before the race. Did a light warm up
so I didn't get too worn out or too hot and drunk a lot. I think I drunk a good 1.5 litres in 45 minutes! The other boys in the U20's all came in for a group photo and then we were called up to the starting area. We waited in our pen and an official came up to say something..."10 minute delay". We could see and had now been told there was a huge current in the water. The wave before us were the Over 50 women, and despite there being a half hour gap between their race and ours, this was clearly not enough. The current made it so difficult for them. We were called up again but were told another 20 mins! In this heat it was tough. We had water, but it was still a long wait. Finally we were called up again and us Brits all rushed to the front. We got the ideal spots on the pontoon and I managed to get the first spot. When we jumped in we immediately felt what we were told. The current pushed us under the pontoon. It was strong! 
The hooter went after some laughing about the current and we were off. A ferocious pace was set straight away and I tried to go with the pace but it was too much. I kept a good inside line and exited in 11:30. I felt pretty drained coming out and running to T1, desperate for a gel and water as the water temperature was 30C! The air temperature was near 35C and humidity around 90%. It was hot! 
​However, jumping onto the bike I suddenly felt a lot better. I worked hard with an American to pull our group together and get it in some order. I had a scare, briefly getting dropped, but chased back on with a New Zealander and went straight to the front. I could see a group ahead which we were closing down and I dragged the group towards them and we merged. I was delighted to see teammates Christian and Ben with me and we then decided to sit in and enjoy the ride. The group was 30 strong and we only went back to the front for the sharp 180 degree turn halfway through the course to stay out of trouble. After that we sat in the middle and averaged a whopping 42kmh (27mph) for the 20 km, yet it only felt like an easy Sunday ride...just in the sun...with the sea to your left the whole time...and lovely views! To my surprise I also found out I had the 9th fastest bike split!!!
Coming into transition I worked my way to the front of the group and dismounted in around 5th place. There were a few small groups who were ahead, but I sprinted out of transition (with the 3rd fastest T2) to start the final leg. I felt good. Really good. I knew I was in the top 20, a result I'd be very happy with. I looked behind quite a lot but found myself in the lead of the bike pack I was in and I was putting in a gap. I then started to catch people ahead of me and pretty quickly! Soon I looked behind and had a good 200m gap on anyone behind and was still catching people. I had now moved into the top 10! I was told I was in 9th! I was so happy and kept pushing this pace. However, with about 1.5km things started to not go to plan. 
I suddenly felt a cold chill. Now in this heat I knew that wasn't right. After this I don't remember much. According to  video my mate took I had slowed right down, after but a few hundred meters and corners later it went from bad to worse. I blacked out. I was on the floor and was sick as well. I remember thinking I'm so close to top the 5, I could see 5th place ahead of me. Then I remember my teammate Ben asking if I'm okay. I was determined to make it to the finish line. I was not going to go down as a DNF! I jogged/walked the last kilometre and stumbled through the finishing shoot collapsing across the line. I was absolutely gutted. I was exhausted and devastated. I remember being picked up and dragged to ice towels and then made my way to the ice baths. I ended up with a medal around my neck but I have no idea when someone put it there. I was gutted. I have no idea how many people overtook me as I don't recall anyone ever coming past, but the results showed I finished in 35th.
35th in the world. 

I am very proud of that and proud I made it to the World Championships, but also gutted because of what could've been and where I was. I know I gave it absolutely everything I could and couldn't have given anymore. I pushed myself to my absolute limit. The motivation it has given me and the drive because of this result to come back next year even stronger and finish in the top 10 at next years World Championships is huge. I'm determined to get the result I know I should and can get. 

​I'm not entirely sure why I blacked out. Yes it was hot, but I normally I like the heat. Perhaps it was sunstroke, as I was a little burnt from earlier in the week, or the waiting around for half an hour in the heat before the race started possibly could have affected me, but I just pushed myself to my max knowing where I was and what I could potentially have done. It is all a learning curve so I can come back next year stronger than ever but I'm glad I experienced this mini death because I know I left everything on the course so I can't go back and say I didn't push hard enough. 

This year has had so many ups and downs. So many good results and some not so good. But throughout the year my sponsors Pedal Potential, Swim Canary Wharf, Sam Farmer, The Body Therapy Company and Zone 3 have been supporting me all the time helping me to get to where I am. It really would not be possible without all their help and I can't thank them enough. I look forward to continuing to work with them and get some good results in the future and hopefully a top 10 finish at the Worlds next year! 
I also cannot praise my coach Dermott Hayes, S&C Coach Max Curle and Excel Physiotherapy enough for keeping me in the best shape possible for these World Championships and for helping me to have been up there in contention with the high places. Again I would not be performing where I am without their incredible support! 
 
I guess this World Championships wasn't to be the result I wanted, maybe next year will be better, but like I said I gave it my all and I really had the best time on the island of Cozumel with some amazing people. 

Thank you Cozumel.
​
Sam

Race Times                                                  
Swim: 11:29mins                                                                              
T1: 2:17min                                                                                       
Bike: 28:41mins                                                                                
T2: 00:46mins                                                                                      
Run: 22:24mins                                                                                  
Total: 1:05:37hours