Inspirational Islanders: Gethin Hepworth, Isle of Wight Triathlon Club

Island born triathlete Gethin started running parkruns aged just 7 and joined the Isle of Wight Triathlon Club at 12 years old. Working his way up through the age grade categories, the 16 year old now competes with adults and hopes to complete his first Olympic distance triathlon later this year.

“The Isle of Wight has been an incredible place to grow up, with the main positive being that there is always a beach no further than 10 minutes away. This allows me to go sea swimming very easily, either for training or for fun. The Island also has a very comforting community feeling as I seem to know every other person I run into from day to day!

All the beaches here are very beautiful, but I would have to say that Compton Beach is my favourite because of the good childhood memories there. It’s a nice sandy beach with some good waves to swim in.

I love the walk along the coastal path from Gurnard Luck to Thorness Bay. It has great sea views and leads to a secluded beach. It includes a bit of a hill, so I also use it for run training.

My favourite place on the Island would be the ‘back beach’ behind Gurnard Sailing Club. If you are a local, you will know exactly where I am talking about! Gurnard sunsets are the best in the world, and the best view of the sunset is from the back beach.

The sponsorship from Wightlink helps me and the other members of our club massively. Almost all of our multi-discipline events are on the mainland, meaning that we regularly have to get boats, often very early in the morning. Wightlink’s sponsorship helps me to be able to travel and to pursue my passion.”

The Isle of Wight Triathlon Club is supported by Wightlink in the Community.