Marc Austin

Marc Austin

Marc Austin is a member of the UK Sport Lottery Funded Class Performance Squad and trains in Glasgow. Marc won Commonwealth Games Bronze on the Gold Coast in 2018. He secured Scotland’s first medal across any sport in these games. Afterwards describing it as the “performance of his life”.

Ace Physiotherapy & Sports Clinic recently caught up with Marc for a Q&A session;

What inspired you to get into the sport of triathlon?

“I was competing in swimming and running races and found a way to combine the two. It was the most fun I’d ever had racing, so I was instantly hooked!”

As a triathlete, you have to be fairly self-sufficient. What is your favourite meal to cook?

“I’m not the most adventurous with my cooking but I’m a big fan of Thai food. Some noodles veg and spicy tofu are pretty good/ easy to cook!”

Have you any talents other than triathlon?

“Not really! I used to be good at a few different things but every year I get better at triathlon my other talents fade away sadly!”

Do you have any superstitions or rituals regarding triathlon training?

“Nothing crazy, I always finish every swim session with a 100m freestyle, not sure why but I can’t get out of the habit!”

What do you consider your greatest accomplishment?

“Probably my commonwealth medal, it’s something I’ve always aspired to do, and it definitely took some time to set in. My two silver medals from World Champs in the junior and U23 mean a lot to me as well as they gave me a lot of confidence as a young athlete.”

Do you have any race day rituals?

“Not really, I just try to relax, eat well and make sure that all my equipment is perfect and ready to go. I like to listen to music for the last half hour in my hotel room before I race, then I leave for the race venue with a lot of energy and in a good frame of mind.”

Favourite thing about training?

“Firstly, I love trying to get better, pushing the limit and being competitive with other athletes. I also really enjoy being outside and spending all hours of the day training. Thankfully triathlon is a sport with offers both!””

Least favourite thing about training?

“Early mornings, winter days with low motivation and not having the freedom to do some challenges/ sports that I’d love to do. The path of an athlete can be very narrow and, as a fairly adventurous person, that can be frustrating. However, if you invest in yourself enough and commit to everything to training, the reward of doing so is exciting enough to keep you on your track.”

What are the three training tips you would recommend to athletes?

• “ work on all aspects of your performance, not just the parts that you enjoy. It is easy to work hard in the areas you're good as but working on the things that you hate is what will make the difference.
• have time training with people and without. It's important to use people to get more out of yourself and motivate yourself out of the door. However, it's also important to train alone, I think it allows more energy to full focus on what you're doing without distraction. Also, some of my favourite raining moments have been alone.
• A rule I try to stick to is, have at least one part of training per day you love, and one part you dislike. Its important training is enjoyable but if you're doing things you dislike on a daily basis, chances are you’re working on the right things.”

What inspires and motivates you to keep pushing and striving for success?

“I love the pursuit of excellence, it’s what most elite athletes enjoy about sport, I think. I also get a kick out of the fact I still train in Scotland and I'm very much a driving factor behind my training program. I have set my own path in the sport and will try and continue to do so. It's maybe cost me in a couple of races or time periods, but I enjoy the challenge of that compared to joining an international squad and being moulded by someone else.”

What music are you currently listening to?

“At the moment I’m really into Galactic Electro.”

By Ace Physiotherapy & Sports Clinic:
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Marc Austin is supported by Ace Physiotherapy. Follow Marc in 2020 on:
Twitter: @marcja94
Instagram: marcjaustin