Former England rugby captain Chris Robshaw completed his first ever triathlon at the London T100 Triathlon this weekend.
Racing alongside his BBC Strictly Come Dancing co-star and professional dancer Julian Caillon, they both did an Olympic distance triathlon, which included a 1.5km swim in Royal Victoria Dock, a 40km bike ride around the Docklands and then a 10km run around London’s Excel Centre.
“I was excited when I got here,” said Robshaw, who finished in 3hrs14mins59secs (38mins13secs swim; 1hr31mins21secs bike; 53mins31secs run).
“But then I got in the water, and honestly, on my first lap, it’s like I forgot how to swim.”
“I couldn’t breathe, and it was so hard. That first lap was so hard. I thought I might not get back in. Then I got back in and the second lap was all right, and the bike and the run were actually the quickest I’ve done. To finish with 3:14:59, I’m really pleased with that, considering I wanted to do sub-four hours.”
“It’s been a great experience. The crowd’s been amazing. I’m still in one piece, which is important…and loved it.”
The two were raising money for the Kerslake-Robshaw Foundation, (https://www.justgiving.com/page/chrisr-julianc), which funds projects across the UK that help young people facing barriers build confidence, improve wellbeing, find belonging and unlock their potential.
Australian Caillon has done a few more triathlons. “This was actually my first Olympic distance triathlon. I’ve done a couple of other distances, but this was my first Olympic and my first T100 Triathlon event, and I was really, really excited for it.”
He finished in 2:38:38 (32mins swim; 1h14mins49secs bike; 44mins44secs run)
“Today was really good. I had a lot of fun. I went the wrong way on the swim [laughs] which happens to me every time. But, no, it was an awesome vibe. The weather was great. It was a lot of fun. I was a bit crampy on the run, but apart from that, yeah, awesome finish. Here in the Excel as well, finishing off and everyone cheering for you. Yeah, it was a really, really fun day.”
Caillon continued: “The Kerslake-Robshaw Foundation is obviously Chris and Camilla’s foundation, and they use sport and music to help young people and so we’re trying to raise money, raise awareness as well. It’s a great cause. They do a lot of great work with the community.”
Concluding, Caillon said: “I think triathlon can help everyone in so many different ways. I think the beauty of it is you’ve got three disciplines. So you’ve just got to hope that you’re somewhat good at one of them! But, to be honest, I think the community aspect is what’s drawn me into it.”
Robshaw and Caillon were the amateur ‘starter’ before the world’s best short distance triathletes the World Triathlon Championship Series (WTCS) London, including British stars Alex Yee, Georgia Taylor-Brown and Beth Potter.
T100 weekends are not just about the professionals, they also feature a range of opportunities for amateur athletes of all levels to get involved. From experienced triathletes tackling the T100 distance (2km swim, 80km bike, 18km run) to first-time swim, bike and run participants talking on Super Sprint (400m swim, 10km bike, 2.5km run), Sprint (750m swim, 20km bike, 5km run) and Olympic (1.5km swim, 40km bike, 10km run) distance triathlons as well as Team Relays.
Broll of Chris Robshaw and Julian Caillon here: https://f.io/Pv100idm
Pictures of Chris and Julian here: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/upnmtqdzjtbhe39f8rydo/AN1fqNYStdo6g5J8VTGuG0Y?rlkey=ukjkxjqljag1jdlk2c5p2znli&st=pe4aee1d&dl=0
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For Further Information:
PTO – Anthony Scammell E: [email protected]
About Professional Triathletes Organisation (PTO)
The PTO is a sports body that is co-owned by its professional athletes, seeking to elevate and grow the sport of triathlon and take it to the next level. Its T100 Triathlon World Tour was introduced in January 2024 and is designated by World Triathlon as the ‘official World Championship for long distance triathlon’. This is part of a 12-year strategic partnership with the sport’s international governing body to develop the sport and it will grow further in 2027 with the launch of the new Triathlon World Tour. The T100 Triathlon World Tour is a season-long schedule of World Championship level races competed over 100km (2km swim, 80km bike and 18km run), where the world’s best triathletes go head-to-head in iconic locations. In 2026, the T100 Tour will deliver its 9-stop T100 Race To Qatar to: the Gold Coast (21-22 March), Singapore (25-26 April), Spain (23-24 May), San Francisco (6-7 June), Vancouver (15-16 August), French Riviera (19-20 September), Dubai (12-15 November), Saudi Arabia (November) & Qatar (11-12 December). T100 weekends are ‘festivals of multisport’ and feature a range of opportunities for amateur athletes of all levels to get involved. From experienced amateurs tackling the 100km distance to first-time swim, bike and run participants taking on single discipline, untimed events. For more information visit www.t100triathlon.com
World Triathlon
World Triathlon is the international governing body for the Olympic and Paralympic sport of triathlon and all related multisport disciplines around the world, including duathlon, aquathlon, cross triathlon and winter triathlon. Triathlon made its Olympic debut in Sydney 2000, with a third medal event, the Mixed Team Relay, added to the programme at Tokyo 2020, while para triathlon was first added to the Paralympic programme at Rio 2016. World Triathlon is proudly committed to the development of the sport worldwide, with inclusion, equality, sustainability and transparency at our core as we seek to help triathletes at all levels of the sport to be extraordinary.
About British Triathlon – https://www.britishtriathlon.org/
British Triathlon is the National Governing Body for triathlon and multisport in Great Britain, and the home of swim, bike, run. Its vision is to create great experiences for everyone in swim, bike, run and to develop an environment that makes Britain the world’s leading triathlon and paratriathlon nation; enabling success and increasing participation. Triathlon is a fast growing, dynamic and modern Olympic and Paralympic sport with talented world class athletes, coaches and support staff, focused around delivering world-class success and inspiring participation.
