Want to support an elite paratriathlete while realising your sporting dreams? Become a Guide for Gold

How many of us have dreamt about competing on the global sporting stage, but felt we would never have the opportunity? 

For budding British triathletes, who have the talent, attitude and ambition to succeed, that chance may be presenting itself. 

The British Triathlon Federation is looking for new guides to support visually impaired athletes in its paratriathlon programme. 

The recruitment driver, called Guides for Gold, is to help build on Paralympic success as we look ahead to Los Angeles in 2028 and beyond. 

But what is required of a potential guide, what sort of individual would it suit, how do you apply and what will you get in return? 

We turned to a gold-medal winning guide, an aspiring gold medal winning VI triathlete and the head of GB’s paratriathlon programme to find out… 

Tom Hodgkinson, head of British Paratriathlon

Having moved from British Cycling to take over the role of head of British Paratriathlon from Jonny Riall in 2022, Hodgkinson knew he had big boots to fill. 

There can be no doubting the success of his tenure so far, as he led the squad to a record Paralympic medal haul in Paris. 

As BTF now looks to bolster its talent ahead of Los Angeles in 2028 and Brisbane 2032, we caught up with Hodgkinson to find out what qualities the federation is seeking in a guide athlete. 

Paratriathlon at world and Paralympic level is raced over the sprint distance of a 750m swim, 20km non-drafting bike leg and a 5km run. 

It means speed and power are to the fore. 

“We want world class or developing world class athletes and people,” Hodgkinson says. “We’re looking for the synergy that is created when an athlete and guide train and perform in unison.” 

While they will need to be a high calibre short course athlete (see below for requirements), it’s not all about the bike. 

At least, not any more. With guide athletes forbidden from towing VI athletes on the swim and during the run legs, but unrestricted in how much pedal power they can supply, historically having a specialist cyclist as a guide was a preferred option. 

But Hodgkinson says the sport has matured. “We’re moving away from the pull of the strongest biker because of how well rounded performance levels are becoming,” he adds. 

“The performance level has to be superb across swim, bike and run.” 

The attitude is as important as the ability because selected individuals will need to slip seamlessly into an existing structure and continue to foster the team culture. There are plenty of benefits too.

“They have a full performance team to work with,” Hodgkinson explains. “Physiotherapy, nutritionists, team leaders, and a range of world class event experiences that people can carry into the future.”

If they are on the highest level of funding and training at the centre in Loughborough five days a week, they will also be in receipt of £27,000 a year tax-free, plus travel stipends and medical cover. 

What sacrifice does a VI guide have to make? Mainly that they dedicate themselves to the role. As such, under the current rules they can’t pursue their own individual career at continental, World Cup or World Series level for 12 months. 

However, not all prospective guides will need to give the same level of commitment. “While not every guide will head to the Paralympics, there is also the need for guides to support in training groups,” Hodgkinson says. 

“Numbers can vary, but if there are five visually-impaired triathletes on the pathway, then there needs to be twice as many guides to support in training and racing. I’d encourage anyone interested in the Guides for Gold programme to apply.” 

The first Paratriathlon Performance Programme was created in 2010 to support athlete development, through coaching support, funding, and training camps. 

Q&A with Luke Pollard, elite guide 

Luke Pollard is the longtime guide of seven-time world champion Dave Ellis, with the duo winning Paralympic gold in Paris last summer. 

220: How did you start in guiding? 

The BTF put an ad out for Guides for Gold in 2018 and I thought it looked brilliant and that I’d love to give it a go.

I was still in the RAF, racing continental cups and elite level super series, so it was something a bit different, going from draft-legal short course to non-draft paratri. 

I was happy to try something new and race in places I’d never get to go, or afford to go, as a solo athlete. 

Guide Luke Pollard shares the moment of victory with Dave Ellis at Paris 2024. 

220: What skills does a good guide need? 

Guiding someone to achieve to the best of their ability is different from racing for yourself. At the forefront it’s the communication Dave requires to get around the course as fast as he does without mishaps. 

That’s not just verbal. We can’t talk in the swim, so it’s knowing what a tap on the shoulder means. But it’s also adaptability. 

There are different rules and it’s a different style of racing, and every race around the world is different. 

220: Do you have to be a better athlete than the VI athlete? 

As long as the athlete is able to race to maximum capacity that’s enough. You need a good level of fitness to be able to guide, especially at this level. 

Dave was head and shoulders above me on the swim initially. I had to crack down and focus so I wasn’t hindering him too much. 

220: Do you need to live near to the VI athletes, in this case the training HQ in Loughborough? 

Dave and I live quite close, which is massively helpful because the more time you spend with an athlete, the better. It makes racing so much easier. You understand their fitness and verbal cues, and can build better trust for better results. 

220: What does training typically entail for Dave and yourself? 

We pretty much do the same training. There’s not much between us and after training together for so many years, we’ve found it just works better. 

We’re training ourselves to be the same athlete! It’s something like four swims a week together, which is all my swimming, and I run with Dave three to four times a week. 

Dave can get around a loop on his own if he knows it quite well and it’s quiet. 

It’s also four times a week on the bike but during winter Dave is happy on the turbo and I’ll head out on my own more. 

220: How do you handle it if things go wrong? 

Dave is such an easy guy to get along with and understanding if I make a mistake. If he has a stumble because I’ve not pointed something out, for example. He doesn’t point blame and understands that this stuff happens.

220: With Tim Don and Mark Buckingham also guiding Dave previously, was there competition between guides? 

No. All three of us enjoyed it and were happy to share race experiences and feedback to make Dave a better athlete. We are all on the same team: Team Dave. 

220: What’s the best thing about being a guide? 

The shared experiences. Racing as an individual is exciting, but it’s the added bonus of getting to do stuff I’d never do as an individual athlete. I’d have no opportunity to go to something as big as the Paralympics. 

220: We can probably guess, but what has been the biggest highlight of guiding so far? 

Obviously Paris. Dave was waiting 16 years for that medal! But I think aside from that, winning our first race in Montreal in 2019, the first race in the qualification window for Tokyo, when I’d been working with Dave for six or seven months beforehand, thinking: Am I going to be a good guide or not? 

Roll of honour 

Paratriathlon has featured in three Paralympic Games. It was introduced in Rio 2016, where due to starting with only six categories, the men’s VI class was omitted. 

It didn’t stop Team GB winning the joint most medals with the USA, and among the four on the podium were visually impaired athletes, Alison Peasgood (nee Patrick) guided by Hazel McLeod took silver, and Melissa Reid (guide Nicole Walters) claimed bronze. 

Three more medals followed in Tokyo five years later, but this time despite both VI classes being included, there was heartbreak for Dave Ellis and guide Luke Pollard, as a broken chain ended their chances in the men’s event, and the returning Peasgood missed out on a medal by just 2sec. 

Moving on to Paris last year, there were more scenes of jubilation where a five-medal haul included golden redemption for Ellis and Pollard as they took the tape in emotional scenes on Pont Alexandre III.

Oscar Kelly, elite VI triathlete

With Charlie Harding, Kelly’s guide for the past four years now pursuing an individual career, the ambitious 24-year-old is looking for new guides to step up. 

“I need someone who is going to be there and wants to be there!” is Kelly’s honest assessment. 

“Look at the success of Dave and Luke. A lot of it comes because Luke is a genuinely giving person, and sees himself as part of a team. I’ve also got big ambitions, it’s a step up in performance and realistically it’s going to be more challenging to find guides.” 

Kelly, who has a degenerative condition called cone rod dystrophy, is looking for an individual whose strengths on the swim and the run complement his own and says he leans to someone with a background in short course racing because of how critical cycling skills are in the sprint.

“Riding a tandem, you have got to have good bike handling skills and be comfortable pushing it, because we’re not here to just get around,” he adds. 

“If I’m comfortable on a bike, I can push it as hard if not harder than most. But they don’t have to be the fastest athlete immediately. 

“There is time to develop and there is both space for a reserve role and a full time role, and they are very different positions”. 

It’s not all serious. Kelly says the squad environment provides a lot of laughs, and it’s important to race with someone he gets along with. 

“We’ll end up spending a lot of time together and we want to enjoy that time,” he continues. 

“I’m chilled and laid back, so it should be someone who can have fun while being sensitive and how other people might feel after performances – and it’s most important to have someone who’s reliable!” 

The numbers he is looking to hit are aimed at putting him on the Paralympic podium, and preferably the top step. 

“I’m clear on my goals for Los Angeles. It comes down to wanting to swim 9:20 for 750m in open water, which is 25-30sec faster than I’m swimming now. It’s harder when you’re tied together and trying not to compromise each other’s stroke too much. 

“The bike comes down to power, and a guide will need to hold 350-375 watts for a 20km race, which is routinely less than 30mins. On straights we can hit 60km/h. 

“In Besancon in France last year, I believe some of the tandems were reaching up to 90km/h downhill. 

“Then I want to run sub 15min off the bike, and doing that off an 8 out of 10 effort on the bike in a TT position is pretty hard.”

Finally, if any potential guides need any more persuasion, Kelly says that the international races can be a great way to see the world. 

“The BTF supports its guides really well,” he adds. 

“And there are plenty of international races this year including a nice trip to Wollongong in Australia for the World Championship in October.”

What does it take to be a paratriathlon guide?

There are no hard and fast rules about elite guiding, but to gauge the ability required, BTF have set the following benchmarks.* 

Swim — Men: 70-72 sec/100m CSS** / Women: 75-77 sec/100m CSS** 

Bike — Men: 400+ watts for 20min / Women: 275+ watts for 20min 

Run — Men: Sub-15min for flat 5km / Women: Sub-18min for flat 5km 

What support does a guide receive?

• Access to the world class programme including:
• £6-27k in grant funding per year (commitment & performance dependent) 
• Centre access to swim, bike, run, gym
• Performance support: all services
• Medical cover 
• Full support for travel to races.