Gritstone Crucible

Alchemy: Turning Yorkshire Grit into Gold

I worked from home this morning so I could watch the men's triathlon event on television. There was an amazing amount of expectation around the Brownlee boys from Bramhope, just a few miles down the valley here from Ilkley. Most of you reading this will know already that Alistair won the Gold and his younger brother Jonny the Bronze. It was a devastatingly imposing performance from the two brothers. Ali never looked under pressure at all. Not for him a conservative cycle in the pack, resting his legs. Any tactical nuances were pretty much cast aside as he helped set the pace on the front, even having a big dig on one of the small inclines to show the rest how good he was feeling.

To run the kind of 10K time he did off the back of that swim and cycle is beyond amazing to me. Like with most sports, it's not until you have competed at a reasonable level yourself that you can fully appreciate the superhuman level at which these top guys compete. I really wanted Ali to come home first today, more than anyone else at these Games. He's already proved himself to be the best in the world, but for the triathlete this is the one to win. And both boys are just such thoroughly decent and engaging young men. There is nothing pretentious about them. I see them training on the local roads around here and there is always a nod and a smile. They still run in our little local fell races. They are proud of their Yorkshire roots and are still totally grounded in the gritstone moors out of which their superb fitness has been carved.

It was either 1998 or 1999 when I first came across the name of A. Brownlee. It was at a time when I was running at a half decent level myself and posting close to the best times I've ever done in races. Back then there was a fun run in Ilkley combined with a 10K road race, in which I had competed. When I looked at the results I saw that the fun run, over a 3 mile circuit which I often trained around, was won in a time that belonged to no regular fun runner, and it was from just a mere 10 year old boy. It was a good minute faster than my best over that same course. I remember saying to a few people then that this was a name to watch out for in the future. I may well have been one of the very first people to have recognised just what an awesome talent this lad has.

In the following few years I started to see the boys appearing at local fell races, running and easily winning the junior events. I remember on one occasion chatting to their Dad about coaching, where he was asking for some advice. It was becoming evident that they were both a bit special. I was doing some 'coaching' of juniors myself back then, but my sessions consisted of just giving kids the opportunity to run over the moors and have fun. I had no real skills. It was already obvious that they needed more professional support than I could ever offer - which they have, of course, since received in plenty. The rest is history. It's good to feel a part of that history, albeit a very small part indeed!

After today's results Yorkshire sportsmen have won five golds, two silvers and three bronzes. That puts our county in 11th place in the medal table, ahead of countries like Japan and South Africa, and, most remarkably, well ahead of Australia. This Yorkshire Grit is special stuff indeed. And we are witnessing a truly astonishing alchemy at these Olympics.

PS Forrest was much inspired by the triathlon today and has vowed to get fit and enter the Ilkley Triathlon next year. He's persuaded Roam to do the same. They shook hands on it. You're the virtual witnesses to that handshake now. They have the potential to do well if they apply themselves. I wonder just how many other young people throughout the country have been similarly inspired in the last week or so.