Mind over matter as Team RBC triathlete chases his Olympic and Commonwealth dreams

Eat. Sleep. Train. Repeat. That’s the reality for Great Britain and Jersey triathlete, Ollie Turner as he endures a tough training schedule ahead of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games which begins on 28 July.

Turner competes at the Under-23 elite level and is currently living in Cardiff, Wales to train at the city’s world-class triathlon centre.

Having just completed his degree in sport and exercise science at Cardiff Metropolitan University, he is now training full-time with the support of Royal Bank of Canada Wealth Management (RBC). His goal? Realising his long-held ambition of standing on the Commonwealth and Olympic podiums.

How are you preparing for the Commonwealth Games?

“My preparations for the Commonwealth Games really started four years ago. But once I got selected for Jersey last year, then my attention changed to focus on the course, other athletes that might be racing, and how I can change my strengths to capitalise on their weaknesses. The whole team sat down to put together a new training programme, which has already shaved off 75 seconds over five kilometres on the bike.”

What does a typical day consist of when you’re training?

“I finished my final year of university last year and now I’m training full-time. It’s about a 40-hour week, including training, massage and psychology meetings. I get up at 6 a.m. and start training at 7:30 a.m. We always swim first, so that’s 4.5km in the pool followed by a nice, easy jog of 10–12 kilometres. We then have a couple of hours to recover and eat, and in the afternoon we ride for 3.5 hours in the Welsh hills. Then it’s back for dinner and bed by 9 p.m. to do it all again the next day.”

How do you remain motivated throughout gruelling training periods?

“My biggest attribute in triathlon is my ability to be consistent in training. I can always turn up, but it’s the difference between being present and just going through the motions. There are times when I wish I could be at home with my feet up, but I just remind myself how lucky I am to be here – I’m living my dreams. With my running, sometimes I felt I was working really hard but going nowhere, so I’ve done a lot of work with a psychologist. We put together some methods I can use when it’s tough and my legs are screaming at me to stop. The best athletes are the ones that can push through that mental barrier.”

The Commonwealth Games is a huge international stage, and you’ll have the whole of Jersey and RBC behind you. How do you ensure you perform well under pressure?

“Previously, I have always based my worth and happiness on my result. But in a sport like triathlon, there’s so much that’s out of your control that can ruin your race. I’ve been working with a psychologist and we’ve completely scrapped the focus on the end result and instead asked ‘What would the best race look like for me?’ That changed my whole perspective, and my results have improved ever since.”

What is your ultimate competitive goal?

“Every professional triathlete’s goal is to be in the Olympics – whether that’s Paris 2024 or Los Angeles in 2028. The Olympic qualification period has just started too, so I’ll be working towards Paris for the next two years. Being an Olympian would be incredible. “

How has RBC’s sponsorship helped you improve your performance and enable you to keep doing what you love?

“RBC has opened up so many opportunities for me to have my name on that start list. Otherwise, I don’t know how I’d be able to afford to get to any of these race opportunities. Being able to live in Cardiff and train here with some of the best facilities, coaches and training partners in the country simply wouldn’t be possible. I’m very grateful because there’s no doubt in my mind that without their support I’d definitely not be where I am today.”

Three of RBC’s core values are accountability, integrity and collaboration. How do these apply to the life of an athlete?

“On accountability, you make yourself vulnerable by fully committing to an event, because when you step on that start line, however you perform is where you’re at, good or bad. I make sure if I’m doing something I’m doing it 100 percent, that way when I finish I’ve got no excuses.

Although triathlon is an individual sport, it’s really not at all. It’s the individual that does the racing, but there is a team supporting them – the sponsors, the family, the coaches and the physio all collaborate to get the athlete ready to perform.

Integrity is about executing your training programme to the best of your ability and being honest with yourself. As a professional athlete, you have to do absolutely everything possible to race well. It’s the smallest of margins that can be the difference between gold and silver.”

What have you had to sacrifice in order to succeed?

“I felt I was missing out as a teenager while watching everyone else being sociable. But I always reminded myself no one was forcing me to do this and asked myself what did I want more – to be a professional athlete making money doing what I love, or short-term fun and not making it in the sport? As I got older, I stopped seeing it as a sacrifice. I wanted to be in bed at 9 p.m. to feel as fresh as a daisy the next day, train super hard and get better each week.”

Whom do you admire most in your sport and which characteristics do you think enable their success?

“One of my friends is Hayden Wilde from New Zealand. He’s only one year older than me so he’s not been in the sport too long, but he got a bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics. I admire the way his brain works because he sees things no one else sees; he looks at making these tiny margins and he’s constantly thinking ‘How can I be better?’ It’s incredible to watch someone of his calibre operate and that’s why he won an Olympic medal.”

Name five things a triathlete can’t live without.

“A heart rate monitor, sleep, food, a helmet and a Garmin. Most triathletes would say ‘sleep and food,’ but I like my data, so I have to have my heart rate monitor and my Garmin.”

The Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games run from 28 July to 8 August and you can catch Ollie representing Jersey in the men’s triathlon on Friday 29 July.

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