Ironmans and a double ironman. He recently stopped for long enough for us to ask him about his 30-year career.How did you get into triathlon?I ran in the very first London marathon in 1981 and used to cycle to work as part of my training. I then noticed

The elites are different: they have to maintain their discipline during Christmas. Of course if someone brings along Guitar Hero or makes a batch of refreshing mojitos, all bets are off!Find out what your favourite triathletes get up to in the festive season in our slideshow.Pict...

), the Aussie athlete divides his time between Sydney and his US training base in Boulder, Colorado. We caught up with him recently to find out what drives him after 15 years at the very top of the sport.How did you get into triathlon? Who inspired you?My first

Q) What tips would you offer to runners wanting to move into triathlons?A) It’s good to link up with a triathlon club if you’re starting from nowhere, then you’ve got a few swim and bike sessions to go to and you'll get used to training with people

?Consistency is key, with training, diet, injury-prevention, and patience is a virtue. I often need to remind myself of that one.How do you relax?When I’m not training, I like to switch off from triathlon. I have quite a few friends outside the sport so I spend a lot

We were lucky enough to catch up with one of Britain's finest triathletes, Helen Jenkins, as she took a break from training for her London 2012 qualification target races in Hyde Park and Beijing.Jenkins is already on blistering form this year after

up triathlon in 2003, at the age of 27, when friends challenged her to complete the London Triathlon Sprint distance. She came fifth, beating the guys who had put her up to it; she was hooked. From 2004 to 2007 she raced at Olympic distance, with a

At 37, Craig Alexander can already look back on a magnificent triathlon career. The Australian, regarded as one of the nicest guys on the circuit, is one of only four men to win back-to-back Ironman World Championships in Kona, Hawaii (2008 and 2009

ironmate.co.uk, coaches triathletes, runs a triathlon training camp at Tri-Topia in France, marshals at Big Cow races, and is writing a book about triathlon. He somehow fits all this activity around his unofficial role as the UK’s most prolific triathlete

. However, my role model is a guy called Roy Running, who was an RAF Officer in Cyprus when I first started triathlons who took me under his wing - I’m still doing this because of him really.Do you have any training tips for people thinking of going long