Sun, sea, and serious endurance: 4 SCOTS smash Exercise Aphrodite’s Highlander
With the Battalion now living and working in the Mediterranean sunshine, 4 SCOTS decided to make the most of the climate and location by building on its triathlon team.
Exercise Aphrodite’s Highlander was a two-week training and racing package designed to develop athletes, test endurance, and promote triathlon across the Battalion.
This wasn’t just for seasoned pros – complete novices and experienced triathletes trained side by side, pushing limits and sharing tips. The exercise also prepared three athletes who are heading to the Infantry Triathlon training camp in Thailand later this year. Triathlon Scotland stepped in to support, delivering a bespoke foundation coaching course for our soldiers and officers. In week two, a coach tutor flew out to Dhekelia and put eight athletes through their paces, planning and delivering sessions. The improvement in confidence, technique, and coaching ability was incredible.
The grand finale? Two epic races. First up was the Ocean Man open-water swim in Ayia Napa, with distances of 2km, 5km, and 10km. Capt Morgan Serpell smashed the 10km swim, while Hldr Harbour Brown took on the 2km event. Then came the Olympus Man Middle Distance Triathlon in Paphos – a monster race featuring a 1.9km swim, 90km bike ride, and a half marathon to finish. Starting on the coast and ending on Mount Olympus, the bike leg alone packed in over 2,000 metres of climbing!
This exercise gave athletes the chance to train and race in a world-class environment, while newly qualified coaches are now ready to lead triathlon training throughout 4 SCOTS time in Cyprus.