DOB: 24/5/1989
Club: Team Blizard / Doncaster Tri

Sprint Triathlon PB - Epworth: 57:04
Individual 5km PBs - Run race: 16:40 (Doncaster 2015) Triathlon race: 16:26 (Rother Valley 2014)

Team Blizard’s elite tier of athletes has been hugely strengthened by the addition of local top triathlete, Mike ‘High Tower’ Chadwick.

The 26-year-old former professional cricketer is currently in his penultimate year at Leeds Beckett university studying Dietetics, and aims become a performance nutritionist upon completion of a Masters in Sports Nutrition.

As well as joining our racing team, he has also just started work at Blizard Tower’s On Running shoe shop, and admits he was blown away by the On shoe range as soon as he tried them on.

He said: “I love the On Running shoes, particularly the Cloudracer, which are a joy to run in.  I do a lot of my steadier running on the local trails in the Cloudrunners too, which are super comfortable and stable on off road tracks, but are also good for steady miles on the road. 

“I also think the Team Blizard clothing looks really smart, and I’m looking forward to racing and training in it!”

Mike’s nickname of ‘High Tower’ is self evident once you meet him, as he towers over even the tallest of athletes, and he has wisely used his naturally athletic physique to his advantage during his sporting career thus far.

The multi-talented Doncaster athlete played cricket for Yorkshire in his late teens for the club’s academy and second team, before spending two years with Sussex before deciding to focus on his studies.

Now a leading triathlete in an increasingly big pond, Mike has come a long way since borrowing some racing kit for his first Olympic distance triathlon in Doncaster a few years’ ago, and admits that, “although it was hell on earth at the time, I was hooked!”

Successes this year have included a podium position at the Clumber Park off road duathlon, where he placed an impressive third overall, and a silver medal position at the recent Brigg 10km, but it is in the run, bike, run, or swim, bike, run events that he is concentrating his energies on.

Over the last two years he has successfully achieved the qualifying times for the European and World championships in standard distance duathlons and sprint distance triathlons, but student life has not been conducive to allowing him to take up his rightful place representing GB - yet!

He does has a strong running background to support his triathlon ambitions, though, with PBs ranging from a top class 16:40 5km to a superb 2:58.56 marathon, and considering he is still only in his mid-20’s, he has plenty of time to significantly revise those times to give him that killer sprint necessary to win the bigger events he is aiming for.

What’s more, Mike has achieved those times despite treating most running races as merely ‘good training sessions’!

He explains: It’s not that I don’t give 100?, I just don’t usually taper for any running races, they are part of my training as I am predominantly a triathlete. I will continue to use this method as I focus on duathlons next Spring, and triathlons in the Summer. My motivation is in the challenge, whether that’s a really tough session or a race, it's what gets me out the door.”

The busy nutritionist still admits to having ambitions for the 10km though, with his short term to beat the 34 minute barrier, but ultimately to run under 33 minutes, as well as breaking 35 minutes off the bike in a duathlon or triathlon.

Now part of our burgeoning Team Blizard elite racing team, Mike is confident in his new coach, Jono Frary’s abilities to take him to the top.

“I am really excited about working with Jono, he is a top bloke and knows his stuff. He’s a strong all-round triathlete himself, but is a particularly good swimmer - which is my weakest discipline - so I’m looking forward to improving my swim with some hard sessions in the pool this winter”, he explained.

His training week usually consists of a gruelling 10 hours on the bike, three hours running, three hours in the pool, plus three hours strength and conditioning, but he has no issues getting his cycling sessions done.

He said: “I really love getting out on the bike, soI don’t struggle to get my 10 hours in most weeks. 
However, my swimming is definitely my biggest area for improvement, but I know that with consistent training this winter, my swim times are sure to come down considerably.”

It is obvious that Mike ‘High Tower’ has a wealth of natural sporting talent together with a huge drive to succeed, and with the support of coach Jono Frary and Dave Tune and Jenny Blizard at the clinic, his new racing kit and On Running shoes, he is sure to be a force to be reckoned with on the major triathlon circuits next year.