Growing up surrounded by the hills and lanes of the Peak District, Emily Barnett discovered a love of endurance sport. Now, as Jonathan Dodds discovers, she is taking on the world
Competing on the world stage may seem a daunting prospect, but Peak District endurance athlete Emily Barnett is taking it all in her stride.
Reigning English champion at standard distance triathlon – and with a first European win under her belt – the 23-year-old is now preparing for her most ambitious challenge, the Ironman 70.3 World Championship.
Emily’s sporting journey is rooted in the countryside surrounding her home in picturesque Grindleford where she was born and raised.
“I love it here,” she says. “In my village, we say people are either runners or climbers, or both. Everyone we know is active and does sport.
“I’m so lucky to have this as my back garden. The cycling is good, with lots of little lanes, and plenty of hills to run up – although they never seem to get easier!
“You can go on a run from my house and not see a single person, just a few deer and sheep. If you choose the right place, it’s very peaceful.”
Emily was speaking days after returning from Banyoles in Spain; the Catalonian city being the backdrop for her first overseas competition, the European Middle Distance Triathlon Championships, and her first representing Great Britain. Victory in the 20-24 age group rewarded a gritty performance in sweltering temperatures.
Next up is the Ironman 70.3 World Championship in Nice, France, in mid-September, when the determined athlete will be eyeing more podium success.
And she will take confidence from her most recent performance: “The heat training for Spain – it was 35°C there – will help me to know I can run, cycle and swim in those temperatures. It was a hilly bike course, and the Nice course goes into the mountains.”
Half the distance of a normal Ironman, the 70.3 is itself a brutal test of endurance, with competitors facing a 1.2-mile open water swim in the Mediterranean Sea, followed by a 56-mile bike ride through the spectacular Alpes-Maritimes and a half-marathon along the iconic Promenade des Anglais.
Emily is no stranger to the Ironman series. She qualified for the world championship by finishing second in her age group at the Swansea Ironman 70.3. In her first full Ironman in Leeds last year she went one better, topping the 18-24 female category.
“It’s daunting, but cool,” she says of the multi-sport format. “I’ll always try my best, but with triathlon there’s so many factors out of your control; your goggles could come off, your bike might get a puncture, you might get a stitch. That’s what I like about it.”
Emily’s sporting achievements are extraordinary considering she has had to juggle competing and training with her academic studies and pursuing a career in the Royal Air Force.
The Swansea University alumni, with a degree in aerospace engineering, splits her time between her Peak District home and RAF Cosford in Shropshire, where she is training to become an aircraft technician.
Emily, who has represented her employer at club and inter-service championships, says: “The RAF have been very supportive. That I’m allowed to have time off from my training to go abroad and do these major races is awesome.
“It’s certainly not been easy – 5.30am wake-ups, training before work, training in my lunch break, training after work – but I have good time management. I love it.”
Emily’s involvement with sport started from an early age, with fell running and swimming initially piquing her interest. She competed in the English Fell Running Championships series and has been a long-time member of Matlock and District Swimming Club and Dark Peak Fell Runners.
“My parents are sporty, so being active felt right,” she explains. “My mum swims with me, they both did triathlon before I was born, and they were climbers as well. It was normal for me and my sister to want to do what they were doing.
“I completed a few triathlons when I was growing up, just for fun. It was really when I went to university that I put it all together and started training properly for races. I liked the challenge.”
Perhaps it’s no surprise the former Hope Valley College student, who used to work part-time as a swim teacher in Bakewell, considers swimming her strongest discipline. Especially as her swim coach at Matlock, Gary McCaffery, is her triathlon coach.
Emily says: “Gary, and his partner Di, have known me since I was eight years old, and Di used to be a professional triathlete, so their help and advice has been awesome.”
In her spare time, Emily enjoys reading – including books about women in sport such as those by the adventurer Anna McNuff – alongside cooking and baking. And she is hoping her own sporting adventures can inspire more women to get involved with triathlon.
Her advice: “Just give it a try. You don’t need new kit – all my bikes have been second hand. Do the local races, they are well organised and good fun. Start locally and small. Take advantage of the local groups.”
Emily believes making the traditionally male-dominated sport more inclusive is key to attracting more women: “Times are changing, especially with social media [raising awareness], which is fantastic, [plus] having more advice and support out there, women-specific races and making it a more supportive atmosphere.
“It is different, [as] a woman doing sport compared to a man, because of our cycles over a month, so you feel differently. Racing on your period is hard, and you feel worse at other times, so [it’s important] making sure the knowledge is out there that it is possible, but you might have to adapt certain things, such as your training.”
Another barrier can be the financial side, particularly funding your own equipment and overseas travel. So having the backing of Tideswell’s Peak Tri Store, an independent bike and triathlon shop, has been invaluable for Emily. Their support has ranged from the loan of a bike and servicing, through to working with suppliers to provide her with additional kit.
Natalie Wilde, from Peak Tri Store, said: “Emily is a lovely person, very humble, and had very clear goals for the year; to get into the RAF and qualify for the world championship. We were keen to help however we could.
“It’s lovely that she’s local. She’s collaborated with us in recommending local routes and events. And it’s been amazing watching her over the year; she has achieved everything she set out to do and we are so proud of her.”
While the end of the triathlon season approaches, Emily’s race calendar for next year is already starting to fill up. The win in Spain ensures she can defend her European crown, and she has completed a qualifying race for the 2027 European Standard Distance Triathlon Championships, which will take place in Austria.
Any businesses interested in sponsoring or supporting Emily can get in touch with her by emailing emilybarnett173@gmail.com
Pictures by Natalie Wilde