Learning to Tri as an adult: Swimming - Tiff & Annie's stories

The second of our "Learning to Tri as an adult" series - and next we have two more inspiring stories from Tiff and Annie who learnt to swim as adults.

Tiff's Journey: Learning to Swim as an Adult and Finding Strength in the Water

Seven years ago, Tiff downloaded the Couch to 5K app, just to see if she could run for longer than 20 minutes. What started as a small challenge soon became a deeper fascination with the mental side of training; learning to believe in herself. That mindset carried her through parkruns, a running club, cross-country races, and eventually, cycling during lockdown. Today, her bike is her main form of transport.

Triathlons entered the picture thanks to running club friends, but there was one blocker: she couldn’t swim front crawl. Though she’d always loved being in water, she didn’t know how to swim efficiently. Seeing a former colleague, Rute Robalo, post about triathlons inspired Tiff to reach out, and with Rute’s encouragement, she decided to give it a go.

After hitting long waitlists for lessons, Tiff took the DIY route. Armed with YouTube tutorials and a borrowed float, she taught herself front crawl. It was a big challenge at first, and she often doubted herself, but she stuck with it.

Eventually, something clicked and she swam a full length without stopping. She began exploring swim technique online and finally joined her first coached open-water session with the WIT community. It was a turning point in giving her the validation and confidence boost she needed.

Now, Tiff swims regularly in both pools and open water. She’s not focused on speed but instead swimming strong, calm, and confidently toward her first triathlon.

Her message to others?

"Just start. Be patient, celebrate the small wins, and don't worry about what anyone else thinks. Find the joy in learning and you might surprise yourself!"

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Annie's Story: From the Shallow End to a Triathlon starting line.

Annie never imagined she’d be training for a triathlon, especially one that required swimming. Sport had been a big part of her youth, but as life took over, especially with parenting, exercise fell to the side. In 2019, she started walking again, building up to long-distance challenges, including a 350-mile walk.

Then lockdown hit, and with it came more time. That’s when Annie discovered Black Girls Do Run UK. The community inspired her to lace up her trainers and face something she’d avoided since she was a teenager. With Couch to 5K, she ran again, eventually completing multiple 10Ks, half marathons, and even a full marathon.

But it was a friend she met at Love Trails who introduced her to triathlons. The idea excited her but she was faced with a big hurdle: she couldn’t swim.

That changed in 2022 when she signed up for the Dorney Sprint Triathlon and became one of the first athletes supported by Women In Tri (then Fund Her Tri). This made the goal real, but with determination she set to learn to swim from scratch.

She started lessons in March 2023 with a coach. The early sessions were a mix of excitement and frustration. Breathing, coordination, and technique all felt like alien concepts to her. Despite being strong from running, swimming was an entirely different challenge both physically and mentally.

But Annie kept going. Week by week, she stayed in the pool, kept practicing, and slowly things began to become easier. She learned to breathe, to find rhythm in her stroke, and most of all, increase her self-confidence in the pool.

Learning to swim in her mid-40s was the hardest thing she’d ever done she's also reflected that it’s the thing that has changed her the most.

"I'll probably never be front of the pack," she says, "but I'm in the race. I've shown up and done the work. That counts."

Her advice to others thinking of starting:

"You are not too old. You don't have to be the best to belong. You just have to begin!"

Whether it’s your first 5K or your first triathlon, Women in Tri UK is here to support you every step, stroke, and pedal of the way. Inspired by Tiff and Annie's stories? Why not set your own challenge this year—and see just how far you can go? Join our community here.