Athlete Feature - Jason Britton

For this week’s feature we are introducing Jason Britton whose hometown is Fort Saskatchewan and has multiple roles within the sport including competing, coaching and officiating!

How did you get into triathlons/coaching? As a teen in 1993, I saw a friend on my swim club do a triathlon, and thought it would be fun. I entered the 1994 St. Albert Kids of Steel race, and have been racing ever since. Local Olympic triathlete Paul Tichelaar encouraged me to fully commit to triathlon when I quit competitive swimming in 2001 and I raced U23 and Elite races before settling in as an age grouper. In the early 2000’s I saw a lack of organized triathlon groups in Edmonton, so I started my own club and transitioned from competitive swim coaching to triathlon coaching in 2008.

What are your goals for the sport/coaching? As an athlete, I want to still be racing when I’m 80. I’ve slowly been looking for other opportunities in triathlon and I’ve been working hard to become a stronger mountain biker for cross triathlon. As a coach, I really just love to help others to perform to their abilities and it’s a great feeling when you see them exceed their expectations. I still think that there is a lot of growth potential in triathlon, and I really want to see the sport evolve to the point where every triathlete is working with a coach. It will make the sport safer and more fun for everyone.

Fun Fact: Jason coaches our social swims on Tuesday mornings and Wednesday evenings.