The Bucket List Olympian

Double Olympic champion triathlete Alistair Brownlee rediscovers the joy of racing for the sheer hell of it, then heads for the post-race beer tent rather than the ice bath.

A quest to rediscover the soul of sport.

While Alistair Brownlee has been locking horns with the elite in championships all over the world, he’s watched on, enviously, as the three disciplines at which he excels – running, cycling and swimming – have exploded in popularity.

Now, following his retirement, Brownlee has a chance to join them: this is the uplifting and entertaining tale of how one of Britain’s most popular and indomitable athletes of recent years set out to rediscover his love of a sport that was a hobby long before it was a career.

His plan, on paper, is a simple one: a bucket list’s worth of compelling races compressed into roughly 18 months. An inspiring and cathartic first taste of his sporting afterlife. Think of it as a gap year-ish, just a rather sweaty one.

His list of races spans the full spread of challenges out there, from the local to the far-flung, the globally renowned to the resolutely parochial, the spectacular to the downright silly.

Brownlee will rediscover the joy of racing for the sheer hell of it, then head for the post-race beer tent rather than the ice bath.

He’ll meet the characters who so enrich such events: the selfless volunteers who make the races possible; the supporters who turn up in all weathers; and his fellow participants – some running, cycling or swimming for personal satisfaction; others, to honour loved ones, escape their demons or boost their mental equilibrium.

The latter is pertinent to Brownlee. Sportsmen and women are the only people to die twice, the old saying goes, so profound is the sense of loss that accompanies retirement.

At just 36, this triathlete faces his most challenging and consequential transition yet. What can reconnecting with the grassroots of the sport teach him? How will others respond to having an Olympian in their midst? And how will he manage the mindset shift from ruthless high performer to contented also-ran? Winning, after all, is a difficult habit to shake off…

About the author

Alistair Brownlee is a retired professional triathlete who spent 18 years at the pinnacle of elite sport. Renowned for his drive, focus and innovation, his achievements are unparalleled: more than 50 elite titles across all triathlon disciplines, crowned by two Olympic gold medals and six World and European titles. He remains the only triathlete to win back to back golds on sport’s biggest stage. He was flag-bearer for the England team at the opening ceremony of the 2018 Commonwealth Games, and a runner-up to Andy Murray in the BBC’s Sports Personality of the Year Award 2016. In the King’s Birthday Honours List in June 2025, he was awarded an OBE for services to triathlon and charity – 12 years after receiving an MBE from the late Queen.