Sport and fitness journalist’s favourite commissions

When you spend your time writing about sport and fitness, every commission’s a good one. But some turn out to be extra-fun. I think these are my favourite commissions…(so far!)

1: Swimming between the Scilly Isles for Coast magazine
In July 2008 I went to the Scilly Isles (by helicopter, no less) to take part in a holiday which involved “island-hopping”… by swimming between the islands. The water was beautiful, but cold. I’d never been to the Scillies before and I was blown away by how stunning the landscape, beaches and wildlife was. On the final day of the trip, I got to swim with seals which was something I’d always wanted to do.

Swimming with seals in Scilly

The article appeared in Coast magazine

2: Swimming around Malta for 220 Triathlon magazine
In April 2008, 220 Triathlon magazine asked me to go on a long-distance swimming training camp in Malta. I was training for my second Channel swim at the time, so I jumped at the chance. Mind you, this was a tough way to get a commission! Over the four day trip, I clocked up more than 12 hours of swimming in the seas around Malta and Comino.

Long-distance training in Malta

The article appeared in 220 Triathlon magazine and you can read it here

3: Training with an Olympic athlete for Triathlete’s World
It’s not every day that you get to train with an Olympic athlete. And it wasn’t until I stepped onto the track at Loughborough University that I realised quite what a silly idea this was (although hopefully it made good reading!) Tim Don is a World Champion Triathlete, who’s represented GB at the Olympics. I’m…er…not! I do triathlon, but at around half the speed that Tim cruises at. Half of this commission took place whilst jogging round the track with Tim during recovery intervals, with the interview being conducted whilst he was sitting in his pants in an ice-bath. I love my job!

Interview with Tim Don

The article appeared in Triathlete’s World magazine.

I need to keep number 4 hush hush for now, as it hasn’t been published yet. Suffice to say it involved spending time with lifeguards… You can read the article in July’s issue of Coast magazine 🙂

Lifeguarding for Coast magazine

As well as copywriting for sport and fitness brands, I write regularly for sport and fitness magazines. You can see some of my journalism portfolio at my journalism website. I’m always available for commission – seals, ice-baths and sea-swimming pose no problem! 😉