We currently have about 350 members. Although some new members join with experience of triathlon, most are triathlon novices. Members come from a wide range of sporting backgrounds, including many who have never competed at any sport and just want to get fit.

Although the club is big and growing quickly, it remains a very friendly club and welcomes new members. We are proud that we were voted "Triathlon Club of the Year" in 2007 by British Triathlon (West Midlands). We have also recently been awarded a Clubmark by British Triathlon, having achieved very high standards for coaching and junior development.

We have a lower age limit for the indoor swimming sessions of 8 years old, and for open water swimming of approximately 14 years old  but absolutely no upper limit. We have an active junior section of the club which is strongly represented on the Committee.

1. Running: You need a good pair of trainers for running, to help prevent injury. Warm clothing is essential for winter training, as well as reflective vests for night running.
2. Swimming: We recommend relatively close fitting swimming costumes (for example, the currently fashionable long baggy swimming shorts create too much drag to be suitable for training). Goggles are required for swimming.
3. Cycling on the open road will obviously require a bike  although you could just go to spin classes, particularly during the winter months. Members quite often join the club without a bike. We can offer advice on the kind of bike you might want to get and where to find it at a reasonable price. It may be possible to source a bike second-hand through club members. Before you can cycle in one of our cycling groups, we insist that you are able to cycle on roads safely by yourself, that you wear an approved safety helmet and that you have read our club cycling etiquette (See the "Downloads" section of the website).
4. Racing: We have club kit that can be purchased for racing in but you don't need that to join in with training.

Advice is always available on kit selection if required.

The BRAT Club has a total of 29 qualified British Triathlon coaches from level 1 to level 3. All club training sessions are led by trained triathlon coaches or very experienced session leaders.  Individual coaching support is available on request.

Annual membership is due in January and is shown on the online membership forms in Entry Central - accessible by links from the BRAT Club website. There is a reduced membership fee for members of Birmingham Rowheath Athletics Club, with whom we are affiliated.

BRAT Club members who are not also members of British Triathlon (BT) are required to pay an increased fee to cover insurance which the BRAT club takes out on their behalf. BT members also benefit from reduced race entry fees and insurance cover.

We would encourage any person who is interested in triathlon to join the club and improve their fitness generally. We do not expect all club members to be actively involved in competitions and we have a social membership category. Our club members have a wide spectrum of triathlon experience from complete beginners, to athletes who regularly compete at World Championship level for Great Britain.

However if you are not used to regular exercise, then you should probably discuss it with your G.P. before you start training.

No. You enter competitions if and when you feel ready. There are many local novice races. We can quote one member who said "I only want to join to swim". This member went on to successfully complete two Olympic distance triathlons the following year.

No, this is all self-motivated and we will be delighted to support you for whatever amount of time you are able to commit. You will not get thrown out if you don't attend regularly. Our members have busy lives outside triathlon and most fit their training in around their existing commitments. However we must warn you that some members have become so enthusiastic about triathlon that they try and fit the rest of their life around triathlon training!

The recommended sessions for those members who are complete novices include the Wednesday evening and Saturday morning run sessions and the Sunday afternoon swim session at 2 pm at Tiverton Road Pool.

1. Wednesday evening running group meets outside the University of Birmingham Guild Building (main entrance of the Uni) at 7 pm. Total session time is 1 hour which includes warm up jogging, about 30 minutes of interval efforts on a flattish loop course so no-one gets lost, and then a cool down jog. There are at least 2 coaches, one of whom leads a novice runners group.
2. Saturday morning running group meets at the back of the Midland Arts Centre (MAC) at 10am. Total session time is about 1 hour 30 minutes, which includes a warm up jog, active stretching and core muscle strengthening, a set of "strides" to get ready for running up hill, and then about 30 to 45 minutes of either "hilly" efforts or "speed" efforts, on a looped course around Cannon Hill Park, so no-one gets lost. This session is also suitable for novice runners.
3. Sunday afternoon swimming 2 pm swim session at Tiverton Road Pool. There is a coached Novice Lane swim session for an hour, specifically for those learning to swim more effectively and efficiently. There are other coached lanes for strong, fast swimmers and intermediate swimmers.
4. Cycling Some of the local bicycle shops (Tri-1st and Birmingham City Cycles) offer cycling sessions for novices and there is a coached "C group" (slower cyclists) ride every Sunday morning leaving from the back of the Billesley Pub at 8.30am but we expect that you will already be able to ride a bike safely on the roads before you join this group.
5. For those living in the North of the City or unable to attend any of the above sessions, then alternative sessions for beginners are a swim session on Mondays nights and a run session on Thursday Evenings. There are no C or beginner level cycle sessions run from the North during winter but these resume again in the summer