Bianca Fernandez-Clark: 7x Ironman Finisher and Founder of Women in Tri UK, Making Triathlon More Inclusive for Women.
- xtinecruzat
- May 27
- 4 min read
Bianca Fernandez-Clark is a 7x Ironman finisher, Chair, and co-founder of Women in Tri UK, a charity on a mission to bring more women into triathlon and break down barriers in the sport. With no background in sport, Bianca laced up her trainers at age 29 to tackle a 10km as a way to manage her mental health. From there, she progressed to marathons and, in 2016, took on the challenge of learning to swim and cycle to complete her first triathlon.
As a Black/mixed-race woman, Bianca has been vocal about the lack of diversity in triathlon, especially at long-distance events, and has worked to highlight the barriers faced by the Black community in accessing swimming.
In 2022, she co-founded Women in Tri UK, and the organisation has been growing ever since, working hard to make triathlon more inclusive and accessible for women everywhere.
By day, Bianca works full-time in the financial sector, but every spare moment is dedicated to continuing her own triathlon journey and supporting the work of Women in Tri UK.
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Show notes
Who is Bianca
Being based in London
Being serious about the sport of triathlon
Staring running at 29 and then moving into triathlon in 2016
Working full time in the financial services
Founding Women in Tri UK - which aims to break down barriers and make the sport more accessible for women
Being at advocate for women, especially women of colour
Building a community to support women in the sport
Growing up in the Dominican Republic
Not being encouraged in sports from a young age
Dealing with curly, afro hair
Having zero background in sports
Not being naturally good at sports
What changed at 29
Living in Spain to study for her Masters
How running gave her a life line
Going from the couch to 5k
Crossing the finish line of her first 10K race
Feeling alive again
Not falling in love with running straight away
Going on a journey of self discovery
Deciding to sign up for her fist Marathon
Discovering the group - the running bug in the UK
Meeting a guy who could give her advice…
Being with her partner for 10 years
Being a part of the running community
Not being very fast and being more suited for endurance
Getting into triathlon
Signing up for swim classes and learning to ride a bike for the first time
Doing her first triathlon which was a women only event.
Wanting to take on an ironman
The stress of cutoffs
The time commitment involved in training
Making training work for her lifestyle
Doing the best training that she can with the time she has
Having a goal of finishing the race
Making training part of her lifestyle
Hair advice and tips
Hairstyles for women in triathlon
Black women role models in the triathlon space
The lack of swimming lessons for children
How Women in Tri UK came about
Heading to Kona, Ironman World Championships
Using lockdown for fitness and training more
Women in Tri, First sponsored Athlete - Naomi Rumble
Coaching programs and having realistic training plans for women
Speaking with British Triathlon
Advocacy work and partnering with SheRaces
Barriers for women in triathlon and writing a detailed 63 page report
Making sure the sport also changes
The plans for Women in Tri over the next few years
Partnering with Cycle Sisters
The diversity of Women in Tri
Wanting to remove financial barriers
Working with brands
Working on her personal goals and wanting to go back to Kona
Recovering from a broken foot
How to connect with Bianca
Women in Tri US - being closed
Final words of advice for women who do want to take on a triathlon
“Women in Tri, Made me do it!”
Social Media
Website www.womenintriuk.org
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