Over the last few weeks our interviews have mainly been focused on elite athletes, this week we decided to switch our attention to an age-group athlete who, despite some fantastic results, has slipped by largely unnoticed. She may have been slightly overshadowed by Chrissie Wellington's amazing victory in Hawaii, but for a full-time structural engineer, Jo Carritt's results are not bad at all!

AE Jo, we've not heard an awful lot about you but thankfully Tri247's King of Stats, John Levison, brought to light some of the great results you achieved last year - in only her second-ever Ironman, Jo finished 9th overall at Ironman Switzerland in a time of 9:57:30. Tell us a little bit more about yourself.

JC Well my dad is a good runner, which definitely influenced my decision to get involved in sport. I started out by doing some running races, cross-country, the Grim Challenge (extreme adventure off-road racing) then I turned my focus to triathlon. I did some sprint distance racing in 2003 and then in 2004 I raced the Windsor standard distance triathlon. I quickly got involved with Tri London and became team captain. In 2005 I think I completed over sixty races, including running and biking ones, I just love the buzz you get from racing.

AE How did you make your move from the shorter races to Ironman?

JC As I said I was racing a lot and but wasn't taking things that seriously. I did start to do quite well at the standard distance (Jo finished 8th in her age-group at the Lausanne World Championships 2006) but it had become a bit of a routine and I needed more of a challenge. The drafting problem and the rules of the sport were getting to me a bit as well.

AE So fast forward to Lanzarote in May 2007, your first Ironman, where you finished 7th overall in a time of 10:59:24. What made you choose what is probably considered the toughest Ironman in the world as your first Ironman event?

JC Everyone had talked about it being the toughest, so I thought well if I do the toughest one first, then after that anything else I do will feel easy. I was actually really lucky as we had great weather for the race last year and the famous formidable wind that is ever-present on the island had taken a break for the day.

AE Only five weeks after Lanzarote you were back at it again, this time at Ironman Switzerland. That's not a lot of time to recover!

JC To be honest we (Jo is trained by Richard Hobson, aka Captain Quads) never thought I would qualify for Hawaii in Lanzarote, so it was more like a warm-up race for Switzerland. The race was booked and even though I knew I had already qualified for Hawaii I thought I might as well give it a go.

AE You finished 9th overall in a time of 9:57:30 so you obviously made the right decision!

JC Yes I think we did. I felt great and fully recovered from Lanzarote. People had been saying that I could do quite well, but even though the course was easier than Lanzarote I didn't expect to knock over an hour off my PB.

AE You then went on to win your first national title at Vitruvian, the National Long Distance Triathlon Championships, before heading to Hawaii.

JC Vitruvian was a really good race for me, I felt really strong and pushed very hard the whole way. I was really up for it. I knew Fiona Ford would be racing and was going to be tough to beat, so I gave it my all and by doing so not only won the race but got the course record too.

AE Tell us about your Hawaii experience.

JC Hawaii was a fantastic experience and totally lived up to my expectations. I didn't have my best race though, I guess it was a long season and perhaps my flat-out race over the shorter distance at the Vitruvian got to me. I didn't feel I recovered well after that race at all, three weeks after it I still felt I wasn't quite recovered and I guess Hawaii came around too quickly. I also made the mistake of racing in the new super 'go fast' swimming costume from blueseventy and was actually twelve minutes slower than normal out of the water. It definitely wasn't the costume, it was more me thinking I had found a magic suit that would make me go faster, which resulted in me not trying as hard as I should have done. Oh well, I guess we live and learn and I won't make that mistake again!

AE How do you mix training for Ironman and working full-time as a structural engineer?

JC It's tough, but I love training, it's handy too, that I can train with my boyfriend (Steven Lord, who's not a bad triathlete either, he won the Longest Day in 2006 and is off to race Ironman New Zealand in two weeks). I think some people take it all too seriously, I do it because I love the sport. It's not a chore, I do it because it's my hobby and what I enjoy doing.

AE How many hours a week do you train and how do you divide this time between the three sports?

JC I manage to get in about 20 to 25 hours a week. The bulk of this is on the bike at the weekend, though I’ll get between two and four hours done on workdays too, which is mostly running and swimming sessions.

AE That's a lot of training to mix with a full-time job, any thoughts of going full-time?

JC I don't think I would say no if someone came along and offered me the opportunity, at the moment though it's a lot of fun and there's no pressure on me, but if I was to become a full-time athlete that would change things. It would become more like a job rather than a hobby and something I do for fun. For the time being though I'm happy with the way things are.

AE What are your thoughts on Chrissie Wellington's victory in Hawaii in only her second ever Ironman event?

JC That’s a fantasy come real! I was so glad to be there. It’s almost unbelievable actually, and in a way it brings it down to earth. Previously Kona winners are these amazing, glorified God-like beings and suddenly this girl, who was racking her bike with us in Lausanne last year, shows up and casually takes the title.

AE Do you have a sporting hero outside of triathlon?

JC Paula Radcliffe, she’s really pushed the boundaries in women’s endurance running, has her own style and total dedication.

AE And a sporting hero in triathlon?

JC Natasha Badman; clearly a legend, and one I identify with for being a slightly weaker swimmer, but then she gets on her bike and WOOP WOOP!! She has fun too and just looks like she’s loving every minute. She doesn’t take herself too seriously and that is so important. I hope to see her continue racing even when new champions are on the scene

AE What advice you would give to someone starting out in Ironman and working full-time?

JC Get a locker at work for all the kit and changes of clothes you’ll need, always have spare shoes and swim gear in the office. Be efficient - run to meetings, run to and from work and get some mega lighting on your bike for those early morning rides! Make your weekend rides fun and sociable - join a good club with other Ironman triathletes so your training becomes something to look forward to.

AE Do you have a favourite race and can you tell us why you like it?

JC I like the Wakefield course, it's nice and rolling - slightly long on the bike - and a simple run with great spectator support. The Club Relays are a great fun day out. But my top race would have to be Lanzarote Ironman – nice sea swim, fantastic bike course and the run takes you up and down the seafront bars, which are full of ‘Brits Abroad’ getting p**sed up and giving very vocal support for anyone with a Union Jack pinned to their butt! The whole event has a small-scale, very friendly feel to it too.

AE Race plan for 2008 and beyond?

JC I’m going to be stretching the distance a bit (and facing some demons with a 4-mile sea swim!) in the Accelerace Mid Wales Extreme Triathlon at the beginning of May. Then I’ll be off to Epic Camp Italy in June before Ironman Germany, which will be my first real test of the year. I’ve entered Ironman Wisconsin in September with a view to qualifying for Kona 2009.

AE I left my interview with Jo thinking that she had to be one of the most interesting examples of how an age-group athlete has managed to find the balance between full-time work and virtually full-time training, but at the same time not taking things too seriously and with a great sense of humour still well and truly intact. Something tells me that we'll hear a lot more from 30 year-old Joanna Carritt in the future.