Pioneering British long-distance star Joe Skipper has announced his retirement as a pro triathlete.

The Norfolk-based 38-year-old has been one of the most popular figures in the sport, with fellow athletes and fans alike.

His first pro race was back in 2012 since when he has won 10 times at full distance, plenty of them on home roads including IRONMAN UK twice and IRONMAN Wales. He was the first British athlete to go under eight hours for a full-distance race with his 7:56 at Challenge Roth in 2016.

His last victory came at IRONMAN Lake Placid in July 2023 but earlier this season he was runner up at IRONMAN South Africa.

He’s raced in the IRONMAN World Championship multiple times, finishing fifth in 2022, while in 2017 he was crowned European long-distance champion at Challenge Almere and in 2015 he was third at the long-course World Championships.

He bowed out in typical Skipper style, racing and engaging with fellow athletes at Outlaw Holkham last weekend, taking second behind to Malachi Cashmore in both the Half and Gravel Sprint.

‘I gave everything I had’

Announcing his retirement on Instagram, Skipper explained: “After a lot of thought, I’ve decided that the time has come to retire from professional triathlon. I had been thinking about it for a while but before Sunday’s race I knew walking to transition this was going to be the last time I would be lining up as a professional. On the bike racing around home roads in Norfolk it just felt to finish my career where it all started, it was a moment of clarity and even now a few days after making the decision it feels right.

“It’s difficult to put into words what the last 15 years have meant to me. This sport has taken me further than I ever imagined possible. I’ve raced across the world, stood on the top step of Ironman podiums, shared finish lines with the very best athletes in the world, and experienced highs that I’ll remember for the rest of my life. The sport has also taught me resilience through the lows, injuries, setbacks and days when giving up would have been the easier option.

“The highs have been unbelievable from completing my first Ironman at challenge Barcelona in 2012 to getting a podium at ironman Texas in 2015 when it was make or break, a bad result in that race would have been the end of it all. Podiuming at long course worlds, breaking the British Ironman record and becoming the first british athlete to go under 8 hours, the sub 7 experience, taking part in the Collins cup and being part of the winning team, 5th at Kona.

“When I started this journey, I simply wanted to see how good I could become. Looking back now, I can honestly say I gave everything I had. Every day it was all about what can i do to be better than yesterday, it’s been a wild ride and a truly amazing one. I can honestly say it has all been worth it and the stories and experiences i have had over the years will last a lifetime.

“The timing feels right. Rather than waiting for the sport to tell me it’s over, I wanted to make that decision myself. I’m proud of what I’ve achieved, incredibly grateful for the career I’ve had, and excited for whatever comes next.”

More than just the races

There were hundreds of lovely comments on that post, underlining Skipper’s personality – and influence.

One of the first came from fellow Brit Lucy Charles-Barclay, the reigning 70.3 World Champion who became IRONMAN World Champion in 2023.

She wrote: “There is only one Joe Skipper!! What a career 👏 thanks for being a huge support & inspiration to me as I made the jump from age grouper to professional triathlete. Always your fan 🫶🏻”

Skipper was also quicker than most pros to realise the importance of showcasing the sport to a wider audience, regularly uploading videos and podcasts to YouTube and other platforms to show what goes on behind the scenes.

His social media moniker of ‘@notanotheraveragejoe’ perfectly summed him up too.

And plenty of his IRONMAN races were followed the next day by a ‘beer mile’ with many of his fans and supporters.

Upcoming British triathlete Max Stapley has co-hosted the ‘Junkyard Dogs’ podcast with him in recent years and we caught up with Max to get his perspective on what makes Skipper stand out.

He told us: “He’s obviously such a character and I think for the sport in general, you need people like that – he’s always been very relatable.

“When everything’s so polished and sanitised, I think that perhaps people lose touch but he’s always been very open, whether that’s talking about some of his struggles or his neighbours giving him s**t!

“Sometimes the biggest stars in sport aren’t necessarily the most loved or revered by the fans because they can’t relate. But Joe will go down as one of those guys that you could approach or, if you were lucky enough, could even go on training camp with.

“It was just absurd some of the stuff he did but it was hilarious. I love that guy and I obviously wish him all the best in retirement and I hope that I can see him around – it would be pretty cool if he becomes a commentator!”