Ruth Astle is to take a break from triathlon after accepting the challenge of a new role with The Brownlee Foundation Events team (TBF Events) and deciding to turn her immediate sporting focus towards gravel cycling.
Having struggled to fully recover from a hip injury, which has pretty much overshadowed her last two seasons, the 36-year-old is now turning her attentions elsewhere as she teams up with the Brownlee brothers, Alistair and Jonny.
While not ruling out a return to triathlon at some time in the future, she admits, ‘I’m probably not going to try and do triathlon for a little bit’, as her work with TBF Events, coupled with a bid to see how good she can be at gravel cycling, takes priority.
Events added to Brownlee calendar
The Brownlee brothers launched their foundation in 2014 with the goal of delivering free events and opportunities for children to take part in the triathlon disciplines of swimming, cycling and running. TBF Events was then set up ten years later as the mass-participation arm of the foundation, designed to channel profits back into the organisation.
This week, TBF Events announced that two more Yorkshire-based events were being added to their calendar for 2026, with a multi-sport festival in Skipton and a gravel duathlon at Bramham Park, Leeds, joining the already successful Ripon Triathlon Festival and Helvellyn Triathlon.
Events which are not only designed to get children involved with sports at an early age but also aimed at bringing communities together; they are opening doors for youngsters who, in some cases, are experiencing the joys of sport for the first time.
And with profits equally shared among those groups that have signed up to help facilitate them – be they local running, triathlon, swimming or cycling clubs – the foundation is able to deliver both support and crucial funds to where they are needed most.
A case of perfect timing
Astle admits that when her partner, Alistair Brownlee, asked her if she was interested in the role, she felt it was very much a case of perfect timing, as she looked to take a break from the seemingly endless battle of regaining her fitness and a return to triathlon.
“I think he knew that I had kind of got to the point where I needed something alongside triathlon, particularly given how many injuries I seem to get,” she told TRI247. “I needed something else to get stuck into.
“I was like, ‘Yep, that sounds kind of fun’. I know nothing about directing events, but I’ve obviously taken part in quite a lot of them, and probably naively, I thought, ‘How hard can it be?’ I quickly found out there is definitely a lot more that goes on behind the scenes.
“The role is event director, but I’m pretty lucky that the actual race director, Andrea McAuslan – who is also the chair of Ripon Triathlon Club – is staying on in her role. I need someone who has done it and knows what they’re doing and is really good with the actual logistics of the race.
Looking to have an impact in the community
“I will sit more on the, I guess, commercial side of trying to get some sponsors in, trying to look at basically what else we can do to gain leverage from these events to try and get as much money going back into kids’ sports as possible. Not only are we bringing that in for the foundation, but we are also looking to have an impact on the local communities.”
The new Skipton event will be held on the weekend of May 23rd and 24th and will be designed for the whole family, with a specific focus on the juniors and children. The programme will also see the cycling and athletics clubs run events alongside the triathlon.
Meanwhile, the gravel duathlon will be held within the grounds of Bramham Park – closed off from outside road traffic – and will take place on the weekend of October 3rd and 4th.
Astle accepts that much of the support received by the foundation is down to the Brownlee name, with the triathlon legends not only still hugely popular worldwide but also very much regarded as royalty in their home county of Yorkshire.
Such adulation can be seen whenever they arrive at events.
Brownlee brothers continue to inspire
“I think the Brownlee name does open doors, but I actually think the bigger thing is still how many people have them as their main inspiration,” she said. “When I was at Ripon last year, the number of kids who were so excited to meet them and the parents who were saying they were the reason their children started triathlon.
“I think it can be easy to forget that sometimes. Because I obviously spend quite a lot of time with Ali – to me, he is a normal human being – but you sort of forget that to most people, actually, these guys have inspired so many people to get into sport.
“Especially with the kids. They can look at what these guys have achieved and be like, ‘Yeah, that’s cool; I could do that’.
“They weren’t that good initially, from a triathlon perspective, and didn’t really start taking it super seriously until they were a bit older, which I think is a really nice message for the kids to just go out and try stuff – get involved and find what you enjoy, and remember, you don’t necessarily have to have picked out your forever sport when you’re nine years old.”
Ready for a new sporting challenge
It is advice that Astle, herself, is ready to abide by as she takes her break from triathlon and gets ready for a few months in the saddle of a gravel bike.
Last year, she competed with Alistair at both the Nedbank Gravel Burn trek across the wilds of South Africa and at the National Championships in Dalby Forest and quickly caught the cycling bug.
“It’s been a torrid few years; I’m probably not going to try to do a triathlon for a little bit. I’m going to just do a bit of gravel. I’m still struggling with this hip, and I’m not in the mental headspace to go all-in on triathlon until I get to a point where I feel confident I can race,” she said. “I’ve had too many years of getting back in, having a really good couple of months, and thinking I’m ready. And then something else happens.
Maybe look at triathlon later this year
“I will sign up for some gravel races and give that a bit of a go. I’m interested in seeing how good I can get at gravel. If I can get back running, then hopefully, I will be able to do a triathlon at some point this year. But I need a mental break from putting everything into being fit. Which was also partly why it worked out quite well timing-wise to do the events director.
“I still feel there is so much more I would have wanted to do, and I think I could have done had I not kept getting all these injuries. But if it doesn’t work out, the fact that I actually managed to be a pro triathlete for five years, and I managed to win some races – if you’d told me that years ago, I’d have said, ‘No chance’.”
Anyone wishing to work with or support the Brownlee Foundation and TBF Events can find their website HERE. While anyone wishing to contact Ruth Astle regarding potential sponsorship should contact her at info@tbfevents.co.uk.
