British Army trailblazer says the transition to triathlon has forced her to be selfish

Rosie Wild is into her second year as a pro triathlete and says the transition from quitting the British Army has been massive.

She also insists her best is yet to come after a seventh-placed finish at Challenge Sir Bani Yas last month – now that she’s learned how to be selfish!

Wild became the first woman to pass a gruelling Parachute Regiment entry test in 2020, earning the coveted maroon beret and outperforming several male rivals.

The struggle to be selfish

But, speaking to TRI247 about her change of career, she said: “The one thing I struggle with is that in the army my world revolves around my soldiers. I get up and my life is all about other people.

“Now, I get up in the morning and go to work for me and I find that quite difficult. I’m only going to let myself down if I don’t put in the work. But that feels quite selfish and I struggle with it.”

Wild, who raced six times last year, completed Sir Bani Yas in a time of 4:40:22 to finish seventh on the women’s side, earning 54.20 PTO points.

Speaking before the race, she revealed how the mental toughness she learned in the army gives her an edge on her rivals.

Wild loves tough conditions

Wild said: “I definitely think it’s helped. I hate to use the buzzword but in the army, mental resilience is something we learn and draw on so much and I feel like when times are tough it’s something I can draw on.

“I like tough conditions because I’ve got a USP there that other people might struggle with. The army has given me so much. A lot of my competitors have been doing the sport a lot longer than I have, but there’s a bit of robustness that I have over them that I’m proud of.”

Wild says she still feels like a rookie this season despite starting her pro career last year – and that the transition away from being in the Army was tough.

Working full-time, to training full-time

She said: “It was really strange because I went from working full time to training full time and I found it really hard to let go of not working. It’s been a massive transition.

“I feel like 2025 is my first year because when I started in 2024 I think I finished work in March so I hadn’t really had a build-up over the winter or anything. This is my first season where I’ve had a full year of training under my belt so no excuses.”