Army champion on the road back from injury
The sensational story of Devon's champion triathlete Kat Matthews experienced the full range of emotions in a turbulent 2022.
After a horrendous accident while training in Texas, the 31 year-old Army Captain had still done enough in the early part of the year, winning Ironman events in Lanzarote and Swansea and finishing second in the postponed 2021 Ironman World Championships, to be named the British Army Sportswoman of the Year.
It is an incredible achievement for the triathlete, also a captain in the Army Medical Corps, who spent much of her childhood training in the swimming pools, beaches and roads of Devon.
"I am currently training in Lanzarote, which sounds glamorous but can have pros and cons, as it is occasionally very windy," said Matthews. 'I've trained here for the past five years and sometimes you get lucky, sometimes you don't.
'I ended last year with the accolade of being named Army Sportswoman 2022, which was amazing for me. In a world where there are so many different things to aim for, that award still holds great prestige for me.
'It includes all women across all sports and there are so many talented people in the military, balancing sport with their work. It really meant a lot.
'It was also very cool to achieve that award for my sport because it demonstrates that the pathway does exist in the military. I took up triathlon in my first job in the Army and I have come through the whole process.
'Sporting opportunities in military life are amazing. There is a fundamental ethos when it comes to sport in the Army and it works alongside your primary role 99% of the time. Sport in the military is designed to bolster the personal characteristics that can enhance your contribution to the Army.
'The purpose of sport is to develop the skills that we would then take back and utilise in a military setting. Things like discipline and a fighting spirit are used in sport and in times of conflict.
'I am fortunate to be in a position where I am good enough that I am able to make triathlon my full-time job, which is a niche situation available to just a few people in the Army.
'There are a handful of elite places handed to athletes in the Army. There is a little bit of funding for military athletes to be taken away from their primary job role to focus on their sport, which was originally set up for the Olympic programme.
'The scheme initially focussed on sports like shooting, bobsleigh, modern pentathlon and things we would normally excel at, as soldiers. What has been brilliant for me is the fact the Army has seen how my sport can also play an important role in the development of someone in the military."
The foundations of her superb sporting success were laid in Devon, growing up on the beaches of Exmouth and competing for Devon in a number of individual and team events.
Matthews carried those local experiences into adult life, joining the military after university and quickly embarking on a triathlon career that would take her to the top of the sport.
'My father was in the Royal Marines and my first two houses were on a military base," said Matthews. 'I moved to Exmouth at the age of four and attended St Peter's School in Lympstone before secondary school in Exeter and studying physiotherapy at Cardiff University.
'My time in Devon definitely had an influence on my running and swimming, although I never really cycled as a kid. I was really fortunate to be part of a really strong swimming club in Exmouth and I trained there a couple of times a week under the head coach Dave Smith.
'From a running perspective, I loved going out with my family, running on the beach and on the roads. You definitely develop a physical resilience living near the countryside of Devon, with the beaches and Dartmoor on the doorstep.
'I ran in the Devon schools cross-country events every year and was fortunate enough to represent Devon in the national cross country competitions, as well as playing for Devon at hockey and basketball.
'I joined the military at the age of 23 in 2014, after completing my degree. I had a couple of years doing other things before embarking on a military career.
'My first job in the Army was at the rehab centre at Headley Court and they had a swimming pool on-site, so I had the facilities to train alongside my job.
'The Army constantly encourages you to participate in sport and when you are succeeding in your job role, they give you the opportunity to compete in different sports for your unit and the Army as a whole."
The apparently seamless journey to the top took a terrifying turn four months ago, when Matthews was hit by a car while training on a bike and suffered a fracture skull, broken vertebrae and broken sternum.
Since then, it has all been about recuperating with the distant dream of competing again this year.
"It is difficult to know what lays ahead in 2023, particularly after the accident in September," she said. "The race I wasn't able to compete in because of the crash, the Ironman World Championships, is again scheduled for October in Hawaii, and that is still the aim.
'The accident happened in September and everything was going well ahead of the Hawaii event. I had been in Texas for a month when a car didn't see me and turned across my bike. I suffered multiple fractures and it was just two weeks before the World Champs.
'I am now back training in some capacity, not as good as I was last year, but the hope is for a fit and healthy 2023. It was obviously a very difficult experience but I am now looking forward to the challenges ahead."
