An Ayr athlete with a sight condition is realising her dreams of competing in triathlons. 

Natalie Jamieson, a member of Ayrodynamic Triathlon Club, was born with a sight condition called ocular albinism, which affects her vision when exposed to bright or unnatural light.

Judging depth and distance is difficult, and Natalie is unable to read small print. To enable her to participate in events, she competes alongside a guide.

She attended the British Triathlon Paratriathlon talent ID day last summer, after enjoying her experience competing the Dunoon Duathlon in 2017 and the Superhero Triathlon at Windsor in 2022.

Natalie has been involved in disability sport for around ten years, first with goalball and then track cycling.

In February this year, she competed at the British Cycling National Track Championships in Manchester, winning two bronze medals in the 1km time trial and individual pursuit events.

In November 2023, she attended her first overseas triathlon training camp, provided by Craven Complete Coaching. 

She is a member of Ayrodynamic Triathlon Club, as well as being part of the Born to Bike Racing Team.

Still new to triathlon, Natalie's training has primarily been focused on fitness, to help her across all three disciplines.

Natalie recently completed the East Fortune Duathlon, and admitted the support she received was fantastic. 

She said: “The East Fortune Duathlon was an amazing experience. My goal was simply to enjoy the experience and get around safely,

“Duncan the race director was very accommodating. The club sourced a guide for the run and VI Velo helped source a pilot for the tandem,

“The encouragement and support from everyone had been phenomenal. It’s the little things that make participating easier. For example, the transition team helping to find a suitable space for the tandem.”

Next up for Natalie is next month’s Isle of Bute Triathlon. In August, she hopes to return to the Superhero Triathlon, which provides a great opportunity to try triathlon in a safe environment, amongst people with a variety of disabilities.

She also aims to take part in her local Irvine Open Water Sprint Triathlon.

While she has enjoyed her experience in the sport so far, she believes more could be done to encourage athletes with a visual impairment to take part.

She explained: “So far in my triathlon journey, my experience has been positive; event organisers have been accommodating, encouraging, inclusive and supportive.

“In terms of participation, it would be great to see more clubs and event organisers putting their hands up to say they welcome athletes with a disability, as well as being accommodating if an individual requires support.

“Raising awareness of the sport through working with sight loss organisations in Scotland, and national governing bodies such as British Blind Sport, could also be hugely beneficial.

“One of the biggest barriers in the sport is a lack of guides, so it would be great to have a course that sighted people could attend, to learn about para triathlon and understand how to support a visually impaired participant.”

Her advice to others with a visual impairment is to reach out to individuals, clubs and event organisers.

She added: “Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Triathlon is a learning process and building up to your first event, or next event, takes time,

“It’s important to find the right people to help you on your triathlon journey. This can lead to long-term friendships, and not just a network of guides and support crew,

“Don’t worry about fancy equipment. Work with what you have, or can afford to have. It’s the taking part that counts.

“Most importantly, enjoy the experience! Triathlon is for everyone and so far, I have found competitors friendly and supportive.

“Being encouraged and cheered on is motivating and created a lovely atmosphere.”

You can find out more about how to get into paratriathlon at Disability Triathlon - Triathlon Scotland.