IT has been a memorable year for county triathlete Nicola Goodwin.

She has got married, been crowned Herefordshire Sportswoman of the Year and won a gold medal at the European Long Distance Triathlon Championships.

“When I got my first international rugby cap for England it was amazing, but I think the gold medal has been my biggest-ever sporting achievement,” said the 37-year-old journalist.

Last month, Nicola represented Great Britain and clinched gold at the European Triathlon Union European Long Distance Triathlon Championships in Finland.

Nicola and her husband Ben Moss delayed their honeymoon so she could train for the event.

She topped the 35-39 agegroup section, finishing 94 seconds ahead of her nearest rival.

The event, in Tampere, consisted of a 4km swim, 72 mile bike ride over six laps and an 18 mile run over four laps.

“Bill Berry and Julie Hardman are both amazing coaches and they commit so much time to me and I didn’t want to let them down,”

said Nicola, a Hereford Triathlon Club member.

“It was a tough day because it was windy for the swim and the cycle and I had to race from start to finish.

“The run was very tough and I didn’t want to stop or start walking because I knew how I’d feel if I did.

“I am not a fast runner - but I know I can go long distances and seeing my mum and dad there really helped to spur me on.

“You just have to try to zone out at times and think about something completely different from what you’re doing.

“You sometimes sing yourself a song or try to remember your old school register in alphabetical order.”

She crossed the finishing line in 7 hours, 32 minutes and 57 seconds.

“When I finished, the only thing I wanted was flat coke and peanuts,” said Nicola, from Dinedor. My dad always drummed it into us to look after your kit and the first thing I did after the finish was to clean my bike.

“We went out for pizza and beers after the race but, after one beer, I was very tired and had to go to bed.”

Nicola is from a sporting family - her mum, Julia, played hockey and was a sprinter, while her dad, Tracey, was a keen cricketer at Brockhampton.

Her husband, Ben Moss, is a former Hereford and Luctonians rugby player.

Nicola, herself, was a keen rugby player between the ages 16 and 22 years old, playing for Hereford and Worcester rugby clubs and gaining international honours with the England Women’s team.

She did her first triathlon in Hereford in 2002 and has proved that hard work and dedication pays off.

She now trains for 15 hours a week and tries to fit in three swims, three bike rides and three runs.

Last summer, she brought home a silver medal from the ETU European Long Course Age Group Championships in Spain and was the sixth woman overall.

Nicola has qualified for next year’s European Championships and she will be competing at the ITU Long Distance Triathlon World Championships in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA, on November 5.

“I have had the past two weeks just getting on with life and everyday things and I have been buying things like birthday cards and writing them in advance.

“It can get very hectic with work and training so you need to be organised,” she said.

“I will be watching my friends compete in the UK Ironman later this month and I will be hoping that gives me motivation.”

Nicola says Herefordshire is the perfect county to be involved with triathlons.

“We are fortunate with the geography of Herefordshire because we have such good terrain to train in. We can get to the hills straight away.

“There’s actually nowhere we can go in Herefordshire that is flat and there’s superb associations between all the sports clubs.

“A triathlon is three sports in one and, because of this you don’t have many injuries because you are cross-training and you don’t get bored.”

Nicola says the World Championships in the USA will be a fantastic experience.

“It will be a different ball game than the Europeans,”

she said.

“Because it’s taking place in Nevada - the Americans are throwing massive resources into it and will be fielding a lot of competitors.

“If I can finish in the top 20 in my age group, then I would be delighted.

“It’s a very tough course - you cycle from the edge of Nevada and the run is a hilly run in a loop system and you have to run parallel to the strip in Las Vegas.

“I will be preparing for it by tackling Stockley Hill, doing loads of stuff in Hay and Hay Bluff and cycling in the Dinedor area.

“I am looking forward to the World Championships because it will be a fantastic experience.