Ever wondered what it's like training for the Winter Olympics in a place with no snow? Holly tells her story of what it's like to be a biathelete living in Edinburgh.
Holly Rees-Lay is a young British biathlete striving to make it to the next Winter Olympic Games. She can ski, shoot, and is undoubtedly tougher and more determined than most of us. The 22-year-old from Oxfordshire won her first Senior British Championship last year, despite having skied for only four years.
Holly, who is heading out to Norway in December to train, spoke about how she started biathlon.
“I used to do shooting, but when you train you’re standing still for 6 hours a day, so I was quite large,” Holly said. “I went to the doctor who basically told me ‘you need to lose weight’ and urged me to go do some sports. I didn’t want to run and there was roller skiing starting near me so I did that because it looked more fun. Then I found that I actually really liked it.”
Holly currently stays in Edinburgh, so in a city with hardly any snow, it can be hard for people to understand the sport.
“Biathlon is tough – it’s skiing and shooting – but when I say it most people are like ‘Oh running and cycling’ and I’m like ‘no’,” Holly explains.
Since Scotland has a different climate to countries like Norway, a biathlete’s way of training can be different – but not impossible. Edinburgh homes many roller skiing clubs that act as a substitute for skiing that help build up balance and specific strength.
Roller skis have wheels on their ends and are used on hard surfaces to emulate skiing. Since the techniques used are very similar to those used on snow, Holly often goes around Arthur’s Seat on the roller skis and reaps the benefits from Edinburgh’s hills.
“The roller skis feel really similar to skis. But it’s really weird doing it in Scotland because no one really knows what it is. When we have training camps it’s so normal to ski on the road, like in Germany or Austria, and then in Edinburgh people are like ‘What?’”
But as effortless as Holly makes it look, biathlon is not easy. Not only do biathletes like Holly need to concentrate on skiing, but they also have to concentrate on hitting targets with their rifle.
There are five circular targets to be hit each shooting round, each one from 50 meters away, and depending on the position of the biathlete the target’s size range from a mere 1.8 inches to 4.5 inches.
“It’s great but it’s really hard”
“It’s great but it’s really hard,” Holly admits. “I always used to watch it on TV and be like ‘How can you miss that? The target’s huge!’ but it’s really hard.”
As well as being an international athlete, Holly is also a full time student at Edinburgh University studying Sports Science, so it all ties in.
“University is a nice break from training and training is a nice break from university,” Holly said.
As for the future, Holly has her sights set on the Olympics, but wouldn’t rule out putting her studies to use.
“Ideally, I’d like to be a full-time athlete, at least for a few years and try get the Olympics, and then go from there. But if not, then something in injury rehab.”
With the next four years to prepare, Holly keeps herself motivated by immediate goals. But hopefully we’ll be seeing her in Pyeongchang in 2022.