When Bristol’s Jessica Wheeler began competing in triathlon over a decade ago, she didn’t imagine becoming of the highest-ranking sprint triathletes in the world in her age group — but that is exactly what she’s done. What’s more remarkable is that age group happens to be 75 to 79. When this septuagenarian “puts her feet up,” she clips into her pedals and eats up miles.

For the 4th time, she qualified for the World Triathlon Championship Finals this year. She didn’t attend the first two times she qualified in 2019 and 2020, but last year saw her finishing 5th in Wollongong, Australia. This year’s event was in Pontevedra, Spain.

Wheeler’s path to triathlons began in her 20’s when she set her sights on running. But back then, it wasn’t really something women did. She persevered — but in men’s sneakers and jeans, since running gear for women wasn’t widely available. She admits that she really didn’t want people to know she was running. But she got over that by her late 30’s and began running in earnest, which she did for 35 years.

Running does take a toll on even the fittest bodies, however, and about 10 years ago one of Wheeler’s daughters suggested she mix it up with triathlon, to crosstrain. The rest is history.

This year, nearly 6,000 athletes competed in Pontevedra, complete with a parade of nations and opening and closing ceremonies. Wheeler almost wasn’t one of them — she nearly missed her start trying to help another athlete who was struggling to apply her race number tattoo. When she realized the time, she found the path to the line obstructed by crowds. “It was so crowded I almost didn't get to the start in time, but the security guard ran me in front of the pack of cyclists,” she said.

She did make it, and when the dust settled and she was done with the half-mile swim, 5k run, and 12.5 mile ride she was 4th in her age group, just missing the podium and a bronze medal by a couple of minutes.
Wheeler has long favored the sprint distance. “I love it because you go all out but don't feel like you're going to die afterwards,” she said.

“The pace was better this year for my run but the bike was really tough,” she said. “The first 6 miles or so were all uphill. A there was a river swim and where the river came close to meeting the ocean, tt was very choppy. I'm happy to be done.”

Then there were the cobblestones. Much of the race was run through the old town, where cobblestones threaten to twist ankles with every stride. But the only thing worse than running on cobblestones might be riding on them — at speeds of up to 30 mph.

“You just do it,” Wheeler said. “It's foolish but in the heat of the race you just do it.”|

For Wheeler, the best part of the event is meeting other athletes. “I meet so many wonderful people, I love meeting athletes from around the world,” she said. “I especially love meeting women my age in this sport; there's not usually that many around and then suddenly you're with 92 of them. That's one of the reasons I love it so much.”

With the triathlon season over for the winter, Wheeler’s competitive spirit will shift to road races, and she will do one every 3 to 4 weeks or so. “I love competition and I like staying in that racing mentality,” she said.

Athletes qualify for the worlds based on their finish at the national event held the previous August. Wheeler’s performance this past August has already qualified her for the 2027 event, to be held in Hamburg, Germany.