Published 11 May 2017 

It will come as no surprise to learn that, participants in IQL UK’s annual Lifeguard Triathlon aim high, give the best that they can on the day and strive towards continuous improvement…after all, there are points, pride and kudos on offer!

What might be more of a surprise, however, is the hard work, pride and dedication that goes into bringing our annual event to life and it was all the brainchild of one man.

That one man is Dave Cartlidge and this year, he hands over the baton of Lifeguard Triathlon Event Manager to IQL UK and it wouldn’t be right if we let this hand-over go under the radar.

Director of IQL UK and Water Safety Management, Martin Symcox said: “You don’t meet people like Dave Cartlidge every day; a man whose passion and commitment to one cause, has resulted in a transformation within the sport. On behalf of everyone at IQL UK and RLSS UK, I would like to thank Dave for his untiring contribution to the charity to date and wish him the very best of luck, with his future ventures.”

Way back in 2005, the Lifeguard Triathlon was brought to life by Dave, who sought a way of rewarding those lifeguards who consistently strived to be the best they could be. Not satisfied with simply achieving ‘competence’ in the role, the event was aimed directly at those lifeguards who aimed higher.

“The Lifeguard Triathlon has been a bigger success for the industry than I ever thought possible, with 1000’s of participants to date. It’s also acted as a useful benchmarking tool for us,” explains Dave.

“Lifeguarding has been a huge part of my life for over 20 years, having met my wife and some of my oldest friends, through being involved. Stepping away from the Event Manager position, has been a hard decision to make but I’m confident IQL UK will take the event to the next level and inspire the next generation of lifeguards to get involved!”

Twelve years on and the Lifeguard Triathlon has proved a real success story for IQL UK; under the guidance of Dave Cartlidge, the competition has gone from strength to strength, with participants from far afield as Jersey and the Falkland Islands. Each year the field gets stronger, more records are broken and preventable deaths from drowning in UK swimming pools, are at an all-time low.