Marc Jenkins

Marc Jenkins (born 21 July 1976) is a Welsh triathlete from Bridgend.

Marc Jenkins was one of the UK’s top professional triathlete for over 26 years during which he represented Wales at the Commonwealth Games, on two occasions, and Great Britain at the Olympic Games in Athens in 2004. At the Olympics, Marc was famously involved in a crash mid-way through the bike leg that left his bicycle unusable. Rather than quit, Marc ran the two remaining kilometres with his bike on his back to complete the event.

Marc represented Wales at the Commonwealth Games in 2002 and 2006. He was British Champion multiple times and also stood on the podium at the highest level of the sport on numerous occasions.

After Athens, Marc was diagnosed with genetic faults that had been causing blood clots and pulmonary embolisms throughout his career, at which point his focus turned to his partner (now wife) Helen, and he became her coach. Helen has since gone on to win two International Triathlon Union (ITU) World Championships and race at three Olympic Games.

Marc is recognised as one of the UK’s leading triathlon coaches and has worked tirelessly to support the development of the sport. In 2015he was awarded the British Triathlon Federations Gold Pin Award in recognition of his contribution the sport.

•      Nickname: JINX

•      Hometown: Bridgend

•      Height: 175cm

•      Involved in triathlon since 1992

Social Media

•      Twitter: Marcjinxy

•      Instagram: marc_jinx_precision_coach

•      Linkedin: Marc Jenkins

Sporting Life

Early sporting life

Marc’s love of swimming and running led him to compete in surf lifesaving competitions until he was 15-years-old when he found triathlon. Following encouragement from his uncle, a keen cyclist, and his two best friends, Marc entered his first competition which was a duathlon.

Marc developed as an athlete and became British Junior Champion but didn’t fully focus on the sport until he turned 20.

Junior to elite

At 20-years-old, Marc moved into the senior ranks. As he was already competing at Olympic distance, he found it a relatively easy transition. He competed in his first ITU World Cup in Monte Carlo (1997) but due to a mechanical fault on the bike (dropped chain) on a hill he didn’t get to show his full potential. That said, the next week he went to Japan and finished 14^th, a great result early in his career.

Marc went on to gain significant experience racing more ITU World Cup events and competed in his first World Championships in 1998 in Lausanne Switzerland where he finished 14^thin his second year as a senior. From there Marc was one of the world’s top athletes through to his retirement from ITU racing in 2010.

Major championship appearances

•     National Championships: 2000 (1^st) and 2003 (1^st)

•      Commonwealth Games: 2002 and 2006

•      European Junior Championships: 94/95/96

•      European Championships: 1997, 1998, 2000, 2002 and 2003

•      Olympic Games: 2004 as an athlete, 2008, 2012 and 2016 as a coach

•      Junior World Championships: 1994, 1995 and 1996

•      World Championships: 1997-2004 (Olympic Distance) and 2010 (sprint)

Top ten results

•      2000 - 1^stBournemouth Triathlon/British Champs

•      2001 - 7^thLaussane World Cup

•      2001 - 1^stAbu Dhabi International Triathlon

•      2001 -4^thCorner Brook World Cup

•      2002 - 2^ndMadeira World Cup

•      2002 - 10^thEuropean Championships

•      2002 - 8^thHamburg World Cup

•      2003 - 5^thEuropean Championships

•      2003 - 1^stSwansea European Cup/ British Championships

•      2010 - 2^ndGamagori Asian Cup

•      2010 - 3^rdSendai Bay Asian Cup

The move to coaching

In 2007 Helen Jenkins (Marc’s wife) had been injured on and off for a long time. It was at that point both Marc and Helen decided to focus on working with each other to get back to the top level of the sport, Helen as an athlete and Marc as a coach.

The transition was a natural one for Marc who took his experience and understanding of the sport and applied it to developing training and support to build Helen back to two world titles and three Olympic Games.

In addition, Marc is aiming to help build the sport of triathlon in Wales so it’s more inclusive and open to athletes of all ages and abilities.

Marc is currently helping a number of age group athletes achieve their potential and pass on his experience so newcomers to triathlon can learn from the knowledge he has gained over the 26 years he’s competed and coached at the highest level.

Personal life

Growing Up

Marc grew up in Bridgend where he was always active playing team sports at his schools, Pen y fai and Bryntirion, however his real passions were the beach and surf lifesaving, running and swimming.

Still living in Bridgend, Marc loves live music, nice food, good wine, and most of all the beach. With the support of their extended family, Marc and Helen are able to both train and manage the logistics of a young family.

Marc’s primary goal at the moment is to focus on Helen’s return to elite competition – this has now become a family mission with Marc as her coach.

External links

• BBC News: "Jenkins triumphs in adversity"
• Photo of Marc Jenkins