IF IT was possible to bottle enthusiasm and sell it, Sam Anderson from Stourport would make a fortune.

The 33-year-old mum, project manager, fitness coach and former British and European Age Group Triathlon Champion is quite simply fizzing with it. But this natural passion becomes elevated to new heights when it comes to the subject of fitness.

From a very early age, Sam showed a love of exercise and outdoor activities – she had a go at pretty much every activity on offer, from high board diving to table tennis.

She became a county high jump champion, played netball and badminton at county level and eventually played national league hockey until an injury set her back.

But this was just a minor interruption to Sam’s sporting and fitness regime and it wasn’t long before she was back on track – literally. She started running with Coventry Godiva Harriers.

But when she began suffering from sciatica, she turned to the pool to help maintain her fitness levels and before she knew it she was entering triathlons – an event combining the three activities of swimming, cycling and running.

Sam went on to be selected for Great Britain as an Age Group athlete and became British and European Age Group Triathlon Champion in 2013. She was also working full-time as a project manager in transport for Worcestershire County Council.

However, about three years ago she had to curtail her training when she became pregnant and was ill during the pregnancy. Once that passed she proceeded to eat and eat – she put on five and a half stone.

After recovering from the pregnancy and birth of her baby son Bobby, Sam reverted to her default setting of exercising regularly and bought a buggy to carry Bobby so she could run with him. “I got a buggy I could run with and then I realised there were probably a lot of women in the same boat as me.”

With that in mind she went on a course with Buggyfit to learn about running exercise classes for mothers wanting to get fit after childbirth.

She set up hour-long exercise classes in Worcester’s Gheluvelt Park, the War Memorial Park in Stourport and Brinton’s Park in Kidderminster.

These proved very popular and people turned out to run with their babies and afterwards, some went off to the nearest café for a drink and a chat.

Sam said: “The sessions went from strength to strength and I ended up building some amazing running and triathlon groups and I now have over 200 members.”

She organised the NHS beginners running programme Couch to 5K and went on to found an organisation called Tri Energy based in Worcestershire. It offers opportunities for people to take part in a range of physical activities and improve their fitness. Everyone is welcome, from beginners right up to competitive triathletes.

“Doing the Buggyfit classes kicked it all off. When the babies grow up the members wanted to do more exercise and I started putting on more running courses. We had 24 people to our first running course and now we have 200 members.”

While following her own path to greater fitness, Sam has become passionate about helping others to achieve their fitness ambitions.

She has a first class honours degree in Sports and Exercise Science from Loughborough University, a Certificate in Post Natal Exercise and a British Triathlon Level 3 Coaching Qualification. To add to this she has been presented with three coaching awards - Wyre Forest Coach of the Year Award (2016); Triathlon England West Midlands Coach of the Year Award (2017) and Triathlon England National Coach of the Year Award (2017).

“I have been coaching since 2012 but since having the baby I have been so much more involved with coaching. I love helping others. It feels far better than anything I have won or done for myself.”

Together with the support of Tri-Energy colleagues Emily Morrall and Nina Finch, Sam is staging the club’s first women only triathlon.

Called the Clock Tower Triathalon, it will take place in the grounds of Abberley Hall School on Sunday May 27. It starts with a 400m swim in the school’s pool, followed by a 21 km bike ride alone the local winding lanes and finishes with a 5km off-road run through the beautiful school grounds offering stunning views of the surrounding countryside.

Sam said that 70 per cent of the Tri Energy members are women but not many of the women take part in the triathlons. She added that a lot of women are worried about what they will look like in their swimming costume and the arrangements for getting changed between the three sections of the event.

She hopes a women-only event will encourage more women to put their toes in the triathlon water and then go onto the mixed events.

Tri Energy approached Abberley Hall School because it holds its swimming club sessions there. “We were looking for somewhere to hold the triathlon and you can see the clock tower for miles. The school has been really accommodating and flexible in working with us. They want to see people from the local community enjoying their grounds. It is such a nice venue.”

The event is open to women of all abilities and anyone who signs up can have the six-week training plan written for beginners. Sam, who is expecting her second child, said the great thing about this event is that entrants are not under any time pressure. If they are not good swimmers they can walk it, use the lane rope for help and take a breather between lengths.

“A month beforehand we are going to put on a welcome event and do a run with them,” said Sam. For more information about The Clock Tower Triathlon visit www.clocktowertriathlon.co.uk. Anyone who registers to take part before Wednesday January 31 will get a discounted entry fee and every participant will receive a finishing medal. There will also be age group and overall prizes.

The organisers are aiming for about 100 participants to cover the costs. “We do not want it to be too big because we want to give people a really good experience,” said Sam.

Anyone interested in joining Tri Energy can get more information by visiting http://www.tri-energy.co.uk/. Training takes place at different venues – running and cycling is held in Stourport and Kidderminster, while swimming is at Abberley Hall School and open water swimming is staged at Top Barn Farm near Grimley, Worcester, at the University of Worcester Lakeside Campus.