Last of the Summer Tri – How not to prepare for a race

2017 had been a year off cycling and sport in general following a herniated disc which required surgery. So I entered 2018 unsure if I would even get back to cycling and did not enter any events, instead concentrating on the longer runs which I was finding very therapeutic.

Fast forward to the summer of 2018 and I’m now back to cycling to work, and missing the buzz of Tri so I did a bit of research as to what was available and saw the season finale, Last of the Summer Tri in Holmfirth. I remember Chairman P once telling me “It’s very hilly, it would suit you,” so I sat on the comfy sofa and entered the race from my phone

Is it really […]

Hamburg Ironman Review.

We’re driving along the Autobahn en route to Hamburg when the email pings. Bugger. Blue Green algae…the swim is cancelled. Not really what you want when the last 7 months have been dedicated to swimming as much as it has to biking and running. And really not what you want when you’re not that much of a duathlete – and your swim has improved marginally more than your run over the aforementioned months. Hey ho. You can only race the race that is there. I’d felt for the Ironmen doing Bolton a month earlier when the bike was shortened and thought confidently (stupidly) that nothing would go wrong for Hamburg. What do I know? Anything can happen. It’s probably a triathlete life lesson.

So why Hamburg? Well first, I suppose, Why Ironman? I don’t know who to blame this time around. […]

After 10 months and 5,000 training miles the day arrived. My first full Ironman event in Copenhagen Denmark.

The day started at 4am with a liquid breakfast and the start of making sure my blood sugars were where I wanted them before the swim start.

5 stops and a quiet journey with hundreds of fellow prospective Ironman on the Metro we arrived at T1 at Amagar Strandpark.

Sorted the bike, checked my bike bag again, wet suit on and I was ready to go. Checked my blood sugars and I was too low to swim so some fruit malt and 2 High 5 gels and hoped that would sort it.

40 minutes to swim time and my blood sugars were higher than I’d originally planned but ok for me to swim. Decided to do my normal warm […]

Chester is a fantastic Tri location combining city centre for spectators/ weekend visitors with easy access into countryside for the bike leg. You can tell this event is run by Tri Club rather than a commercial organisation, representing good value at £70 Std, £120 Middle for well thought out goodies – quality t-shirt, gym towel, race belt, gels, free photos, water bottle and hoodie for those doing the half.

River Dee makes for a tough swim being further upstream than down, with some rumours (post event) of a sewage spill in the days before. Never-the-less navigation was straight forward with massive buoys. When watching you can pick out individual swimmers from the bank and run alongside to track progress if keen. Running up hill into T1 while trying to undo wetsuit catches out the un-prepared.

Middle distance option is a fairly recent, but welcome addition, already popular as a challenge in itself […]

Brigg Bomber Quadrathlon – 27th May 2018

After getting on for thirty years of doing triathlon I fancied a change! I’d thought about Quadrathlon for a long time but never got round to it. As I sat shivering with hypothermia in the medical room at the Clitheroe Tri last year I got chatting to a lady that had suffered the same fate…we were both underdressed to cope with the 7C air temperature! She was the current World Quadrathlon Champion in her age-group and inspired me to take another look at this even more wacky sport.

For those that have never heard of this sport and don’t know what it is there is a clue in the name. Just think triathlon plus kayak, simple as that, well almost. They have various distances mostly based on ITU triathlon distances plus a kayak leg. For example the OD triathlon […]