Event: Barcelona Marathon
Date: 16th March 2025

First Race Abroad

Pre-Race
Picture me, a bundle of nerves and carb-loaded dreams, walking into Barcelona’s marathon expo like a kid in a candy store. The city was buzzing, the March air was crisp, I grabbed my bib and resisted buying all the overpriced running swag. I spent the evening meticulously laying out my kit like I was prepping for a moon landing and consuming a mountain of pasta. I visualized running the race, though my brain kept sneaking in images of me tripping over a rogue orange peel. But I was excited to run my first race abroad.

Race Start
Standing in my wave surrounded by thousands of runners, I felt a surge of adrenaline. The sunrise cast a golden glow over the city, and the energy was contagious—cheers, music, and the hum of anticipation. As the gun went off, I settled into my pace, weaving through the pack with focus. The wide, smooth streets and early landmarks fuelled my excitement. The vibes were immaculate, and I was ready to make this marathon my personal dance floor.

The Run
The Barcelona course was a dream—flat, scenic, and lined with enthusiastic crowds. For the first 30K, I was in the zone, hitting my target pace effortlessly. My legs felt springy, my breathing was steady, and I high-fived people along the route, feeding off their energy. The Mediterranean breeze and views kept me uplifted. Then, at 36K, the wall hit me like a rogue piñata. My legs turned to concrete, my brain screamed, “Why are we doing this?!” and I considered flopping onto the curb for a siesta. But I chugged my electrolytes, channelled my inner action hero, and broke the race into bite-sized chunks. The final kilometres were a battle, but the roar of the crowd and the thought of a PB kept me moving forward.

Finish Line
Crossing that finish line was like winning an Oscar, a Grammy, and a free buffet all at once. My watch screamed “PB!” and I threw my hands up like I had just invented running. The 36K struggle made it epic—I’d stared into the abyss and told it to get lost. A volunteer slung a medal around my neck, and I posed for photos like a B-list celebrity. The finish area was buzzing – fountains sparkling, runners crying happy tears, and me, basking in the glory of not dying. My legs were toast, but my soul was doing cartwheels as I waited for my friend to finish.

Post-Race Reflection
Running internationally for the first time was both humbling and inspiring but definitely deepened my love for running. Hitting the wall tested my resilience, but pushing through proved what I’m capable of and the PB was the cherry on top. Not sure when I will next be able to race aboard but 100% keen to do it again and hopefully with more Viceroys!

Event: First Stride Events Hampton Pool Standard Distance Triathlon
Date: 21^st April 2025

In the 9 ½ months since my first ever triathlon, this mid-life crisis journey has been great. Losing over 55kg in weight, improving my running from 9min/k to 6min/k and swimming from 3min/100m to 2:15/100m, it is great to see tangible proof of how far I have come. I know a sports car would have been cheaper but until you can record that drive in Strava…what’s the point?

Anyway… the race. What a wake up this was. Luckily I live not far so the 0515 registration time wasn’t too much trouble, but speaking to people lining up that morning, some had travelled in from Kent that morning. This marked my third triathlon of 2025, second with First Stride Events and first standard distance.

Wearing my new Viceroys hoodie allowed me to stay warm, and colourful, but compared to the March triathlon’s 0 degrees at Hampton Pool the 9 degrees that morning was basically summer. Plus I’m from the North so they were lucky I didn’t crack out the BBQ.

As I finished setting up my transition station the sun was rising so I got a good look at everyone’s bikes, and it was at that point I realised I need a new bike.

The race brief was informative and let us all know of the number of laps needed for standard distance. With the early start time, the build-up of traffic around Hampton Court wasn’t going to be an issue and being a local (as well as doing the previous triathlon in March) I knew the course well.

Being second to last on the pool leg was interesting as it gave me time to watch other people’s technique. I tend to do breaststroke on the swim as front crawl isn’t my strong suit. Completing the 888m in 21 minutes wasn’t too bad for me, then it was onto the first transition. T1 gives us 7 minutes to get changed, warm clothes on etc. ahead of the ride, as down south 9 degrees is classed as “cold”. As I put talc on my feet, it went everywhere including my riding glasses, so I had the lovely image of a winter wonderland for the remainder of the race. I headed out of transition, ran to the mount line and of course dropped my gel which luckily someone was nice enough to run up to me.

The ride is always my strong area and knowing the route meant I knew where to push and where to use the contours to my advantage. Everyone was very pleasant to each other, greeting with a nod, wave or verbally saying “good morning” when passing. Seeing the Viceroy members along the route was nice and being a new member, made me realise there are many people to get to know over the next part of my triathlon journey.

Getting back to transition, I was greeted by my lovely little family (I am not kidding, my wife barely scrapes 5’) with my two kids shouting “daddy!” in the small moment I was around before leaving them to get a bacon sandwich whilst I did my run. For once I didn’t struggle putting my running shoes on and, unlike my first triathlon attempt, I didn’t fall over into my bike like Bambi on ice. Which in my opinion made me feel like a winner already. Setting off on the run my legs didn’t feel too bad.

I didn’t understand how people on the route knew my name (although I now suspect wearing the pink hoodie at the start may have had something to do with it) but it was nice to hear random people cheer me on. The run route took me down to Hampton Court and on my first lap I ran past the turnaround cone and instead ran around the lamppost that had the sign on but hey-ho, got it right the second time round.

Coming into the finish line, there were my darling daughters cheering me on with my littlest running after me, desperate for a sweaty Daddy cuddle. Getting the medal from the canteen allowed me to sniff the sandwiches, watching people in envy before returning to the transition area to eat my “superfood” bar.

My target for the day was to not be last, which is something I always set for myself. Coming 17^th out of 26 was a nice addition to that goal.

It was a great start to standard distance for me, and to set the bar for my year ahead. It would be nice to get to know more VTC members so I can cheer them on too. I wish you all luck in your endeavours and challenges ahead.