Event: European Sprint Qualifier Race (Eton Dorney) | Artic One Events
Date: 13th July 2024

Eton Dorney Qualifiers seem to me to attract more apprehension than other qualifying events. This is my third qualifier there and the feeling was the same.

My first qualifier event ever was at Eton Dorney and I remember being so incredibly nervous, and needless to say, I finished quite a few places outside of qualifying placings.

Following my second attempt, I was confident I’d get a roll-down place, and I did despite a particularly unpleasant swim.

This time I wasn’t sure as I was trying to qualify into the age group above me due to moving up an age category next year, but I was also keen to do well in my current category.

Having read the pre-race briefing blurb, the route was different from previous races for the bike and T2, so this didn’t help pre-race nerves before I’d even gotten there! However, the weather forecast was good – light cloud cover and not too much wind (there’s always wind at Eton Dorney even on a still day!!).

The tension amongst competitors on arrival was evident – much nervous polite chit-chat and bike scanning in the registration queue. Who had TT bikes and who didn’t, who was wearing a GB tri suit and who wasn’t… I tend to feel that this race attracts the ‘Big Guns’ – the fast and furious competitors at the sharp end of age group racing. And sure enough, they were present and correct again on this occasion!

While registering and racking it started to rain much to everyone’s surprise and frustration. I bumped into Sam (Holloway) warming up and he and I passed words about the rain, and it not being in the forecast. Anyway, the men were in the water first in the rain while the women watched and waited. A poor male competitor’s wheel slipped and he came off his bike on a turn into a new lap – too painful for him to continue. So inevitably this caused more nervous chattering amongst the women about the bike course being wet and slippery on corners.

On with the swim – usual 750m swim and exit on a concrete ramp. My swim went well – I surprised myself when I saw who I came out with.

My T1 was ok – usual stamping on wetsuit to get it off!

The 20km (I think it was a bit less than 20km) bike loop for me wasn’t too bad despite the light rain. The loop involved going from the Boat House end up over the bridge, up the middle with the lake on the right, then turning left at the top and coming back down to the Boat House alongside the hedges and trees.

T2 was a scramble to spot trainers, rack and run. By this time the rain had stopped. I wasn’t entirely sure where I was in my age group at this point – I was more focused on not falling off my bike for the last 20km!

Into the single lap run to the end of the lake and back – the end that always looks FOREVER away when you head out! By this point I knew women were catching me up – my run isn’t great. It’s not bad but there are some fast runners. The usual voices in the head saying this is just horrendous, why am I doing it…. to more positive self-chat…. just move forward and relax your shoulders away from your ears. I took a gel at halfway – actually slopped a gel half down my tri suit trying to gasp for air and swallow it. Sure enough, a lady got past me at halfway. There were a couple of younger competitors roughly half my age who came past which I couldn’t care less about by that point!

A short sprint as fast as I could across the line – phew all done! I was thrilled to see I’d come in ahead of two women who beat me a few weeks earlier at Southport World Qualifiers. I finished 4th in my age group and qualified 4th in the age group above.

Well done to Sam who also qualified 😊

European Champs are in Istanbul next year.

All in all, a good day in the office, although the photo may not look like it.

Event: T100 Olympic Distance
Date: 28th July 2024

On July 28th I took part in the T100 Olympic Distance!

It was a hectic start to the event on Saturday, as that’s when everyone had to drop off their equipment at the ExCeL near Docklands. On my way to the expo centre, I ended up joining the T100 pro women’s race for a few moments (mostly due to clueless marshals) but luckily a man shouted out and made sure I got off the course!

Besides the hectic drop-off on Saturday, Sunday was off to an early start. I was up at 6am and in the water at 7:40am.

I would rate the swim course 6/10 given the water in Victoria docks is not surprisingly, murky…

The bike course 9/10 given it was one large lap towards Big Ben rather than multiple smaller laps which the T100 participants undertook.

Finally, I’d give the run course 8/10 since the sun was out and the run was next to the docks with plenty of aid stations to get everyone to the finish line in one piece.

Overall, a great event with loads of participants and free swag. I managed to finish up in under 2hr30 which was a personal goal!

Event: Cotswolds Classic 113 (Middle Distance)
Date: Sunday 14th July 2024

This is a lovely Half Ironman distance triathlon, in the beautiful Cotswolds countryside. It’s perfect for beginners as it’s super friendly and not very hilly. They actively encourage first-time entrants and those who want to complete the distance in a more relaxed environment, without the stress of cut-off times. It’s also great for the super speedy Half Ironman competitors chasing a PB, racing (as always) at the front of the pack.

I remember the conversation vividly. About a year earlier, I was speaking to Marit at Shepperton Lake. She had just completed a Half Ironman and I was in awe. ‘You can do it Alison,’ she said. ‘No chance Marit, I still struggle up the hills.’ ‘100% you can do it,’ said Marit. I had been through a bit of a tough time recently and the thought of being able to call myself a (Half) Ironman sounded amazing. The training would give me something very positive to focus on. But mainly the belief that someone else thought I could do it was the biggest driver.  So thank you Marit xx

The very same day I booked the early bird offer (£175) and I was in!! eek!

I then calculated my current times and scaled them up to the Half Ironman distances. Oh my goodness – it will probably be dark when I finish. What on earth have I done???????? But the website said ‘As long as you don’t stop for a pub lunch, we will wait for you to finish.’ And I couldn’t get a refund. So I thought I’d better put my big girl pants on and just start the training…

My biggest area to improve was swimming. I struggled to swim half a pool length of front crawl without panicking. So over the winter I did weekly group pool lessons with Lee from Fullstream (excellent). It gave me a good base, and I hope to do more lessons this winter.

The race organisers do a ‘try the course’ about 6 weeks before the competition, which is great. They take your round 1 lap of the cycle and run, so you can see the inclines, surface conditions, and where the food stations and toilets will be etc. This certainly calmed my nerves.  You also get a chance to meet some of the other competitors which was lovely. Lots of women of my age, first-timers, fantastic people.  Myself and another lady made a pact that whatever happened, we would drag each other over the finish line. Sorted 😊. (post edit – she finished fine).

Anne (Renshaw) and Richard were also booked in, so we stayed at the same hotel and had dinner together the night before (steak, chips, beer – carb loading).

The morning of the race started with a 4.30am breakfast. Heading into transition, a marshall spotted that one of my handlebar ends had fallen off. But cool as a cucumber he just taped it up for me.  Not sure other Half Ironmans would be so calm.

You can pre-choose start waves for the swim. I chose to start at the back of the mass start, as it started one hour before the last wave.  I knew I would be slow on the swim, so at least I would finish the swim part way through the pack and not be right at the back.  This was a good choice. As I didn’t want to be swum over by the subsequent waves, I also swam to the side.

The organisers offer a ‘nervous’ swimmer hat which is green. They only issue about 15 of them. Great idea. I took one. The safety canoes were lovely and kept checking I was ok.

I wanted to do the swim 50% front crawl and 50% breaststroke.  But I still felt quite panicky under race conditions, so I did about 10% front crawl and 90% breaststroke. No problem – that’s my target to improve next time.

Anne didn’t race as her back was really bad. So Maria and Anne were there to cheer me on – and what a sterling job they did!! I knew Maria had purchased a cowbell for the occasion (long story – ask either of us to explain 😊) and as I was finishing the swim I could hear the cowbell and their cheering. I was laughing in the water. What a brilliant end to the swim. Ladies – you are both legends!! xx

The bike was great and I felt strong. Two laps of rolling Cotswolds countryside, slightly hilly but not overly. Highlights were hearing the screams of Maria and Anne on each circuit (brilliant – completely made me laugh again each time) and cycling past a beautiful field of lavender (twice). The weather was perfect. Cool (about 19 degrees), overcast but no rain. Perfect. I averaged 24.3kmh on the cycle which is very fast for me.

My cross bar bag was full of food (cheese sandwiches, salted nuts, gels, jelly babies, salt tablets etc etc etc). I made sure I ate and drank (isotonics) every 5 km (without stopping) which kept me nice and fuelled. With a good stretch and loo break half way round, and with the cheers of Anne and Maria and the cowbell, I felt the bike section had gone really well.

Mentally I felt I had now finished the Half Ironman. Oh gosh – just the half marathon left… and the weather was now heating up.

The run was 3 laps around lakes and road. I knew there was a food station halfway round with ginger cake, so that was my focus. I have to say the run was tough. It felt like childbirth. You knew you had to do it, there was no way out except getting to the end. It was going to be painful, knackering and hideous. But there was no gas and air, or epidural (thank goodness) to help you along. Only ginger cake…

It was tough. Another friend Jenny drove from London to support me too, so Maria, Jenny and the cowbell got me through the run part (Anne had to leave). They were once again amazing. 

The toughest bit was finishing each lap. You then passed two shutes. The right shute had a red carpet and led to the finish arch. Yippie! The left shute took you around another 4.36 mile lap. Arrhh. That was tough.

On the first lap I was devasted to go left, but cracked on with it. On the second lap, I burst into tears going left.  It was beginning to get a bit too much by now.

Along the run, I chatted to my fellow competitors to see what lap they were on. When they were on lap 3 and I was on lap 1, that was tough. But with the Viceroys motto ‘never show weakness’, I knew I couldn’t give up. I had heard it’s good to walk/run the run. But by this point, it all needed to be over and done with as quickly as humanly possible, so I made myself run all of it.

One foot in front of the other. That’s all you have to do. And that’s what I did.

Taking the right shute after my 3rd lap was brilliant. Maria, Jenny and the cowbell were cheering me on, and the commentator shouted my name. All I had to focus on now was my photo over the finish line.  DONE!! I’M A HALF IRON(WO)MAN!!!

My friends hugged me and I burst into tears again. I felt very emotional. Particularly how far I had come (emotionally and physically) over the past year. I was incredibly proud of myself and very happy.  Jenny bought a lovely bottle of Moet, which we all joyfully quaffed down post-race.

So my advice to anyone. Even if you think you can’t ever do a Half Ironman, you definitely can. Just do it. I’m going to sign up to the same one next year, 13th July 2025 (113 events) so hopefully see you there. 

Follow Alison’s journey from a sprint triathlon to Half Ironman in her past race reports:
– Bewl Water Standard (Olympic) Distance Triathlon
– Free Tri Series Walton (IntoTri)

Event: Thorpe Park Sprint Triathlon
Date: 30th June 2024

It was always going to be a tough start to the season, but a good one with the VTC Club Champs, which were held at Thorpe Park for this year’s edition.

Swim – With the Viceroys having our very own start wave, the competitiveness was on show from the gun! The four-turn swim course, which for me (and a few others) accidentally turned into a three-turn swim, resulted in me coming out of the water slightly further back than I had planned.

Bike – Jumping onto the bike, I had a lot of ground to make up to get my race back on track. For my first race of the season, in somewhat less than ideal conditions with the rain starting to fall, I was happy overall with my bike split. Along the course, the other Lucy and I had a race within the race, which helped spur me on top and hopefully finish strong on the run, which has been a large struggle over last year.

Run – Setting off for the run, I was just pleased to be running! With my ongoing foot injury causing my running not to be where I would like it to be, I was hesitant to set off too fast. Thankfully after the first kilometre, I settled into a nice comfortable rhythm, despite there being a severe lack of clarity around the amount of run laps and total distance to complete. After some negotiation with various marshals, I finished the 3.8km run in a time I can be proud of with all the setbacks and lack of running I’ve experienced over the last year.

Hopefully I can carry some of this momentum, and fix this nightmare of a foot, in time for the European and World Championships later on in the season. Nevertheless, I will still be super excited to rep the GB suit once again!

Event: Bewl Water Standard (Olympic) Distance Triathlon | First Stride Events
Date: Sunday 26th May 2024

This is a lovely Olympic Distance Triathlon, with a 1.5km lake swim, 45km bike and 10km run. All set in the rolling Kent countryside with a picturesque reservoir swim.

I managed to get a free place (worth £105) as I had marshalled for First Stride at Hampton Court Tri.  I was training for a Half Ironman, so using my free ‘Willy Wonka golden ticket’ on an Olympic distance seemed like a good idea at the time…

Bewl Water has an attached campsite (£16 per night per tent), which was fab as the local hotels were expensive and still quite far away for a 6am start. The start line was a 10 minute walk from my tent door – great for maximising my (well needed) beauty sleep time.

Trying to be Olympic style organised, I rocked up early Saturday afternoon and pitched my tent. The campsite was busy with lots of nice families, good loos and showers, and a fabulous homemade pizza van. I heard the bike route ‘had a couple of bumps’ so I decided to drive it that night and found a nasty climb near the start out of the 1st village. Eeekk. But forewarned is forearmed, and all that.

Overnight, there was torrential rain, and the couple in the tent next to me were having loud and prolonged sex. Let’s just say, I don’t think the guy was doing an Olympic distance tri the next morning…

Sunday morning arrived, cold and drizzly, but Marit’s friendly face at registration brought out the sunshine, as always 😊.

The swim was twice round the buoys with an Auzzie Beach exit halfway, in a lovely lake. I’m very slow at front crawl swimming, but the benefit of being last is that you are escorted around by the VIP safety canoe. The canoeist was an old guy, very nice, and kept shouting welcomed words of encouragement, as I spluttered my way round the course. My swim involved lots of mental encouragement to myself too.. ‘you are doing great,’ ‘you’ve got this,’ ‘the marshalls won’t be angry you are slow,’ etc etc. Well needed positive thoughts to change my mindset.

T1 was slow as I decided the sun had come out and I now needed suntan lotion. Plus I couldn’t find my cycle glasses (both items were in my storage bag). I bet the Brownlee Brothers don’t have the same dilemma…

The bike course was through sweet villages and country roads, well marshalled and fairly quiet. The cycle route was lovely and undulating after the nasty hill at the beginning. I had packed cheese sandwiches in my crossbar bag which worked a treat. Marit gave me a big wave as I passed lap 1, and by the time I was finishing lap 2, I was being cheered along by the lovely people on the sweep up motorbike and ambulance.  Again the benefits of being last…

By now the weather was getting hotter, and the thought of a 10km run didn’t fill me with overriding joy. Four laps by the lake. UP a hill and then down a hill. Mmmm. I hadn’t read ‘run hills’ on the memo. Again the marshalls were great, especially at the water station. A nice benefit of a 4 lap run course, is that you can see who is still in the race. There were about 10 of us still competing. We cheered each other on as we passed, counting down the laps with each other. The hot weather was starting to destroy us all though.

We eventually got down to 3 remaining runners, a guy about 30, another lady (similar age to me (52)) and me. I had expected to finish the tri about 30 to 45 minutes behind everyone, but I finished 10 mins behind the lady so I was well pleased with that.  After chatting with her post race, it was nice to know that the lady had finished her swim 30 mins before me, but I caught up with her on the bike and run. So that was a big positive take away for me.

So the race was over and Marit was there to cheer me over the finish line and hand me my medal, which was great. I also love my finish photo 😊.

The sun was shining. It was definitely time for an ice cream and to reflect on my next race… my first ever Half Ironman, in just 6 weeks.  Eeeekkk!!!

Event: 100 Greatest Cycling Climbs Challenge
Date: Nov 2020 – Jul 2024

Back in 2010, I was given a small book for my birthday called ‘100 Greatest Cycling Climbs’ which then sat on my bookshelf for over a decade. At some point in 2020, I decided that it would be a good challenge to complete them all and a fantastic way to see some of Great Britain. Somehow, I managed to rope Sylwia into this challenge!

As technology has moved on since the book was published, the climbs are now all on an App and you tick one off every time you ride the correct route up a hill on Strava. (Early on in the challenge we got a route wrong in Sheffield so yes, we had to drive back to Sheffield again to complete it. We then put measures in place to ensure that never happened again!!)

Diary of Challenge Progress

Extracts from social media showing progress over the 4-years it took to complete.

5 Nov 2020 – A new challenge started to complete the 100 greatest climbs.

29 Nov 2020 – Ticking off 100 Greatest Cycling Climbs Challenge no24 Streatley Hill and no25 Combe Gibbet.

Apparently, great views of the Thames Valley at the top of Combe Gibbet, but not today. Thick fog instead.

25 Apr 2021 – A great ride to complete our 26th 100 Greatest Cycling Climb. An added bonus that my rubbing brake got fixed. Free watts!! Made it back in time for first Covid vaccine.

30 Apr 2021 – Back to the 100 Greatest Cycling Climbs Challenge. No32 Riber had truly “insanely steep” 25% gravel hairpins. It’s “impossibly rough, tough and steep”… but we did it. A nice introduction to what the Peak District has to offer.

1 May 2021 – Last night I read about the first climb of today, no36 Mow Cop. It’s described as the Killer Mile hitting 25% gradient in a straight line like a wall in front of you. Cyclists toppling over and so on… After I read it I decided l’d rather not know what’s awaiting me today. It was a tough day of 127km and 2,300m of climbing. Once the Mow Cop was out of the way, we got hit by a hailstorm and rain. This was not forecasted, and I was not prepared for this. My feet were so bad that the only thing that could help was to take the soaked socks off and cycle with wet shoes for another 3 hours.

The next climb was no71 Swiss Hill which was steep, with wet cobbles.  Sylwia decided it was impossible to ride up on the road bike in these conditions. But I whizzed up it like a mountain goat on EPO.

The most enjoyable was the famous Cat and Fiddle; 11km gentle slog broken up with a coffee stop. Terrain here is undulating, up or down, never flat!

2 May 2021 – The legs are starting to feel the 100 Greatest Cycling Climbs Challenge of the Peaks. The Winnats Pass was very picturesque but strong headwind and lots of cars made it particularly tough. We came back after the ride to walk it, which gave us a chance to take in the views and enjoy pork pies on the top of Mam Tor.

3 May 2021 – Today’s ride was ‘character building’ with high winds, cold temp and rain. We couldn’t feel our hands for most of the ride, Sylwia was blown off her bike, but we got our targeted 3 hills done. Brutal! (Lowest speed ever for a road ride – 17kmph average!!).

4 May 2021 – Over the Bank Holiday weekend, we completed 13 of 100 Greatest Cycling Climbs Challenge (62 remaining) plus hiked up Mam Tor. 300km covered with 6,000m of climbing. A great trip!!

5 Jun 2021 – Lowest km month this year due to back injury, (helping Myla with hockey socks!) but got to 40% of 100 Greatest Cycling Climbs Challenge and all new Zwift badges. Unfortunately, Sylwia took a tumble and broke her collar bone so our challenge is on pause for at least 12 weeks.

28 Dec 2021 – Back to continue the 100 Greatest Cycling Climbs Challenge. Wet and windy with 50mph gusts but a great route (112km and 1,310m) to tick off no12 Salcombe Hill.

29 Dec 2021 – Day 2 continuing the 100 Greatest Cycling Climbs Challenge. Even wetter and windier than yesterday but another great route (114km and 1,781m) to tick off no9 Haytor Vale and no10 Widecombe. Sylwia didn’t get blown off her bike – bonus!!

30 Dec 2021 – Last day in Devon climbing hills No8 (Dartmeet) and No11 (Rundelstone) in Dartmoor National Park. Some great views (when fog lifted) including the wild ponies. Another windy and very wet day. We were here in May originally when we planned to do the climbs, but Sylwia was in her sling with a broken collarbone. It was an unusually hot and sunny weekend. How different today, but we did it. Wales next.

31 Dec 2021 – Last ride of the year completing Rapha Festive 500 with 100 Greatest Cycling Climbs Challenge no96 – Bryn Du and no99 – The Bwlch. Hike a bike down a stream due to navigation issues didn’t make it any easier on our wettest ride this week!

11 Feb 2022 – Lots of apprehension and doubt before cycling up 25% wet cobbles in Yorkshire in winter on a road bike! Sometimes it’s not a good idea to read about what’s awaiting you especially when it says you’re going to ride up “deteriorating cobbles with gaps just big enough to swallow a bike tyre!!”

12 Feb 2022 – We finally got halfway through the 100 Greatest Cycling Climbs Challenge on an extremely windy day in North Yorkshire!

14 Feb 2022 – Better luck with the weather today! It stopped raining after climbing Trough of Bowland and the sun came out on the way to Cross of Greet climb. This marks 55 hills ridden.

20 Feb 2022 – Flooded roads and high winds navigated to complete no38 Jiggers Bank and no39 The Burway. Wet weather kit well and truly tested ahead of the hills to come!!

2 May 2022 – Continuing our journey by riding no29 Terrace Hill and no28 Michaelgate. Unexpectedly kind weather and not much climbing! Who’d have thought the cobbled climb, Michaelgate, in the heart of Lincoln, which is featured in the annual Lincoln Grand Prix (one of the country’s greatest cycle races), would be short and easy! A welcome break from some tough hills and conditions we’ve endured so far.

31 May 2022 – Another 12 completed. 30% climbs, a broken bike, horrendous midges and heavy rain hasn’t taken us away from our schedule!

4 Jun 2022 – Another 12 completed taking us to 24 for the week.

5 Jun 2022 – Rosedale Chimney’s 33% gradients done to complete all the climbs in England.

23 Jul 2022 – 2 more completed in a wet and windy Wales – 14 to go…

30 Jul 2022 – 9+ hours on the bikes with 3,250m of elevation gain got us 5 climbs closer to completing our 100 Greatest Cycling Climbs Challenge. Was Wales wet? Of course!!

31 Jul 2022 – One more ticked off before a snapped gear cable and a 30km limp home. Another trip to Wales was needed to do the last one…

23 May 2023 – Our journey continues. Really nice to have some chill time after our Ironman training camp and racing The Gralloch, Gravel World Champs Qualifier!!

30 Aug 2023 – A fantastic weekend in Scotland to continue our journey to complete the 100 Greatest Cycling Climbs Challenge.

13 July 2024 – 100 Greatest Cycling Climbs Challenge App completed! After 4-years of ticking off the climbs, we ended in Wales on the steepest one! No92 Ffordd Penllech – 40% gradient and the wrong way up a one-way street!!

If anyone is looking for a challenge closer to home, why not try the 100 Greatest Cycling Climbs App – SE edition!

Event: Ironman 70.3 Luxembourg
Date: 29th June 2024

With the Triathlon season well in flight, it was time for the first 70.3 of the 2024 season – my preferred race distance.  Having searched for new places to visit that wouldn’t require a flight and little interest in going to Bolton! I settled on Ironman Luxembourg which is a ~4.5hr drive from Calais after a Channel Tunnel train ride – meaning no hassle of packing bikes into boxes, the risk of things not arriving and the tension of putting it all together the day before the race… and of course being able to take as much equipment/tools as you want!

A couple of triathlon buddies were also keen, so we made a weekend adventure of it!

I have tried plenty of race brands over the years, but there is something that always draws me back to Ironman events.  They are not the cheapest, and they know how to milk you for every last £ – and god forbid you need to ask them for any flexibility – but this aside, when you get to one of their races, you know a big show is in town and it starts from the event village all across the course and even how they engage the local community!  The guaranteed closed roads also make the rides far more competitive and safer for all.

As to the race, Luxembourg 70.3 is a good balance of challenge vs speed – a river swim (in the Moselle), a rolling bike with ~800m of climbing and a very flat run course along the river bank – out and back – all hosted in the town of Remich which is the wine region of Luxembourg and on the border with Germany (the river being the border).  The race also offers the unusual experience of racing in 3 countries in 1 event!  And is a super beautiful place.  The roads in Luxembourg are fantastic and the place is super clean!

The day before showtime was registration and bike racking. Transition was in a field, which seemed to have been recently mown/prepared, and was pretty bumpy, thankfully carpeted, but the chances of twisting an ankle were very high, especially in bike shoes! With 2500 racers starting, it was also huge, so it was certainly going to be interesting.   The sun was shining for this part, but all weather reports were aligned – heavy rain, thunder and lightning were coming…with heavy rain scheduled overnight and for race morning and the risk of more thunder… We all went to bed apprehensive, as we knew lightning/thunder would cause the swim to be shortened/cancelled. In the middle of the night, we heard some of the loudest thunder ever and awoke to a monsoon first thing!

Getting ready to race in the rain is always a different and more stressful process than a nice mild summer morning – wresting a wetsuit on a wet body isn’t easy! But we were all at the start on time after a limited amount of faffing and drama!

I lined up at the back of the 30-35min swim group – aiming for a 35-38min swim time. It was a rolling start so seeding is important and there is no need to believe I would turn into a dolphin overnight.  Swimming is my weakest event and something to endure and not waste lots of energy on – there will be plenty of time later in the day to push things along.

2500 people lining up to start is always an impressive sight, especially with so many having brought their supporters along – it makes you feel like a superstar! With the gun fired the early racers were off… 10min in and we saw the first person pulled out of the water – it was scary to see someone look like they couldn’t swim go in so early. The emergency crews were slow to react and two people waiting to race jumped in to help the person. This elevated the heart rate more than one would want when adrenaline is already flowing. The bleeps gone – I dived in.  As normal, I set off too fast and 100m in I realised I was pushing myself too hard, with my breathing all over the place. In my early days of tri this would have caused a panic, but I’ve learnt to slow everything down, focus on the next few strokes and forget everyone around you.

The swim was a bit of a bundle as it was ~500m downstream, a full 180° around buoy and 1000m against the current, followed by another 180° and 400m back. This caused the buoy turns to be very congested and both shorter legs were proper bundles of people swimming over each other and bumping together. I got a kick to the face and an elbow for my trouble. I know they have to get a lot of people onto the course, but it seemed the gaps between entry were too close and a rectangular course with only 90° turns could have solved the issues.

I was out the water in 37mins, so about where I expected to be on an average swim. It was a long transition (6mins), across the bumpy, and now muddy, transition carpets and out onto the bike course.

I knew from my research that the first bit of the ride was going to be super fast – 35km flat as a pancake out and back along the river – and Luxembourg roads in general are great – so it was time to go full TT and put the power down. Even though the rain was falling, it was still a reasonable 17°C so good overall conditions with a low wind. The danger would come on the technical descents and sharp slippery corners.

The climbing all came over 25km after the first flat section, so it was all about watching the power. Unfortunately, someone had stolen my Garmin bike computer in transition (I should know better than leaving it in my bento box), so I only had my watch and feel. Hills done, it was rolling back down into France for a bit and then back along the river to T2. I was pleased to be getting off the bike in 2hrs 30mins. Good speed and didn’t feel I had burnt my matches!

Another long transition ~4mins this time!

And out onto the run. 3 x laps. The first thing I noticed was the size of the crowds. It really is an international race – with big attendances from Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany and France, plus a decent contingent wearing the Union flag on their numbers and many other countries! Lots of fantastic support especially through the main town.  It had finally stopped raining and the sun was breaking through and the temperature was rising.

The run was flat and as always in a 3 loop race it’s all about pacing and not letting the laps play on your mind. The first few kms flew by and I felt great, but experience told me not to fall into the trap of running a fantastic 10km only to struggle in the last half and throw all the good early work away – so I backed off the pace a little, stuck to my nutrition plan and drinking a cup of water at every aide station. 2 laps in and I knew I was on for a great half marathon and still feeling strong – coming home in 1hr 34mins.

My final time was 4hrs 52mins, which is only 6mins slower than my fastest ever 70.3 (which was on an incredibly flat bike/run course with tiny transitions). I was 15th in my age group (of 215) and 222nd overall from 2500. It was a competitive field! I qualified for the Ironman 70.3 World Championships in Taupo New Zealand (Dec 24) at Weymouth in September 23 on a similar bike/run course and ran/biked much faster in Luxembourg but finished further down my age group!

I noted at the finish my bloody trainer!  Hadn’t noticed in the race, but I had badly cut my foot in the swim.  A trip to the St Johns Ambulance (Lux equivalent) required some Steri-Strips and strapping – plus some tissues for my tears about my beautiful (and expensive) carbon On running shoes. Then back to our Airbnb and out to the pub to watch England put Slovenia to the sword (sort of) in the Euro last 16… and of course, a few celebratory beers!

Olympic Distance Double Header

Coming into this season I wanted return to some “longer” distance racing with the Olympic/Standard distance event. It’s been a few years since I had really done an Olympic distance of 1.5km Swim – 40km Bike – 10km Run, and with it being an Olympic year, why not! I entered Eastbourne back in January but got suckered into doing Windsor too from a bit of peer pressure, and also the draw of British champs. Unfortunately, they were back-to-back weekends.

Event: Royal Windsor Triathlon | British Championships
Date: 9th June 2024

Even though this is one of our local ‘big’ races, I’ve never entered. I thought I should give it a go, especially as it’s hosting the British Championships it should have a strong field of competitors.

Massive turnout for this one, well over 1000 in the Olympic distance and it was noticeable, very congested in all areas of the event.

Swim – Downstream swim in the Thames for 1km, absolutely flying with the pack, close to 1:00min/100m. Unfortunately, after the turn buoy it turns upstream and this is where it turns into survival of the fittest, and a bit of a washing machine, we caught some of the slower swimmers from previous waves and I lost sight of the faster guys in my wave. So had to dig in hard solo from here.

Bike – Pretty solid, feeling as comfy as you can be pushing hard on a TT bike. The only complaint was the sheer number of competitors on the course and it being on open roads, led to a few ‘dodgy’ situations, and a couple of hold ups.

Run – Consisted of 3 out and back laps up and past the castle and then part way down the Long Walk. This is where it fell apart. My body was not having it, and my pace was falling every lap.

It was a great experience racing such a stacked field at an iconic venue and to come away with 2:18:24. 10^th /147 in Age Group and 47^th /1349 Overall I was actually very pleased with.

The week following Windsor was all about recovery and I wasn’t sure I’d be able to make it to be honest, I had some very sore calves and I think I twinged something in my right arm on the swim. Thankfully some very restful days, a couple easy swims and some easy running sorted me out and I was feeling fairly fresh for the following Sunday, maybe not 100%, but ready to give it a good bash.

Event: Eastbourne Triathlon | World Age Group Qualifier
Date: 16^th June 2024

I entered this race towards the start of the year, and I thought it would suit me great, it includes a tough sea swim, and a lumpy, slightly technical bike course.

The day prior and on the journey down I was receiving updates from the organisers on the weather and the potential for the swim to be canceled, it wouldn’t surprise me considering the weather we were experiencing that weekend was terrible.

On arrival the swim was still being debated, with the current plan for a shortened, 750m swim, and altered course. Great, at least that’s something. The sea state was wild, strong westerly winds were whipping up some quite big swell. Even a small bit of chop is quite noticeable when swimming.  So, looking at the conditions, I was feeling a bit apprehensive, and that’s from someone quite confident in their swimming ability.

15mins later, cancelled, and new plan announced. We would do a duathlon.

So, reset, it would now be a Run – Bike – Run. In the back of my mind I had always considered we could be doing a duathlon, so I had remembered to pack socks in my kit bag, and was mentally already prepared for this to happen. Other than putting socks on, not much had changed, maybe a slightly more run focused warm-up and a slight re-organisation of transition area.

Run 1 – 5km – Having never done a duathlon I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect, but I knew I had to pace myself, and that’s what I tried. I tried to keep a controlled pace and made good use of fellow competitors to draft on the windy exposed sections of the run. Averaged around 3:55/km which felt sensible.

Bike – 36km 800m Elevation. Straight out onto the bike and straight uphill and into a strong headwind. I chose a road bike for this course and the field was heavily skewed towards road bikes vs TT bikes. On a calmer day it’s probably quicker on a TT bike especially if you’re confident descending, but today it was pretty even, the wind on the cliff tops was brutal it was an effort to keep momentum even on the downhills.

Run 2 – 10km – Survival mode activated, again! My legs were done, it was now quite hot too. I ended up running slower than at Windsor with a 42:40. I’ll admit there were a couple of moments I contemplated throwing in the towel on that final run. But you know our motto, NEVER SHOW WEAKNESS. I forged on doing what I could, and even managed a little sprint finish.

Came away with 2:19:39. 8^th in Age Group and 48^th Overall. I definitely could have done with the swim to split the field up and play more to my strengths.

Between Eastbourne and Windsor, I’d sooner do Eastbourne again. I felt the organisation and delivery of the event was much better, and the closed road bike course was a big bonus, also there were some quite nice freebies 😊

Back to Sprints now for the rest of the year!

Event: Staffordshire 70.3 Ironman
Date: 11th June 2023

I’ve had my heart set on completing an Ironman ever since starting triathlon, but I thought a Half Ironman would be a good challenge itself, so signed up to Staffordshire 70.3 with some friends from university. I was pretty confident about my ability to finish the race given I was comfortable with those distances and had done other endurance events (although no triathlon longer than a sprint distance), but had very low expectations of my times.

The entry prices are very expensive as the race takes a huge amount of administration, road closures, equipment, etc. Granted, you do get a lot of freebies with your sign-up like food, drinks and a T-shirt or having a tree planted, but it still seemed a bit steep compared to other race organisers.

Unfortunately, about 8 weeks before the race I got Achilles tendinitis so running in the build-up was minimal. It seemed every tester run just sent me back to square one in recovery. This meant my race day plan was to not do the run at all, given my main race of the season (World Sprint Championships) was only a month after.

The day before I spent travelling to Stafford via 3 conveniently delayed trains, meeting my overheating family in the car who had driven there to support me and rushing around the split transitions to get everything in place. Getting out of transition one minute before it shut was a wonderfully relaxing way to spend a birthday.

After good food and a good sleep however, I was ready to give it my best shot and woke up at 05:00am on race day feeling pretty stress-free given my low expectations! That didn’t last long though as I stood in the Portaloo queue hearing the swim time I wanted to self-seed myself in (the 30-35 minute wave) was being sent off. I eventually entered the water in the 40-45 minute slot and quickly found a good rhythm, keeping within my aimed pace despite having to swim around quite a lot of people. Leaving the water after 1.9km I got stuck behind dawdlers on some uncomfortable matting over rocks but executed T1 fairly efficiently.

Onto the 90km bike, the first 10km was pretty nasty, stuck behind people on tight and potholey roads. Then I realised sub-3 hours might be within reach given the run would be a write-off anyways. The ride was pretty rolling in terms of hills with an incredible amount of side-line supporters. It was a nice, thankfully shady route and I absolutely loved it. My ankle started to hurt at kilometre 20-30 but lessened as the ride went on. I’m not sure if I could’ve ridden at this speed if I was planning to run a decent half marathon after, but it was a good lesson in what my body can cope with. My only complaint was that my trisuit gave me chafing but it wasn’t too painful and peeing on the fly might not have helped but getting off the bike is a waste of time when racing (sorry to the competitor overtaking me at this point).

Rolling into T2 in 02:58:22 I was very happy with myself and the pain in my ankle had gone so began the 21.1km run. The heat hit down hard but the town centre atmosphere carried me for a few kilometres. Then the pain set in and I slowed down to a jog. After another kilometre or so I realised that although I certainly felt fine otherwise to keep racing, it wasn’t worth the damage to my tendon. So, I pulled out of the race and walked about 3 kilometres to the finish line through many frustrating “GO ON”s and “KEEP RUNNING”s which was pretty mentally crushing. My family were a bit surprised to see me on the outside of the finish chute and not in it, but had also been expecting me not to even start the run.

It was nice to try out an official Ironman event and I definitely plan to be back for more – the organisation and atmosphere were otherworldly.

Event: SOWS Race Series
Date: 27th June 2024

The Shepperton Open Water Swim Race Series returned to Shepperton Lake on June 27th with 750m, 1.5km, and 3km distances being offered. Apparently, the race series hasn’t happened in 5 years but they’re back for good, and perfect timing for it! There isn’t anything better than finishing work and going to a sunny lake feeling hyped for a cheeky race.

About 70 people pitched up to Shepperton Lake, with about 40 taking part in the swim. Everything was well organised, there was food and drink by the lake, and the staff were very friendly.

Regarding the race.. if you think you’re a great swimmer, you might have to attend the SOWS Race Series to be humbled! The quickest time for the 3km was 39 mins! There were some incredibly fast individuals and I was extremely impressed by the pace. I tried my best and finished in 54 mins but it’s probably safe to say I could’ve shaved off a couple of minutes if I didn’t eat 2 bacon halloumi baps before the race! 🍔

If you’re interested in the next SOWS race, it’s happening on July 18th. Perhaps cya there!