Indholdsfortegnelse for September 2021 i 220 Triathlon

Confession time. I admit that triathlon can seem daunting if you’ve never done one before. Add to the fact that you swim outdoors, there’s lots of new neoprene and Lycra to contend with, some folk are wearing weird pointy helmets and riding bikes that look like they’ve come from outer space, and it can seem like a lot to take on. The beauty of triathlon is that there is something for everyone, though – and that’s the theme of this issue as we explore the different routes into triathlon on p35, with an event for every level of ability (and kit!). At the more extreme end of things, I played swim support last month for three average blokes taking on six iron-distances in six days! See how they got on…

Rivalry has existed in sport as long as sport itself. England played seven matches in Euro 2020, but in terms of one upmanship, the two most hyped contests were between the Auld Enemy of Scotland, and those arch nemeses, the Germans. There was that extra, almost intangible edge to those two matches. It’s something the Professional Triathletes Organisation will, all being Covid-well, try to harness and bottle later this month [28 August in Samorin, Slovakia] when the long-awaited Collins Cup finally pits USA v Europe v Internationals in head-to-head match-ups over a middle-distance course. “Rivalries drive performance up a level – the PTO hopes the Collins Cup will do just that” Of course there have long-been rivalries in triathlon: the famous Iron War between Mark Allen and Dave Scott perhaps…

“To be selected for this team you have proved your potential” GB paratriathlon head coach, Jonny Riall The crowds lined the streets alongside the Copacabana. Most of those racing had never competed in front of such numbers, but as for a global audience for paratriathlon’s Paralympic debut…? It didn’t happen. Great Britain’s Andy Lewis won Team GB’s first gold and three other medals followed, yet there was no live broadcast celebrating the achievements. As we look to Tokyo, the situation’s been flipped. At time of press, there’ll be no fans allowed, but millions will tune in, including free-to-air on the BBC. It’s not the only thing to change. Paratriathlon head coach Jonny Riall had a “clear goal” of trying to qualify as many athletes as possible for Brazil. Eleven paratriathletes…

PTWC The wheelchair division is split into two classifications within one race, with a factoring system giving a head-start to the more impaired athletes. PTS5 The standing class for the mildest impairments. Both Cashmore and Steadman have a single-arm disability. PTS2 (WOMEN ONLY) For standing triathletes with the most severe impairments. Athletes often use a prothesis. E.g, Brown had a spinal cord injury that affects all four limbs. PTVI Visually impaired and blind athletes compete alongside one another. As with the PTWC class, a factoring system attempts to iron out the inherent visual disadvantage between competitors. PTS4 (MEN ONLY) Athletes with moderate levels of disability compete in this standing class. For example, Taylor is a below-the-knee amputee.…

SHORT-SLEEVED TRI-SUITS Performance is key for race tri-suits, so consider chamois, grippers and pocket options. Fabric should also be quick-drying and sweat-wicking. TRIATHLON WETSUITS These hit a range of abilities. Newcomers will look for greater buoyancy, especially around the hips and thighs; more experienced triathletes will seek out greater flex. MEN’S JAMMERS A good pair of training jammers should improve speed and maximise comfort by fitting closely with zero bagging. TRI BIKES The key here is fit and comfort. Remember: the least aerodynamic thing on the bike is you, so have a bike fit to refine your position. TRI WATCHES The right tri watch can have you training smarter and faster, resulting in greater gains for the same effort. Pay attention to performance analytics and multisport features. ROAD RUN SHOES…

“Beginners are advised to start with an affordable and aerodynamic set of clip-ons” Yesteryear, triathlon attracted the most extreme of endurance athletes – women and men who’d think nothing of training for upwards of 25hrs per week while ticking off a full-time job. They still exist, of course, and regularly tame extreme tris like the Norseman. Chapeau to them all but, in 2021, triathlon’s more accessible than ever. Hence, our couch to supersprint training plan. To complement the plan, here are five key ways to make your debut multisport journey an enjoyable, successful one… THERE IS MORE THAN TRI The majority of triathletes can’t and, quite rightly, won’t spend their every free spare moment training. It’s the fast-track to singledom. For your first race, the ideal is to train around…

It was an all-British win at the Ironman 70.3 European Championships in Elsinore on 27 June for young pros Lucy Charles-Barclay [3:59:57] and George Goodwin [3:38:58]. Overlooked by Hamlet’s imposing Kronborg Castle, a stacked field including the likes of fellow Brit Holly Lawrence and the USA’s Rodolphe Von Berg, sped through the flat middle-distance course, which traversed stunning danish countryside and the historic port city known by locals as Helsingør.…

Spring 2021 and the UK is in lockdown. Again. With races cancelled, sporting venues closed and absolutely nothing going on, the 220 team are just about going stir crazy when we receive a message from Dan at our local swim venue Lake 32. “Got some chaps coming over, you want to meet them? Triathletes. They’re taking on some kind of crazy challenge.” Little did we know then how this would spiral… It turns out the lads in question – three friends JP, Matt and Rob – are attempting six iron-distances in six days to raise money for a local charity, the Abel Foundation. Using Lake 32 as a base for the swim each morning they’ll then ride loops of the local counties before running laps of an eight-mile course to…

With the UK in the midst of another heatwave (at time of testing) and the season in full flow, we decided to put six hydration run packs to the test. A hydration pack is a great tool for longer runs, especially off-road, with the extra storage, fuel and hydration capacity enabling you to go for longer while remaining safe and healthy on the trail. They’re also handy during a hike or off-piste ride. Tested on hilly technical trails and fells in the Lake District and the Cotswolds, as well as more sprawling urban cityscapes, we uncover exactly which packs can go the distance and which, if any, fall short. During testing we analysed each pack’s adjustability and comfort, including breathability. We also looked at storage, accessibility and security of pockets,…

By their very nature, triathletes enjoy pushing themselves – in life, in training and, in particular, at races. Even if you enter the swim and think this event is all about you, focusing on yourself and on the process goals, as soon as the starting horn sounds, your competitive instinct kicks in and you dig deeper than you ever thought possible. As long as you eventually temper your racing synapses and deliver textbook pacing, you’ll soon rack up a new personal best. But then what? Often, you’ll stride like a zombie for the next week, your limbs stiff and your mind exhausted. Soon, post-race melancholy replaces post-race elation. But it needn’t be so with our recovery plan. How quickly you recover is down to numerous contributing factors. We’re talking your…

Tell most folk down the gym that you’re considering a triathlon and they’ll tell you how hard it is. Or how they had a mate who entered one, only to end up lost in a lake and eaten by a killer shark (or something). The truth of it is that provided you can swim, bike and run a little already, taking on a supersprint (the shortest tri distance) is within your grasp. This 400m swim, 10km bike and 2.5km format is a perfect way to begin, and the really good news? You don’t have to train every day for hours and hours. This training plan from Dermott Hayes of London’s RG Active is designed to allow you to carry on with real life and gradually builds until you’re able to…

It’s officially okay to take it easy once in a while. The recovery part of your training schedule helps the body to regenerate, absorb, adapt and improve as well as reducing fatigue and supporting your immune function. Consequently, you can train consistently with less risk of injury or illness. But recovery is not just a question of ice baths and your favourite TV box set. What you eat is also hugely important. This month’s recipes cover the four components crucial to good recovery: carbohydrate to replenish depleted glycogen stores; protein to promote muscle repair, growth and adaptation; electrolytes to replace those lost through sweat; and a variety of fruits and vegetables to ensure a good range of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants to support immune health and to fight free radical…

In my line of work, what I find is that the majority of triathletes – male or female – suffer from overuse injuries and more specifically in the running portion of training. This is backed up by an epidemiological study (Zwingenburger et al 2013) in the Journal of Sports Sciences, which states that most triathlon-related injuries occurred during running (50%) followed by cycling (43%) and swimming (7%). Digging deeper, in the Journal of Sports Science and Medicine Francis et al (2019) found that the most prevalent sites of injury were in the knee (28%), ankle/foot (26%) and shin/tibia (16%). Overuse injuries are often related to managing load tolerance, which can be down to programming issues as well as a lack of ‘tissue capacity’, which can be increased through strength and…

I must apologise in advance to all of you who have turned to this page in search of the thinly veiled knob-gags that you’ve come to expect, but I’m afraid this column isn’t funny… The other week I took part in a race. The run section involved three laps of a hilly, circular-ish course around parkland, and despite setting off like a herd of turtles, I knew I was fairly well up the field with nobody breathing down my neck. “I genuinely felt bad about turning informer, after all, no one likes a grass” I reached the start of the second lap having been overtaken by just one person (and he’s one of my mates, the git) and I was surprised to find both he and I overtaking another competitor.…

The idea of improving your endurance performance – notably running – by listening to music is nothing new. But the idea of music cranking up your efforts when mentally fatigued is, and is a subject drilled down into by a team of scientists from the University of Edinburgh. Researchers recruited 18 fitness enthusiasts and split them into two groups of nine. One group alternated between low and high intensity to test interval running capacity, the other completed a 5km time trial. Beforehand, both completed a computer-based cognitive test to put them in a fatigued state, and then ran with and without self-selected motivational music. Song examples included Addicted to You by Avicii,Run this Town by Jay-Z and, the banger of bangers, Eye of the Tigerby Survivor. The results? In both…

Q It’s your fifth Paralympics. Does it feel different this time? A It does, especially as I’m competing in a different sport. Rather than a 1:20min [swim] race it’s an hour-something, which gives me a lot more time to soak up the whole experience. Seeing the Olympic guys fly out and thinking ‘We’re next!, made it feel more real. Q What did you learn from the test event? A Every spanner that could have been thrown at us was, and it’s who can adapt in the best way. Also, the Japanese are incredible. Everything is done so meticulously. Q How important is the camaraderie between you and the rest of GB’s paratriathletes? A Normally at a Paralympic Games, you’re with the wider team. It will feel different, so having a…

01 HYDRATE, HYDRATE, HYDRATE! Dehydration kills power output, hinders decision making and reduces muscle contraction. That’s bad for performance. Even worse, thicker blood slows the recycling of toxins and delivery of fresh oxygenated blood around the body. That’s bad for recovery. So keep on top of your race nutrition by drinking two bottles – one featuring electrolytes, water and maybe carbohydrates, and one simply water. In the heat, you can sweat up to 1.5l an hour. Undertake a sweat test in training to determine how much you shed. Simply weigh yourself before and after an hour’s hard session. One gramme is the equivalent of 1ml, so if you’ve lost 500g, aim to drink at least 500ml to compensate.” 02 RESTOCK CARBS & PROTEIN We’ve said it a million times but…

If I was to offer you performance enhancement without the pain of longer, more intense and more frequent training, you’d probably laugh in disbelief. But time reduction for free is possible. “Transiton training should be an integral part of your weekly schedule” Watching the Super League Triathlon highlighted the importance of rapid transitions to overall performance. What was interesting to me was the obvious differences between Olympic-distance triathletes whose transitions are slick and rapid, compared with their long-course counterparts. It may be true that the shorter the race, the more important the transition. However, minutes can be lost in transition irrespective of distance. Imagine how much training is required to enhance your swim, bike and run performance by a similar amount. Of course, it’s not only the time spent in…

“Slow down!” I bark for what feels like the hundredth time to my swimrun partner, Emily, who’s speeding ahead up the impossibly steep and endless craggy mountain pass before us. We’re scrambling up a narrow opening in the rockface near the top of Loughrigg Fell, the highest point of the Breca Coniston swimrun. The race is traditionally run as pairs, and to stray more than 10m from your partner spells disqualification. With a mountain goat for a partner, I was understandably very worried. All decorum lost by this point, I loudly wheeze my way over the top where we’re instantly hit by views of Windermere’s glittering waters winking away far below. Turning ahead to glance northwards, we watch the trickle of heavily laden swimrunners disperse across the boggy fell, hints…

2021 AUGUST 7 SALTY SEA DOG TRI (various dists). The Overstrand, Boscombe, Bournemouth. votwo.co.uk BRECA LOCH LOMOND (various distances). Loch Lomond, Scotland. brecaswimrun.com 78 THE LONDON TRIATHLON (various dists). ExCeL Centre, London. livetotri.co.uk/london 8 255 TRIATHLON (5km S/ 200km B/ 50km R). Goodwood Motor Circuit, West Sussex. 255triathlon.com ON THE EDGE TRIATHLON (1.9km S/90km B/21.1km R). , Compton Verney, Warwick. do3.co.uk 11-12 LOUGH CUTRA CASTLE TRIATHLON (various dists). Lough Cutra Castle, Gort, Co Galway, Ireland. castleraceseries.com 14 PORTISHEAD TRIATHLON (400m S/25km B/ 5k run). Portishead, Somerset. dbmax.co.uk 1415 MIDNIGHT MAN (various dists). Dartford, Kent. bridgetriathlon.co.uk STARMAN NIGHT TRIATHLON (1.9km S/90km B/ 21.2km R). Glenmore Forest Park, Aviemore, Inverness, Scotland. starmannighttri.com 15 EVOLVE HALF & QUARTER TRI (various dists). Blue Lagoon, Womersley, Pontefract. evolveenduranceevents. co.uk 18 COTSWOLD LAKE 62 EVENING TRI…