Indholdsfortegnelse for April 2016 i 220 Triathlon

Every issue of 220 is also available on subscription in digital format for iPad, GooglePlay, Kindle Fire and Zinio. As well as the superb content you would receive in the print version of 220 Triathlon, some of our digital editions (iPad only) will also include exclusive video content, the ability to watch the tri world come alive with extended image galleries from races and our exclusive photo shoots, plus bonus audio interviews with the great and the good of the multisporting world. And all with navigational shortcuts. To subscribe, head to our subscription website at www.buysubscriptions.com and search for ‘220 Triathlon’. Click on the ‘Digital Magazine’ tab, which will take you through to purchase your subscription (£31.99 for 13 issues, saving 38% on the standard price); set up your username…

Eight hundred Euros for a pair of shorts?! That's a flight to Rio to watch the 2016 Olympic Games. Or 124 issues of 220. Or 615 tubs of peanut butter. Yet the aim of the padded MBody Bike&Run shorts from Finnish brand Myontec is to measure your own muscular performance, keeping you injury-free so you don’t, well, long for someone else’s legs. So how does it work? The compressive shorts are embedded with sensors that can pick up muscle activity in the hamstrings and quads, transmitting data on left/right leg balance, efficiency, muscular loading and more via Bluetooth to a sensor that rests on the pelvis. Myontec admit that their overall goal is to bring this technology to everyday sports enthusiasts, so we’ll be expecting a trickle-down effect to more…

ETU top triathletes Javier Gomez and Nicola Spirig crowned 2015’s top Euro athletes USAT Hall of Fame Siri Lindley and Ken Glah latest entrants into the American tri fraternity Jodie Swallow Brit gets season off to a flyer with her sixth 70.3 South Africa win Schools in Nepal ITU building education establishments in Asia Ireland Swimrun New aqua run event planned for Ireland’s northwest coast in August Brett Sutton Top coach to host two UK events in March Serpentine swim New two-day OW festival to take place on 24-25 September Mechanical doping Motor found on a bike at the U23 UCI cross champs Bike helmets Bath Uni research suggests wearing a helmet increases bike risks Dubai Sports Council Challenge take council to court over cash owed to athletes for 2015…

PROUD DAD With Sport Relief coming around again my eight-year-old son Freddy asked me what it was all about, so I explained how people were encouraged to do something sporty for charity. Freddy, who’s just joined Team Cherwell Triathlon Club, then inevitably asked, ‘Can we do something for Sport Relief?’ I had a think about it and suggested that we do an Ironman triathlon. Obviously Freddy couldn’t do it all in one just yet, so we’re going to do it together in stages and keep a running total of all the lengths in the pool, the miles on the bike and running, etc. before the night of Sport Relief on 20 March. He started at the end of January (before school) with 22 lengths of the local pool and we…

AI TRAINING PROGRAMMES Computer-driven training programmes will prescribe your perfect training sessions based on your training history (GPS, HR, power), fitness and race goals. TARGET GUIDANCE Virtual-reality units, like those from 4iiii and the Recon Jet, will continue to make advances so that eyewear displays workout-specific power and HR targets for key sessions. TEMPERATURE CONTROL Ice slushies will be made accessible at race aid stations for hot races, and there’ll be further refinement of carbon-based bicycles’ in-built cooling and hydration systems. RECOVERY OPTIMISATION Monitoring devices like the Oura Ring will link sleep analytics and heart-rate variability to guide recovery optimisation to build better athletes. BESPOKE FUELLING Computer and app-driven devices will guide the triathlete on best-practice nutrition for both training adaptation and race performance.…

HOW WE TEST We test more tri-specific gear than any other mag. 220’s team of expert independent testers puts each product through its paces in real-life training and racing situations. They report back honestly, rating the product on performance and value. HOW WE RATE We rate out of 100%. The higher the score, the better the product 91% + BUY IMMEDIATELY 81–90% VERY IMPRESSIVE 71–80% GOOD 61–70% WORTH A PUNT 51–60% AVERAGE 0–50% POOR OUR AWARDS Quality performance matched by superb value for money The outstanding piece of kit in grouptests Unrivalled performance regardless of price THE TEST TEAM JACK SEXTY is 220 Triathlon’s staff writer and a sub-2hr Olympic age-grouper ROB BANINO is a freelance bike journalist and 220’s former dep ed MIKE ANDERSON is a keen cyclist and…

The point Giant’s Propel Advanced Pro 1 demonstrates most clearly is what a difference a complete package makes. Plenty of manufacturers make aero road bikes and, for the most part, those bikes exist in the most expensive region of the price spectrum. To reduce those prices and make the bikes more affordable to more people, the companies offer specced-down versions of their aero bikes, usually with a mid/second-tier groupset and shallow-profile alloy wheels. Which is all well and good but the trouble is that, although a lower-spec groupset won’t necessarily hold back a bike’s performance, lower-spec wheels certainly will. Especially when they’re part of a package that’s designed to optimise aerodynamic performance. The folks at Giant have realised this, which is why all three complete-bike models in its Propel Advanced…

There are plenty of pedal system options on the market, but many of us stick to the cheap set of SPDs that come with our first bike. If you are in the market, though, you need to know what you’re looking for. If you want float (your feet’s ability to move on the pedals), Time and Speedplay are the two best options: Time offer a 5° angle of angular float and another 2.5° lateral float that you can’t change, while Speedplay have a 15° range so you can adjust from fixed right up to that limit. But be aware that Time also have an extremely light clip-in and release mechanism. Whereas one of the best things about Look-style pedals, inc. the Shimano, Exustar and Ritchey pedals here, is that they…

OF ALL THE shoes on test, the Saucony Endorphins, Asics Hyper Tri 2 and the Brooks T7 are the most racey, and the only shoes that came in at 200g or under. The T7s interestingly are promoted as out-and-out racers but have a much larger drop than most race shoes nowadays, so won’t be suitable for everyone. HONOURABLE MENTIONS GO to On, Skechers and Mizuno. On’s Cloudracers deliver a fast ride with impressive cushioning thanks to the lugs on the soles, while Skechers’ Speed 3s are low to the ground and feel equally as fast. The Mizuno Sayonara 3 are great all-rounders, and very narrowly scored less than the New Balance Vazee due to comfort and aesthetics. FOR ALL-ROUND COMFORT and style, you can’t beat the New Balance Vazee Pace.…

“Training at V02 is essential for all triathletes, no matter what race distance you favour” If the British winter isn’t playing any cruel late tricks on us, hopefully spring is here and your thoughts and training efforts should be starting to turn to the race season. Along with sorting out your race kit and planning your 2016 campaign, this means waking your body from its steady state workout hibernation. If you’ve been following our performance series throughout the winter, you’ll have already been training regularly at threshold, but now it’s time to crank it up to another level. Training at VO2 (Zone 5 using Joe Friel’s zones based on functional threshold power [FTP] – the highest average power or pace you can maintain for one hour) is essential for all…

KIT CHECKLIST LIGHT TRAINING SHOES LIGHT TIGHTS/TRISUIT UNDERNEATH RUN TEE GLOVES/HAT BASE LAYER LIGHT GILET BIKE SESSION 60-120mins. Race pace intervals of 4 x (15mins @ PE 8 followed by 10mins recovery @ PE 2-4) MAIN SESSION 6 x 1km as: 1st & 2nd kilometres @ 5-10secs slower than 10k pace. Recovery between each rep should be 1min jog @ PE 2. 3rd, 4th & 5th kms @ 10K pace. Recovery between each rep should be 2min jog @ PE 2. 6th km @ 5K pace COOL-DOWN Walk or shuffle (slower than a jog) until heart rate is under control. Stretch out. *PE = Perceived Exertion. 1 being no effort, 10 being max effort. See our guide on p112. Adapt for beginners If you’re just starting to learn transition runs,…

MEET OUR EXPERTS HERE TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTIONS SWIM Terry Laughlin is a renowned U.S. swim coach, founder of ‘Total Immersion’ and author of several swim training books. TI’s primary focus is to teach swimmers to move through the water efficiently. SWIM John Wood is an award-winning triathlon coach of 10 years and a former international swimmer. As well as coaching, he’s also competed in triathlon in all distances up to Ironman. RUN An experienced triathlon coach, Rob Stewart is also a competitive multisporter and ultra-runner. He has experience racing and coaching every race distance from sprint tris to ultra running and Ironman. RUN Nick Dunn is a former ETU AG champ, a two-time ITU AG world champ, a personal trainer with Nick Dunn Fitness and founder and head coach…

MEET KIE JACKSON AGE 32 LIVES Edinburgh PROFESSION GPS technician BEST DISCIPLINE Run WHY I RACED Some muddy fun! BEST RESULTS TO DATE 1st, 2014 Windermere Tri; 10th, 2015 Helvellyn Tri In 2009, somebody I’d never met called Tom, was knocked off his bike riding through Edinburgh. It was an event that’d change my life. Tom was meant to compete in the Great Artemis Kindrochit Quadrathlon four weeks later, as one half of a two-man team. His now partner-less teammate was an Aussie guy whose wife worked with my fiancée, who offered me up to replace Tom. I bought a wetsuit, borrowed a bike and did four weeks of ‘training’. The quadrathlon was tough, but it gave me my first taste of that common multisport illusion that I somehow enjoyed…

220 WEBSITE Head to our website at www.220triathlon.com to catch up on all the latest multisport news, fresh training advice, athlete profiles and expanded gear reviews. While there, you can search our archives, chat on the forum, enter monthly myTri challenges, find a race near you, download training plans, enter competitions, sign up for the e-newsletter… and plenty more. 220 PODCAST Download the latest podcast from www.220triathlon.com/ podcast. Featuring interviews with coaches, athletes and sports writers, it’s free to download. All of our past episodes are also available to download, featuring the likes of Dave Scott, Mark Allen, Craig Alexander, the Brownlees and Mirinda Carfrae. 220 YOUTUBE Subscribe to our YouTube channel – www.youtube.com/220triathlonvideos – for exclusive interviews, racing tips, tutorials and event footage. You will also find all of…

£99.99 WWW.MADISON.CO.UK Short-sleeved tri-suits may now be ubiquitous but that didn’t stop the Elite Tri from Pearl Izumi turning some heads in 220 Towers. Key sells include the ridged back and sleeve fabric, which purports to help hold airflow against the body for optimal aerodynamics, and the Transfer In-R-Cool fabric designed to increase breathability. That price looks very competitive, too, and we’ll find out more in next issue’s bumper tri-suit test.…

MACCA FOR ÖTILLÖ The 2016 ÖtillÖ merit teams have been announced by the Swedish race organisers for its showpiece Swimrun event in Stockholm. The most eye-catching new additions to the format are the former Ironman world champions, Chris McCormack and Faris Al-Sultan, who’ll be renewing their famous rivalry over the 10km swim/65km run course in September. CHALLENGE ICELAND The Challenge Family race organiser has taken over the world’s most northernmost half-distance race, with Challenge Iceland set for 23 July in the glacial ‘Bay of Whales’, 30mins drive from the capital of Reykjavik. Head to www.challengeiceland.is for more. LEEDS ROUTE REVEALED Full route maps for both the elite and age-grouper races at the ITU WTS Leeds event have been released. The rare point-to-point route starts in Roundhay Park before taking athletes…

“You can’t out-exercise a bad diet… you can’t get away with carrying extra weight or not recovering properly” Introducing a straight-talking Scottish chef with a passion for multisport, who has run Michelin starred restaurants and isn’t shy of the odd expletive. Unlike this issue’s cover star, however, this father-of-four isn’t omnipresent on TV screens or turning over an annual $60million, instead he’s quietly becoming the secret ingredient in the making of an Olympic champ. Whether perfectionist, obsessive or both, Alan Murchison is a remarkable character. He left school with no qualifications, learnt his trade under such culinary luminaries as Raymond Blanc and in 2010 announced an ambitious plan to operate 10 Michelin starred restaurants within eight years. When the business liquidated with spiralling debts, Murchison channelled his energies into multisport,…

“Gordon is on the go the whole time and needs to maximise his time with the business while travelling,” Will Usher, the head coach of Precision Coaching, explains. “One of the key issues is long-haul flying, which carries the risk of deep-vein thrombosis, lack of sleep and jet lag. “Over these periods we focus on non-weight bearing exercise such as spin bikes, cross trainers and occasionally a swim if the diary allows. One element of training that can be maintained is strength work, utilising body weight in the hotel room. “When not travelling, Gordon can train in the early mornings but needs to be finished by 7am in order to start the working day. This presents a unique problem because few training pools or gyms open before 6:30am, so to…

The class of 1980 at Langley High School in Virginia was chock-full of gifted athletes. But the top jock on campus was Willie Stewart, whose primary sport was rugby. To understand how good Willie was at rugby, you need only know that in his secondary sport, wrestling, he went undefeated in his senior season. After graduating in June, Willie took employment with a roofing company as a short-term gig. He neither expected nor wanted the job to be a life-changing experience. Fate had other plans. The crew, including his brother, had just started replacing the roof of the Watergate building in Washington, D.C. One morning, Willie and a co-worker were using a rope to remove debris from the old roof. The co-worker tossed a rope head to Willie from a…

MISSED AN ISSUE? ISSUE 322 Countdown to the world’s toughest tri; Tri-suit buyer’s guide; Must-do HIT sessions; 100+ products tested… ISSUE 321 Expert iron-distance training advice; Gym tri fitness sessions; On test: pool goggles, swimsuits, race wheels… ISSUE 320 10-page guide to going off-road; Follow one athlete’s 2,000km tri; On test: run watches, turbos, cold weather kit… ISSUE 319 Discover what it takes to conquer Kona; Women’s guide to tri; Essential winter sessions; 10 bike jackets on test… ISSUE 318 Gear special; Cold-weather training masterclass; On test: bike shoes, trail shoes, women’s run jackets… ISSUE 317 Seven-page guide to duathlon, inc. 8-week training plan; Pool sets for beginners; 10 run shoes on test Why not complete your 220 Triathlon collection by ordering a back issue and easy-to-store binder? There’s no…

KIT CHECKLIST SWIMSUIT/SHORTS GOGGLES SWIM CAP PULL BUOY (OPTIONAL) WARM-UP 300m freestyle as 75m swim, 25m kick 200m alternating 25m front crawl (FC) with 25m backstroke 100m as half length sculling, half length swimming 4 x 50m as 12.5m max sprint, 37.5m easy swim; 20secs rest MAIN SESSION 2 x 25m fast, 20secs rest 2 x 50m fast, 20secs rest 1 x 100m fast, 20secs rest 2 x 50m fast, 20secs rest 2 x 25m fast, 20secs rest 100m very easy recovery Repeat x 3. The aim for the three cumulative fast 400m swims is to be much faster than your normal race time/speed. COOL-DOWN 200m mixed stroke, with at least 50m non-FC Adapt for beginners Take slightly longer recovery periods, break the middle 100m into two 50m swims, and…

KIT CHECKLIST CLEAR ROAD THAT GIVES YOU 5MINS OF UNINTERRUPTED RIDING, OR A TURBO TRAINER HRM AND/OR POWER METER RACE BIKE (SET UP IN RACE POSITION) GILET FOR WARMING-UP, COOLING DOWN AND RECOVERIES WARM-UP 0-3mins easy spinning in Zone 1 (Z1), 90rpm 3-4mins Z2, 95rpm 4-5mins Z1, 90rpm 5-6mins Z3, 100rpm 6-7mins Z1, 90rpm 7-9mins as 5secs maximal sprint/55secs Z1, 90rpm 9-10mins Z1, 90rpm MAIN SESSION 4mins Z5 in race position, 90-100rpm 1min, stay in race position but up effort to maximum sustainable 5mins Z1, easy spinning recovery Repeat main set for 4-5 reps in total After final rep, go straight into cool-down COOL-DOWN 10mins easy spinning Adapt for beginners This is a tough workout that will probably be too challenging for novices. A good option would be to drop…

Heidi is pretty experienced at triathlon, and like most triathletes she has to juggle training and working. She’s facing another common conundrum too – that of how to lose weight/body fat while still fuelling training and working and remaining satiated. Heidi’s been told she has 40% body fat (as she weighs about 74kg this would mean 28kg of body fat, so I’d question the accuracy of this figure). However, losing up to 10kg of fat would be both beneficial from a sporting and health point of view. If she lost just 5kg, this would reduce her body fat significantly. The trick is how to do this while maintaining energy for training. At the moment I believe that Heidi’s in a neutral energy balance. A positive energy balance is consuming more…

I’ve signed up for my first pool tri. Do I need tri-specific shorts? JOHN AVON, FORUM Cycling shorts have a much larger chamois pad, so it may feel like you’re running in a nappy after swimming! An alternative would be to wear swim trunks and put running shorts on in T1 if the cycle isn’t long. Entry-level tri shorts are inexpensive, starting at £25 new. Are 11-speed hubs compatible with 10-speed-equipped bikes? ANDREW FERGUSON, EMAIL Most 11-speed wheelsets will come with a spacer so they can be fitted to 10-speed cassettes. According to Shimano, you just need a 1.85mm spacer to fit 11-speed hubs to 8- and 9-speed cassettes, and for 10-speed you need an additional 1mm spacer that’ll come with the cassette. If you’re fitting to a cassette on…

MACCLESFIELD FOREST DU Macclesfield Forest 6 February 2016 With a 7.5km fell run to the summit of Shuttlingsloe (which stands shoulder to shoulder with the equally famous ‘Cat and Fiddle’ on the Cheshire/Derbyshire border), a three-lap 17km bike within the forest and a 3.5km trail run, this off-road duathlon offers over 3,000ft of assent over both disciplines. Add to this some driving rain and freezing cold temperatures, and this beast of a course just downed a Red Bull and donned an Uzi! The start/finish/transition basecamp is nestled at the bottom of a hill, which proves to be the start for both the fell runs and bike legs. With the weather clearly going to play a major part, much respect is given to the conditions as long sleeves, jackets, hats and…

The Outlaw’s little brother was born in 2013, selling out almost as quickly as its older, more established, full-distance sibling. Three years on and its popularity continues to soar, selling out faster year on year; the 1,450 field attracted to the PB-beating, spectator-friendly course and the oft-cited exceptional organisation by owners One Step Beyond. Taking you through the 1.9km swim, 90km bike and half marathon run, it’s over to last year’s victor, Karl Alexander… PRE-RACE As with any race, take some time to familiarise yourself with the run up from the swim exit to your bike and then the bike-in back to your rack – you’ll lose valuable time by running down the wrong way! THE SWIM The 1.9km swim is a straight out-and-back affair, so sighting is less of…

SCIENTIFIC COACHING & SRM-UK With over 25 years of coaching experience, Dr Auriel Forrester of Scientific Coaching is a leading expert in cycle and triathlon coaching, specialising in power-based training and racing. All levels of triathlon and cycle coaching catered for: with or without a Powermeter! Online coaching specialists. 01953 711176 www.scientific-coaching.com TOTAL TRI TRAINING Total Tri Training offers bespoke triathlon coaching services from novice to elite ability levels. Based in the north west, but working closely with athletes from all around the UK, our expert coaches provide training plans tailored to individual needs and ambitions. chris@totaltritraining.com www.totaltritraining.com ELITECYCLING Elitecycling provide fully customised training plans for cyclists and triathletes of all abilities. Our team of specialists provide everything you need to improve performance. Whether you’re looking for a remote training…

Editor Helen Webster helen.webster@immediate.co.uk Deputy Editor Liz Barrett elizabeth.barrett@immediate.co.uk Staff Writer Jack Sexty jack.sexty@immediate.co.uk Art Editor Neil Donnelly neil.donnelly@immediate.co.uk Deputy Art Editor Nathaniel Brain nathaniel.brain@immediate.co.uk “Don’t try running 20km with David McNamee – a key lesson I learnt at the BMC-Etixx training camp in Lanza” Features Editor Matt Baird matthew.baird@immediate.co.uk “My first foray into multisport, in Les Saisies, included shooting, cross-country skiing, trail running and downhill skiing!” Digital Editor Debbie Graham debbie.graham@immediate.co.uk…

“I don’t want to be too fit too soon as the early races don’t matter so much. It’s all about how I perform in August” Going into the Olympic year, will you change your ‘normal’ race or training plan? If so, how? @TODDLARLEE, VIA TWITTER I haven’t changed too much; I’ve just been more relaxed in my approach, otherwise it’ll be too easy to get carried away. And I don’t want to be too fit too soon as the early races don’t matter so much to me. It’s all about how I perform in August. How does your training schedule change in the lead-up to a race? STEVEN HANLY, VIA EMAIL Both volume and intensity are reduced from around a week out. Race week often involves international travel so that…

Who else is rather excited/motivated/giddy with the ITU Leeds event routes now being revealed? Seems very real now! @LBTClub VIA TWITTER Shocked & terribly saddened. My interactions w/Dave revealed a caring, charismatic & generous family man. Sad, RIP @jessemthomas VIA TWITTER (pro triathlete Jesse Thomas remembers BMX star-turned triathlete Dave Mirra, who took his own life aged 41) Thanks for all the support. A day you dream of as an athlete, playing with the gas throttle all day. This one’s for you #LaurentVidal @janfrodeno VIA TWITTER (Frodo dedicates his IM 70.3 Dubai win to Laurent Vidal) Exited & nervous to be competing @ GordonRamsey & Tana Ironman event! All for something close to my heart @GreatOrmondSt @GRF Foundation @TheRealKirstyG VIA TWITTER (the list of celeb tri fans keeps growing, as…

The women’s Alias Comp joins the Shiv and Venge in Specialized’s triathlon and time-trial-focussed line-up. It’s aimed at triathletes who want versatility, giving you two bikes in one, as it transforms from a road set-up to a tri set-up complete with a spare racing geometry seatpost and clip-on aerobars. The Alias Comp is the top-of-the-range model in the three-strong Alias collection, and is constructed from Specialized FACT 10r carbon frame and forks, with a geometry that combines elements from both road and tri bikes. Unlike earlier models, the 2016 Alias comes with both the tri and road set-up, including aerobars, carbon zero off-set saddle for tri race day, and an alloy 35mm off-set seatpost for training rides. The 70.25 to 72° head tube angle (depending on size) combined with the…

THE HEEL-TO-TOE OFF-SET, or ‘drop’, refers to the elevation of the toe section compared to the heel. In the past, race shoes had between a 12-15mm drop, but in the last 10 years it’s become closer to 4-10mm. The idea of low to zero drop is to allow the runner to strike from the midfoot, rather than the heel. MIDFOOT STRIKING ISN’T for everyone, research would suggest. If you’re averaging over 7min/mile on race day it’s still more efficient to heelstrike according to many studies on biomechanics. CHANGING YOUR STRIKE pattern won’t necessarily reduce stress on your joints overall, rather it just shifts the impact around. Heelstrike patterns increase strain on the knee, while mid/forefoot strikers absorb more force at the ankle. IF YOU’VE A history of knee injuries, the…

RESEARCH 220’s former editor James Witts is now a freelance writer for a plethora of cycling titles, and is on the cusp of releasing his first book, The Science of the Tour de France. SWIM John Wood is an award-winning tri coach of 10 years and a former international swimmer. He’s also competed in triathlon in all distances up to Ironman. BIKE Freelance writer Nik Cook is an experienced multisporter who has run the Marathon des Sables, won the 2010 6633 Arctic Ultra and competed for Team GB in duathlon. RUN Spencer Smith is a three-time world triathlon champion, who won half of all the races he ever competed in and now heads up S2 Coaching in Tampa, Florida. PLAN Dermott Hayes is the head coach of the London-based, multisport-specialist…

Are you an ‘S’ stroker or an ‘I’ stroker? These two types of front-crawl refer to your hand movement beneath the water. Those in the ‘S’ camp draw a curve from downsweep through to insweep and upsweep. Those who swim with an ‘I’ movement pull directly back from hand entry to upsweep. Recent research from Japan investigated the fluid mechanics of both methods to determine which is most effective. They discovered that the S-stroke is more suited for swimming middle and long distances where efficiency is required – down to the longer duration of the pull – while the I-stroke is better for short distances, which depend on speed over efficiency. However, there are a few caveats to the active triathlete. The first is that assessment took place in the…

1 CADENCE X STROKE LENGTH Much is made – in triathlon especially – about cadence being the determining factor in how quickly you swim. It’s part of an equation with stroke length, which adds up to your overall swim: swim speed = cadence x stroke length. Ordinarily, an increase in one tends to mean a decrease in the other, so it’s a delicate balance. 2 EXPERIMENT IS KEY Depending on who you listen to, you can have a super slow stroke – similar to how Total Immersion teach – or you can have a very high turnover. But the reality is that each individual’s specific cadence is unique to them. It comes down to body strength/power, flexibility, leg kick and height. Experiment to find what works for you. 3 UNDER…

“Including vitamin-rich foods to eat alongside iron-rich foods helps improve iron absorption” The types of foods we choose to eat depend on many factors, such as availability, nutritional requirements, cost, personal tastes, culture, religion and ethical reasons. And one of the most popular ‘diets’, which ticks many of the aforementioned boxes, is vegan or vegetarian. But as triathletes, we need to ask ourselves what the main considerations are when considering such a diet… First of all, what’s the difference between the two? The main distinction between a vegan and vegetarian diet is that a vegan won’t consume any food that is directly or indirectly produced from an animal. So that means avoiding all meat, fish, eggs, dairy and even foods such as honey. A vegetarian, on the other hand, will…

“I’d be lying if I said I enjoyed everything about the lifestyle. Sometimes I’m lonely. Sometimes I find it boring” I’m writing this from a little coffee place on the beach in Fuerteventura. The sun is shining. The sea is blue. The coffee is good. Training is done for the day. Life as a pro triathlete is easy, right? As pros, we share the best bits of our lives on social media: the sunshine, the beautiful views, the fun training with friends, the race-wins, the treats at the end of hard sessions. To most of you sitting at your desks at work, our lives look incredible. We’re doing what many of you dream of doing all day every day. I know when I was starting to take triathlon semi-seriously, and…

EUROPEAN CHAMPS QUALIFIER WORLD CHAMPS QUALIFIER BRITISH AGE-GROUP CHAMPS RACE TRIATHLON ENGLAND NATIONAL CHAMPS RACE THE AVENGER TRIATHLON When 5 June 2016 Where Ragley Hall, Stratford-upon-Avon Distances Various distances Course Open-water swim, undulating bike, off-road run Race highlights Starts and finishes in the stunning grounds of Ragley Hall Contact www.raceways.eu OCEAN LAVA WALES When 23 July 2016 Where Fishguard, Pembrokeshire Distances Various distances Course Sheltered sea swim, undulating bike course, coastal run Race highlights 220’s Race of the Year 2014, beautiful views of the Pembrokeshire coast Contact www.walestriathlon.com MARCH 5 Dambuster Duathlon (10km run/42km bike/5km run). Rutland Water, Leicestershire. www.pacesetterevents.com Mudman Duathlon (7.5km run/15km bike/7.5km run). Camberley, Surrey.www.humanrace.co.uk Votwo Eton Dorney Duathlon Race 2 (various dists). Dorney Lake, Windsor.www.votwo.co.uk Lancaster Duathlon (5km run/24km bike/5km run). Lancaster.www.mytrievents.co.uk Mumbles Duathlon…

TIME-TRIAL HELMETS Fit, comfort, ventilation and ease of use – especially how quickly you can get it on and off again – are all things to consider before purchasing an aero helmet. RUN WATCHES Prices and features vary hugely, from humble basic devices to models with GPS and heart rate. Don’t pay for features that you won’t use. WETSUITS Build quality, comfort, flexibility and insulation – the four key factors when choosing your neoprene. Spend more and the quality for each tends to increase. ROAD RUN SHOES Where possible, go to a run shop so the staff can analyse your gait and running style. Also pay attention to cushioning, especially for off-season miles. TRI BIKES The key here is fit and comfort. Remember: the least aerodynamic thing on the bike…

“This led me to join a gym, where I heft puny-sized weights surrounded by blokes who look like they probably walk on all fours when no-one’s watching” God I miss triathlons. It’s been FIVE MONTHS since I crossed the finishing line at Challenge Almere and ended my 2015 season looking as dynamic as a lump of cotton wool in a bowl of milk, and with a body so thin I could crawl through an empty biro casing. I always miss the tri season terribly during the winter months and I suspect I’m not alone, with triathletes taking drastic measures to while away the hours until the first pool-based super sprint of the year. Some people keep their tri-flame alive by doing duathlons but these aren’t for me because they’re basically…