220 Triathlon March 2020

A friend of mine recently voiced a concern which many others will share at this time of year. Her worry? ‘There are so many races I want to do this year, but I don’t have the time!’ Now, this friend is talented and ambitious, but already juggling a uni course, two part-time jobs and family life. Her race goals for the year included ‘some’ triathlons and duathlons, a long open-water swim event and two big trail running races. Too much? Maybe, but she also wanted to excel in every race. If this sounds like you, then you should find plenty in this issue to inspire and support you. From Ruth Purbrook who trained for Kona while working 70 hours a week (p32) to Tim Don’s tips for building new-season fitness…

TRI ON A BUDGET SPECIAL Look out for our ‘Budget Buys’ badge throughout the issue for our top bargainous tips for an easier, cheaper and more accessible way into tri. BRUNTY’S PREDICTIONS Martyn ‘Mystic Meg’ Brunt looks to the stars on p27 to see what challenges lie ahead for triathletes in the year 2020. POST-TRAINING SUPPERS We’ve got your evening meals covered with these four, super speedy and ultra delicious recipes, ideal for those after-sesh munchies. See p85.…

We take gear testing seriously – you need to know that the kit you buy will help you reach your goals in all three disciplines and work as hard as you on race day. Our test team is made up of experienced triathletes, cyclists and runners who test each product that appears in 220 to the max during training and racing, rating it honestly for performance and value. JACK SEXTY A triathlete since blowing his student loan on a bike, sub-2hr Olympic athlete Jack moved to Ironman at Lanzarote in 2016. Tri on a budget tip “Buy tri shorts instead separate swim and run shorts as you can use them for all three sports.” HELEN WEBSTER 220’s editor made the move from marathons to tri seven years ago. Happiest when…

1 From Amazon comes the Eono Essentials Men’s Softshell Jacket. It’s windproof, has an adjustable hood, elasticated hem, drawcord and zipped hand and chest pockets, all for just £25.99. 2 Soothing your wintertime aches and pains is the Ultimate Performance Foam Roller (£19.99), a solid, lightweight (660g) and portable roller that’ll improve flexibility and core strength. 3 Boasting two white-light brightness settings, the 60-lumen Lomo Peak head torch (£6) is a versatile kit-cupboard essential for running in low-level light on roads and trails. It takes AAA batteries, but still only weighs in at 85g. 4 The key temperature-regulating element in this Kalenji Run Warm+ top (£19.99) from Decathlon is the high collar, which will keep you toasty for the first 1-2km of your run, then can be rolled down once…

Around 15 years ago a little-known company called Spira Footwear developed a pair of running shoes with springs in them. The patented technology claimed to reduce the impact on a runner’s feet, leading to easier recovery and less overall exertion. The IAAF, the athletics governing body now rebranded as World Athletics, clamped down, invoking rule 143.2, which states shoes ‘must not be constructed so as to give athletes any unfair assistance or advantage,’ and left Spira’s founder, Andy Krafsur, lamenting: “There are politics involved. If Nike came out with our tech, their shoes would be allowed.” “The reality is the big brands with their sponsorship bucks call the shots” Spira closed in 2016 and Krafsur died in April, but his words proved prophetic. Now any competitive road race is replete…

Suffering from flavour fatigue? The answer to your sugary prayers might come from a recent study by researchers at the University of Illinois, who’ve suggested that potato is as effective as gels for boosting athletic performance. The team, led by professor Nicholas Burd, recruited a dozen cyclists who were assigned to one of three groups, fuelled by either water, energy gels or a potato purée. “We found no difference between the performance of the cyclists who consumed 60g of carbohydrates from either the commercial energy gel or the potato purée.” Burd said. The physiological parameters were similar, too, with blood-glucose concentrations and heart rate rising to a similar degree. Arguably, that’s not surprising as though potato is a starchy vegetable, many have a high GI rating, meaning they rapidly increase…