Indholdsfortegnelse for December 2025 i 220 Triathlon

Editors can’t help but look for themes when putting together an issue of a magazine – and if there was a way to sum up this issue of 220, it would have to be this – hard work. While it might be tempting to think of our professional athletes as superhuman, or more fortunate than us age-groupers (all that time to train and no day job!), in reality they likely work harder than all of us. Plus, add all the pressure to perform and the increased heartbreak and stress injury or illness causes and it’s evident there’s much more than the podium celebrations to contend with. That hard work can create stunning results when it all comes together though and from the Norwegian clean sweep at the men’s Ironman fi…

Terms and conditions: 1 Open to UK mainland residents aged 18 and over. 2 Entries close 11:59pm 26th Nov 2025. 3 Prizes are as stated. 4 Prizes are non-transferable. 5. Images of T100 kit for illustration only, design may vary. 5 Only one entry per person. Full T&Cs: Kelsey.co.uk/competition-terms-conditions/ Promoter: Kelsey Publishing Ltd, The Granary, Downs Court, Yalding Hill, Yalding, Maidstone, Kent ME18 6AL. HURRY! ENTRIES CLOSE 26TH NOV 2025 Entries to the London T100 Triathlon 2026 are now open! Secure your place on one of the world’s largest triathlon start lines before it sells out by winning this month’s exclusive competition. T100 London will be held over the weekend of 25-26 July 2026. Experience the thrill of racing through the heart of the capital on an iconic, closed-road city…

“How do Boardman consistently achieve this monetary witchcraft?” 'Four Seasons Fast.’ Chapeau to Boardman’s marketing team whose tagline for the updated range of SLR bikes nicely summarises its intentions of marrying versatility with speed. But is the top-notch publicity team matched by the performance of the top-of-the-range SLR 9, or is it a jack of all trades, master of none? We’ll find out soon enough. What’s clear is that Boardman’s continued the theme that’s carried them successfully through 18 years since launching their first bikes in July 2007 – namely, value for money. The C10 carbon frame is dressed in premium components that are seen on bikes twice the £5,500 price tag. SRAM’s Red AXS E1 12-speed groupset retails for around £3,000. Zipp’s 404 Firecrest carbon tubeless is around £1400.…

Once the leaves start falling and iced frappes are replaced with pumpkin-spiced lattes, we can safely say we‘re into autumn – and in triathlon terms – the off-season. But what does that mean? An off-season is when you take a break from regular training. So before you dive into winter activities such as duathlon, mountain biking, trail running and coldwater swimming (if that’s your thing!), you take the opportunity to recharge your mind and body to regain balance after a busy season of racing. Your aim in this period is to lay the foundations for a healthy, athletic lifestyle so that you’re mentally and physically fresh for the following season. Off-season ‘performance’ is also usually one of the best predictors of long- term endurance success. As a coach, it’s easy…

MEET IAIN Father of three wonderful boys, husband to a very tolerant wife, business owner, Iain identifies as a triathlete. Iain’s the course record holder of Braveheart extreme triathlon, Starman extreme triathlon, Roc England, Wales and Scotland extreme triathlons and the runner-up at this year’s Celtman triathlon. Hurtling down a forest road at 60kph the smooth surface suddenly vanishes and is replaced by a section of large stones/small boulders. I haven’t time to brake so instead (try to) relax and hold on for dear life. I pray to the mechanical gods that my tyres, rims and everything else will stay in one piece. After some seriously colourful language I remind myself of the organiser’s words at the race briefing: “This is an extreme event”. Time to pull myself together and…

GB’s Will Draper cuts a lonely figure at Challenge Almere on 13 September. I n reality, he kept a steady gap of around 50secs for much of the final 10km of the marathon, before catching and then sprinting past a surprised Tristan Olij (NED) to take the European l ong-distance title in a time of 7:41:40.…

The old joke seen on many t-shirts at race registration “if I pass out, pause my Garmin” speaks to the importance many athletes place upon their training and race stats (not to mention the dominance of a certain watch brand). In recent years though, the high-end sports watch market has exploded with most of the major brands offering several options for those who want to track everything from their run pace to their sleep, heart rate to swim stroke rate. If you head to 220triathlon.com you’ll find a group test of the best watches out there for multisporters, but with so many new ones hitting the market lately, over the next few pages we’ve concentrated our energies on six new ones you may not have seen before. Encompassing Polar, Suunto,…

MARTYN BRUNT Martyn is tri’s foremost average athlete and is living proof that hours of training and endless new kit are no substitute for ability. I have never won a triathlon. Furthermore, in almost 25 years of trying, I have never come close to winning a triathlon. In fact the closest I have ever come to tasting victory is to briefly lead two races, most memorably at Challenge Almere in 2015 when, at the height of my swimming powers, I was first out of the water – to a chorus of utter bafflement from the crowd who were expecting some sort of chiselled European elite and instead got a skinny middle-aged Brit in a battered wetsuit comprising at least 50% Black Witch repair glue. I’ve long been resigned to my…

If you were to design the perfect triathlon course, what would it look like? Perhaps a sea swim, rather than a reedy river or lake. A scenic, largely traffic-free bike course with a tunnel of spectators on the occasional punchy climb. A run course lined with support to help overcome the demons of the final hours, and a welcoming finish chute filled with cheers and pumping tunes. It would need some kind of distinct flavour and appeal, ideally on an accessible footprint so that the logistics of registering, racking, recovering, and departing don’t add additional stress for you or your support crew. Through a wider lens, it would include a positive impact on the local economy, be embraced by residents and businesses, and garner even more support from curious locals…

The seagrass meadow sways beneath my feet, the crystalline waters offering an underwater experience that could be lifted straight from the Caribbean (or the Outer Hebrides). I’m swimming in my trail shoes and exit onto the fine white sands of the Isles of Scilly and continue to run in my wetsuit. It’s multisport, but not as I’ve ever known it. And I’m having a blast. The 16km Scilly Swimrun has taken me out of my comfort zone, pushed my physical limits and afforded me an incredible eye-popping immersion into the landscape of the Isles of Scilly’s main island of St Mary’s. Exploration, adventure and endurance feats are all in healthy supply, and all without a puncture or snapped brake cable in sight. I just keep asking myself: why haven’t I…

MEET THE TEST TEAM OUR RATINGS 0-49 % POOR SIMPLY PUT, DON’T BOTHER! 50-69 % AVERAGE IT’LL DO THE JOB WELL ENOUGH 70-79 % GOOD A DECENT PERFORMER 80-89 % IMPRESSIVE ONE OF THE BEST YOU CAN BUY 90+ % BUY NOW A GENUINE CLASS LEADER “It felt like the shoes were almost flinging me forward” ASICS MEGABLAST £210 Megablast is an apt name for Asics’ new training and workout shoe, because that’s exactly what I had from the very first steps. They’re fast and light, but even more importantly, the predominant sensation of running in the Megablast is one of fun. They’re so bouncy that my internal monologue through my runs wearing them was: “Boing, boing, boing…” I adopted these shoes late in a marathon training phase, in which…

How nourishing are your workday lunches? The advantage of working from home is that you can eat what and when you fancy. Not so for those who have either returned to the office, or work in schools and health care. And though cheap and convenient, the standard supermarket ‘meal deal’ is not only wholly uninspiring but also sadly offers little in terms of good nutrition for the busy triathlete. This is where this month’s four nutritious and delicious meals come in… First up, add a little spice to your lunch break with a delicious Vietnamese noodle bowl. This totally mouth-watering bowl of goodness will admittedly take a few more minutes to make than your average pot noodle, but it’s pretty fast all the same, much more nutritious, and a great…

“It’s a rolling start for the swim – you punch your dibber and off you go.” SEAN MCFARLANE Sean McFarlane was runner-up in the inaugural Celtman, City to Summit and Brutal extreme triathlons. He is Head of Triathlon at leading Scottish independent school Dollar Academy. The next puddle is a big one. The competitor in front gives it a good go but decides to bail halfway through. His feet plunge into the muddy water as he hears me chaining up my gears behind him. He quickly pulls his bike to the side. My turn. As I ride into the water my bike slowly but steadily drops into the water. I get an encouraging shout from my now bystanding fellow competitor. He shouts out how impressed he is as I make…