Innehållsförteckning för September 2016 från 220 Triathlon

CHALLENGE ROTH ROTH, GERMANY • 17 JULY 2016 Pure iron speed and community spirit combine in Bavaria as Germany’s Jan Frodeno runs alongside local school artwork on his way to smashing the iron-distance world record. His 226km time? 7:35:39. IRONMAN 70.3 JÖNKÖPING JÖNKÖPING, SWEDEN • 9 JULY 2016 Gorges and the nation’s second largest lake are just a duo of sights at the 113km race in Southern Sweden. A strong field was topped by Andreas Dreitz of Germany and GB’s Jodie Swallow. LONG COURSE WEEKEND TENBY, WALES • 8-10 JULY 2016 The LC Weekend hosts an iron swim, bike and run on three consecutive days to create a unique long-distance weekend. Here Sweden’s Marcus Hultgren takes the title in front of buoyant crowds. WTS HAMBURG HAMBURG, GERMANY • 16 JULY…

Looking for a new way to power your next PB? Then check out the range of run shoes from Skechers Performance™. The brand is already chosen by top triathletes including the UK’s Lucy Gossage, David McNamee and Lucy Charles as well as International names such as Lionel Sanders, Nils Frommhold and Sarah Haskins, so has a strong heritage of working within triathlon to give you what you need to compete – and to finish strong. Skechers Performance™ are also proud to be the Official Running Shoe partner of the IRONMAN® European Tour, a move which further cements their position as a brand that are serious about running. The lightweight GOrun 4 – 2016, with sock-like upper and highly-reponsive cushioning is also the Official Running Shoe of the Tour. From May…

FUNDRAISING FUN Two years ago, I was talked into entering my home town’s first triathlon (HaverTri). Put simply, I got hooked. Move on six months, and as we were trying to decide on an activity for our local village fundraising week, I suggested doing a kids duathlon on the meadow. A quick discussion ensued, our local bike shop sponsored some medals, and we had ourselves an event. Sixty-five kids came out to take part, and the only criticism was that there wasn’t any race for the adults! Next year I said. Well, next year came all too quickly. We put out flyers, sourced sponsorship for medals and I had a chat with the weatherman and the sun came out for race day – 5 June. A local lad, Tom Eames,…

MEET DANNY ROBINS AGE 40 LIVES Chessington, Surrey OCCUPATION AND FAMILY SET-UP I work full-time as an IT engineer and have to juggle family around training, but I have an understanding wife and two kids – Jake, 7, and Holly, 2. SPORTING CV TO DATE I competed for a local swimming club until I was 16. I swam in county competitions and used to train for an hour a day, six days a week. But from 22 to 38 I did no exercise at all. REASONS TO TRI Eighteen months ago I weighed just over 17 stone and knew I needed to get fit. So I dieted hard and channeled my energy into running, before entering the 8.2-mile Breakfast Run. As an ex-swimmer, triathlon was the natural progression, so I…

MEET MATT CHEESBROUGH AGE 32 LIVES Isle of Sheppey, Kent OCCUPATION AND FAMILY SET-UP I work shift patterns of 12hr days/nights, running 24/7, with rostered holiday (no choice when it’s taken). I have a wife, five-year-old daughter and another baby on the way. So school runs, housework, general living occupy my time. SPORTING CV TO DATE I played rugby union for Sheppey RFC from when I was 12 years old, competing in the London South East League 3, Kent 1 and Kent 2, Levels 7, 8 and 9 in the RFU league framework. REASONS TO TRI I competed the Blenheim Sprint Triathlon in 1:54:18 earlier this season and have signed up for this year’s London Triathlon Olympic-distance. Just to get through it in one piece would be good. MOST WORRIED…

TOPEAK FAST FUEL TRIBAG £29.99, www.extrauk.co.uk We find Topeak’s products a tad hit and miss, and although constantly coming up with new ideas some are either unnecessary or lack functionality. The same can’t be said for this sleek top-tube bag, which manages to be tri-specific, roomy and aero all at once. Roughly 80mm in height, the bag will sit under a non-integrated stem so as not to interrupt airflow. For this tester’s Ironman debut, we managed to fit in far more than we expected – four packs of energy chews, six 56g gel packs, a mini pump and a block of jelly to be precise. It’s not incredible value, yet the 600 denier polyester is robust and watertight. The thick strap at the rear will be quite tight…

GOODBYE LEAKY GUT, HELLO PB Stomach complaints curtailing your race ambitions could be at an end thanks to a cow and mineral mix… Look through the annals of triathlon and you’ll come across myriad triathletes breaking down through stomach issues. Paula Newby-Fraser, Sian Welch, chap bent double at Perranporth circa 2008… (ahem, me). When it comes to tri, especially Ironman, gastrodistress is common. Well, according to Kent University research, the situation could be prevented by a combination of zinc-carnosine and colostrum (a cow’s first milk). According to the study, this supplement mix reduced the incidence of a phenomenon known as ‘leaky gut’, a condition where the thin mucosal barrier of the gut becomes more permeable and, in turn, less effective. This is key because that barrier plays a major role…

JARGON BUSTER INTERVAL Intensive training using repeated on/off efforts for faster results than a single sustained slog. DRAFTING Hitching a ride on someone else’s slipstream. Definitions (and penalties for the bike leg only) vary per race. Open-water swim sessions can sometimes turn into a blur and a grind – different to pool sessions of course, but they still run the risk of being a tad boring. And the problem is that, if they get boring, you tend to slip into a one-pace mode and just plough round. And when that happens, you don’t gain a huge amount from the session. Since the start of the open-water season, and over the last couple of months/issues, we’ve talked about including intervals by mixing up your strokes to break up your swim. Another…

So often in triathlon we see great swim and bike performances cut down by a below par run split. But now’s the time to put that right with an extra focus on the final discipline and ensuring that you stay strong right through to the end of the race. With boosting your run leg in mind, for this next four-week block we’ll concentrate on increasing the volume and intensity of your run sessions. The sessions will include long aerobic workouts, tempo style sessions, high speed intervals and bike/run brick sessions to get you used to running off the bike. A fundamental part of the success in your running is a variety of workouts and gaining confidence to run at a variety of speeds. So it’s important to mix the long…

Q I often feel quite wired after evening training and have trouble sleeping. Is there anything I can do to help with this? My tri club only do evening sessions! KIRSTY WARD, EMAIL A To really understand how to get the best quality sleep, it’s best to think of it in 90min cycles (‘R90’) rather than hours. These time periods are principally required for us to develop and experience the five sleep stages. An athlete can then plan ahead, identifying when they can confidently complete one nocturnal block of cycles and schedule one or more of the 90min cycles at less conventional times of the day, rather than just trying to get the typical ‘8hrs’ nocturnal sleep when it might not be practical. Even 30min periods can often be better…

Q I’m a 35-year-old woman training for my first standard-distance race, but all my training is being done with my husband and his male friends! Are there any female-specific exercises/sessions I need to be working into my plan? DEBBIE ALLION, EMAIL A Many women prefer doing their training with guys, so your situation is far from uncommon. Almost all of my training partners are men – as they’re generally stronger, it helps bring out the best in you by training with people who are just that little bit fitter. Of course, everyone is different and some women find that the testosterone-fuelled nature of an all-male training group can be too intense, in which case you might prefer to find some other women with whom you can train. On the flipside,…

MEET THE WINNER A last-minute entry to the Lincolnshire Edge Tri by 46-year-old Steve Grocock, who usually favours long-course races, turned out to be a winning one in the sprint event… I work for Phillips 66 Oil Refinery, and started tri in 2008. Having represented GB at ITU in 2012, I then turned my attention to Ironman, and a fortnight before this event I raced Ironman Austria! Although a sprint race wasn’t in my plans, the chance to compete alongside my son Aiden right on my doorstep was the real clincher, plus FastFWD always put on a good race. Considering my lack of sprint training it all went pretty well, and I knew one of my biggest threats for the victory would come from my own household! Despite little training…

“Don’t give up without a fight! Pick up the pace and do whatever’s possible! It’s time for Coke!” MEET HOLLY BENNETT AGE 48 LIVES Boulder, CO, USA PROFESSION Journalist, marketing & PR WHY I RACED I couldn’t have my comeback anywhere but Roth. THE world’s best race experience! My main goal at Challenge Roth 2016 was redemption, a coming home of sorts. In May 2015, I was involved in a scooter accident resulting in a head injury and a turbulent 10 months of post-concussion syndrome. Finally I was back to feeling myself, finally healthy enough to train and race, with Roth my first triathlon start in nearly two years. Race morning I feel calm and happy. Everything clicks. Right away I settle into a rhythm in the swim, breathing every…

We’ve pulled together the biggest names in tri to give you the best advice YOUR FIRST TRI Inspired by the events of 18 and 20 August, but come from a single-sport background and think tri isn’t for you? Head towards the multisport light from p47… JAMES WITTS INSPIRED BY TRI?, P47 “The true worth of the Olympics is measured by its legacy. In triathlon terms, that means greater participation, no matter what your background. Cue our beginner-focussed feature on p47.” JACK SEXTY BEHIND THE SCENES, P57 “It was a real pleasure and a unique opportunity to go behind the scenes at this fantastically run, not-for-profit event, the Deva Divas, which for many of the entrants was their first foray into tri.” MATT BAIRD FRODENO VS ROTH, P64…

“When Usain Bolt wins a 100m heat this doesn’t get him a place in the 200m final” Held since 1978, the Ironman World Championships in Kona, Hawaii, has more history and more hotly-contested qualification spots than any other race in triathlon. The 2017 edition of the race will see 5% of its 2,000 athletes qualifying from two Ironman 70.3 events. Those races won’t be established events from triathlon’s traditional heartlands of Europe, America or Australia, but two new races in China at Hefei in Anhui Province and Xiamen on the southeast coast. The major move was highlighted in an email from the Ironman CEO, Andrew Messick, to all registered Ironman athletes in July, which declared that, ‘Since Ironman became a part of Wanda Sports last November, we’ve been very excited…

1 Race reports, images and interviews from the biggest show on planet tri – the 2016 Rio Olympic Games #220RioMedals 2 20 triathlons to do before you die: we count down our favourite must-do races from across the globe 3 Turning pro: Nikki Bartlett, right, explains what to expect if you decide to make the leap to elite 4 Featuring in our ‘Common Mistakes’ series this month: Ironman race day and transitions 5 Race reports and spectacular imagery from Ironman 70.3 World Champs & WTS Edmonton MORE… DIGITAL EDITION To subscribe, head to www.buysubscriptions.com and search for ‘220 Triathlon’. Click on the ‘Digital Edition’ tab, which will take you through to purchase your subscription (5 issues for £5, saving 75% on the shop price); set up your username and password…

MEET LUKE SIMPSON AGE 35 LIVES Long Ditton, Surrey OCCUPATION AND FAMILY SET-UP I work for an asset management company and have no children. SPORTING CV TO DATE As a kid I was a gymnast. At university I rowed and also started snowboarding. I then settled into a job and got a bit fat! But then I watched the 2012 Olympic road race and it inspired me. Since then I’ve completed numerous sportives including the Etape du Tour 2013. REASONS TO TRI I came across GoTri in 2015 and signed up to one in Alton, last October. I absolutely loved it and two days after signed up to an Olympic-distance race in London. For 2017, I’ll probably look at OD goals. MOST WORRIED ABOUT The swim. I couldn’t swim 200m…

ULTIMATE DIRECTION MEOW WAIST BELT £20.00 www.betaclimbingdesigns.com Nope, we have no clue why this belt is named the ‘Meow’ either… but that weirdness aside, if you’re the kind of runner who likes a bumbag to stash their phone, keys and a couple of gels in, then this could be just the ticket. It’s light, wicking, breathable and, thanks to the wide band with soft edging, fits comfortably. It’s alterable to fit most waist sizes and the inside includes a divider and key clip. We did find when packed with a few items it bounced around a bit and we guess the only question is, since it can’t carry water, do you actually need it? The pocket in run shorts is usually enough for most small items, and on…

1 FACIAL COOLING = LESS FATIGUE Spanish scientists took nine male cyclists and asked them to undertake a fitness test in an environmental chamber set to 29.5°C and 75.6% humidity. They performed the test either with a cooling jersey, cooling headband or without cooling apparel. While power output remained similar across all three protocols, rate of fatigue during each test was less with the cooling strategies, possibly due to cooling of the hypothalamus in the brain. It led to the conclusion that both are viable options. But, as ice vests are banned from competition, go for the headband. 2 HIGH INTENSITY = MORE SPEED Where once you left a race with a PB, now you swim, ride and run on a plateau. One of the major reasons is down to…

ALTERNATE SPEED Make sure that there’s a difference in speed between your race-pace efforts and your steady swim efforts. FORM FOCUS Maintain your form as you push harder – it doesn’t have to be perfect but don’t put in lots of effort for no return. POOL SWIM You could do this in the pool as well – this also makes it far easier to judge distance and time. KIT CHECKLIST WETSUIT SWIMSUIT HAT GOGGLES DRINK WATCH WITH AN ALARM/COUNTDOWN WARM-UP 400m as: 50m front crawl (FC), 25m kick, 25m backstroke 12 x 50m – 10secs recovery in between each 50, alternating pull buoy between thighs, knees and ankles (4 lengths with each). MAIN SESSION Before you get in for your swim, set your watch for the time it’d take you…

For those triathletes who like the occasional slice of cake, treat yourself to this light, moist and scrumptiously sticky indulgence after your workout to replenish depleted glycogen stores – or serve up as an aromatic and summery pudding to impress friends and family. Either way, it tastes awesome with a dollop of natural yoghurt. Flour-free, gluten-free, lactose-free (although not sugar-free, admittedly) this delicious citrus and almond combination is soaked with an orange syrup infused with exotic spices and then topped with toasted almonds. Our top #gofaster tip? Eat with a fork, especially if you have company! INGREDIENTS (makes 10 slices) For the cake 50g gluten free breadcrumbs 200g golden caster sugar 100g ground almonds 2tsps baking powder 150ml sunflower oil 4 large free range eggs Grated zest of 1 lemon…

Q How often should I be doing steady aerobic swims? This seems to be a cornerstone of run/bike training, but it’s all short sets and rest breaks at my coached sessions. I’m confused! PHIL TURNER, EMAIL A This is a great question, and provides an excellent opportunity to explain the contrast between your run/bike training and the sets you do at coached swims. I’ll note first that I’ve completed open-water swim events of 40km-plus in length, training mostly off pool repeats of 200m or less, saving longer swims for open water – so obviously it’s very different to training on land. If we take ‘steady aerobic swim’ to mean a continuous swim of 20-40mins in length, this would make sense if swimming was more like cycling and running. However, the…

“The average speed is picking up nicely when my rear tub tyre terminally capitulates – time to walk!” MEET JAMES LAPISH AGE 45 LIVES Braunton, North Devon PROFESSION Head coach at Time-2-Tri-Fitness.co.uk WHY I RACED It’s local, unbelievably tough and challenging… and I like a challenge Arriving in the race car park, the atmosphere at the Croyde Ocean Triathlon is incredibly friendly. Strangers are chatting, help is offered and space made for the late rackers. The lighthearted banter continues as we’re escorted to the start down the steep road from transition, with a leafy canopy giving way to bright lights and Putsborough beach, one of the best stretches of sand the UK has to offer. Time to get in the water and fit that suit into all the nooks and…

A member of the Race New Forest stable of events since 2006, the New Forest Middle has become a popular late-season blast-out on the UK tri scene, and also picked up the 220 Race of the Year (less than 500 entries) award in both 2006 & 2007. Previous winners over the pony-populated course include a handful of the UK’s top age-groupers – Hywel Davies, James Gilfillan, Ben Howard, Sophie Whitworth, Tracy Cook (who finished fourth overall) and Emma Dews. Setting his own path to amateur legend status is last year’s winner Clive Kennedy-Burn, who here provides his top tips to master the New Forest Middle… 1 KIT Early morning in the New Forest in late September will be dark and chilly. So I’d suggest bringing a good head torch, hat…

“Despite a generally inferior performance all round I bagged a PB by simply going the right way” I so did it again! I refer of course to the Isoman triathlon which I’ve just completed for the second year on the bounce, skipping my way into a top-10 finish (yes that means 10th) in the 0-99 years category – although looking at the state of me as I ‘ran’ my last lap many questioned whether I was in the right age-group. The Isoman is an ‘equalised’ iron-distance race designed to make the swim, bike and run more evenly spread time-wise as opposed to the cycling-dominance of your typical IM. In practical terms this means a longer swim (seven miles. Yes seven! Seven!), a shorter cycle (61 miles) and the same old…

After a hiatus in 2016, the premier off-road triathlon series Xterra is to return to Britain in June 2014. Xterra Wales will take place on 4 June at UWC Atlantic College, Llantwit Major, in the Vale of Glamorgan. The race will be hosted within the college’s campus on the South Wales coast, with a two-lap 1.5km sea swim starting from their slipway. The four-lap 30km bike leg is designed by MTB Hall of Famer Dafydd Davis and will take in all of the 166 acres of the campus, including woodlands, open spaces and costal fields. The trail run will be a three-lap course through woodlands and the campus. Confirmed athletes so far include former Xterra world champ Lesley Paterson, and top off-road couple Ben Allen and Jacqui Slack. Although Xterra…

The five-time winner of the 220 Triathlon ‘Race of the Year’ (over 500 entries) award saw another memorable event in late July with 1,100 athletes racing the seventh edition of the Outlaw in Nottingham. The men’s 3.8km swim, 180km bike ride and 42.2km run event was won by Kit Walker, with the 27-year-old from Weymouth moving to the front after race favourite Karl Alexander’s DNF on the bike, and holding that through to the Holme Pierrepont finishing tape. Finishing in a long-course PB of 8:58:52, Walker commented on the special Outlaw atmosphere post-race: “Every time you come past the finish it’s just phenomenal, with loads of noise and everyone shouting your name. I knew I’d have to have a really good race to win; I didn’t quite have the run…

DON’T GIVE UP I was relatively new to triathlon when I prolapsed a vertebral disc in February 2015, pretty much putting a stop to everything. I managed to hold on to some basic ability to sit on a turbo, but even that eventually had to come to a halt as I lost the feeling in my right foot and my leg became so painful that morphine and crutches were the only way to get me through each day. Eventually, in the October, I went under the knife. I felt great within a week of the op and soon started my physio rehab. I quickly got my TT bike set up and got to work. The pool came next but with strict instructions to only walk in the water. Running took…

EXPERT NICK DE MEYER Surrey-based Nick has been a tri coach for 13 years and is a highly competitive athlete. He’s also author of the book, Speedy Swimming. EXPERT RENEE MCGREGOR 220 regular Renee is a sports nutritionist, who’s also put a pen to paper in the form of her book Training Food. Watched in awe as the world’s finest triathletes swam, rode and ran around Rio and thought, ‘I fancy a slice of that multisport pie’? But wondering how your sporting background might help or hinder your progress? Excellent – you’ve landed in the right place. Over the following pages, we’ll show you how to enter the world of triathlon, specifically for those of you from swim, bike, run and team-sport backgrounds. We’ll give you the training advice, tweaks…

MEET MARVIN REYNOLDS AGE 37 LIVES Rickmansworth, Hertfordshire OCCUPATION AND FAMILY SET-UP I often work away from home a couple of days a week and travel to Sheffield. I have three children – boys of 8, 7 and 2 – so I try and keep Saturdays free (or at least one day in the weekend) from training so we can do fun stuff together. SPORTING CV TO DATE My sporting background is minimal but I’ve been running for a few years, and have ticked off three marathons, quite a few half marathons and other trail races. My current marathon PB is 3:29hrs; half marathon 1:36hrs. I also completed the Blenheim Sprint Triathlon earlier in the year. REASONS TO TRI For variety, really. My aim is to complete this year’s London…

Put simply, Challenge Roth is a triathlon experience like no other. It starts on the Thursday with the pro athletes dressing in traditional German garb and ends on the Monday night with a giant party for all 6,000 volunteers. In between, some 250,000 spectators and 5,350 athletes converge on the shores and roads of northern Bavaria, and a thousand local homes open their doors – and fridges – to long-distance athletes. The ‘Glastonbury of triathlon’ as someone stated to 220 in Roth, only with multisport replacing mud and carbon bikes in the place of Coldplay. And like that Somerset shindig, Roth is awash with community spirit with 25% of the town’s population volunteering at the race. “It’s been said a lot,” says Germany’s reigning Ironman and 70.3 world champ Jan…

DISPLAY Size and type of font used to display data is important for clarity on the fly, as is the amount of information presented. It’s not efficient if you’re presented with just one field of data per screen. WRIST STRAP Comfort improves with price. More affordable models often feature a rigid plastic structure. More expensive versions use a softer silicone strap. You’ll also find that straps with more holes than a slice of Edam are less comfortable. ACTIVATION You can scroll through the watch’s features via two main methods: touchscreen or button. Some are a mix of the two. Just check that your touchscreen doesn’t have a history of losing contact when scrolled with sweaty fingers or in the rain. JARGON BUSTER BLUETOOTH A wireless method of sending data from…

“Training by feel helps you focus on more internal cues and teaches you to listen to your body” Q I know many triathletes swear by their gadgets, but isn’t there a lot to be said for training on feel? When should I use and not use the stats? BRIAN SELLARS, EMAIL A Gadgets like heart rate monitors, power meters and GPS watches that measure performance parameters always seem to polarise opinion. On the one side you have the ‘geeks’ who don’t count a session as having happened unless it was logged into their online training diary. And on the other end of the spectrum are the ‘old school’ athletes who train and race entirely on feel. I like to think that in actual fact there’s a sweet spot between…

JENSON BUTTON TRUST TRI Markeaton Park, Derbs 17 July 2016 I took up triathlon in 2014 after being relatively unfit my entire life, and since joining Rugby Triathlon Club I’ve been hooked! My latest race was the Jenson Button Trust Triathlon, where Jenson himself would be racing alongside elites and us mere mortals. The format is quite unique – in the morning everybody races over super-sprint distance, then the top 50 race a Grand Final event over sprint distance. Everyone who hasn’t made the final then does another super-sprint event – the ‘Wooden Spoon’ race! After a stress-free registration, I head down to the lake. The gun goes, and it’s frantic as the distance is only 250m. I swim faster than ever (extra pool training is paying off!) then manage…

“Racing when I don’t care about the result is refreshing. It takes me back to the days before I took triathlon seriously” Proper pros don’t do things just for fun,’ so said another pro to me a few years ago while I was still working but I had my pro license. At the time I was out in Lanzarote on a training holiday. That day the wind was crazy and, after being nearly blown off our bikes, my friend and I abandoned our long ride plans and did a crazy hill rep session up the steepest hill in Lanzarote. Bonkers, epic and awesome. We got back absolutely buzzing from an impromptu utter smashfest and I remember being disheartened to hear that ‘proper’ pros didn’t do stuff just for the hell…

MEET SALLY WILKINSON AGE 46 LIVES Morecambe Bay, Lancashire PROFESSION Retreat owner & fitness instructor BEST DISCIPLINE None! WHY I RACED To self medicate for depression How on earth have I arrived here? It’s 6am and I’m stood at the back of a long queue of people in wetsuits, swim caps and goggles waiting for Ironman UK to start. Rewind just four months when I made a rash decision to enter and start training. Why? For most of 2015 I suffered with depression. I stopped exercising, spent a disproportionate amount of time in bed, started to drink far too much and put on two stone in weight. I’ve always loved fitness and I desperately missed having the desire to do it. Antidepressants weren’t for me so I needed something to…

EUROPEAN CHAMPS QUALIFIER WORLD CHAMPS QUALIFIER BRITISH AGE-GROUP CHAMPS RACE TRIATHLON ENGLAND NATIONAL CHAMPS RACE LOCH GU LOCH SWIMRUN When 1 October 2016 Where Loch Ness, Highlands Distances 8km swim (13 stages), 47km run (7 stages) Course Choppy sea swim, variety of trail, forest and fells on the run sections Race highlights A brand new swimrun event in Scotland, with epic scenery and a very challenging course Contact www.lochguloch.com HEVER CASTLE TRIATHLON When 24-25 September 2016 Where Hever Castle, Kent Distances Various Course Lake swim, deceptively hilly bike ride, mixed terrain run Race highlights Swim past a Japanese tea house, classic British scenery on the bike, very scenic run around the lake, plus there are events and races for all ages and abilities Contact www.castletriathlonseries.co.uk AUGUST 21 Wensleydale…