Innehållsförteckning för 2026 Preview från 220 Triathlon

I've done some interesting races during my time on 220, but one thing I would never have considered doing is completing an iron-distance in Antarctica, swimming alongside a penguin and keeping half an eye out for peckish leopard seals. Maybe I'm just not thinking big enough though as this month's cover star, Spencer Matthews shows. In our exclusive interview (p20) the former reality star opens up about taking on seven iron-distance triathlons on seven continents, swimming in a 13mm wetsuit to avoid hypothermia and his fundraising for a charity working to prevent male suicide. You don't need to go to this extreme to be a triathlete though – so if you're new to the sport (welcome!) then maybe our top 10 races for beginners (p82) is a better place to…

Much like seeing the first Easter eggs on the supermarket shelves in January, we're already starting to look ahead to next season! Except here we hope our assault to the senses will be met with more ‘ooh yays’ rather than ‘oh gawds’ and an accompanying eye-roll. Yes, we know the 2025 pro season has only just wrapped, but the next one is, can you believe it, only a couple of months away – effectively starting on 7th March at Ironman New Zealand. So, to prepare you for what's to come – don't worry, it's all good – we've picked out the defining moments that are set to shape the pro year ahead. All you need to do is stick the kettle on, put your feet up – compression sleeves are…

“Work our six days per week with one day off. Make two of these days ‘hard’, six to seven on an exertion scale” Tap into the knowledge of experienced triathletes to leap off your plateau. They've been there, got the medal and managed their own multisport fluctuations. In person, over the phone or by Zoom – the interaction options are limitless. Indoor training is a must, and we mean all-year round. Leaping onto a turbo trainer or a treadmill and following a structured workout is a time-efficient way to progress outdoors all the time. Watch iconic races. There are myriad online options to view heroic efforts in Hawaii and memorable Olympic events. Seeing fellow humans dig deep and reach their goals – ideally with a heart-tugging soundtrack and narration -…

As we come out of the festive season and into spring, it's time to look ahead to the race season – even though the cold and dark outside might be telling your body otherwise! In this case it's important to start focussing on nutrition while still having meals that are tasty and can sustain you through these early months of the year. Focus on wholegrain, nutrient- dense carbs such as brown rice, oats, and lentils to maintain steady blood sugars, reduce hunger pangs and keep your gut healthy. Starchy vegetables, such as sweet potato and butternut squash provide a low-fat boost of superfood antioxidants and minerals for tip-top health; high-fibre, low-calorie and nutritious fruits (oranges, pears, apples, berries) and vegetables (kale, broccoli, winter chard) will also keep you fuller for…

T100 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP GRAND FINAL SPECIAL Belgium's Jelle Geens at the Championship Final in Qatar on 12 December. He would finish seventh in the race and third overall in the series. “It felt like I was doing an Ironman out there,’ the 70.3 world champ said post-race. “Overall it's been a good season but it's sad to finish it on a seventh spot but it is what it is.” T100 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP GRAND FINAL SPECIAL T100 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP GRAND FINAL SPECIAL…

Your New Year's resolutions have been made and the last of the mince pies scoffed. But if you've hit a multisport plateau and progress is glacial, if not static, then this is the time to start addressing where you want to be in the year ahead. Here, we pin down four common ‘plateau’ scenarios and show you how to overcome them. These are aimed at relative newcomers to seasoned long-course athletes and the full spectrum in-between. That said, if the scenarios don't resonate with your own plateau, fear not: there'll be takeaways that are relevant and can be applied to your own performance. Right, over to our four world-class coaches to help you smash through your barriers… “If you can pull faster than you can swim, then you might need…

When we talk about improving front crawl, being ‘streamlined’ comes up a lot. If you've ever had your coach talk to you about swimming as if you're swimming in a toilet roll (now there's a mental image) this might sound familiar. So what do we mean by this? Long story short, when swimming front crawl we want to be as long as possible in the water. With your head leading, you need your body to be horizontal as much as possible, without legs dropping – a common fault in front crawl swimmers, especially men who have heavier, denser muscle on the legs – or hips dropping when you rotate. You'd also aim to keep your head as in line with your body as possible. The more we can swim in…

‘A’-Race The most important race of your season Age-grouper Non-pro triathlete Aerobic Aerobic exercise involves oxygen consumption by the body Anaerobic How much energy your body can produce without using oxygen Aquabike Race with just swim and bike elements, no run Bilateral breathing Breathing every three strokes when swimming Biomechanics The forces applied to your body during exercise Bonking Running out of energy mid-race or training session Brick session When you ‘brick’ two disciplines together, e.g. bike and run Cadence Pedal rate on bike, in revolutions per minute (rpm) Carb-loading Eating a carbheavy meal prior to a race to boost energy Catch The part of the swim stroke where you pull on the water Core strength Development of the stomach and lower back area in support of strength DNS/DNF Did…

TIM HEMING Cutting through the spin of tri to address the issues that matter, Tim is a sports journalist who has written extensively on triathlon for the national press. In Valencia in December, in one of the world's most competitive marathons, Olympic triathlon champion Alex Yee ran 2:06:38 to become the second-fastest British marathoner of all time. There was everything to admire about not just the performance, but the team's application over the whole year, which started with a hometown attempt in London and, with lessons learned, culminated on the east coast of Spain. But Yee has also given himself, if not a dilemma, then certainly a decision to make. As Britain's No 1 marathoner right now, should his focus for the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028 remain on triathlon,…

“It's certainly a slick-looking bike that'll leave your competitors in no doubt it's a thoroughbred.” In a triathlon setting, Factor js renowned for its link-up with Beth Potter, the collaboration beginning in 2021. Since then, the Scottish athlete's won a brace of Olympic bronze medals, plus the medal cleansweep at the 2023 to 2025 Worlds. Potter uses the brand's Ostro Vam aero bike. It's clearly served the 34-year-old well. Now, the cosmopolitan company with a British background that now has links with China and Taiwan has launched what its billing as its first dedicated triathlon bike, the Slick? It's certainly a slick-looking bike that'll leave your competitors in no doubt as to the thoroughbred you're riding. But did its ride credentials match the visuals? TECHNOLOGICAL GROUNDING To understand where the…

01 KEEP YOUR HEAD STILL Your body is going to follow where your head goes when you're in the water. If your head goes side-to-side, or up-and-down, your body will do the same. This creates a lot of drag when you are swimming front crawl, which will really slow you down and make you use more energy than you need to. 02 ACHIEVE GOOD POSTURE Ideally, you want to have your body in line when you are in the water, the same way that you would stand with good posture. If your head is out of place, somewhere in your body will have to compensate, which will make your body really disjointed. Keeping your head, hips and heels in line, and at the surface of the water, will keep your body high…

MEET IAIN Father of three wonderful boys, husband to a wonderfully tolerant wife and business owner, Iain identifies as a triathlete. He's the course record holder of Braveheart Extreme triathlon, Starman Extreme triathlon, Roc England, Roc Wales and Roc Scotland extreme triathlons. Iain was also runnerup at last year's Celtman triathlon. It's New Year's Day. It is literally freezing. I'm soaking wet, wearing a skimpy tri-suit and hurtling downhill at 65kmh. I absently wonder if my nipples or my fingers will fall off first. I question my life choices. I turn 45 this year and no-one is making me do this. What am I playing at? A RACE WITH HEART AND HISTORY I have just started the bike leg of the Edinburgh New Year's Day Sprint Triathlon. Now in its…

HEVER CASTLE TRIATHLON 26-27 September Range of distances including starter sprint (200m swim / 13km bike / 2km run) and super-sprint (400m swim / 20km bike / 4km run) Since 2009, the Hever Castle Triathlon has established itself as an essential fixture on the UK multisport circuit. The race is the UK's second-largest triathlon and is also the biggest children's triathlon in the world thanks to 2,000 junior racers. The location has plenty of quirks for athletes and supporters, from searching for the ghost of Anne Boleyn to spotting filming locations used in the fantasy classic, The Princess Bride. There's even aquabike and aquarun events, as well as swims and runs if you want to go single-discipline, making it a great day of sport for your whole family. CASTLERACESERIES.CO.UK LONDON…

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. Let's get straight into it this month. Here are the top five questions I dread the most: 5. What is your Tri England/Swim England/England Athletics registration number? 4. Can I borrow your track pump? 3. How many lengths is that we've done now? 2. Is this your car sir? 1. What big race have you got planned for this year? Among my friends and teammates there has been, in recent years, an expectation that with each new season I will enter something madder, longer, harder (and thus usually more expensive) than the year before. In fairness it started in 2018 with me doing three trail…