RAC E INSIDER
Race director John Lunt presents a new and unique experience for triathletes and their families, and shares his course-busting tips
Jaguar Tri-Fest, at Dorney Lake, is set to be a ‘first of its kind’ sporting and family festival for 2019. With seven races catering for all abilities, an acoustic music stage, champagne gardens and fantastic food and drink, it aims to celebrate triathlon while at the same time establishing a unique festival experience.
Dorney Lake is a tried-and-tested venue with smooth closed roads and has a drinking water-quality lake to swim in, making it ideal for beginners. The swim always starts in safe, deep water, and the course allows athletes to swim no more than 50m from dry land.
Athletes will swim in a clockwise direction and exit up a purpose- built ramp straight into transition. (Transition is a hard surface so you can run barefoot.) See session 1.
Once athletes have mounted their bikes and exited the transition area, they’ll start out on a flat, fast, smooth tarmacked-looped course. The bike route follows the lake edge for half the ride, meaning if it’s windy, it can be quite exposed and challenging. See session 2.
Once back into transition, a quick turnaround should see athletes back out for a fast and flat run along the edge of the lake. Adrenaline will be pumping, so athletes need to remember to adjust their pace and ease their cycling legs into running mode. Depending on which distance entered, it will be a number of laps on an outand-back ,flat tarmacked course. See session 3.
During the multi-lap run, athletes will able to monitor progress against their rivals, which is always a great motivational boost for the last push over the finish line.
Once down the finish chute, athletes will be rewarded with the all-important finishers’ medal, reunited with their support team and able to bask in their glory!
Next month: SWYD Triathlon on 26 May 2019