10 steps to success
Expert ways to conquer your first multisport race
01 CHOOSE YOUR RACE
Before we start, just what are the common multisport distances and what’s a decent amateur time for these?
Super-sprint triathlon 400m swim/10km bike/2.5km run. Anything under an hour is good.
Sprint-distance tri 750m swim/20km bike/5km run. Less than 90mins and you’re gearing yourself for a decent time. Standard ‘Olympic’ distance tri 1.5km swim/40km bike/10km run. Anything under 3:15hrs is solid.
Middle/Ironman 70.3 tri 1.9km swim/90km bike/21.1km run. For the age group 35-39, a good male time is around six hours, with another hour on top for females.
Long/Ironman 3.8km swim/180km bike/42.2km run. Anything around 13 hours for males aged 30-35 is a solid time; another hour on top for females. As for duathlon distances, these are usually sprint (5km run/20km bike/2.5km run) and standard (10km run/40km bike/5km run), with 90mins and 3hrs solid agegrouper times, respectively.
02 TRAIN SMART
Ideally, you’ll include two sessions of each discipline per week and a rest day. Each of these sessions should last around 30mins although you should try to go longer at the weekend. Ultimately, whatever distance you’re aiming for, you should be confident of ticking off up to 75% distance in each of the disciplines. So for a sprint triathlon (750m swim/20km bike/5km run), we’re talking 563m swimming, 15km cycling and 3.75km running. As for a sprint duathlon (5km run/20km bike/2.5km run), it’s 3.75km run, 15km cycling, 1.88km running. Do this continuously in one long session and, topped up by race-day adrenaline, you’ll certainly have enough in the tank to conquer your first multisport race.
03 TRY TRANSITIONING
Each multisport event will have a transition area where you can rack your bike and lay out your kit and nutrition. Get to your event early to prep your gear and remember where you’ve racked your bike (use a marker such as a tree) as it can be chaos after the first swim or run trying to find your bike amongst hundreds of others. You can practise your
“Ideally, you’ ll include two 30- minute-plus sessions of each discipline per week and a rest day”
transitions at home during your brick sessions (where you move straight from one discipline to the next with no rest).
04 BUILD THOSE BRICKS
The key to multisport training is a weekly or fortnightly brick session. For duathlon this can be: run-to-bike, bike-to-run or run/bike/run. “I opt for the run/bike/run option as this is ideal physiological training to simulate the fatigue of biking after a fast first run and then running off a hard bike ride,” says Cat Morrison, a two-time world duathlon champ. “These sessions can be done outdoors around a measured run and bike circuit; using a run route then biking on a turbo at home; or even at a gym, jumping between a treadmill and stationary bike.”
06 TREAD SOFTLY
Softer off-road surfaces mean the chances of injury are reduced. That terrain variation also activates a greater number of muscles, ensuring your core
KEEP IT STRAIGHT 05
The key to avoiding the zigzagging seen in so many open-water triathlons is sighting efficiently without the comfort of a pool’s black line. To counter this, as your hand extends to the front of the stroke, begin to lift your chin. Gauge where you are as your goggles clear the water. Press downward with your leading hand once it’s fully extended as it helps to lift your head higher so you can grab a breath and check for markers or landmarks. receives a workout, too. On the downside, you’ll want to avoid twisted ankles on rutted ground. The treadmill's also softer than tarmac underfoot and is great during the depths of winter when you don't fancy heading out into the wet, cold and dark.
07 AVOID NEW
Avoid trying anything new on race day. Two of the key new no- nos are trainers and nutrition. A spanking pair of pumps might look the part but it’s a fast-track path to blisters. It’s the same with fuelling. Try any types of gels, bars, drinks or anything else you think might work for you in training.
08 INCLUDE SPEED
Fartlek is the Swedish word for ‘speed play’ and is a form of interval training (where you fluctuate between high and low intensity) to boost running or cycling speed. Warm up and then alternate periods of hard and easy based on set timings – usually around 30secs to 4mins – or geographical features such as hard to the top of a hill or the next lamppost.
09 KNOW YOUR NEOPRENE
Swimming in a wetsuit is a different feeling to pool swimming. Initially you’ll feel constricted but that’s normal: triathlon wetsuits are designed to add stability and buoyancy to the core of your body. They’re also up to 20% faster than without, so are worth persevering with. A tri wetsuit is designed for speedier swimming and taking on and off quicker than a surfing wetsuit, so it’s best to use one if you can.
10 AND KNOW THE RULES
Every event will have a pre-race briefing on rules and there are key British Triathlon regulations rolled out everywhere. Simple must-follows are to ensure you board your bike past the transition mount line and don’t draft your competition unless it’s draft-legal on the bike. You don’t have to be a British Triathlon member to race and you can buy a day licence for £6.