A NEED FOR SPEED
Scream if you wanna go faster! Here are your PB- busting picks for the season ahead
Progression in triathlon is often judged by moving up the distances, going from sprint to Olympic and middle-distance before a full-blown 226km iron-distance event. But there’s much reward to be found in returning to a race – whether that’s a super sprint or Ironman – and stomping over your previous personal best.
This PB-busting can involve besting your previous splits at a race, or beating a distance-specific time in any of triathlon’s distances. The beauty of tri’s regimented distances and largely non-drafting nature means that you can smash a PB on a different course to the one in which you set your best, so beating your Olympic-distance time at the classic
Windsor Triathlon (11 June) or at the logistical marvel that is the London
Triathlon (5-6 Aug) is a valid victory. So where are the best courses for setting your new PBs? Take a look at
London and Blenheim (3-4 June) for sprint-distance events, flat Olympic-distance regulars such as Windsor, the SWYD Tri (4 June) in Barry Island and UK Ultimate
Weekend (4 June) in Shropshire, or the Outlaw Half (21 May) and Full
(30 July) if you want to slam the power down in longer-distance racing. And further afield? Bag a slot at Challenge Roth (25 June) and race in front of 200,000 raucous Germans, or go Scandi and hit
Ironman Kalmar (19 Aug) in Sweden or Ironman Copenhagen (20 Aug).
This record-breaking process will make you a better triathlete for your future events as well, seeing you (re) learn elements such as nippy transition skills, honing your aerodynamic profile, and mastering your pacing strategy. Plus it gives you an excuse to buy a new air-cheating tri-suit, deep-rim wheels, tri-bars and those carbon-soled running shoes you always wanted.