TRAIL STRIKE!
It’s time to take your tri away from tarmac and into the rural wonderlands for an unforgettable racing experience
The escapism. The sense of adventure. The muddy fun. There are few more exciting, exhilarating and enjoyable experiences than venturing off road in multisport. These can have a road-based bike leg before things venture to the trails on the run. Examples include: Croyde
Ocean Triathlon (owner of arguably UK tri’s greatest view at Saunton Sands), a venture into the otherworldly Dinorwig quarries of the Slateman and Outlaw X’s
(3 Sep) forestry excursion into Robin Hood country.
For a fully off-road experience entirely free of motorised traffic, there are plenty of gems to discover in the UK. These can come in the form of off-road duathlons, which boast a mountain bike leg sandwiched by two trail runs. Dorset’s Rempstone Roast (TBC Jan),
The TrailX Duathlon (TBC Mar/Apr) in the Home Counties and Escape to
Afan (TBC Nov) in South Wales all come heartily recommended.
Off-road triathlons don’t hog the calendar, but the Scottish duo of the Aviemore (TBC Sep) and Craggy
Island Triathlons (TBC Oct) from the aptly-named Durty Events are wonderful ways to push your limits in some of the UK’s greatest scenery. The former kicks off with a bracing lake swim in Loch Morlich before bike and run legs deep into the mighty Cairngorms National Park. The latter, surely the world’s only tri influenced by Father Ted, tasks athletes with swimming from the coastal town of Oban to the unspoilt and car-free Isle of Kerrera before off-road bike and run legs that traverse the island.
There’s also the matter of the world’s premier trail triathlon series from Xterra finally returning to the UK in 2023, with Weston Park in Shropshire set to host Xterra UK’s sprint, full-distance, ebike and duathlon races on 13 May 2023 courtesy of the reliably-brilliant organisation of Always Aim High Events (see the Slateman).
The above means that there’s never been a better time to give offroad multisport a blast. But if you need further convincing, we’ll hand you over to Jon Heasman, a guaranteed presence at any UK off-road triathlon.
“Xterra brings adventure and triathlon together in a chilled-out way. With Xterra, what you get is what you don’t normally see. It’s off the beaten track, it follows the path least travelled and takes you to incredible places, often mountainous regions and areas where the wildlife outnumbers the humans.” That’s good enough for us.