PREPARE FOR RACE DAY
hether 2020 marks the first year of your triathlon career or a season when you step up to a new multisport distance, there’s no doubting that the UK race season is fast approaching. So much so that we can smell the pre-race porridge, wetsuit neoprene and summer fruits energy gels.
With the major early-season races of Blenheim, the Outlaw Half, 70.3 Staffs and Windsor Triathlon around three months away, questions on how to prepare, what training to do, what kit to buy and how to race successfully abound. But worry not, because here we’ve created this first timer’s guide to the racing distances of sprint, Olympic and middle/70.3, loaded with key training, kit and racing tips to smooth your passage to that finish line this summer.
SPRINT-DISTANCE
On the start line for your first spring-distance triathlon this summer? Then read on as we ease your route to becoming a bonafide triathlete…
01 READ THE RULES
There aren’t reams of rules in triathlon, but they do exist for the safety and fairness for all athletes. Spend time reading the notes sent out by race organisers and on the British Triathlon website well ahead of race day. Something that novice triathletes often get confused with is when they can put their helmet on, or take it off: quite simply, your helmet must be on your head and secure before you touch your bike in transition one (T1), and then you can only take your helmet off when the bike is securely racked in transition two
