MULTISPORT WATCHES

Believe the claims and the right multisport watch will have Alistair Brownlee or Lucy Charles-Barclay chasing your shadow. But wade through the marketing hyperbole and a smartly-chosen tri watch will certainly have you at least training smarter and racing faster.

Just be aware of the pitfalls. Many a triathlete has been lured into purchase by a long and ‘scientifically-proven’ features list only to realise a month later that 99% of its capability simply isn’t required. If you’ve never used a heart rate monitor and are training for 3-4hrs a week, for example, will your tri performance benefit from spending upwards of £300 on a wrist device that monitors your aerobic capacity, run cadence and cycling fatigue rating?

Also, remember that some of the metrics offered – ground contact time, for instance – are useful but arguably maximised by the intervention of a coach. Then again, if you’re aiming for triathlon improvements, digging deep will be worth it. You’ll refine your training, resulting in greater gains for the same effort.