The HumanRace team who run the event have held women-only triathlons every summer since 2007 out at Dorney Lake, which is certainly a good location for it. As the Eton rowing lake, the water is very calm, making it good for swimming in, and the path around the water is well maintained for cycling/running on. This year, with the Olympic events taking place out there, there are the inevitable building works and seating stands to avoid, but it was still a good venue and, with a little bit of Sunday sunshine and some picnic after the physical exertion, made for a pleasant afternoon out.
The first part of the triathlon was a 200m swim. I was very grateful for my eBay-purchased wetsuit, both for the warmth it provided and also the additional buoyancy. It was hard to get a great deal of momentum at first, because of the number of bodies crowded along the start "line", but once there was a bit more space, it became easier to find a rhythm. I completed the swim in 4mins 47secs, which of the 155 "novice" entrants was the 66th fastest time.
Next up was a 5.3km cycle around the lake. This was the first time I'd ever been on a road bike (those tyres are so slim!) and actually several years since I'd last cycled outside at all! I think a bit more practice on the bike would have given me the self-belief to lean forward and be more aerodynamic, but as it was I finished the section in 13mins 2secs, ranking 69th overall.
The running came last and was the section I was least looking forward to, as I do not consider myself a natural runner. It was exceedingly difficult to get my legs working after the bike, as running (apparently) works different muscles in different ways to cycling. Without any kind of stopwatch or timer, it felt like I was running a lot slower than on the treadmill... But I wasn't! My final time for the 2.5km was 14mins 34secs, which was at least 2mins faster than I'd ever run that distance before, coming in ranked 37th! This is the result I am most proud of.
I would definitely do another triathlon - and I know for sure what I would need to work on for next time... Getting changed! My first transition ranking was 137th (of 155!) and second wasn't much better at 124th. Clearly I need to spend more time getting in and out of my wetsuit/helmet.
I finished with an overall time of 38mins 11secs (ranked 68th), aching legs and a brand new luminous green swim-hat - score!
This is for you if...
If you're looking for an introductory competition, but don't fancy just a 5-10km run, the novice event is a good choice. The distances are challenging, but also short enough that you can probably cope with all of them, even if there's one you're not particularly good at.
Recommendations
My main recommendations would relate to the bike. We arrived at the venue with what should have been plenty of time, but the combination of one girl pushing in, an emergency tyre-repair and a very casual bike-fitter, meant that Helen was delayed from starting the event with the rest of the under-35s. If we'd arrived a bit earlier then we would've also had more time to try out the bikes, so that the first attempt in the saddle wasn't when you launched yourself onto the course...
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