Taking On Your First Long Distance Triathlon

In terms of sport my history has been incredibly varied. I dipped my toe into competitive freestyle skiing in my early 20's, I was a rugby player in my teenage years and since then I've been a bike guide, trail runner and avid gym goer and powerlifter. 

My whole goal going into triathlon was to break the mould somewhat by holding onto high lifting numbers and muscle mass, whilst also putting down great times at triathlon events.

I've been incredibly proud to have pulled that off at both Ironman 70.3 Venice Jesolo and now Challenge Roth. 

For context, I swam my first length as an adult in November 2023. I the completed my first 70.3 in 5 hours 18 minutes in early May. And so now also having a full distance under my belt feels surreal.

My goals going forward are to break the 5 hour 70.3 barrier, and go sub 11 in a full over the next 12 months whilst maintaining a physique and lifting numbers that don't match the typical in the sport. I'll continue to prove that you can live a hugely busy but balanced life whilst still performing well at amazing events just like Roth, all over the world. 

How I felt going into Roth

I was very nervous and apprehensive given that I was tackling my first iron distance 6 months earlier than initially intended and only 7 months after I started training for triathlon. As expected however, the second I was in the water, the nerves rushed away and I was fully in the zone and ready to race. 

The Swim

Swimming is still such an alien sport to me, I can do it but I do have an incredible amount of work still to do to improve it. My aim was to get through it comfortably and warm ready for a quick bike leg. I found myself in a few minor scuffles for space as I always have in the water but dealt with them well. I didn't feel myself get too tired at all on the swim and focused on my race and not those around me. 

The Bike

My strongest discipline but unfortunately the discipline where a mechanical almost completely pulled my race apart. My own fault, but I had over adjusted the screws on my front mech meaning it didn't get the movement needed to switch between the front rings when under load, so for the entire race I was switching between the big and the small ring using my finger whilst on the move. Then, at around 140km in I tore the entire front mech off the frame trying to use the gear lever. Thankfully I had spare bolts and cable ties in my spares bottle and just got the last 40k (including the biggest climbs) done in the big ring to just get the bike home. A real shame as I think given my start of bike stats that I could've gone sub 11 if I hadn't had these issues. 

The Run

I saved my race on the run by sticking to my fuelling and pacing plan throughout. My one rule was no walking, eat real food and stay hydrated. It worked a treat and I managed to come in at 3:55, and my target was always to get sub 4. I had no issues with cramping, very minor stomach issues and I felt strong throughout. Around 30km in I hit 'the trenches' and then it became all mind games from that point. There was no feeling like the final 3km, coming through the town of Roth and then hitting that green carpet I found myself getting incredibly emotional. Hearing over the speaker 'from Great Britain, Toby Simmons' set me off and it's hard to explain just how good it felt to, despite my mechanicals, come in to the stadium at a very respectable 11 hours 20 minutes. 

The Event

Challenge Roth is like nothing I've ever experienced before. The organisation, the planning, the crowds, everything felt like it was about the athletes' experience and they really couldn't have done anything to make it better. Truly incredible. I felt incredibly lucky to be there as part of the ZONE3 crew and it was fantastic to meet up with everybody and send it on the Sunday. 

The Do's

• Research, practice and stick to your nutrition plan throughout the race. Don't be tempted to deviate.

• Spend 80-90% of your lead up training block in Zone 2, this is where you'll get the most bang for your buck when it comes to long distance. 

• Bring support to your race, it makes all the difference seeing people you know throughout the race.

• Practice swimming in your wetsuit in the open water, it's very different to the pool and you don't want to panic on race day.

• Ensure your kit in your transition bags is ready, pack additional fuel incase anything is damaged or splits in transit and leave laces loose (or get elastic laces) so you can get your feet in easily going into the run.

• Relax in the build up, it's very easy to get worked up about what you're about to do. Deep breaths, and then focus on each stroke, pedal and step as they come.

• Give yourself space on the swim. A stray arm or foot can really impact your race so practice spotting and adjusting your course to give yourself the best chance of staying up to pace and relaxed in the water. 

The Don'ts

• Be tempted to over fuel if you start to flag a little bit. Fuel's benefits are delayed, so don't chug water/electrolytes or eat lots in a desperate plea to feel better. Small and often and wait for it to do its job. 

• Go hell for leather off the bike into the run. Practice brick runs and focus on keeping your pace at your target as you come off the bike, you will feel incredibly fast but that will swiftly diminish if you go out too hot.

• Become frustrated if times aren't where you want them to be. This is a huge undertaking alone, let alone setting yourself time constraints. Enjoy and embrace the experience, push as hard as you can and focus on getting over that line. 

• Neglect strength training in the build up. I haven't been injured once and I put a lot of that down to the amount of strength training I build into my triathlon plan. 

• Forget everyone else, this is your race. You vs You and you're the only person giving yourself a hard time. Remember that reaching the finish line is a monstrous achievement in itself, remove the time goals for your first one and embrace this amazing experience for what it is. If you feel you've got a bit more to give on the run, then dig deep and send it. 

• Be around family and friends for the lead up, that time will be fantastic at distracting you from the task at hand.  

• Prepare for the worst, race your hardest until and around anything that does happen. My front mech didn't work for the entirety of my 180km bike in Roth and I was having to manually move it over with my finger whilst freewheeling in the race. Eventually that led to me ripping the entire thing off at 140km. Did I get frustrated? Yes, but I took a breath, realised the only person getting myself out of it was me, we fix it the best we can and we crack on.

• Give your fuel time to set in, don't rush and panic feed.

• Don't be afraid to tread water for a second in the swim.