Date: 12 June 2010

Location: Windsor, Berkshire

Format: Sprint and Olympic Distance formats

Organiser: Human Race

Website: www.humanrace.co.uk

“Worthington worthy Windsor winner” was almost too good a headline to ignore, but Windsor’s famous 20 year old triathlon is so much bigger than the race between some of the UK’s best known triathletes. Besides, at T-Zero we had a special interest in the four triathletes who won places at Windsor through our competition sponsored by Speedo.

The Windsor Triathlon attracts thousands of entrants from first timers to seasoned age-groupers and sells out within days. It is one of the most popular events on the triathlon calendar and it’s easy to see why: stylish location, tough but fair course and fantastic organisation.

One of the great things about open water swimming is that every occasion provides a unique set of challenges. As well as dodging puzzled swans, the Windsor swim section offers competitors the choice between a direct route up the centre of the river, a longer route hugging the banks or anything in-between. With the first 900m of the race heading upstream, making the right choice could make the difference between a good or bad swim.

Rivers tend to flow faster in the middle than at the edges. How much faster depends on rainfall in the preceding weeks and days.  Flows in the Thames were judged ‘normal’ this year. In the past, currents have been stronger. Even so, it seemed the bank hugging option for the upstream leg followed by a central route on the return was the preferred and fastest option.

The bike course can almost be ridden throughout on aero bars but features enough undulations to keep it interesting. Although slightly over-distance at 42km, it still produced plenty of fast bike splits. And while it uses major roads the early start kept them mostly free of traffic. The final descent through Windsor Great Park allowed competitors to test their biggest gears.

The run takes in the famous climb up to Windsor Castle but few people stopped for sight seeing. The three lap course with two out-and-back sections is ideal for keeping tabs on your competitors and receiving encouragement from spectators. The only slight complaint is that some stretches become a little crowded.

In the weeks running up to the event, T-Zero was fortunate to work with Speedo to hold a competition for five precious spots in the race. Four lucky winners took part. The fifth, unfortunately, had to withdraw at the last minute due to injury.

Andy Collier from Cambridge University managed an impressive 6^th place in the 25-29 age group and 44^th overall in a time of 2.13.32. “It was fantastic to get the opportunity to race at Windsor,” he says. “It’s the biggest event I’ve been to and I loved the atmosphere. I thought it was a very honest, robust race. You’ve got to be a good all-rounder to do well. There’s nowhere to hide.”

Andy contemplates the swim start

Competing in the 35-39 age group, Ashley Winkworth was pleased to beat his time from last year although he struggled a little on the bike. “I tried to book my slot at Windsor around Christmas time but that was too late so I was really happy to win a place. It’s great to see a year-on-year improvement but I probably could have benefited from a few more winter miles on the bike. It was also colder this year and I couldn’t feel my feet at the start of the run.”

Darren Stratton opted for the sprint distance event (750m swim/29km bike/5km run) as he hadn’t yet done any open water swimming this year. “This was my best race to date. It should be a great springboard for the rest of the season. It was a bit painful at times but I definitely enjoyed it and I beat my last year’s time by 20 minutes.”

Darren Stratton racks his bike

Vanessa Lincoln finished 19^th in the women’s 25-29 category in 2.56.14. “Windsor was my first ever Olympic Distance race. I was anxious about the pacing and I don’t think I was fully prepared having done a half-ironman two weeks previously. The swim and bike went really well but I struggled quite a bit on the run – it’s amazing how much the hill zaps your legs. Overall, it’s a great event: well organised and loads of people.”

A great feature of the Windsor triathlon is that the elite race takes place on exactly the same course, which makes it painfully clear how much faster the stars of the sport are than the rest of us. The elites also started after many of the age-group athletes had finished giving those competitors a chance to watch some high level racing.

The elite men arrive in T2

Steven Worthington won the men’s race in 1.53.31, just over half a minute ahead of Marc Jenkins in second and Gavin Noble in third. Vanessa Raw, Lois Rosindale and Jacqui Slack took the podium slots in the women’s race with Raw 40 seconds ahead of Rosindale in 2.03.43. Charlotte Roach, who we’ve featured previously on T-Zero, finished in 8^th position with a strong run split of 39.31.

Do this race next year if:

You like large, well-organised events with a great atmosphere

You want to see how you compare with the professionals

Don’t do this race if:

You live far from Windsor and don’t want stay overnight. Saturday registration is compulsory.

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