Andy Collier (pictured) of Cambridge University Triathlon Club sent us in this report from the Dambuster Triathlon. It sounds like a great race.

Date: 19 June 2010

Location: Rutland Water, Leicestershire

Format: Olympic Distance

Organiser: Pacesetter Events

Website: www.pacesetterevents.com

The Dambuster triathlon has become a popular triathlon in the Midlands, being particularly well known for its hilly bike route which includes the infamous ‘Rutland Ripple’. 1000 spaces are available and these were all snapped up well in advance of race day. The race HQ and transition are located on the northern edge of the Rutland Water reservoir, an area well suited for running a triathlon event, with no obstacles and easy access to the swim, bike and run courses, as well as good facilities and plenty of parking (which is free owing to a handy permit in the race pack!).

With this year’s Dambuster counting as a qualifier for the ITU age group world championships there were a lot of strong athletes competing, all eager to prove their worth and earn the right to race in GBR kit in Budapest in September. This lead to a fast field – though there were plenty of more ‘normal’ people who had simply come to challenge themselves on a course with a well deserved reputation for being pretty tough.

The 1500m swim follows a roughly rectangular course in an anti-clockwise direction. The water was calm and clear, and quite cold, especially towards the middle of the lake which is deep. The first section of the swim headed directly into the sun, which was low in the clear early morning sky. This made sighting pretty tricky, and combined with the large field (more than 200 in the first wave) made for a demanding start to the race! Tinted goggles could well be a good buy for this one in the future…

Transition is located very close to the water’s edge, and if you have invested time in practicing the ‘fourth discipline’ you would be well rewarded – there is only a little ground to cover between the water and your kit, and then to the exit and bike mount, so slick drills paid dividends. The cold swim can have a numbing effect however, so there were a few disorientated looking people in T1.

The Dambuster bike route is well known and well loved (in most cases) for its undulating nature. There are no enormous climbs, but there are a fair number of hills one after the other than can take their toll –around 200m of ascent is spread across the  circa 42km course. A couple of steeper hills are best climbed out of the saddle and get the quads burning nicely, leading to the temptation to ease off a bit to save your legs for running later. However, there is plenty of time to recover, so it’s probably best to just get on with it and work hard! The roads in the area are well maintained and have a good surface, and there are some long, straight descents where you can get up to high speeds and get back the time spent climbing. The area is pretty windy, and it is easy to get caught by crosswinds which can be surprising if you aren’t expecting them.

The run works its way around the side of the lake, including a small descent followed by a hill a few hundred metres out of transition. The rest of the run is very flat, so there is the potential to get a fast run split, especially as the course length is reportedly only 9.7km! Most of the route is on well made paths, though there is a section on grass, which happily is firm underfoot and poses no problems. The most notable feature is an out and back section along a dam on the side of the lake. You complete two ‘laps’ of this, so you can get a good idea of where everyone is relative to you, and see who you have to catch! The wind makes a contribution to the race again here, as the top of the dam is pretty exposed. On the return to the finish, it is possible to see across the lake and hear the race commentary, providing a bit of motivation to get a move on and get to the end. There were plenty of people cheering along the finishing straight, including what appeared to be a small army of supporters from the TFN tri club.

Lawrence Fanous won the race in a time of 01:58:37, followed by Conor Murphy in 01:59:32 and Ashley Hurdman in 02:00:48. The ladies’ race winner was Eimear Mullan in 02:11:02 with Stacey Penn coming second (02:16:07) and Lindsay Smith finishing third (02:16:13).

The Dambuster Triathlon has a friendly atmosphere, fostered by the enthusiastic marshals and helpers. The event as a whole is well organised and professionally executed. With its cold swim, and a solid bike section followed by a fast run course, the race provides a great opportunity to challenge yourself physically and test your mental toughness!

Do this race next year if:

• You like no nonsense, solid races
• You prefer flat run courses
• You want to familiarise yourself with the area and bike route for the Vitruvian middle distance race in September

Don’t do this race if:

• You are not a fan of hilly bike routes
• You don’t like riding or running in the wind

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