As places to train go, the BEST swim centre in Colonia Sant Jordi, Mallorca, is pretty much every swimmer’s dream. Not only does it centre around a 10-lane 50m outdoor pool, but the centre is founded and run by two Olympic swimmers – James Parrack and Matthew O’Connor – so expert knowledge abounds. Plus not only that, but the town is on a peninsula with a selection of beaches and coves around it, making it ideal for open-water swimming.
Advertisement
It’s no surprise then, that the centre makes the perfect location for a swim festival. Every year swimmers congregate for Bestfest, seven days of open-water swimming, pool coaching and fun with fellow athletes from all over the world – and when 220 were invited out to experience the new 1.9km and 3.8km tri-distance swims, it was too good an opportunity to miss!
We arrive in the town partway through the week and many of the athletes have already taken part in distances ranging from a 1.5k to 4.5k sea swim. One race – the 5k – had to be cancelled due to choppy waters, but with a whole week and plenty of events to pick from, nobody seems too concerned about that!
Swim skills and Team GB
I’ve got two days before my race, so I take part in a couple of pool and open-water training sessions with some of the centre’s resident coaches. We work on drills, pacing, sighting, dolphin dives, turning round a buoy and how to run in shallow water – basically everything we might need for the upcoming races!
My race is on the Friday, but on the Thursday I’m lucky enough to be there to watch the week’s longest races – the 7k and 10k ‘Colonia Classics’. There’s a strong field too, with the GB Open-water swimming squad in attendance, as well as several other elites from around the world. Rio-bound Jack Burnell is there being filmed for the BBC Olympics coverage and is a strong favourite. In the end the three-lap course is pretty tight and there’s a run to the finish between the top three athletes with GB’s Caleb Hughes just edging the win from his team-mate by 00:00:02 – nail-biting stuff!
Taking on 3.8km
Friday comes around all too quickly – and my race with it! Regular 220 readers will know that I’ve only learn to swim in the last couple of years. I absolutely love the open water though and have been working hard to improve my skills, so have opted for the full 3.8km rather than the 1.9km. My previous longest was the 1.9km swim at Hever Castle’s Gauntlet last year, so this marks quite a step up.
Luckily though, the conditions don’t look too choppy today. Talk of the waves earlier in the week have made me a bit nervous, but although there’s some breeze, the sea looks relatively calm. Come 3pm and I’m hiding in the shade of a beachfront café on the pretty Cala Galiota beach, zipping myself into my wetsuit. Most of the field are in skins, but I’m taking all the help I can get for this one!
I’ve made some great friends already on the trip and my new buddies from the Myrtleville Swimmers in Ireland are also competing (and acting as my support crew/photographers!), so we walk to the start together. By now we’ve found out that the sea is in fact ‘a bit lumpy’ further out, so the course has been modified and is now four smaller 950m laps of a triangular route, rather than two big 1.9km ones.
It’s a deep water start so I line up alongside the others and at the klaxon I’m off – excited to be swimming and getting on with it after all the nerves! We head out to the first buoy and the conditions seem reasonable – although turning left around it on to the top straight and things get a bit bumpier. The waves are coming towards us and I’m trying by best to roll with them and seem to be doing ok – there are still swimmers around me, anyway!
We head back to shore and swim around two more buoys to take on lap two. Here the waves seem to be bigger (although maybe that’s because it’s the second lap!) and I’m starting to get thrown around a bit. I’m enjoying myself though and am marvelling at the elite swimmers shooting past me. Their technique is just brilliant to watch and while I’m struggling to keep on course, they glide like fish around me. Jealous isn’t the word!
Navigating the waves
Finishing lap two and the 1.9km swimmers head in to the finish line, while I crack on to lap three. It’s starting to feel a bit tough, but I tell myself to just keep going – if I finish three laps, that’s still a new ‘longest distance in open-water’ PB for me! By now the stretch out to the first buoy is getting choppier and I’m finding the top straight quite tough. The third lap seems to take forever and part of my brain is telling me to quit while I’m ahead. Luckily though, the bossier part of me is determined to finish and makes me swim around the bottom buoys again to take on lap four, rather than quitting!
This is where things get a bit ‘interesting’ as fatigue and the (still increasing) waves combine to make me wonder if I’m actually moving at times. The sea is so clear that you can see right down to the bottom though and I’m encouraged to see the rocks moving so I know I’m making progress – even if I’m finding it near impossible to sight and feel more like I’m surfing than swimming at times.
The support crew are truly fantastic though and by this point I’ve got a couple of kayaks with me for company (one of the perks of being at the back!) which is massively reassuring. Little by little I inch towards the finish until I finally get out of the chop into clear waters and swim to shore. Standing up far too quickly and trying to run I slip over a couple of times, but it’s a great feeling hearing the crowds cheer and race director, James Bainbridge, calling me in over the tannoy!
Setting a swim PB
My final race time turns out to be 01:41:23 – but that’s a PB and I’m so happy to have completed the challenge I set myself (even if it won’t be troubling anyone at Kona any time soon!) and I hope it shows that even newbies can make huge steps with their swimming with a little time and dedication. Plus I’ve got one day left in Mallorca so have time to enter the fun relay races on the Saturday – a great ending to the week and a chance to have a final swim with all the great people I’ve met on the trip.
Race director James tells me: “A week long programme comprising eight events in seven days takes a great deal of planning and execution. Luckily we’re blessed with dedicated and hard working volunteer staff, without whom Bestfest just wouldn’t happen. I’m proud of what we’re achieving in our little corner of Mallorca, we love meeting new swimmers and also seeing familiar friends return to swim with us and hope that our success this year will be a stepping stone for 2017 and beyond!”
For anyone wanting to work on their swimming ahead of an Ironman or long-distance tri, I’d definitely recommend this week. I’ve had a great time, achieved what I set out to and made some brilliant new friends. It’s safe to say that Bestfest deserves the ‘best’ in its name!
Advertisement
To find out more about training at Best Swim Centre visit the website here, and for more about Bestfest see here. Thank you to all the Best Swim Centre team for looking after us during our stay and to the Universal Hotel Cabo Blanco and the Bluewater Hotel for our fantastic accommodation.
This weekend two-time ITU Triathlon World Champion Gwen Jorgensen (USA) is to compete at WTS Leeds on her bespoke Specialized Amira
Advertisement
Her team, in conjunction with Specialized and Columbia Threadneedle Investments, have worked hard to create an iconic bike that features HED Stinger 3 wheels, SRM cranks and Di2 Shimano groupset. The Amira has been Jorgensen’s choice ride since 2012 because of its lightweight carbon frame, tapered head tube and responsive handling.
Following the elite women’s race which starts at 13.06 on Sunday 12 June, the bike will be on display in Millennium Square for fans to take photos as the men’s race sweeps through Leeds from 15.45. She will then race Hamburg WTS before returning the bike for a charity auction later this year.
“I am very excited to showcase my new custom Amira at the Columbia Threadneedle World Triathlon Leeds,” said Jorgensen. “I loved teaming up with my partners on this project. The bike is absolutely beautiful and I look forward to putting it up for charity auction later this year. Columbia Threadneedle, Specialized, HED, and Shimano truly outdid themselves with this one. I cannot wait to see everyone’s reaction to it!”
Advertisement
Rupert Pybus, Global Head of Marketing, Columbia Threadneedle Investments said: “We are delighted that Gwen will be riding this special bike in what we hope will be a very special race for the world’s best triathletes, triathlon fans and the local community. Spectators will be able to see the bike in Millennium Square after the race.”
Dirk Waijnarda finished the full distance triathlon (3.8km swim, 180-km cycle and 42km marathon) in a time of 8:09:14, 10 minutes and 10 seconds ahead of second-placed Sergio Marques of Portugal, and Malte Bruns of Germany who was third across the line.
Advertisement
“This morning’s start was incredible because the backdrop is absolutely unique in the world, said Dirk Waijnalda. “I didn’t have any trouble in the swimming stage but the cycling one was gruelling. I felt fine despite the sun and heat, and I was still doing pretty good when I got to the second transition. Then I waited for the final 24 km before I really started to push hard and apply my strategy. I’m very happy to have taken the win”.
Csomor finished in a time of 9:04:42 seconds ahead of the Italian Martina Dogana, while in third position was Carla Van Rooijen of Netherland who crossed the line in 9: 33:03 seconds.
“I’m absolutely delighted to have won the first edition of this competition and on my first official outing this season too,” said Erika Csomor.
“I managed to take the lead almost immediately and then I was able to control it from there on. I knew that Martina was a strong runner and so I couldn’t relax for a single second during the race. She also had a fantastic turnout of people cheering her on on her home ground so staying out in front until the very end was really tough”.
The 6.30 am start from the Island of Venice was a spectacular sight as the 800 athletes dived into the water while there was a huge turnout of spectators along the cycling route which traversed the Provinces of Venice and Treviso, winding its way through the Municipalities of Quarto d’Altino, Marcon, Meolo, Monastier, Musile, San Donà and Roncade before the final marathon in Parco San Giuliano.
Looking to improve your triathlon performance this summer? Then we could have found just the thing… Six-time Ironman world champ and coaching legend Dave Scott has told 220 that he will be running a series of three triathlon training camps based in Kona, Hawaii.
Advertisement
The five-day camps will be based at the Four Seasons resort Hualalai and will offer the perfect training ground for anyone looking to compete on the big island itself, or keen to improve the overall quality of their training for any event.
“The camps are for all athletes, all abilities and for motivated athletes who are willing to slightly change their programme based on my experience and interaction with you,” says Scott. “The premise is not to smash you – it’s really to make you more efficient and economical. I don’t care how fast you are now. I can make you faster – and I can guarantee it.”
Dates are 25-30th July, 15-20th August and 22-27th August 2016. For more information and to book, visit the Four Seasons website here.
Advertisement
Click below to hear Dave Scott describe the training camps
Triathlon training tips and features by Dave Scott
Dave Scott’s five tips for improving your swim technique for triathlon
Dave Scott’s strength and conditioning training plan for triathletes
Dave Scott on how goal-setting can help you focus when going long
The scientists compared short, explosive contractions lasting less than one second with sustained contractions lasting three seconds. They investigated the effect of the different contractions on the participants’ quadriceps muscles located on the front of the thigh.
Advertisement
What’s the difference between muscles, tendons and ligaments?
One group did the explosive contractions, one group did the sustained contractions, and a third group acted as a control group. The participants trained with 40 contractions repeated three times a week for three months. The force produced by every contraction was prescribed and monitored to ensure it was either explosive or sustained. An extensive range of performance and physiological measurements were done before and after the training to assess the changes.
The results showed that explosive contractions are an easier and less tiring way of increasing strength and functional capacity of the muscles, and therefore a highly efficient method of training. The method increases strength by assisting the nervous system in ‘switching on’ and activating the trained muscles. In comparison, the more traditional sustained contractions — which demand a lot of effort and soon become tiring — are actually a more effective way of increasing muscle mass. Increasing muscle mass may be the main training goal for some people, including athletes in some sports, for aesthetic reasons or metabolic health.
Lead author Dr Jonathan Folland, from the University’s School of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences, said: “The easiest way to make muscles stronger has been debated by fitness and sports professionals for many years, but this study shows that it doesn’t have to mean lots of pain for any gain.
“Whereas traditional strength training is made up of slow, grinding contractions using heavy weights which is quite hard work, this study shows that short, sharp contractions are relatively easy to perform and a very beneficial way of building up strength. These short, explosive contractions may also be beneficial to older individuals and patient groups such as those with osteoarthritis, who would benefit from getting stronger, but are reluctant to undergo tiring sustained contractions.”
Advertisement
Related
Does combining strength and endurance training sessions work?
The home crowd could only stand and stare today as the 30-year-old from Wisconsin hunted down her fellow ITU athlete prey on the final 10km, to take her 17th WTS victory. The Brit team, which included Non Stanford, Vicky Holland, Jodie Stimpson, Jess Learmonth and Lucy Hall, took bronze, courtesy of Holland, behind Bermudan Flora Duffy in silver.
Advertisement
Brit swim power duo and Leeds residents Hall and Learmonth controlled the 1.5km first discipline, exiting Roundhay Park lake after 18:31mins, with bike specialist Duffy in tow.
While Holland was only several seconds back in sixth, a tricky wetsuit exit saw her miss the front trio, leaving her ensconced in the chase group along with Jorgensen.
There was even more woe for Team GB, as Stimpson found herself 27secs down and Stanford a further 8secs out of T1. With the Brits spread out across four groups, Hall and Learmonth did their best to slow the pace out front. But with Duffy’s bike pedigree that was easier said than done, the Xterra world champ cranking up the pace from the off and pulling out a 1min gap by the end of the first 13.8km lap.
Meanwhile the third group, which included Stimpson, had managed to bridge the gap to Holland’s chasing ensemble, the large pack staying together until the end of the bike.
By the end of the third of seven short 3.95km laps, the gap to the leading trio was up to 1:38mins, as Duffy, Hall and Learmonth pounded the damp cobbles of Leeds city centre. Trading chat throughout the bike leg, the two young Brits could do little but stick in and try to control the pace, which they did admirably, the deficit by T2 still 1:40mins. But would that be enough for strong runner Duffy to hold off Jorgensen and those legs?
Answer: of course not. While Duffy gunned it out of T2 to build a lead of 24secs over the two Brits gals after the first lap, the American was busy picking off athletes one by one until Duffy was the only one left in her sights. With 5km to go she was 38secs down on Duffy; by the end of the third lap of four Jorgensen made her move, eventually crossing the tape in 2:00:33 (with a 33:29min run split), just under a minute ahead of Duffy.
Holland, who had run with Stimpson throughout the 10k, kicked just before the final corner to take third ahead of her teammate. Stanford, who had had spent the entire 40km bike leg in the third group, put in the fifth fastest run in 34:58mins to take ninth. Learmonth would take 10th to give the Brits four in the top 10. Hall would run through for 13th.
Read the reaction from the five Brits and Flora Duffy here and for a full list of results head to www.triathlon.org
The next round of the WTS takes place in Stockholm on 2 July, where GB’s Helen Jenkins, absent today in Leeds, will compete alongside her Rio teammates Holland and Stanford for the first time this season.
It’s always my tactic to race hard from the start and try and hit the podium. When I came off the bike with a 1:45min lead over Gwen, I thought it was going to be close and that I could maybe do it. But my legs starting to feel pretty heavy on the run and I didn’t have that bouncy, light feeling. And then I started to see Gwen closing. But I couldn’t be happier with second.
ON… RIO TACTICS
In terms of Rio, I’m be going for the same tactic and I hope that they’ll be some other girls willing to join me. I think we can easily get a two minute lead out there. But every race unfolds differently and you never know what’s going to happen in triathlon until the gun goes off.
VICKY HOLLAND, 3RD (GB)
ON… ANOTHER GWEN WIN
I’m a bit disappointed that I had a wetsuit removal problem in T1 and then lost contact with the three really strong bikers. And another Gwen win? It’s becoming a bit repetitive isn’t it?! How are we going to do to beat her? She is phenomenal and pulled out such a strong run today. It’s such a technical course and was single file for the most of it.
JODIE STIMPSON, 4TH (GB)
ON… EMPTYING THE TANK
I wish I could’ve won the sprint finish at the end but Vicky was too fast. I’m sure my coach Darren [Smith] will call me a tactical numpty for doing too much work at the front on the run though. Tactically I did what I needed to on the bike and I definitely emptied the tank on the run.
ON… MISSING THE RIO SQUAD
It’s been a tough couple of months with missing Rio and the hard times aren’t over just yet. It’s tough running with the girls [Non, Vicky and Helen Jenkins] and knowing that they’re going to Rio and I’m not. But we’re a fantastic triathlon nation and any of the girls can win gold in Rio.
ON… BEATING GWEN
Gwen did have weaknesses on the bike today and if a breakaway like that happens in Rio, then I just hope our Brit girls are up there. If they can push that technical bike course in Rio then they could really be away.
BARBARA RIVEROS DIAZ (CHILE), 5TH
ON… YORKSHIRE TRI CULTURE
It was an amazing atmosphere out there and it’s been great to immerse myself in Yorkshire tri culture over the weekend. I’ve been out to see the roads where the Brownlees ride and where they grew up, so it’s been a great education.
NON STANFORD, 9TH (GB)
ON… A TOUGH DAY
That was tough, really tough. But we knew it was always going to be hard. Unfortunately today I just didn’t have it, I felt rubbish on the swim and didn’t want to get back in for the second lap! But the crowds here today got me round. I don’t know why I struggled so much, but it’ll be something we’ll have to look at.
We tried to hold that bridge that gap with the lead chasing group but it’s tough when you’re the only one in the pack willing to work at the front. But no excuses and I’ll have to go home and assess what went wrong. My training has been going really well yet sometimes you have these days. We’ve still got work to do in trying to stop Gwen in Rio.
JESSICA LEARMONTH AND LUCY HALL, 10TH AND 13TH (GB)
We really wanted to help Flora on the bike and pull our own weight. But she’s so strong on the bike and was just doing everything. She was amazing and cracked on and did her own race. Vicky coming third and in her home race is phenomenal.
The Yorkshire setting. A buoyant and bumper home crowd. A one-two finish. Things couldn’t have been scripted much better for the Brownlee brothers at the inaugural ITU World Triathlon Series race in Leeds this afternoon following a blistering performance over their Rio Olympic rivals. After 1:49hrs of frenetic racing, Alistair would be the top dog while Jonny would follow him home in second.
Advertisement
Organisational chaos at age-group event casts shadow over WTS Leeds
Roundhay Park in Leeds was the picturesque setting for one of the last showdowns before the Olympic Games. Much of the attention – and adulation – from the reported 100,000 crowd was centred on the Brownlee brothers, with Jonny and Ali truly racing on home soil.
It also gave tri fans a chance to see new Olympic squad addition Gordon Benson race with the Brownlees, and what tactical plan they had to quell the threat of Javier Gomez (the top ITU trio of Richard Murray, Mario Mola and Fernando Alarza were all missing from the action), who was returning to the ITU World Triathlon Series for the first time this season.
Just minutes after Gwen Jorgensen was crowned the women’s Leeds champ, the men’s 1.5km swim kicked off in Roundhay Park. As is customary, Slovakia’s Richard Varga led into T1 with the main contenders within seconds of him.
Ali Brownlee’s speedy transition saw him exit first and fly out of the bike course start. Within minutes Alistair, Jonny (albeit after a T1 fumble with his bike shoes), Aussie Aaron Royle and Aurelien Rapheal of France had daylight between the chasing pack, with the brothers tearing up his local roads and leaving Rio rival Gomez in their slipstream.
HOME TOWN HEROES
By the time the twisty 40km bike route reached the grandstand in Leeds, the quartet had a 1:07min lead over Javier Gomez and Richard Varga, with the lead pack even further back. Gomez and Varga would soon become part of the chase pack, but the lead of the Brownlees continued to grow in front of the rapturous partisan crowd.
The BBC coverage went off air for a few minutes to frustrate armchair fans and when it returned the gap was 2mins over the pack. And it’d continue to increase until T2, where the Brownlees catapulted themselves onto the run to instantly drop Rapheal, with Royle soon to suffer the same fate.
By the end of the first run lap, Ali had broken away from Jonny to create a 20sec gap and he’d continue to extend his lead in front of the noisy five-deep crowds. Royle was clinging on to third while Gomez had managed to pull himself into fourth, but it’d be too little too late for the Spaniard on his ITU racing return as Brownlee surged to victory with a 31:10 run 10km split.
Jonny would follow 34secs later to produce the brother’s fifth ITU one-two performance, with Royle, Gomez and Raphael rounding out the top 5. Brit Adam Bowden would finish 7th, Tom Bishop 20th and Benson 29th.
Read the reaction from the Brownlees and Gomez here and for a full list of results head to www.triathlon.org
Basically it was incredible. The support is better than anything else in the world. It’s a good, honest triathlon course. We wanted that and that’s what it was.To have four or five-deep the whole round, it was just incredible. It was the perfect triathlon course for spectators. People come out to watch it on not the finest day.
ON HIS RACE…
I had a good swim, and settled in nicely in fourth place. But I messed up my transition and that’s where I really lost the race. I couldn’t get my feet in my shoes and I was working with [Richard] Varga and [Javier] Gomez a bit, but he didn’t have the legs so I thought ‘I’m not dragging you across, I’m going to have to go for it’. So I got halfway across and Alistair said ‘come and help me’. It was a very hard day out though. The one-two finish is great but I’d prefer it to be the other way round.
ON ALISTAIR’S PERFORMANCE…
Oh yeah, he was very strong, you’re not going to beat him on a day like today unless you’re on top form. I really messed up that first transition and then I was just catching up from there really.
ON THE IMPORTANCE OF THE RACE…
To come and put in a performance like that is very very important. Obviously my run wasn’t the best I’ve ever done but we cycled a lot harder than anyone. So to come first and second is a good marker for Rio.
ALISTAIR BROWNLEE, GBR, 1ST
ON RACING IN LEEDS…
I can’t quite describe it really. I’ve been lucky to have had a lot of good performances in my time, obviously London is a standout highlight but you know, wow, today, that was brilliant. And I think by far the best crowd on the World Series circuit, by a long way, not even close.
ON HIS PERFORMANCE…
I think people knew I was capable of that kind of race but I’ve got another two months to get fitter and stronger. And hopefully I can be as good as I’ve ever been in a few months time. Coming out of T2 I was fairly confident that Jonny would beat me. I just got into a stride and felt good. Better than I deserved really after the last two months of training.
ON HIS TRAINING TO DATE…
The last six weeks have been some of the hardest of my career. It’s just been a struggle, I’ve been tired so it’s just fantastic to pull it off today. I’ve just had to rest and wait it out.
Physically I felt really good, had a really good swim, but a key point on the bike I couldn’t put my feet in my shoes and I missed 5metres. Suddenly I was in the middle of nowhere and I wasn’t strong enough to close the gap. Unfortunately I was only with Varga, so I knew we weren’t going to catch [the leaders] so we waited for the second group and then we just lost more and more time. But I had a really good run, I ran faster than I expected [30:43 to Alistair’s 31:10] which is good, but I’m a bit disappointed that in the key moment of the race I wasn’t strong enough, I wasn’t smart enough and I missed the group.
ON HIS FITNESS…
I’m getting better, I was better today than two weeks ago in Lisbon [the European Champs], even though two weeks ago I won the race, but I know my fitness is better. I ran faster today than two weeks ago but you can’t make mistakes in a high-level race. I made one today and I have to say the Brownlees were really strong and they performed amazingly. When they are fit, I have no doubt they [the Brownlees] are the strongest guys, they are the ones to beat and hopefully I will do better in Rio.
ON HOW HE FEELS NOW COMPARED TO 2012…
It’s different I guess but this time I’ve had more problems at the beginning of the year, maybe I’m not as fit as back then, but I’m improving really fast and I’m feeling good. I was quite competitive today but unfortunately it wasn’t where I had to be.
True to predictions, it was the Australian professional Ben Allen who took the first ever 32Gi Eastbourne Triathlon title in a time of 1:09:17. Allen was joined on the top step of the podium by fiancé and fellow elite triathlete Jacqui Slack, who won the women’s race in 1:20:00.
Advertisement
The 600m sea swim kicked off the event and the strong tides meant local talent Harrison Rolls-King would use all of his course knowledge to come out the water first with the seven-time aquathlon world-champ Richard Stannard.
Stannard would DNF at this point with an ankle injury, leaving the crowds to be thrilled by the emergence of local lad Rolls-King leading the race.
After a tough 25km bike leg that took in the stunning surroundings of the South Downs National Park and Eastbourne, Allen would finish the bike with a slim lead ahead of a new threat; another local triathlete Jamie Bedwell who, at just 19, was showing what a talent he was by pushing Allen all the way and heading out onto the run to rapturous applause with the lead.
The tough run favoured Allen and as he descended the Beachy Head hill, he would be able to reclaim the lead in a decisive move and run on for the victory.
In the women’s race, Jacqui Slack had a more familiar rival as the reigning European Aquathlon Champion, Hannah Kitchen, led from the front for much of the race. As the event wore on, Slack would use her experience, fitness and determination to knock that lead down until mid-way through the run, when the pole position changed hands and it was Slack who came away with the trophy.
AGE-GROUP ACTION
Of course it is not just all about the elites, and 151 athletes completed the 32Gi Eastbourne Triathlon for the first time. Many were taking part in their first ever triathlon event, including 75-year-old Eastbourne resident Samuel Gray, who said: “The event had fantastic organisation, all the team and marshals were very friendly and I’m grateful to have taken part.”
The particpants, their families, friend and spectators part enjoyed the race village, complete with music, quality food, free massage and shiatsu treatments and much more.
The 32Gi Eastbourne Triathlon hopes to return to the sporting calendar next year with a race date soon to be announced.