So, heading to the start of the inaugural ÖtillÖ Final 15 race in Stockholm on 3rd September I’m facing a series of emotions. Having already raced the new ÖtillÖ Swimrun Isles of Scilly earlier in the year (report here), people seem to have me down as some kind of swimrun veteran. But if I’m being completely honest, the day we’re facing in the Stockholm archipelago has me more than a little spooked…

So what is it? Well, in essence the Final 15 is exactly as it sounds. Forming part of the new ÖtillÖ Sprint race series, it offers a shorter version of an existing ‘full’ race. Only in this case, the full race in question is the mythical ÖtillÖ world championship final, renowned for being one of the world’s toughest endurance races, in which athletes traverse 75km of brutal trails, slippery rocks and current-strewn swims in the freezing Baltic.

“It’s one of the most beautiful parts of the course,” says founder Michael Lemmel during the race briefing on the ferry to the start line, “but our racers are a bit foggy by the time they reach it…. So this is a new way to experience the finish.”

Let’s be clear what we’re talking about here, though. The race is called the ‘Final 15’ when in reality it’s nearer 17km (and my Garmin finally reveals our race to be more like 18km!) and within that there are nine runs across often tricky, technical trails and eight swims, including strong currents at times, the longest of which is 900m.

Lemmel is right though – already from the ferry we can see just how beautiful the scenery in the area is, with dense woods sitting on rocky outcrops, while the air feels clean and fresh in a way that makes you desperate to get outside and take in the environment.

A Unique Experience

The Final 15 ÖtillÖ Sprint also gives you a chance to experience something that very few athletes will be lucky enough to go through. The full championship race follows two days later and only 120 teams of two are lucky enough to qualify to take on the full 75km course, with another 600 (ouch) registered on the wait list. So if ÖtillÖ is on your bucket list but you can’t contemplate the full distance, or never managed to qualify, this is a good alternative.

I’m racing with Laurent Grabet, a fellow journo from Switzerland, who I meet the night before. He’s never raced swimrun before, but with plenty of trail experience and a faster swim ability than me, we decide to go for it and try racing tethered with belts and ropes, with hand paddes for Laurent in the swim.

Many of the water exits were straight on to slippery, steep rocks. Image: Jakob Edholm

The first run is only 1400m, so we’re soon arriving at the first – and longest – swim. I’d been nervous about water temperatures after really struggling in the Scilly race, but in fact either a summer of hanging around in lakes trying to toughen up has worked or things are much warmer here, as the water feels comfortable to swim in.

Laurent and I soon get into a rhythm and we’re keeping up well with the field. I get the odd paddle in the face but I’m loving the beautiful surroundings – and bizarrely, am enjoying spotting the many jellyfish swimming beneath me. Not everyone reported liking them so much!

Swim done and we’re into the longest of the runs, at 7400m. Most of this one is remarkably flat and easy-going for ÖtillÖ though, with the first 5k taking us down wide country trail roads. It starts to pelt it down with rain, but actually we don’t mind as it’s refreshing and means we don’t have to bother ‘cabbing down’ (swimrun speak for peeling off the top of the wetsuit to avoid overheating).

Technical Terrain

From here on though, the terrain soon starts to become more technical. I’m more used to flat runs and am also conscious of a recent Achilles injury that is still a little creaky. Laurent pushes the pace though and I’m surprised to find I (mostly) fall into step with him – although there are a couple of moments I fall flat on my face…

Distances from here are much shorter between swim and run legs, so we’re constantly in and out of the water. We seem to have transitions pretty nailed though – apart from one memorable swim where I forget to do up the front zip on my wetsuit and it promptly filled with water on each stroke. Not a mistake you make twice.

Runs varied from technical trails to swampy undergrowth. Image: Jakob Edholm

One thing I am finding tricky though is the water exits. Many are on to steep and slippery rocks and I just can’t get a foothold. Swimrun is a friendly sport though and I find other swimrunners behind me only too happy to give my bum a good shove to help me out!

As well as trying to keep to a decent pace, we’re trying to take in the scenery as well though. There can’t be anything else in the world like this race – we run through beautiful forests, along magical, almost fairytale, trails and scamper across barren rocks feeling like the last people on earth.

With no cut-offs in the Sprints, there’s plenty of time to enjoy them! Image: Jakob Edholm

All too soon we reach the final island – Utö – where the course slightly alters from the world championship course to allow us to take in a final beautiful trail and a couple of short extra swims, before we head up the final hill to the finish line where race organiser Michael Lemmel is there again to greet finishers with a hug – along with a welcome finish line buffet! Our finish time? Three hours and five seconds…. We joke that if I hadn’t spectacularly fallen off the rocks back into the sea during one swim exit we’d have come in under three!

220’s Editor Helen and race partner Laurent at the finish. Image: Magnus Ormestad

There’s no doubting that this is a tough race. Don’t be fooled by the ‘Sprint’ name – you’ll need to be in reasonable shape to attempt it and you’ll meet some tricky trails and rough currents along the way. But most regular triathletes should be more than up to the challenge and it’s also a fantastic way to experience the things that truly make swimrun unique. Plus having the opportunity to try out the same course as the world champs racers – but without having to get in shape for 75km – is a truly wonderful experience.

Race done and I’m tired but by no means exhausted and I’m soon wondering what it would take to manage the full distance some day. That’s the other thing with the new Sprint distances. They hook you in. Enter one and prepare to be converted…

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Find out more about the ÖtillÖ full and sprint distance race series here.

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Interested in trying swimrun? Read our beginners’ guide to swimrun here and our feature on swimrun gear here.

Base layers, arm warmers and even wooly gloves in Brit Lucy Hall’s case were the order of the day, as athlete’s battled air temperatures of just 8°c. The water wasn’t as cold as expected at 17°c, but still athletes who were expected to be high up the field struggled to get any leeway. Even so, British super-swimmer Jessica Learmonth was first out of the water as expected in 9mins flat, with Hall close behind and series leader Flora Duffy (BER) also up there. 

The bike quickly split into two packs, with the American trio of Katy Zaferes, Sarah True and Summer Cook all in there. Flora Duffy took an early lead, but was reeled in by the Americans who controlled the 20km four-lap ride. Non Stanford and Vicky Holland, third and fourth in the Olympics, were in the chase pack and were around 30secs down for most of the ride.  

Kirsten Kasper of the USA was first to break on the run, and was quickly joined by Flora Duffy (BER) and Sarah True (USA). Holland and Zaferes managed to bridge some gap on the first lap of the run, and were roughly 7secs back.

That didn’t last long, as True widened the gap and surprisingly the only athlete closing in was fellow American Summer Cook. Despite having a terrible T2, Cook blasted through the pack and finally approached True with 500m to go – as she sprinted past clad in a full compression skinsuit to keep the warmth in, the choice of clothing clearly paid off as she held form and sprinted for the line with pure grit and determination. True came in seconds later, followed by Zaferes to complete an American clean sweep on the podium.

Of the Brits, Vicky Holland and Non Stanford managed to break the top 10 in 5th and 7th place respectively. Jodie Stimpson and Lucy Hall both had disappointing days, both posting DNF’s. Flora Duffy retains her lead in the world series overall, with the final race in Cozumel, Mexico on 18th September. 

Results

Summer Cook (USA) – 56:49

Sarah True (USA) – 56:52

Katy Zaferes (USA) – 56:56

Flora Duffy (BER) – 57:10

Vicky Holland (GBR) – 57:15

Kirsten Kasper (USA) – 57:19

Non Stanford (GBR) – 57:30

Emma Jackson (AUS) – 57:36

Gillian Sanders (RSA) – 57:37

Jolanda Annen (SUI) – 57:41

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What did you think of the race? let us know in the comments!

Despite the race taking place shortly after the Olympics, many who were there in Rio made the start line, including sprint specialist Mario Mola (ESP) Richard Murray (RSA) and Pierre La Corre (FRA). As well as Olympic silver medallist Jonny Brownlee, other Brits on the start line included Tom Bishop, Adam Bowden and Grant Sheldon.  

The swim began as always with Richard Varga (SVK) establishing a huge lead midway through the 750m course. Varga pushed on to finish the swim in a blistering 8:17mins, though it quickly became apparent he had no desire to ride solo as he was quickly joined by Jonny Brownlee and Arron Royle (AUS).
The chase pack were around 20secs down after lap 1 of 4 on the 20km bike leg, and the front three continued to work incredibly hard to keep their lead. Mola was in the chase group, and the other three Brits were all in there alongside Murray.

As the pecking order was maintained throughout the entire bike leg, the top three entered T2 with Brownlee quickly surging into the lead. Royle had a poor transition and was quickly caught by Mola, Murray and Sheldon, who looked to be battling it out for the podium places on the 5km run. 

As Brownlee continued to extend his lead, Mola and Murray broke free of Sheldon, having the race of his life, as Tom Bishop moved up to fifth place with 2km to go. Brownlee broke the tape in 51:39mins, a whole 17secs clear of Mola and completing another dominant performance on the ITU circuit.

Mola still leads the overall standings, and Jonny Brownlee has now moved up to second with Fernando Alarza of Spain in third. The world champion will therefore be decided in the Cozumel Grand Final on 18th September, and a grandstand finish could be on the cards between Brownlee and Mola in Mexico.

Results

1. Jonny Brownlee (GBR) – 51:39

2. Mario Mola (ESP) – 51:56

3.  Richard Murray (RSA) – 52:01

4. Grant Sheldon (GBR) – 52:09

5. Thomas Bishop (GBR) – 52:10

6. Steffen Justus (GER) – 52:15

7. Adam Bowden (GBR) – 52:19

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8. Jonathan Zipf (GER) – 52:22

9. Shachar Sagiv (ISR) – 52:23

10. Joao Pereira (POR) – 52:28

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What did you think of the race? Let us know in the comments! 

At the first hill on the bike Lawrence managed to pull ahead, and by the halfway point she had a three minute lead over the chase pack, including Steffen, Cave, and Kaye. Heather Wurtele put in time into the women all day to come off the bike in third. 

Lawrence’s 1:21 run was enough to hold off the hard-charging Melissa Hauschildt, who used her impressive 1:18 half marathon to run her way into second. Wurtele pushed into the final place on the podium, while defending champion Daniela Ryf fought hard for fourth despite tired legs. The Sunshine Coast-based Steffen, who made this race her major aim this year, was impressive in fifth.

In a thrilling finale Australian Tim Reed took the men’s, beating German Sebastian Kienle by just two seconds after the two had been vying for the lead throughout the run, never being more than 20 metres from each other and ended up swapping the lead six times. 

Top 10 Women

Name

Ctry

Total

Swim

Bike 

Run

Holly Lawrence

GBR

4:09:11

0:23:23

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2:19:27

1:21:48

Melissa Hauschildt

AUS

4:11:08

0:26:45

2:21:06

1:18:43

Heather Wurtele

CAN

4:13:35

0:25:04

2:22:26

1:21:38

Daniela Ryf

CHE

4:14:08

0:24:11

2:23:47

1:21:18

Caroline Steffen

CHE

4:17:15

0:24:12

2:23:08

1:25:09

Annabel Luxford

AUS

4:17:25

0:24:10

2:23:43

1:24:57

Laura Philipp

DEU

4:17:39

0:27:15

2:24:45

1:20:59

Alicia Kaye

USA

4:17:52

0:24:16

2:23:30

1:25:35

Radka Vodickova

CZE

4:18:16

0:24:09

2:26:51

1:22:37

Magali Tisseyre

CAN

4:18:18

0:24:15

2:23:49

1:25:36

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Top 10 Men

1
Tim Reed
AUS
3:44:14
0:22:53
2:06:12
1:11:03

2
Sebastian Kienle
DEU
3:44:16
0:24:14
2:04:45
1:11:18

3
Ruedi Wild
CHE
3:44:40
0:22:47
2:06:28
1:11:07

4
Terenzo Bozzone
NZL
3:45:22
0:22:44
2:06:20
1:12:44

5
Sam Appleton
AUS
3:46:02
0:22:40
2:06:23
1:12:51

6
Nicholas Kastelein
AUS
3:46:21
0:22:43
2:06:41
1:12:46

7
Tim Don
GBR
3:46:32
0:22:51
2:06:37
1:12:57

8
Maurice Clavel
DEU
3:46:47
0:22:53
2:06:18
1:13:39

9
Lionel Sanders
CAN
3:47:14
0:25:41
2:06:42
1:10:34

10
Craig Alexander
AUS
3:47:28
0:22:49
2:06:39
1:14:03

It’s Sunday 4th September and 220 are in Sadhamm, Stockholm for the 11th ÖtillÖ world championships race briefing. Hosting are Michael Lemmel and Mats Skott, race organisers and they’ve just shown the 120 registered teams of two the map of the course they’ll take on the next day.

The atmosphere is a weird mix of tension, excitement and apprehension, As Lemmel lists each of the 21 nations racing, there isn’t a single whoop or cheer. “You’re all so quiet!” he laughs. “Is there anyone in here?!” At that the tension breaks and there’s laughter… But soon the focus turns back to the challenge ahead.

The next day, each of the 240 athletes will traverse 75km of the Stockholm archipelago, covering a total of 26 islands. Within that they’ll encounter ankle-wrenching trails, slippery rocks, cold waters and seemingly endless swims with strong tides and currents.

Swimrun is fast growing in popularity and this is the original and biggest, baddest swimrun of all. Started as a crazy bet, there are now only 120 race spots available, but over 600 teams on the wait list.

GB on the start line

Qualified this year are several GB teams including Jenny Rice and Claire Wilson, team Girls Wot Can, who qualified by coming third in the inaugural ÖtillÖ Swimrun Isles of Scilly.

“We only started swimrun last year, we were fellrunning, swimming, adventure racing and training in the Lakes, so it was a good fit,” they tell us. “So we raced Breca Buttermere and then Scilly and qualified…. We want to beat Pippa Middleton’s time from last year, that’s our goal!”

One of the fast, flat section of this year’s race. Image: Jakob Edholm

There are some famous faces from the world of tri here as well, most notably Kona champ Faris Al-Sultan. Thanks to a couple of last-minute illnesses and injuries within teams though, he’s racing with a Swedish partner, Peter Oom, and the pair only meet on the ferry the day before the race!

Some big guns of swimrun are back to defend their titles as well, with five of the six 2015 world champs here, racing in various teams. Back together are Staffan Björklund and Marika Wagner, last year’s winning mixed team; plus female team champs Annika Ericsson and Maja Tesch are racing in different teams, while reigning men’s champs Oscar Olsson and Paul Krochak (Team Head Swimming) are back to hope to win again. Also lining up are Lelle Moberg and Daniel Hansson (Swedish Armed Forces), holders of the overall course record of 08hrs 16mins.

Training in Wales

Race morning dawns and it’s breezy but relatively warm at 4:30am. There’s much talk of water temperatures, with about 13 degrees expected – and a few nervous faces as athletes collect the generous breakfast packs issued to each athlete.

220 track down GB team Five Frogs, which includes Matt Evans from Activity Wales, organisers of events including the Long Course Weekend. This is his first swimrun with partner fellow welshman Nicky Rees and the pair are looking pretty pumped at the start line. “We’ve got breakfast down and we’re ready to go! We just want to get the first islands under our belt,” they say.

“It’s an amazing atmosphere, everyone really looks after each other. We trained in Wales, using the terrain there that we think is perfect for this. Swimrun has to springboard – it takes the expensive elements of tri, the bike, out of the mix and lets you really explore nature.”

Daybreak start

The race starts this year at 6am sharp (although exact time is dependent on a ferry crossing through) and the athletes are soon out of sight – following a quad bike 1.2km through beautiful pine forests to the first swim.

ÖtillÖ swims are often long, with technicals exits. Image: Jakob Edholm

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This first swim is the longest at 1.7km, but already a cracking pace is being set. Leading is Team Head Swimming, while the Swedish Armed Forces team are also looking strong, but following a slightly different line to the pack (whether by design or current, we’re not sure). There are also a large number of teams together in a line at the front – we count 22 – which is unusual towards the end of the first swim and reflects the strength of this year’s competition.

Athletes sight off either buoys, flags or – in this case – a flashing beacon on the far island. The lead teams are soon hauling themselves out onto the rocks and away, a real skill in slippery, treacherous conditions. Watching them across the next couple of islands a real mix of kit is evident too – we see more flippers than in previous years (apparently many stronger competitors are also experienced divers) as well as the usual mix of paddles, pull buoys and home-made buoyancy aids.

Setting the pace

220 are following the race by boat and as the middle part of the course is tricky to access, we loop around the second section to catch up with the action again at Time 8 and Energy Station 4, which falls 29km into the course. Here, a crowd are waiting to cheer and fuel for the athletes includes sandwiches, warm soup and bratwurst, along with gels and drinks.

It’s evident a blistering pace is being set this year as the leading men’s teams, Team Head Swimming and Swedish Armed Forces charge through neck-and-neck at a time of just 03:16 – way under the predicted fastest time of 03:24.

Faris Al-Sultan and Peter Oom are through in eighth place just 9mins later, while USA team Valhalla Racing pass through soon after and cause cheers and laughter by shouting “where’s the party guys? Let’s hear some noise!”

In the mixed race it’s Thule Adventure Team through first in 03:33 and in the women’s race the two teams including reigning world champions are with us in first and second places – team Addnature including Annika Ericsson racing with Kristin Larsson in 03:46 and team Head Swimming with Maja Tesch racing with Bibben Nordblom in 03:53.

Just keep swimming

From Time 8, the course takes athletes through a couple of longer runs of 3.4km and 3.6km as well as some shorter runs and several three short swims of between 60m and 210m. We’re back on the press boat and heading to Time 10 though, to see competitors take on the second-longest swim, the infamous ‘pig swim’.

The leading mixed team on one of the many swim exits. Image: Nadja Odenhage

At 1.4km this doesn’t seem too long, but as with so many elements of ÖtillÖ the map and times alone can be deceptive. We arrive at 11am, after the very fastest lead times are gone and now competitors are noticeably slower in transition before going into this swim, edging their way down the steep rocks before entering the water and taking time to make sure kit is correctly adjusted and that they have a plan to work with the currents.

Even so though, most swimmers find themselves pushed far left midway across and as we follow them on the boat it becomes noticeably choppy at the mid point. For the swimrunners, it must feel like the longest 1.4km in the world.

Then keep running

Time check point 10 comes just after the ‘pig swim’ and at this point at the front of the race, Swedish Armed Forces and Team Head Swimming are still on each other’s feet, with only seconds to separate them. In the women’s race Team Addnature have extended their lead to 11mins, while Thule Adventure Team lead by 2mins in the mixed race.

The next stage of the course is shorter runs and swims again, taking in some beautiful trails and isolated islands, some of which are inhabited by only a couple of families.

Athletes must stay 10m apart, so often swim and run tethered. Image: Jakob Edholm

Long swims done though, there’s only one thing on athletes’ minds now – the 9.7km run from the top to the bottom end of the island of Orno. The thought of doing what is essentially a half-marathon after, for the slower athletes, already having been working hard for over 9 hours must be daunting. The fastest teams reach end of this section and check time point 13 in just 06:23:34.

We meet them at time point 16, by which point a small gap is appearing between the two lead teams.

Smashing records

It’s apparent now that we’re on for some fierce racing to the end. Swedish Armed Forces are out of the water and powering up the rocks and through this point of the course in 07:19:44, while Team Head Swimming are a few minutes behind in 07:23:06. The estimated arrival time here was 07:46 based on last year’s times, so they’re already smashing course records.

The last few islands are a section of the course that also makes up the new ÖtillÖ Final 15 course (see Editor Helen Webster’s account of racing this here) and take the teams through magical woods, across rocky terrains and through a last series of short swims from 100 to 350m.

The atmosphere on the finish line is electric. The final part of the ÖtillÖ course takes athletes round the finishing island of Utö, with the final part a run up the hill to the finish line. From the cheer that goes up from the crowds waiting it’s obvious the winning team are coming in and coming in fast – and with huge roars of celebration team Swedish Armed Forces cross the line in a new world record time of 07:59:04 – just sneaking under eight hours!

New course record holders Team Swedish Armed Forces. Image: Nadja Odenhage

That isn’t the only smashed record either – in the mixed class Team Thule Adventure Team set a new world record time of 08:49:58. Meanwhile in the women’s race, Annika Ericsson and Kristin Larsson of Team Addnature took a new world record, finishing in 09:32:03.

As we publish this article amidst finish line celebrations and athletes drinking bottles of the unique ÖtillÖ beer (this race really does have it all!), however, there are still many teams on the course – with the last finishers expected in an eye-watering 14 hours.

Having seen the course (and raced part of it in the Final 15), it’s fair they have 220 Triathlon’s upmost respect. This is a race that is on a serious multisport pedestal, but with the growth of swimrun many more triathletes will take a try at qualifying. Although whether this year’s amazing records can be ever beaten, remains to be seen…

For a full list of finishers and times visit www.otilloswimrun.com.

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To find out more about swimrun, see our beginners’ guide to swimrun here and find out more about the gear needed here.

Montreal debuted on the 2016 World Cup schedule earlier this month with great success as thousands of spectators lined the streets to cheer on triathletes just ahead of the Olympic Games.

“Montreal proved to be an impressive host of the World Cup this year, with an incredible turnout for a new race that met all of our standards for a world class event,” said ITU President and IOC Member Marisol Casado. “I’m pleased to welcome Montreal to the WTS, which completes our calendar for the coming season.”

It is one of nine cities to host a WTS race across four continents. Rotterdam, which this year organised the ITU Paratriathlon World Championships, will also debut on the WTS in 2017.

Rotterdam will next year welcome thousands of age group athletes, along with junior, U23, paratriathlon & elite athletes to vie for world championship titles at the ITU World Triathlon Grand Final.

2017 ITU World Triathlon Series calendar:

• Abu Dhabi, UAE – March 3-4

• Gold Coast, Australia – April 8-9

• Yokohama, Japan – May 13-14

• Leeds, England – June 10-11

• Hamburg, Germany – July 15-16

• Edmonton, Canada – July 28-30

• Montreal, Canada – August 5-6

• Stockholm, Sweden – August 26-27

• Rotterdam, Netherlands – September 14-17

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Abu Dhabi, Gold Coast, Hamburg and Edmonton will be contested over a sprint distance course, while the remaining WTS races will be standard distance.

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Strathclyde Park has been awarded the honour of staging the British Sprint Distance Triathlon Championships on 27 May, followed by the British Middle Distance Triathlon Championships on 9 September at Rutland Water’s picturesque Vitruvian Triathlon.

 The 2017 Triathlon England National Championship calendar kicks-off with the National Sprint Distance Triathlon Championships on 4 June 2017, hosted for the first time at Thorpe Park Sprint Triathlon. The following weekend (10-11 June) will see the National Aquathlon Championships return to the ITU World Triathlon Series in Leeds, before Ripon Triathlon hosts the National Standard Distance Triathlon Championships on 1 July. Two weeks later, on 23 July, The National Middle Distance Triathlon Championships will take place at Owler Tri in Ashford, Kent.

The National Duathlon Championships at  Oulton Park Autumn Duathlon will take place on 1 October, while finally, the Triathlon Club Relay Championships, showcasing the nation’s top clubs, will take place within the Holme Pierrepont Triathlon Relays, with the date to be confirmed.

Duncan Hough, Director of Events, Rules and Technical at Triathlon England commented: “It’s great to welcome some new events to the calendar to host a number of 2017 Triathlon England – National Championships. Following on from a hugely successful year for the sport, we’re pleased to offer members the chance to race across a range of distances and locations throughout England.

“2017 will be a fantastic opportunity to showcase athletes of all ability; bringing together everyone from triathlon novices to those vying for National titles to enjoy the experience and achieve their own sporting goals.”

In 2016, the amount of Great Britain Age-Group Team entries to ITU World Championships and ETU European Championships grew by 15% from the previous year, showing the ever-growing popularity of representing your nation within triathlon. This is expected to continue in 2017, where another group of high-quality events for aspirant team members are on offer in order earn the right to wear the Great Britain Age-Group Team tri suit.

The calendar has qualification events for the following major championships:

2017 ITU Sprint and Standard Distance Triathlon World Championships
2018 ETU Sprint and Standard Distance Triathlon European Championships
2017 ITU Sprint and Standard Distance Duathlon World Championships
2018 ETU Sprint and Standard Distance Duathlon European Championships

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 To find out more about the qualification process for the 2017 Great Britain Age-Group Teams, British Triathlon Age-Group Championships and Triathlon England – National Championships, please visit here on the British Triathlon website.

Making Para-sport history will be: 

THE GB MEN 

PT1

Joe Townsnend

Phil Hogg 

PT2

Ryan Taylor

Andy Lewis 

PT4

David Hill

George Peasgood 

THE GB WOMEN

PT4

Lauren Steadman

Faye McClelland

Clare Cunningham 

PT5

Alison Patrick

Melissa Reid 

Guide: Hazel Smith

Guide: Nicole Walters

In what will be her third Paralympics representing GBR, Lauren Steadman commented: “I feel honoured to be flying the British colours! Paratriathlon makes its debut at the Rio Paralympics and I’m excited to experience the games in a new sport alongside my teammates. We are a strong team and it will be great to get out there and bring home that medal that I’ve trained so relentlessly for!” 

PT2 hopeful Andy Lewis said:

“I’m absolutely honoured to represent ParalympicsGB in Rio. I’ve only been doing triathlon for two years and started quite late, but I’ve put absolutely everything into it and given it my all and the hard work has paid off now I’ve been selected. 

“To be there and be part of history as triathlon makes its debut at the Games is just amazing. The sport is growing and growing and hopefully Rio will help encourage more people to get involved in triathlon.”

Penny Briscoe, chef de mission for ParalympicsGB, said:

“Paratriathlon is a new sport for Rio 2016 and I think it will be thoroughly embraced by the crowds out in Rio: with such an iconic location at Copacabana and a combination of water sport and outdoor competition, I think this is going to be a fan favourite with the Brazilians!”

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Jonathon Riall, team leader and head coach for paratriathlon, said:

“The last few years have been a race to qualify slots and to ensure that we are ready to take on anything that the rest of the world throws at us in competition. Standards are rising quickly in this sport because it is so new.

“I believe we have selected the best possible British team, which has the potential to win medals and make it’s mark as paratriathlon debuts at the Paralympic Games. I am looking forward to seeing them take to the biggest stage in disability sport.” 

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For athlete profiles, an exclusive feature with PT4 gold hopeful Steadman plus Paralympic course information, check out the next issue of 220, on sale 19 July. 

>>> Medal events confirmed for paratriathlon’s Olympic debut

Paratriathletes compete over three disciplines, in five classification groups (PT1 – PT5). Although the disciplines are the same for the Olympic athlete, the training principles aren’t directly transferrable.

The short history of the sport means that effective training principles for the paratriathlete are still being developed, and there’s very little applicable published data in the area.

The British Triathlon Federation (BTF) and their paratriathlon performance manager Jonathan Riall decided that the best way to develop effective training principles for paratriathletes would be to carry out a scientific study of the development/elite squad of athletes, while documenting existing knowledge.

The BTF – with funding from the Peter Harrison Foundation – granted a physiological support project at Loughborough University (2014-2015) for the paratriathlon performance athletes. 

The team at the Peter Harrison Centre for Disability Sport consists of Katy Griggs has carefully planned a programme of testing that will support the athletes and coaches during the build up to Rio 2016.

The main purpose is to give athletes a physiological advantage over their competitors, by ensuring that they’re in the best shape for Rio with an effective training strategy.

The project involves assessing the squad members over a range of test protocols at specific points in their training cycle. As noted before, paratriathlon sports training knowledge is still developing and some of the ‘empirical laws’ of training may need to be challenged.

This has therefore provided staff within the PHC a valuable opportunity to collect data of this nature. Alongside the longitudinal physiological profiles of paratriathletes, three main applied research topics have been developed:

1. Understanding the economy of running/pushing following the transition of the cycle discipline;
2. Monitoring the immune function in paratriathletes across a season;
3. Cooling and acclimatisation strategies for paratriathletes.

Many paratriathletes will display a unique physiological response during exercise depending upon their physical impairment. For example, for athletes in the PT1 class (wheelchair athletes), the considerably smaller amount of muscle mass used and varying trunk stability must be taken into account. These athletes will also have impaired thermoregulatory capacity compared with their able-bodied counterparts. 

This is most likely caused by impairment to the nervous system which disrupts the control of skin blood flow. Moreover, athletes with cerebral palsy will display impaired movement patterns during fatigue and may also find exercise in the heat detrimental to performance. Research is still ongoing for the second and third topics highlighted above, but further work is warranted.

It is envisaged that the applied research findings, together with the testing and monitoring of the training programmes, will enable the PHC team to educate the athletes and their coaches to understand the physiological background of training principles and preparation strategies. In turn this will help with the development of training programmes that are specific to the sport as well as to the individual concerned.

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(Images: Andrew Weekes)

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