Windsor Triathlon, June 17, 2007. 

Catchpole's triathlon lesson number one: 

The revenge of the runner is as swift as it is sure. 

It doesn't matter what your swim/bike lead is, those runners will hunt you down in the closing stages of the tri - and they will pass you. If you are on a lap course then worse still - you can see them coming as you make the lap turn. They all look the same, built like streaks of snot, super cool and with a stride that is both high and long. 

This was the lesson I learned at my first Windsor Olympic distance this year. 

I turned in a decent swim and came out well within the top quarter of my 200-strong wave. I maxed that with a good transition and put in a great bike - well great for me. Believe me there's no small delight on passing TWO people on carbon framed speed machines on the biggest hill of the course on your 15-year-old alloy framed tank. 

Then came the run. I have been off training between Feb and May with shin splints so I knew it was going to be tough but I really could have done without watching at least ten odd women piling past me all looking fresh as daisies as I whispered to myself: "There's no shame in shuffling." 

All in all it was a passable time - 2hrs 41mins and 15th out of the wave. 

Advice to those planning Windsor for 2008: 

Swim: The river swim is pretty good especially for first-timers. Don't panic at the start as there are a lot of people in the water. My advice would be to stay at the edge next to the bank and stick there until you need to turn. The turn is under the bridge of a relief road and the air is pure carbon monoxide from the traffic - the water tastes of diesel. Best plan is to take a deep breath, make a quick turn (do crawl backstroke turn if you can) and then push on through only breathing once you are clear. Otherwise you will want to vomit. Watch out for the exit turn - it's sharp and easy to overshoot (as I did).

Bike: The bike course is a rider frightener. It seems very undulating at sight, especially the long stretch along Drift Road BUT the downhills ride the uphills so if you just push on and don't let it daunt you then you can keep a decent average speed. The biggest hill is towards the end of the course through the Great Park - it rides well and the road surface is smooth so if you are spinning well it should give you no trouble. Remember to take advantage of the long flat sections.

Run: What can I say? Three laps of a course which consists of run out and backs along roads in the centre of the town. There is a really horrible hill up to the castle at the start of each lap - it's horrible and that's really all you need to know. The laps mean you can see who is coming up behind you (in my case quite fast) and it can be a bit demoralising so run your own race and forget about them.

In all, it's a really good tri to do and I recommend it. It would be nice to see more from Tri-Anglia there next year.