In the run up to our Ironman distance races this year, we decided to start off the triathlon season with a middle distance race in the exotic locale of … Bradwell-on-Sea, Essex. The event was touted as a 1.6 k swim in the River Blackwater, 82k cycle around the quiet and scenic roads of the Dengie Peninsula and finishes with an inspirational lapped run around the sea wall and marshes passing the historic St Peters Chapel. Sounds Great!! On paper! This was very much a training race for us as it was part of our build up to our respective Ironman Distance races, Triathlon Vitoria for Neil and The Outlaw for Beth, both in July. So with our focus being on the longer stuff this put the Big East race in perspective for us but we wanted clearly to do our best without tapering into it and losing time training for our longer events. This actually relaxes you in many respects and takes any “outcome” out of the equation and allows you to focus firmly on the “process”.

Horst, Holland - despite being somewhere you probably have never heard of is a wonderful venue for a race. Certainly in the summer it boasts fantastic vistas and a homely feel to the town that you just don’t get in many other race venues. Like most of Holland it is the sort of place where although the roads are closed to traffic during the race Give Way to bicycles is the law – if only everywhere was like this! So it was, after a flight from Heathrow to Dusseldorf and a bus, courtesy of the wonderful people at Nirvana, that Beth and I found ourselves in the sunny locale of Horst en de Maas, a sleepy town clearly vibrant with activity due to the influx of 500 plus people for the Powerman Duathlon a race that includes the European Sprint Duathlon Championships (5k/20k/2.5k).