#TeamTCUK athlete, Sophie Ward took on the Challenge London 2023 middle distance triathlon this summer. Despite battling with a buoy on the swim, strong winds on the bike and picking up a couple of blisters on the run, she smashed her way to home to come third in her age group! Here's Sophie's race report...

Pre-race

How were your preparations leading up to the race?

The training was great – a varied, interesting and progressive programme and I could see the improvements week on week; even when there was a big blip due to circumstances out of my control - Matt reduced the training to avoid adding stress and this meant I was back on it far quicker than if I had just pushed through.  My mental preparations are still something that needs so much work.  I would go as far as to say that Matt needs his own preparation to deal with me leading up to any race!

Did you feel that your training had prepared you sufficiently?

I was feeling good about the swim and bike but was very VERY nervous about the run as I had only done a max of 12km in training (I hasten to add this was on purpose rather than I was being lazy).  Thing is, I knew deep deep deep down that Matt’s training regime for the run (lots of short training runs/bricks) was the best way to prepare me given all my injuries/niggles, but my mind simply ignored that and the self doubt took over.

Swim

Time: 33:04

How did it go?  The start was a shambles.  All the middle distance athletes were as a mass start which changed to a pulse start on the morning of the race.  However, they made us go as male 1, male 2 and then females so any quicker female swimmers started behind ALL the males and it was a battle to get clear water.  And then my right arm managed to get tied up in a loose rope from one of the turning buoys….jerked me back.  The only thing that upset me was that by the time I’d untied my wrist, I had to fight through a bunch of men again.  Tutch!

What were the positives/negatives?

Positives:  Matt had instilled in me the breathing out at the start of the race and I had no problem getting into a steady rhythm. 

Negatives:  The swim start which meant that it was well over half way by the time I got some decent clear water to really push the pace.

T1

Time: 04:53

How did it go? I fell over trying to get my wetsuit off as suddenly got very dizzy, not helped by the boy holding my bag kept saying “you need to take off your hat and goggles too”.  Yes yes, give me a chance. 

What were the positives/negatives?

Positives: Because I had a decent swim time, there were only a couple of females around so we had room to move.

Negatives: I found the two flights of steps, feeling slight dizzy, holding a heavy bag containing my wetsuit was quite tough.

Bike

Time: 2:44:37

How did it go? I went off too quick!  This was partly as I could see only one other cyclist in the distance and didn’t want to lose him as the signage was confusing.  I realised I had gone off too fast on the second loop so eased off a bit and concentrated on getting the food and drink in. On the third loop, the Olympic racers started to join the course so it got a bit more interesting as more to look at, and also some decent support appeared.

What were the positives/negatives?

Postives: I got my nutrition right and felt OK despite the windy conditions.

Negatives: 3 loops was hard, especially the third set of speed bumps – which were quite big (there were quite a few loose water bottles rolling around!). Also, there was a lack of supporters (I was spoilt last year at Staffordshire where the crowds were phenomenal.)

T2

Time: 03:13

How did it go? Fairly well as that 3 minutes included a loo stop and the long jog round the perimeter of the 5000 competitor transition area.

What were the positives/negatives?

Positives:  Again, barely anyone in transition so able to move.

Negatives:  Only two loos but on the plus side, one was empty so I didn’t have to wait.

Run

Time: 1:57:44

How did it go? I went off too fast again but it was quite hard to find your own pace with how busy the course was. All was fine until I could feel blisters on my right toes and the running niggles started to creep in….not too badly though thanks to adrenalin and ibuprofen.  And then my watch died (eh??) so I ran on feel, knowing it was getting slower but really trying to stay tall and light on my feet.  Fortunately, I managed to ignore the blisters (they were the biggest I’ve ever had) and just kept going.  The 4^th and 5^th loops were the hardest.

What were the positives/negatives?

Positives:  I managed to focus on each loop and not think about the others except for half way through loop 4 and 5 when things started to hurt.  However, my mate cheering me twice on each loop helped.  And a major positive (and massive surprise) was getting a bloody sub 2hr half marathon!!!

Negatives:  The course was SOOOOOOOOOOO busy – there was only really room for three runners abreast and there were a lot of fast runners who would push past (timing wise it was likely they were sprint and relay athletes) and very slow runners on both sides of the lanes.  The only real reprieve was the additional middle distance section but the downside of that was you then got the full headwind.

Post race

How have you recovered from the race? Now that it’s done, what are your future race plans?

I recovered by going to France for a week, eating and drinking a huge amount and only doing 3 poxy runs at a slow pace.  Since being back from France I’ve done something everyday but haven’t necessarily pushed it as have absolutely nothing else planned…..other than Swim Serpentine 2 miles but not worried about that at all (I’m doing it purely to get the Classics medal).  My plan is to maintain some level of fitness and ignore all suggestions of future races.

Coaching
What is your opinion of the coaching you received from TCUK? Would you recommend TCUK to friends and family and, if yes, why?

This is the second time I’ve had Matt coach me for a 70.3 race.  Both times he’s managed to get me to the start line which sounds like a given, but for some reason, for days before any race, I turn into a jibbering, self-doubting, injury-ridden, nervous wreck who is unable to eat, sleep or function like a normal human being.  His ability to calm me through a simple phone call, reminding me of my mantras, power pose, pre-race strategies,‘what if’ scenarios, etc, makes me think he is a witch!  Secondly, he has, despite me NEVER giving him much time, provided a varied and interesting training programme, that has worked round injuries and been flexible in emergencies.  In short, he has managed to get the best out of me and I’ve somehow done really well – this race I came 3^rd in my age group. My TCUK swim hat and t-shirt are worn with pride!

Race review
I’m a big supporter of the Challenge Family, with one of my favourite races being Challenge Roth, but this race unfortunately wasn’t up to standard. 

First of all, the two hour registration and racking on Saturday evening – compulsory for middle distance athletes, optional for others.  I arrived at 4:20pm so was one of the first 50 through the door.  It was a smooth process, I got a good position and quickly sussed out the transition layout (taking my videos as suggested by Matt!).  On the way out, the queue to register was out the door and I later heard that some stood for well over an hour waiting so a very different experience.  Arrive early!  Oh, and because of it’s location and road closures meaning getting there on the morning of the race is a real pain, stay local. 

The swim start was a bit of a muddled mess.  We were told it was a mass start – not ideal but at least the quicker swimmers could get clear and go.  To change it during our briefing and then make it male 1 wave, male 2 and then female wave, but pretty much all on top of each other, made no sense.  Splitting the waves by 30 seconds or whatever would have helped.  Anyway, I do appreciate that this is my personal opinion given my experience of having to swim immediately through two waves of men. 

The bike route was dull at the start and end of each loop, with some rather severe speed bumps to finish each loop, but central London was good.  And as the miles ticked over, more athletes on the course made it more fun.

The run was far too crowded.  The fast runners simply had nowhere to go so ended up barging past.  The slower runners were on both sides.  I found it OK as was neither of these but witnessed quite a few trips, especially at the feed stations.  Also, apparently the route spectators had to take to get to the run course was a real pain so they were congregated in one section.  I thrived on the crowd support last year so really missed it this year.

I appreciate that Challenge have only recently taken it over so the middle distance was a new addition, so will be interested to see what changes will be done next year…..not that I’m doing it again, just to be clear!