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You've heard Witham Running Club is affiliating to Triathlon England?
Yes, at the WRC AGM the members voted to affiliate to Triathlon England and we are now in the process of doing so. Triathlon England, due to recent changes in the governance structure of triathlon in Britain, provides membership and services as a Home Nation association rather than British Triathlon. As a member of Triathlon England we will be able to enjoy similar benefits to those provided by the British Triathlon Association - more on these later! What is Triathlon? Swim, bike and run in a nutshell and in that order. A triathlon typically commences with the swim (pool based, maybe a lake or even in the sea) and between the swim and bike and the bike and run disciplines comes transition and a dedicated transition area, where you keep all your gear. |
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So who takes part in these?
Triathlon is one of the fastest growing participant sports in the UK and there are a growing number of Tri Clubs in our area, there are also local running clubs who are also affiliating to Triathlon England. It is a sport that spans all ages and abilities. In fact, a past winner of our Boxing Day 5 - Andrea Whitcombe, the international athlete and triathlete - is a recent winner of the London Triathlon. The London Triathlon, possibly the London Marathon equivalent for UK triathletes of all abilities, attracts just over 10,000 competitors and grows every year with the August event this year being sold out already. |
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That's all very well, but why are we doing this now?
As well as representing WRC in running events from 5k up to marathon distance, cross country races and commando challenges, a growing number of our members also took part in a number of triathlons during 2007. Over 20 Witham Running Club members participated in triathlon, many for the first time and either completed all three parts of the event individually themselves (swim, bike, run) or as part of a relay team with each member of the team of three completing one of the parts. When do these take place and how will they impact on running events? In UK, the triathlon season is relatively short from April - September. Popular triathlons with our members were in West Sussex, Basildon, Braintree, Saffron Walden, Harwich, Gosfield, London, Maldon, Rutland and Bedford. |
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What are the distances involved?
Triathlon distances vary from race to race but are typically described as Sprint distance (400m swim - that's 16 lengths of Bramston - 20k bike and a 5k run) and Olympic or standard distance (1500m swim, 40k bike and 10k run) but are followed by longer Half Ironman and Ironman distances which some of our members have been brave enough to tackle and complete - the latter two events here definitely for the hard core only! Some events include 'try a tri' distances. For example, the Blackwater event at Maldon included an introductory or novice distance of 200m swim, 12k bike and 3k run around Maldon prom which some of our members successfully completed. |
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So what's in it for us as WRC and as individual members?
Affiliation to Triathlon England will provide WRC with third party liability insurance to cover triathlon activities, and particularly for the Saturday cycle. However it does not provide individual WRC members with any form of individual insurance cover, although this is available as part of the individual membership to Triathlon England. Such individual membership also gives personal accident cover. Becoming affiliated will allow WRC members to join Triathlon England at a reduced rate and obtain reduced event entry fees. More details on membership benefits can be found here where WRC members can join Triathlon England online and indicate Witham Running Club as their club, but please note that this new Witham Running Club area of activity will be for adults only. Joining Triathlon England will not affect WRC's existing well established activities, but will promote the club in a connected but wider environment and allow WRC members to represent their club of choice by flying the WRC flag at triathlons and permit the name of WRC to be shown in official results. |
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What if I don't want to join Triathlon England and maybe only enter a few local events?
You do not need to be an individual member of Triathlon England to enter events, but you will be required as part of the entry fee to purchase a day licence. These have been £5 a day for the past couple of years. But I'm already a member of another triathlon club? No problem! You can be a member of two triathlon clubs at the same time, but when you join Triathlon England you can only specify one club. This will be your first claim club. |
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What will I need to get started?
Simply a bike, bike helmet, swimming costume, running shoes and a sense of humour! You may want to invest in a tri suit (an all in one that you can swim bike and run in!) and cycling shorts maybe just for comfort. There is a misconception that triathlon is an expensive sport, but it is a sport that can fit most budgets. You do not need to have the best, most expensive or fastest bike in the world to get going, in fact a number of our members spent their first seasons competing on mountain bikes or just borrowed bikes from friends or club members to give it a go. Like running, the sport is also about club camaraderie and the sense of personal achievement when you cross the line. |
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How can I get involved and get ready for triathlon?
There are plenty of local (and national) races held in the triathlon season between April and September. Your first step is to pick an event and enter! A list of races in the Eastern region can be found from this link. Then you can start your preparation! Training will need to encompass a combination of running, biking and swimming, it's usually a good idea to devote more time to your weakest discipline. As training progresses it's also a good idea to combine two disciplines into one session and these are affectionately referred to as 'brick sessions'! - we would hope to organise some of these on one of the spare days as we get nearer the season. These will prepare you for the transitions between the disciplines in a race. Running training should not be a problem as WRC offer this nearly every day of the week, except Friday, the official day of rest! There is a public swim session at Bramston on Wednesday which some of our members attend and also our Saturday cycle or peloton. |
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I want to give it go, who can I speak to at WRC to get more information?
The WRC tri contact and welfare officer Dave Jobling, assisted by Wendy Martin. We are both usually at the Monday and Thursday sessions or cycling on Saturday, otherwise drop either of us an e-mail use the links for vice chairman or fixtures secretary on the WRC website). We have been competing for a number of seasons and should be able to answer any queries or at least know where to look for the answer. Useful Links Link to Triathlon England www.britishtriathlon.org/triathlonengland Link to joining Triathlon England online www.britishtriathlon.org/triathlonengland/join/index.php Link to membership Insurance - Individual Members & Clubs www.britishtriathlon.org/triathlonengland/members/page.php?article=390&category=/members/&folder=membershipbenefits/ www.britishtriathlon.org/triathlonengland/members/page.php?article=405&category=/members/&folder=membershipbenefits/ www.britishtriathlon.org/triathlonengland/clubs/page.php?article=297&category=/clubs/ |
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