ITU World Triathlon Leeds 2018

The ITU world triathlon race series is always going to be a tough one. The series has just recently returned from Bermuda and the weather in Leeds was a very close match to there.

The race is a standard Olympic distance which is a 1500m open water swim in Roundhay Park followed by a 40km technical bike ride and straight into a 10km hard run.

The Swim

The swim started very well for me, reaching the first turn buoy in fifth place in my wave. There was then a fair old mess at this point as the athletes converged from different angles into a single arrowhead to make the right turn. I gained another place here and pushed hard on the heels of the athlete in 3rd place, passing him with a few hundred meters to go on lap two.

Leaving the lake in position three put me in a very strong position on the bike and after a slick, no-fuss transition I was off.. uphill may I add!

The Bike

The bike start was tough and although technical, I pushed hard and took quite a few calculated risks and they paid off. The 40km seemed to pass very quickly and I was into transition two before I knew it.

The Run

My Achilles heel (excuse the pun) really is the run section, so being full of energy and well hydrated and fed fresh off the bike.

The run, I’m very pleased to say, was pretty much perfect for me, pulling out a personal best due to the crowd and the excitement of city centre racing on the world stage.

The finish along the blue carpet was a dream and I finished with a smile and was very happy with a job well done.

Onto the next race but I have to say I have enjoyed my recovery week after two tough races on the bounce.

About the author: Andrew Jones is a triathlete and Sundried ambassador.