Date: May 30th, 2025
May was an exciting month with the second race of the British Triathlon Super Series taking place in Llanelli Wales. My preparation was somewhat different from other races since the race was wedged in between two of my higher exams so the books were out on the journey down and back. This proved beneficial as it made the journey time fly by.
When we arrived in Wales, we unloaded our kit then set off for a short shake out run before getting food at the hotel. The next day we headed down to the race site for a swim familiarisation and a bike primer session. The rest of the day was spent revising higher maths which was a welcome distraction.
Race day started with 2 porridge pots and a banana before cycling down to the race venue. When we arrived the sun was out and things were already starting to heat up. While rolling out my bike I somehow got a puncture caused by a thorn stuck in the tyre. With time ticking down, I quickly popped in another tube, set up transition and pulled on my wetsuit. Being ranked third, I got one of the first choices of starting position on the beach.
The swim began with a ferocious pace to the first buoy, before stringing out into one long line of bodies. After the chaos of the first buoy, I found my rhythm and settled into a strong pace before coming out the water at the front of the main group of athletes. I had a quick transition, gaining a few positions starting the bike in 6th place. The bike was fast with a group of about 15 riders at the front, I positioned myself in the front 4 of the group at all times so I was able to respond to attacks and be less vulnerable to crashes. Unfortunately there was around 4 crashes in my group with one of my friends being involved. Near the end of the bike, I drank some carb mix and slipped my feet out my shoes to prepare for the dismount. Coming into transition I was able to create a small gap off the front of the group, allowing for a smooth run through transition. Onto the run I was caught by 3 people who were close behind coming off the bike. There was a headwind on the way out so I sheltered behind the group in an attempt to save some energy. About one quarter of the way through the run, one of the people in my group attacked and went solo to win the race. With about 600m to go, the pace picked up and the fight for second was on. I was really hurting at this point however I was able to pull away from 4th place to claim 3rd spot, missing out on 1st by only 9 seconds. I was extremely happy with the way I raced and delighted with my podium finish!
After the medal ceremony the team packed up the bus and started the long 10 hour journey home. Upon completion of my exams I was back in Stirling for a week long training camp with the Next Gen squad
