August was a busy month, beginning with a training camp in Morzine, France, with the NTC. The mountains, heat, and challenging terrain provided the ideal setting for race-specific training, while the stunning scenery made it an unforgettable place to train. 

The main focus of the month was the British Triathlon Super Series Grand Final at Mallory Park, which also served as the qualification race for the World Junior Championships. 

Once home, I headed down to Mallory Park with Triathlon Scotland. Unfortunately due to elevated levels of blue-green algae in the lake, the event was changed from a triathlon to a duathlon. Instead, the race consisted of a 2.5km run, a 20km bike, and a final 5km run.

The opening run was fast from the start, but I managed to stay with the lead group and settled onto the bike in a strong position. During the bike, I worked my way towards the front of the race and remained in the lead pack throughout. However, with just 1.5 laps remaining, I crashed while cornering due to the wet and oily road surface.

While I came away with cuts, bruises, and plenty of frustration, I was fortunate to avoid any serious injuries. It was a disappointing way for the race to end, especially after being in a strong position so close to the finish, but crashes are an unfortunate part of bike racing.

Although the result was not what I had hoped for, there are still positives to take away.