255 Triathlon The World’s Longest Single Day Triathlon

A 1200m swim, 20k bike and an 8k run no biggie, but added to a full iron distance triathlon it is a different proposition entirely! A 5k swim, 200k bike and 50k run, welcome to 255 Triathlon at the historic and world renowned Goodwood Motor Circuit.

With an eighteen hour deadline you can do it solo or as a 2, 3 or 4 team relay. Being local, I jumped at the opportunity to do the inaugural 255 Triathlon as a season ending finale. Unfortunately, Challenge Roth which should have taken place in July has been moved to September and I was now faced with the prospect of racing the ETU European Long Distance Triathlon Championships four weeks after an ultra triathlon. In effect the 255 was to be the longest of long training days!

Pre Race

Registration takes place on the Saturday when the organisers TriBourne are given access to the motor circuit. As a split transition race you were given access to the pit lane where you could leave your run kit and special needs bags in a crate matching your race number. Interestingly TriBourne operate a ‘clean’ transition station which means all your kit must be stored in the box. Anything outside the box is removed so it means you have to bring only that which you will definitely need. Given the pulsing rain at registration I decided only to leave my special needs bag with my extra nutrition, with the intention of dropping of my run kit after dropping off the bike at the lake when transition opened at 4.30 am Sunday morning. Compliments to TriBourne on the high quality hoodie for all the solo competitors in the registration pack.

Race Day

The weather forecast for the day was dismal and on the day was spot on, it wasn’t the forecasted rain but the high winds which would be challenge. On a circuit such as Goodwood a disc wheel can give you significant gains in terms of kph and not being able to justify the expense of a bone fide disc wheel I had invested in a disc wheel cover from EZDisc which I had been using on a Shimano RS11 wheel to practise. However high winds would mean savage cross winds would make cornering on certain parts of the track very sketchy so I elected to run my Mavic Cosmic SLS 60s . The effect of the wind was evident from the significant chop on the Chichester Watersport lake at Westhampnett but the sky was clear in the early morning and the swim course was very well marked with large buoys along the rectangular course. Setting up the bike and changing into wetsuits competitors were reminded by the referees that no kit was to be outside their allocated transition box. With transition closing at 5.45 am with a prompt start at 6.00 am athletes were asked to move to the lake side for the briefing.

The Swim

4 laps with Australian exits punctuating the swim with the opportunity to take on energy drink or gels laid out between the exit and re-entry. With the recent changes in the Covid regulations there was no need for socially distanced race starts which meant a deep water mass start. So with the countdown down 3…2…1 we were off and mayhem ensued! There’s nothing like an accidental punch on the nose to get the adrenaline flowing and I was fighting for my space whilst sighting on the buoys. The first lap is a melee throughout but each succeeding lap the pack thins out as I slip to the back of the pack. One of the great things about the 255 is the large number of relay teams so there was lots of action at the start of each lap. Until a couple of weeks ago I had not swum 5k in one go, so I was pleased that I felt fresh coming out of the water in a very modest 1 hour 49 mins.

T1

As I would have the opportunity to add layers later if I got too wet or cold I opted to put on some arm warmers and having packed my wetsuit into a dry bag I headed off towards the mount line and the 1.5k ride to the circuit.

The Bike

Joining on the left side of the track you made your way to the right side and riding the circuit of 3.8k clockwise there were 52 laps. Living locally, I have had the opportunity to ride the circuit on many occasions training for this event, at one stage I was the local legend on STRAVA on every segment, I know the prevailing winds, and how the wind can shift during the day. Race day was amongst the most challenging experiences riding the circuit, vicious crosswinds made bike handling twitchy but the main problem was trying to negotiate the Supershell corner before the chicane, as soon as you committed to a line a gust of wind could push you across the track and into the path of other riders. Adding to the difficulty was the fact that part of track was coned off as this was to be part of the run course and a number of times I barely avoided ploughing into the cones. Riders with disc wheels were even more vulnerable as evidenced by a number of crashes and a couple of riders suffered broken clavicles. Despite the treacherous conditions and the need to scrub speed at the Supershell corner I was averaging 35 kph. Rather than use the on course feed station, I elected to carry all my nutrition, to practise my nutrition strategy for Roth and would detour through the chicane to drop gel wrappers and empty bottles. At 10 am the anticipated rain arrived and for most of my ride it was intermittently torrential and large puddles started to pool on the track. The bike course comprises 52 laps and supposedly you would be able to count off your laps by checking the electronic display above the finishing gantry, only problem was passing at speed, negotiating a path amongst other riders you couldn’t make out what was being displayed. After counting laps I lost track after 27 laps and when my Garmin showed me that my next lap would have me at 197k I figured I had one lap to go. My Tri club were responsible for the run feed station on the far side of the track and I shouted for confirmation that I was about to start my last lap, no you’ve two to go. As I passed my wife who also volunteering she also shouted to keep going, so for the sake of possibly doing an extra lap I did the two laps which was indeed correct but meant that I had done 206k in 5 hours 52 averaging 35 kph.

T2

At the dismount line a marshal takes your bike and you run down the pit lane to your transition box. Given I was running 50k I elected not to use elastic laces as I didn’t want my feet moving in the shoes and having tied my laces I headed out onto the run.

The Run

Before race day I had never run 50k, but I wasn’t particularly phased by the extra 8k, I had already run a 3.33 marathon off of a 180k Zwift ride as part of Lakesman in Lockdown earlier in the year, however with Roth less than a month away getting a fast time wasn’t a priority. In consultation with coach, it was agreed a 9:1 run/walk strategy would be less taxing and would allow me to ensure my nutrition and hydration were not neglected. As the feed stations were 2.5k apart on the 5k run course, I elected to carry a hand held water bottle that I could sip from during my walking breaks, during which I would take in a gel every 30 minutes and a cliff block energy chew once every lap. Ten laps anti-clockwise round the circuit running for 9 minutes and then recovering for a minute walking briskly. All my long runs are run at 5.00 - 5.30 per km, so I know by feel my pacing and only checked my watch in order to time walking breaks. Running round a circuit also gives you a feel for your pacing and I felt very comfortable that I was running well within myself. I was also highly entertained by the fact that my wife Kate was relaying information from Coach Paul who was following my race splits atop a mountain in France and telling me how far behind my AG competition I was. Above and beyond Mr Sellars! Running laps of Goodwood meant that you were exposed to the same crosswinds and the helpful tailwinds that were propelling you along the back straight on the bike turned into energy sapping headwinds on the run. I didn’t really have any idea of my standing in the race, I was constantly being overtaken by speedy runners from various university Tri Clubs doing the relay and as you ran more and more runners were joining the course. After 5 laps I started to notice that I was passing a lot of the solo event runners and by my eighth lap a lot of these runners were now walking more than they were running. This is where the 9:1 run/walk pay dividends, the frequency of recovery allows you to maintain your effort and pacing and the speedy hares who are way ahead at the start come back to you. So it was with Age Group, the two competitors ahead of me according to coach were slowing. New news flash one of AG competitors had dropped out so I was only chasing top spot, all I had to do was maintain my pace and I should catch him by the end. Unfortunately by lap eight I was aware suffering some gastric distress which necessitated a rather lengthy toilet break and I felt I might have lost the opportunity to win my Age Group. Lap 9 I was back in my groove and on lap 10 I resolved to run the last 2.5k straight with no walking break. Running down the finishing chute with enthusiastic cheering from the crowd I crossed the line in 12 hours 25 minutes and a 4 hours 33 mins 50k run.

Having crossed the line and received the medal I was greeted by Kate with the news that I had won my Age Group. Delight turned to confusion when one of the organisers came over to congratulate me, informing me that I had come third and that I would be needed for the podium presentation shortly. When informed that I had to come third overall to which I replied “You’re joking me!” Apparently not.