AImost 2,000 triathletes stand in their wetsuits A by the side of the lake at the National Water Sports Centre, waiting to be called forward for the rolling start. Most shiver a little, whether through the nip in the air before sunrise or the nervous anticipation of what lies ahead.
They ease to one side as a young man in a wheelchair - a ventilator tube helping him breathe, a tartan blanket across the knees to ward off the morning chill - is pushed toward the pontoon.
This wasn't the triathlon journey Sam Perkins envisaged when he started out in the sport more than a decade ago, but it's an opportunity despite having no physical movement remaining - he will seize with everything he has.
The moment is made more poignant as a minute's silence is impeccably observed for John Ball the water safety maestro for Outlaw events - who passed away last autumn. It concludes with a round of applause that is extended as Sam is announced over the mic. Sam's wife, Emma, is by his side.
"Your time is valuable," she says. "Sam brought that to the fore when he said, 'I just want to get as much done as I can in the time I've got left.' I replied: 'You and me both, Sam. You're no different to me on that one.' Spend it with the people you want to spend it with. Do the things you want to do."
Sam wants to be here right now. At the Outlaw Half in Nottingham. Here for one more triathlon...
An army assembles
Steph Cobb is securing the tether that will allow her to tow the equivalent weight - made up of sandbags- of a 6ft 2in man in a kayak on the water at Holme Pierrepont. Just swimming 1.2miles wasn't enough of a challenge.
Asking why she's put her hand up for this is met with a quizzical stare. "Why would I not? Sam is an amazing triathlete who has always helped me over the years. We both love this ridiculous sport."
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der July 2022-Ausgabe von 220 Triathlon.
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Diese Geschichte stammt aus der July 2022-Ausgabe von 220 Triathlon.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
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How to Carb Load - Packing your working cells with carbohydrates in the build-up to your big race is a proven strategy to race stronger and faster...
Whichever distance triathlon you're racing, the intensity and duration of your activity will see your body tap into its stores of carbohydrates (in the form of glycogen) to power your effort. While it's possible to top up your tank on the go, it's better to start your event with your stores full to the brim.
The Olympic Champion - On 31 July, Great Britain's Alex Yee put together arguably the greatest one-day performance we have ever seen at an Olympic Games to win gold. And we were there at the finish line to speak to tri's new poster boy...
The opening line of the race report read how 20 years on from New Zealand’s first and only Olympic triathlon gold medal, Hayden Wilde had put in a careerbest performance to regain the title for his nation. Then Alex Yee comes around the corner.Yee’s charge, seemingly from nowhere on the final lap of the 10km run in Paris, didn’t just help him become the most decorated Olympic male triathlete of all time, and didn’t just cap a rivalry that has been building for six years, it left seasoned watchers of swim, bike, run in awe. It will go down as one of the greatest triathlon races; Yee, still just 26, as one of the greatest triathletes. His medals from Paris added to the two from Tokyo, leaving his haul at two gold, a silver and a bronze, and counting.
"I HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO INFLUENCE THE GROWTH OF TRIATHLON"
British Triathlon CEO Ruth Daniels talks Paris, her plans to grow tri and her own personal goals... knees allowing
ZWIFT RIDE
£1,199.99 Zwift's new Ride is an indoor bike that might help you break your PB... but won't break the bank
PARIS SHOWED THE VALUE OF OLYMPIC EXPERIENCE
With the spotlight on triathlon like never before at these Games, debutant athletes talked about being overwhelmed by the unique environment
GAMES AT THE GAMES
After watching and enjoying the Olympic triathlon events, Brunt amused himself by playing the 'guess how far into each event I would die' game...
WHERE EAGLES DARE
With little heat prep, the wrong gear choice and a course-recce mistake, would experienced extreme triathlete Sean McFarlane soar like an eagle or drop like a stone in Italy?
HOW TO INCREASE RUN PACE WHEN FATIGUED
The ability to dig deep in the latter stages of a race helped Alex Yee achieve Olympic gold. Here Ben, a member of Team GB's coaching staff in Paris, explains how you too can find that extra gear...
BUYER'S GUIDE: BIKE COMPUTERS
Log your rides, find your way and monitor your multisport training with a quartet of impressive bike computers...
POLAR GRIT X2 PRO
\"You can't be anything other than impressed with the GPS, whose design is one of the significant changes to the V3\"