THE KING OF THE NORTH

HOW WAS IT FOR YOU? | After a few glasses of vino, David Prutton signed up for his first-ever trithe middle-distance event at the new Northumbrian. Two open-water swims and a few long rides later and he was on the startline...

- DAVID PRUTTON

As I run out of the painfully cold Kielder Water, I'm struck by two things - the absolute beauty of the place and a wave of relief at having got through the 1,900m swim. It's the bit I was most worried about, but the relief is immediately tempered as I realise I still have 111,000m to cover.

New Year's Eve 2021 has a lot to answer for. Spurred on by a few too many glasses of wine, the idea of completing a middle-distance triathlon, specifically a brand-new event around the picturesque Kielder Water and stunning Scottish Borders, seemed a fantastic idea, so with friends as witnesses I signed up to The Northumbrian. With the event still about six months away, I contentedly set about a gentle start to my training plan. But when my birthday arrived in March, and every gift was tri related, the magnitude of what I'd agreed to do started to sink in. What sort of an idiot chooses to do a middle-distance event for their first-ever triathlon?!

AN ERROR IN JUDGEMENT

As a serving officer in the Royal Air Force, I'm sure many would assume that I planned and prepared for this first triathlon with military precision. In reality, I completed a training programme that included two open-water swims, a few reasonably long bike rides and a selection of 5-10km runs.

I can make all the excuses I like about work being busy, longdistance commutes being challenging and that I really had to see my friends each weekend, but, ultimately, I was significantly underprepared for the event.

To try and boost my confidence by making sure I know what to expect, I elect to participate in the acclimatisation swim thoughtfully offered on the day before the race in Kielder Water. While it prepares me for what to expect, as an exercise in calming my nerves it proves to be an error in judgement as it only further demonstrates how ill-equipped I am for the 1.9km.