The river is on fire. Flashes of orange, crimson, yellow and magenta ripple across the water, reflected from the midsummer sunset above. Along the line of the riverbank, one man rhythmically swims his way across, each arm darting into the water and extending gracefully in front of him, causing the colours to swirl and dip in his wake. This moment is, quite simply, one of the most beautiful things I have ever witnessed in my fortysomething years on this planet.
I'm on the River Thames as part of the support crew assisting 220 columnist and leading sports scientist Professor Greg Whyte in his attempt to swim the 125 miles of the upper Thames in a world record time, while raising money and awareness for the RLSS and RNLI. I've been lucky enough to see the challenge unfold first-hand - and along with it, the changing scenery of the UK's largest river.
You may wonder why we're talking about rivers in a triathlon magazine. After all, don't we all train in venues set up for openwater swimming with nice, convenient buoy markers to sight off? Aren't rivers a bit hazardous and polluted for serious headdown training? In the lead-up to supporting Greg on his mega swim, we decided to find out...
SAFETY FIRST
NEVER SWIM ALONE Always have someone in the water or on the riverbank with you who can help if you get into difficulties, plus a mobile.
ESSENTIAL KIT Never swim in 'wild' swimming spots (sea, rivers, etc.) without a tow float and brightlycoloured swimming cap for visibility.
PLAN YOUR ENTRY & EXIT Rivers can flow deceptively quickly, so make sure you know where you'll be able to get in and out of the water safely.
CALL OF THE WILD
Esta historia es de la edición September 2022 de 220 Triathlon.
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Esta historia es de la edición September 2022 de 220 Triathlon.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
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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\"
