19 Aquathlon
Guildford Lido, Surrey
Enjoyment - 90%
Success - 80%
Will try again - Yes
First timer’s recommendation – If you’re thinking of getting into multi-sport events, an aquathlon is a good starter and the Phoenix Tri series are on Friday evenings in the summer so are easy to fit in.
An aquathlon is like the theory of evolution played out in half an hour. You start in the water, swim about a bit, stumble out and eventually start running until you are knackered, then you collapse at the end. The Phoenix Tri club organise a series of four aquathlons every summer from May-August and there was 100 starters for the first event of the year. They are well-organised and the setting is fantastic; a 1930’s 50m lido, which has had a kids pool with flumes added over the years.
The event starts with a 500m swim, so 10 lengths of the pool, starting in the middle and ducking under the rope into the next lane every two lengths so you exit the pool at the steps at the end to go into transition.
A lido swim is very different to a pool swim, as the temperature is obviously lower and it was a lot choppier, so it is good practice for an open water swim. I was hoping to complete the 500m in 9 minutes, but ended up taking 49 seconds longer, and I’m blaming the drag from wearing a GoPro for that…
My transition was 31 seconds which was the joint-fastest which I was pretty pleased about, and I completed the run around Stoke Park in 18:45, which was only 40 seconds behind my PB for a 5k Parkrun, and was enough to get me 13th place overall and over two minutes quicker than last year.
Although an aquathlon is good training for a triathlon, running after a swim is very different to cycling after a swim, and the importance of a relaxed swim kick cannot be underestimated, so you don’t tire yourself out before starting the run.
I'll definitely be signing up again for next year, and Ena can join me in the 'Tristars' event in five years if I'm still going by then.
