Once upon a time long-distance triathlon was seen as something of a grail, holy or unholy, depending on how you felt about a 140-mile race. It was the preserve of the experienced, the specialists and, maybe, the slightly unhinged. Not any more

of 'me-time' to focus on the race ahead. I also warm up with a swim - it's important to be ready for the fast start."Hollie Avil, European and World Junior Triathlon Champion and Corus Elite Ambassador"I tackle the warm up in reverse order by going from

long-distance race one of the best on the British Championship circuit." - Hollie Avil, World and European Junior Triathlon ChampionBlenheim TriathlonWHEN JuneWHERE Woodstock, OxfordshireDISTANCE Super Sprint (400m/12.9K/2.6K), Sprint (750m/19.3K/5.2K

. "Duathlons can be a good gauge of performance, and they can replace 'threshold' workouts with something more interesting" says PhysFarm Coach Dr Philip Skiba.Duathlon, which has national, European and world championship races, is governed by British Triathlon