deep puddles – the Ironman 70.3 Asia-Pacific Championships in Phuket didn’t quite follow the planned script.Introduced to the triathlon calendar in 2010, this race instantly became a must-do for triathletes around the world. A combination of a tough

, racers and spectators alike.  Still only toying with the idea of jumping aboard?  Then this handy Q+A might help make your mind up...What is an Ironman?A long-distance triathlon.  Swim 2.4 miles through open water, cycle 112 miles and then run a full

- record times and compare) Afternoon: CYCLE 90 mins steady Morning: SWIM (in wetsuit and open water) 750m (up to 20 mins) race pace, then tread water for 2 mins, then SWIM back focusing on technique Afternoon: CYCLE 10 mins easy, then 4 x 6 mins

was gainingfriends and really enjoying running and racing so I'm still here.Wanting to do something a bit different for my 30th birthday I decided todo the Concorde Sprint Triathlon, enjoyed it so much I was back for moreand jumping into my first open water swim

Distance: 3.8K/ 180K/ 42.1KWhere: Tenby, WalesWhen: September 11First man: Jérémy Jurkiewicz 9:04:21First woman: Kristen Moeller 10:01:19Last finisher: 16:44:44No of finishers: 1133As the heavens opened over the small seaside village of Tenby

you have to cope with the swim?I’m going to break it down into legs when I compete. I was going to do it in one day, which I thought would take around 16 hours, but now I’m going to do it over two days. I start my open-water training this month, so I

. At the end of an open-water swim, try to keep moving. Many athletes will stop abruptly, creating a bottleneck that affects those further back in the field. Similarly, moving away from the mount/dismount line of the bike leg will help avoid congestion. Should

spread out along a 100m-stretch of beach for a two-lap out-and-back 3,800m swim, everyone seemed to hit the water together. Now, maybe the Americans have a different approach to open water tri swims to the Europeans but none of us can remember ever

's a good idea to complete the swim distance in training. "Swim the distance in open water in your wetsuit,” says Rob Johnson, an elite Ironman triathlete. "Aim to establish a pace you are comfortable with so you exit the swim ready for the bike

in any open-water triathlon I've ever done. Yahoo.Transition 1 was extended, and partly but not wholly assisted by volunteers. We ran up a ramp off the beach, and two women made me lay on my back and yanked my wettie off. Then we got up, ran through a