. With the west Scotland coastline providing an idyllic backdrop, swimmers made quick work of the first leg, thanks to the calm, sheltered waters of the Kyles of Bute. Teenager Lewis Murchie, the only junior in the race, was first out of the water, in 9

mouthfuls of mucky water when the swim leg of your triathlon takes place in a reservoir for drinking water.Athletes took advantage of the good weather conditions to make quick work of the two-lap 1.5K swim. The bike course was a scenic 40K trek through

unique selling points to bring athletes to their race. A purpose-built loch is going to take some beating.Organised by Fleet Feet triathlon club, this event gave athletes the choice of standard and sprint distances. The cloudy but warm conditions meant

, the Forestman - a full Iron-distance triathlon. This year, it was a standalone race and the relatively small field made for occasional lonely moments on the undulating but beautiful course.After two laps of Ellingham Lake, competitors set off on the bike

to competitors by the unseasonably atrocious conditions can be conveyed by one statistic: almost a quarter of the field failed to finish the race.In the men's race, a strong pack, led by Matthew Sharp and Richard Stannard, emerged from the river and set a hard

, old satan was in a very bad mood that day.This incredibly tough triathlon - which was moved from its September date to make way for the 2012 Olympics sailing test events - is one that earns you brownie points for life if you make it to the finish

Distance: 300m/ 21K/ 4KWhen: June 19Where: Ongar, EssexFirst man: Toby Gordon 1:00:29First woman: Elanor Cadzow 1:05:20Last finisher: 2:01:00No of finishers: 148Tri Sport Epping hosted the perfect introduction to triathlons with its Jenny Clark Try

, with some lazy boating included, rather than one of the toughest middle-distance triathlons in the country.The 1.9K swim in the beautiful but bitterly cold Ullswater Lake was shortened owing to strong winds, bringing swimmers into the safety of a sheltered

Park. She took silver in the ITU World Series races in Kitzbühel and Madrid, and first place in the Clermont ITU Sprint Triathlon Pan American Cup. She also won, in grim conditions, the GE Strathclyde Park Sprint Triathlon in May, finishing a

Distance: 1.5K/ 43K/ 10KWhere: Bowness-on-Windermere, CumbriaWhen: July 3First man: Steven Garner 2:27:39First woman: Christine Johnson 2:37:12Last finisher: 4:35:43No of finishers: 157Anyone who took part in this race last year could be forgiven