: Hacking the bottoms off your wetsuit legs to reveal intimidatingly muscular calves screams that you're ready to rocket through the swim at the start of a triathlon.The Function: Trimming your wetsuit won't affect your buoyancy, but it could enhance

Novice triathletes soon realise that the best way to save time in transition is to limit kit changes.You need kit you can wear under your wetsuit for the swim, that offers protection and support for the bike leg and doesn't encumber you on the run

Ratbag at the Bala Tri in June 2005In summer 2004, more than 20 forum members pledged to take on Ironman Switzerland in July 2005 - that's a 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile cycle and 26.2-mile run. Many of them - including Ratbag - were complete triathlon

Q I’m 22 years old, with PBs from 16:49 for 5K to 1:16 for the half-marathon. My running is going well, but I’d love to try my local triathlon in August. I already swim and circuit train – my only fear is that replacing some of my training

other words, pit stops for your arms) occupy about a quarter of the time and distance. In open water, a mile will take at least 10 per cent more time to swim (because push-offs boost your speed) and there are no pit stops.Meeting these challenges demands

When you're starting out in triathlon, one of the most important bits of kit you'll buy is your wetsuit. For those lacking a little confidence in the water, making the right choice is crucial, but even if you're comfortable ploughing through chilly

as they try to get faster," Furniss states. "But that's actually very inefficient. Effort goes up but control goes down, leading to lots of extra resistance as they take more and more strokes." The most efficient way to swim is by slowing down. Think about

Whether you're tripped up in transition, or you struggle with the swim, everyone has different weaknesses and strengths when it comes to triathlons. That's part of the appeal - and the challenge - of a multi-sport event. To help make that leap

!"Out In The ColdAn encounter with floating sea creatures wasn’t the only aspect of Dr Nic’s swim to garner admiration among those more at ease on dry land. Under triathlon rules, swimmers are permitted to wear wetsuits when the water drops below a certain

. Compare some of the times at the Corus Disabled Triathlon Championships for 2008 and 2009, held over the usual sprint distance of 750m swim, 20K bike and 5K run: Tom Perkins (Tri 5 - see overleaf for the full British Triathlon classification system