, 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

Distance: 1.5K/ 42K/ 10KWhen: June 12Where: Knockburn Loch, AberdeenshireFirst man: Andrew Brierley 2:11:07First woman: Rachel Boyd 2:23:45Last finisher: 3:42:14No of finishers: 107As triathlon increases in popularity, event organisers need to find

Distance: 1.5K/ 42K/ 10KWhen: June 12Where: Windsor, BerkshireFirst man: Tom Bishop 1:52:33First woman: Lois Rosindale 2:06:37Last finisher: 2:31:35No of finishers: 1,663With the elite athletes forced to battle the elements as well as each other, age-group competitors may, for on...

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

Distance: 750m/ 20K/ 5KWhere: Karnes, Argyll, ScotlandWhen: July 3First man: Graham Leitch 59:13First woman: Kerry Macphee 1:10:12Last finisher: 2:04:29No of finishers: 117This new sprint-distance event is bound to become a season favourite. With the west Scotland coastline provi...

, 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 for wondering if they'd turned up...