Race review
Challenge London Middle Distance
Race review
Challenge London Middle Distance
1.9k swim | 80k bike | 21.2k run
Excel London, United Kingdom
06.08.2023
by Challenge London
Racing through the heart of London, one of the world’s most historic cities, past instantly recognisable landmarks.
- Be part of the world’s biggest city centre triathlon that is genuinely at the heart of the city
- Race and sightsee as you pass some of the world’s most photographed landmarks
- Six distances, so there’s a distance for every ability
- Long established as a hugely popular event based in the striking setting of London’s Docklands
- Outstanding spectator support along the route
Pre Race
I’m minutes away from the front pack by the time the swim ends. The shorter the bike leg is, the lower my chances to finish near or on the podium are. And the longer the run, the fewer chances I have. Which made the Olympic Plus distance a perfect fit for me.
However, the London Triathlon decided to sell its franchise to the Challenge Family, which killed the Olympic Plus distance and resurrected it as a Middle Distance.
They thought bringing the triathletes on Saturday, a day before the race, would be more fun, which meant an overnight in London and an extra cost to the race.
Registration
As mentioned earlier, the middle distance registration must be done the day before. Also, anyone participating in the event could register the day before, creating a massive Excel queue. Whilst staff were relatively fast at processing athletes’ entries, it was over an hour between the moment I left the Elizabeth line. To shave some time off the registration, it appears that Challenge Family forgot the goodies bag, which, in some ways, is great for the environment.
I dropped my bike in wave 1, next to the pros.
The village was very disappointing, with only a few retailers. In the past, it was booming with gazebos, kits, nutrition and expensive bikes.
The Swim in Docklands
If something good came out of COVID-19, that must be the rolling start. No more mass starts where people swim over or kick you in your face. The swim is becoming enjoyable despite my profound hate for it, not because of a lack of training, nor because of my kit – I have a made-to-measure Snugg Wetsuit – but because I don’t get swimming. It’s way too technical. Anyway, I had to turn four times. It would be on the right at some massive buoys, preferably under forty minutes. The bike and run would be easy.
T1
T1 is challenging at the Excel. You leave the water, and pretty much straight away, you have to remove your wetsuit and put it into a plastic bag. You then run upstairs (I’m surprised no one gets injured) and on the long way to the transition.
Socks, bike shoes, race belt, helmet on, grab the bike and off I go. Big Ben, here I come.
The bike through London
With only 80 km and a relatively flat terrain, my goal was to get as close as possible to the two-hour mark. Being in the first wave is excellent as there aren’t many bikes on the road. Still, as a slow swimmer, I always play Pac-Man on the bike. Three laps up to Westminster and back past the Excel Centre on a Sunday morning was a lovely ride. But my legs were not firing on all cylinders, and I felt like I was falling behind (expectation).
T2
Another long transition, keeping my cycling shoes on, trying not to slip. The bike racked again. On shoes on, race belt turned 180 degrees, Sungod running glasses, QuantumMetric hat on and off I went, 21km ish to do.
The run at London Excel
That’s the less exciting part of the London triathlon and the most boring. You go up and down along the docks six times, and as time goes on, you have more people and less room on the path, sometimes having to zig-zag through runners. The stay-on-the-right rules on the London tube don’t seem to apply on the run. You have a fair amount of people cheering on, which motivates a lot. And the aid stations are well-spaced and well-needed as the temperature gets hotter and hotter. It’s August, after all. You finish in the Excel, where it feels very dark. A medal, a banana, and a finisher’s t-shirt. And if you’re part of the medal distance triathlon, a £10 lunch voucher.
Post race
I had a good race but couldn’t tell where I’d placed. Having finished third in my category, I would wait for the prize ceremony, just in case. Challenge had prizes for the fastest T1 + T2 athletes (Wahoo watch) and the fastest bike split (helmet), which I thought was excellent. They’ve also had some tokens for the Challenge Family 2024 Championships in Slovakia, which I wasn’t aware of. Despite finishing in an honourable sixth place in my age group, I’ve managed to qualify. Slovakia, here I come.
Summary of my London triathlon
Despite being a well-organised triathlon and qualifying for the Championships, I’m not sure I will be racing here again soon:
- You have to rack the day before, increasing the cost of a ‘local’ race
- I still think it’s overcrowded. I’ve heard people complaining about the bike leg being too dangerous.
- It felt like the event village was missing so much room and so few stalls.