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Event	Long Course Weekend
Distance	Friday 3.8k swim, Saturday 180k bike ride, Sunday marathon
Date	June 30 – July 2nd 2023
Location	Tenby, Wales
Condition	Friday: drizzle, cold sea — Saturday: cold and windy, sun late — Sunday: warm and sunny
Kit Highlights	S-Works Venge, LeCol / Veloskin kit (bike), Sungod goggles
Entry fees	£375.43 (cycling bib and race photos included)

Swim	T1	Bike	T2	Run
3.8k sea		180k		42k

Goal	Target	Result
Primary	Get a feel for IronMan Wales	Mission accomplished
Bike	Sub 6h	6h20mn40s

Finish Time	Age Group	Gender	Overall

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Drove down on the Thursday. On paper, south Wales should be straightforward. In practice, the M4 had other ideas — it took longer than driving to Chantilly via the Channel. The joy of British motorways.

Base for the weekend was an Airbnb in Penally, about 2.5 miles outside Tenby — a quiet room with a kitchenette hosted by a very welcoming man called Peter and his dog. Exactly what you want before three days of suffering.

Thursday night: solid sleep after the drive. Friday was relaxed — plenty of time to get to registration, take in the expo, and make it to the swim start without any chaos. Saturday night was short; the bike starts early and there’s not much room for error. Sunday morning was calm — one event left, legs presumably still attached.

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I walked to the start from the Airbnb. 2.5 miles along the coast, which seemed like a good idea at the time. The setting is genuinely iconic: a long slope down to the beach, the harbour in the background, hundreds of athletes milling around in wetsuits. Worth the walk.

The format is two loops of 1.9k with an Australian exit in between — my first experience of that. The water was cold. Reportedly the coldest it had been in three years. I took a deep breath, stayed relaxed, and before I knew it I was on the second loop. The Australian exit turned out to be a gift: I managed to squeeze in a Veloforte gel between the two legs. Those little things are small enough to make that work. Practical magic.

Navigation was… a work in progress. Straight lines were the goal. Straight lines were not achieved. I also picked up some cramps, which I had been hoping to avoid. These things happen. I finished in 1:26:23, covering 4,090m — about 200m over distance. The course had other plans for me.

First medal collected. Changed on the slope. Dropped my bag. Walked back along the coast. Refuelled with fish and chips — yes, I know — and got chased by sheep on the way back. Pembrokeshire is full of surprises. Early night ahead of a very early start.

I wanted to be near the front at the start. Not for drafting — because without it, being in an early group at least offers some protection from the wind. And the wind was very much a factor. Cold and blustery from the off, Pembrokeshire doing its best impression of a wind tunnel.

The first loop was manageable. The second loop was something else. Pushing watts and feeling like I was going nowhere. Head-on wind on exposed roads is a particular kind of demoralising. For reference: I’d done Ironman Nice and JurassicMan the year before, both with serious elevation. The hills here weren’t the issue. The wind was.

There is also a small matter of the classification system. The LCW bike leg is technically a sportive, not a race — but if you want to go fast, arriving with a group of friends who can legally sit in a paceline is a significant advantage. I watched packs hammering past. Hard to know exactly what was going on, but it’s worth knowing before you enter with expectations.

Final time: 6:20:40 for 179.33km and 2,602m of elevation. I should have gone under six hours. The wind had other ideas.

Crossing the line was a relief. Second medal. The village was in full swing — food, live music, foam rollers, and sunshine finally showing up. A good place to recover. And, if you know where to look, a short ride from the beach where Dobby the house elf is buried. I didn’t stop on the bike. But I made a mental note.

10am start. A meaningful gap from the bike finish — far more recovery time than you’d get in a full Ironman. I set off feeling surprisingly good. No idea why. The legs just showed up.

The first 5km felt strong. I was somewhere in the top ten, heading out in the direction of Penally. Peter was outside on the road, cheering. A genuinely lovely moment. Ahead of me, leading the pack, was a woman I didn’t recognise. She would go on to win the overall event. Her name was Nathalie Lawrence. She would later become my coach. I had absolutely no idea.

At 5km: a hill. A big one. Around 14% gradient. I ran it. Slowly, but I ran it. From there the route opens up and the atmosphere builds — halfway through you start passing the half marathon starters, then the 10k runners, then the 5k field. The collective energy is a genuine boost.

The finish is in the event village rather than through Tenby town, which is a shame — the old town streets would be something else. But the crowd noise is still enough to carry you in. Third and fourth medals collected. Sunshine. Prize ceremony. A very good day.

Marathon time: 3:20:16 with 578m of elevation. One of my best.

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Swim	T1	Bike	T2	Run	Finish
1:26:23		6:20:40		3:20:16	11:08:14

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Sunshine, food, live music, and foam rollers in the event village. The prize ceremony wrapped things up nicely. Three days of sport, four medals, one sheep attack, and a visit to a hobbit’s grave. A full weekend by any measure.

• The marathon was one of my strongest — 3:20 with 578m of elevation, feeling good from the gun.
• The Australian exit gel strategy worked perfectly. Veloforte gels are small enough to make that possible.
• Walking to the swim start set the right tone — relaxed, no rushing, took in the atmosphere.
• Managing the cold swim water well — deep breath, stay calm, get it done.

• Swim navigation needs work — 200m over distance and cramps suggest room for improvement.
• The bike target was sub-6 hours. Need a better wind strategy for exposed courses — either pacing adjustment or course-specific preparation.
• Post-swim nutrition: Fish and chips are not optimal race fuel, plant-based or otherwise.

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Organisation	10/10
Course	8/10
Atmosphere / Crowd	8/10
Post-Race Experience	8/10
Value for Money	9/10
Overall	9/10

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Long Course Weekend is a proper event. Three days, four medals, and a course that gives you an honest read on Ironman Wales before you commit to the real thing. The swim and bike are identical. The marathon route is different — and it’s a shame it doesn’t run through Tenby town — but it delivers on atmosphere regardless.

What makes it special is the flexibility. You can enter all three events individually, at whatever distance suits you. A clubmate could join just for the 90k bike. Someone else could run the half-marathon on Sunday. Only athletes who complete the full distance across all three disciplines earn the fourth medal — and that structure creates a real sense of community across the weekend without being exclusive.

At around £399, it represents outstanding value for a three-day event of this quality. Highly recommended — whether you’re targeting Ironman Wales or just want one of the most memorable weekends in British endurance sport.

Follow me on Instagram @oli_le_triathlete for more from the training log and race season.

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