Your thoughts and opinions please

I've recently done my first triathlon (pool swim, super sprint) and it's inspired me to 'step up' to a sprint.  I'm about to start lessons, to improve my swim, with the aim of being ready to do an open water sprint in a few months.  Two questions then;

1)   What's the Thorpe Park triathlon like?  I'm looking at the one in September.  Are there any others I should look in this sort of area (I live near Guildford)?

2)   Is there a way I can get a cheap wet suit?  I would prefer to buy, but rental is ok.  The only rental one's I've seen are fifty odd quid.  I know it's for a season, but I would only really want it for the race for this year.

All input appreciated image

Comments

  • Flat FootedFlat Footed ✭✭✭

    1) Pass, but I would have thought there would be loads around there, depends how far your willing to travel.

    2) If your planning on doing more then one triathlon you might as well buy a wettie, you get what you pay for, cheap will fit poorly and you will be replacing it in no time. They don't have to cost the earth but make sure its a swimming one and not a windsurfing/diving one.

    If you know what size fits you, ebay is always a good bet.

  • Don't know about Thorpe Park Tri but Concorde Tri is a nice little sprint and not too far from you

    You can hire wetsuits for a day/weekend and many open water lakes operate a tri before you buy service where you can test out suits while getting acclimatised to open water swimming

  • Can you give me the name of some of these open water lakes, which do the wetsuit testing please?

  • Flat FootedFlat Footed ✭✭✭

    Think Datchet near you does

  • Datchet definitely does - just google datchet/open water swimming. 

    Google the Wraysbury lake - they might do, but it will say on their website. 

  • Shepperton lake does a tri before you buy and there's a pool based triathlon series at Hampton pool

  • Thanks for your ideas guys & girls.  I was glad to start with a pool swim tri, but I'm definitely looking for an open water swim triathlon now.

  • Hi Faithsdaddy - I too will be doing my first open water trI soon and I am going to be getting an orca TRN wetsuit from wiggle. They are only £99 and they get great reviews for entry level wetsuits. Hope this helps image

  • Faithsdaddy. Datchet is popular, as is Heron Lake. Shepperton grwowing in poularity, Mytchett Quays, and Thorpe Lake (where they hold the race). I like Thorpe personally with Shepperton second. Not keen on Datchet. Most have 400M loops or maybe 750M. Thorpe has a 1500M loop as well as a 400 and a 750.

    Good bike training near Guildford and a couple of half decent Parkruns as well if you are training up for Sprint level.

    Quite fancy the Thorpe one meself, not too far away myself.

  • Trogs. wrote (see)

    Don't know about Thorpe Park Tri but Concorde Tri is a nice little sprint and not too far from you

    +1. Concorde is a great tri, and there will be a large pirate presence this year again.

    Reading lake is also open for swimming.

  • Off to google concorde tri

  • HappychapHappychap ✭✭✭

    Another vote for Concorde.  Pool swim, well organised and very friendly. Otherwise have a look st the multitude of Tri's at Dorney Lake. A 'safe' venue for a first open water tri with closed roads and lapped runs. 

  • Dorney lake has the unparalleled advantage of white lines underwater so you can see where you are swimming.

    Usually Human Race run I think, it's an expensive day out and sometimes a very windy one and quite boring scenerywise (the run has to rate as yawnomatic) but I must confess, I have "done" Dorney 3 or 4 times and always enjoyed it, more so when work has paid for the day off and the entry, and even a cheeseburger afterwards!

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