East Grinstead triathlon 14th May 2017 by the accidental triathlete aka Michael Gosling

Bikes racked and race briefing completed, it was time to focus with the event on hand. East Grinstead had quite a few entrants with a lot of tri clubs represented, including Tri Tempo, as well as some individual entries. There was a fair wait poolside whilst competitors queued in a snake to start their race. Once at the end of the pool you were given a colored hat, stepped in the water and then the wait was over; time to focus on the event in hand- time waits for no triathlete! The pool consisted off 16 lengths of a 25m pool in order to complete the 400m swim, every stroke pulling you closer to the next event. With the 16 lengths done it was a steady run to transition. Helmet on first and clipped in before you even considered touching your bike. A frantic transition later and it was out on the bike course. 26.5km of undulating roads through the Sussex countryside. Fortunately the majority of the route was on rural roads so little traffic to contend with. It was very well marshaled with good signage, even Wes would struggle to go wrong on this course!!! Once the bike was done it was into transition ready for the run. Don't remove your helmet until the bike is racked. Another rushed transition and then out onto the run. This consisted of 2 laps around East Grinstead town. It was not on closed roads so was a little strange racing past all the busy coffee shops and window shoppers. However as the run it as well signed and marshalled. You go past the finish line into the second lap so you get a lot of support here. Once the second lap is complete it was a sprint finish to cross the line; that final beep from the chip timer letting you know that you are done! All in all I would say that East Grinstead tri is well organised; it is well signed and easy to find and the route is very clearly marked out. There was a wide field of competitors from people doing the 'tri a tri' to some hardcore triathletes with some very expensive looking bikes! Race numbers had your name printed on which was a nice touch because as you were racing people would encourage you along by shouting you name, which is a massive boost. I would recommend this triathlon for either the beginner or the seasoned triathlete. A very friendly and supportive atmosphere, which is my experience in all events I have done.