What kind of triathlete are you? From mountains to mud and everything in between, here’s how to race to your strengths this season

Triathlon isn’t a one-size-fits-all sport, far from it. Whether you’re drawn to lung-busting mountain climbs, flat-out speed on fast courses, the adrenaline of open-water starts, or the thrill of off-road adventures, there’s a race style to match your strengths (and test your limits).

Plus, if the traditional swim/bike/run format isn’t quite your thing, a whole world of alternative multisport events is waiting to shake up your race calendar. There’s never been a better time to find your perfect race, so let’s dive in.

1. Climb every mountain

For you if: ascending and descending are your super-powers
You’ll love: stunning views, grinding out the ups and soaring back down

A turquoise lake swim flanked by jagged peaks. A bike leg through verdant valleys untouched by modernity. A skyline run where you can touch the clouds. It’s strange to think that much of society used to consider mountains as pretty darn ugly up until about the 18th century. But yes, mountains can still arouse facial pain, yet for triathletes that comes from the calf-shredding climbs and hair-raising descents, with the widescreen views and soothing air just two of the payoffs of taking on the demands of a mountain triathlon.

Similar to their cheese-making prowess, the French excel in mountainous triathlons, with the famous trio of Ironman France (28 June), Embrunman (15 Aug) and, especially the Alpe d’Huez Triathlon (2–6 August) certified classics of the genre. The latter boasts a swim in a mountain reservoir that’s open once a year, a hairpin-ridden bike course (see pic above) that’s played a mighty role in the Tour de France, the world’s highest transition area and a run that takes place at 2,000m above sea level.

• Altitude training for athletes: what it is, how it works and how you can do it

Hold that travel booking though, as British mountain races shouldn’t be discounted. While they can’t compare to the Alpine metres-above-sea-level stats, the likes of the XTRI Series’ gruelling long-distance triathlon of the Celtman (13 June) in Wester Ross, Scotland, the long-standing classic of Helvellyn (6 Sep) in the Lake District, Snowdonia’s Olympic-distance-ish belter The Slateman (14 June) and its fellow Llanberis-set The Brutal (19 Sep) all load up on the elevation gain, widescreen views and tri torment.

The Brutal, named as 220’s toughest tri in the world in 2017, tasks triathletes with running up Wales’ highest peak of Snowdon – and, almost as painfully, back down again – at the finale of the run leg for the half and full distance events (a double and even triple brutal is also on offer – we’ll let you take that one on!), where both the views and physical demands will leave you gasping for air. But the satisfaction of completing a mountainous triathlon is possibly without equal in multisport. Just remember to cut your toe nails.

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2. A need for speed

For you if: chasing PBs, staying on the flat and smashing your goals are your thing
You’ll love: seeing the miles fly by, trying to beat your course record

Progression in triathlon is often judged by moving up the distances, going from sprint to Olympic and middle-distance before a full-blown 226km iron-distance event. But there’s much reward to be found in returning to a race – whether that’s a super sprint or Ironman – and stomping over your previous personal best.

This PB-busting can involve besting your previous splits at a race, or beating a distance-specific time in any of triathlon’s distances. The beauty of tri’s regimented distances and largely non-drafting nature means that you can smash a PB on a different course to the one in which you set your best, so beating your Olympic-distance time at the classic Windsor Triathlon (14 June) or at the logistical marvel that is the London Triathlon (25–26 July) is a valid victory.

So where are the best courses for setting your new PBs? Take a look at London and Blenheim (6–7 June) for sprint-distance events, flat Olympic-distance regulars such as Windsor, the SWYD Tri (30 August) in Barry Island and UK Ultimate Weekend (14 June) in Shropshire, or the Outlaw (16–17 May) if you want to slam the power down in longer-distance racing. And further afield? Bag a slot at Challenge Roth (5 July) and race in front of 200,000 raucous Germans, or go Scandi and hit Ironman Kalmar (15 Aug) in Sweden or Ironman Copenhagen (16 Aug).

This record-breaking process will make you a better triathlete for your future events as well, seeing you (re)learn elements such as nippy transition skills, honing your aerodynamic profile, and mastering your pacing strategy. Plus it gives you an excuse to buy a new air-cheating tri-suit, deep-rim wheels, tri-bars and those carbon-soled running shoes you always wanted.

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3. Into the blue

For you if: open water is your thing and you love a thrilling swim
You’ll love: an exhilarating start to your triathlon and a beautiful (or challenging!) swim

The sun rises over the water, nervous tension fills the air, heads bob in unison, and there’s an overriding whiff of neoprene. The compere cranks up the tension, fists are bumped and good lucks shared. 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1… go!

Standalone bike and run races certainly have their place on the sporting calendar, but there’s nothing like the drama of an open-water swim to begin a racing adventure. Whether it’s a lake, river, sea or dock, the swim leg of a triathlon will dominate the pre-race nerves for many competitors. But that’s what makes completing the open-water swim leg of a triathlon all the more rewarding. Doing so will highlight an ability to push your limits and master the most unpredictable discipline in tri, one that comes with waves, currents, swell and weeing in your wetsuit.

And to begin your aquatic date with destiny? Take your pick from leaping off a boat at the Norseman (1 Aug) and Escape from Alcatraz (6–7 June) into the bracing liquid below, traversing crashing waves at the Croyde Ocean Tri (12 July) or Ironman Wales (13 Sep) with the crunch of sand underneath.

Or there’s the deep-water starts seen at the UK’s biggest triathlons of London and Hever Castle (27–28 Sep) as opening options that’ll lodge in your memory for the rest of your life. And that’s not forgetting the thrill of the river swim (hello, the 30+ year-old Windsor Triathlon and the Deva Divas (5 July) in Chester), where swimming downstream can propel you to a Phelps-esque split that’ll be the envy of your swim club.

While the UK boasts some of triathlon’s greatest swim legs – we haven’t even mentioned Ironman 70.3 Weymouth (20 Sep) – if you want to race in warmer climes and even experience the balmy joys of a non-wetsuit leg, look no further than Ironman 70.3 Mallorca (9 May), the Cannes International Tri (24–16 Apr) or the big daddy of them all, the Ironman World Championships (10 Oct) in Hawaii. There’s just the small matter of qualifying for the latter…

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4. Trail strike!

For you if: you enjoy mud, rocky terrain and getting away from the concrete
You’ll love: a high-adrenaline race day that challenges from all angles

The escapism. The sense of adventure. The muddy fun. There are few more exciting, exhilarating and enjoyable experiences than venturing off-road in multisport. These can have a road-based bike leg before things venture to the trails on the run. Examples include: Croyde Ocean Triathlon (owner of arguably UK tri’s greatest view at Saunton Sands) and a venture into the otherworldly Dinorwig quarries of the Slateman.

For a fully off-road experience entirely free of motorised traffic, there are plenty of gems to discover in the UK. These can come in the form of off-road duathlons, which boast a mountain bike leg sandwiched by two trail runs, such as the TrailX Duathlon (1 March) in the Home Counties.

Off-road triathlons don’t hog the calendar, but the Scottish duo of the Aviemore (TBC Sep) and Craggy Island Triathlons (TBC Oct) from the aptly-named Durty Events are wonderful ways to push your limits in some of the UK’s greatest scenery. The former kicks off with a bracing lake swim in Loch Morlich before bike and run legs deep into the mighty Cairngorms National Park.

The latter, surely the world’s only tri influenced by Father Ted, tasks athletes with swimming from the coastal town of Oban to the unspoilt and car-free Isle of Kerrera before off-road bike and run legs that traverse the island.

There’s also the matter of the world’s premier trail triathlon series from Xterra, with Weston Park in Shropshire set to host Xterra UK’s sprint, full-distance, ebike and duathlon races on May 1st this year courtesy of the reliably-brilliant organisation of Always Aim High Events (see the Slateman).

The above means that there’s never been a better time to give off-road multisport a blast. But if you need further convincing, we’ll hand you over to Jon Heasman, a guaranteed presence at any UK off-road triathlon.

“Xterra brings adventure and triathlon together in a chilled-out way. With Xterra, what you get is what you don’t normally see. It’s off the beaten track, it follows the path least travelled and takes you to incredible places, often mountainous regions and areas where the wildlife outnumbers the humans.” That’s good enough for us.

• How off-road running can improve your triathlon run performance

• Best triathlons in the world: 30 races to do before you die

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5. Mix it up

For you if: you like to explore formats outside the traditional swim/bike/run
You’ll love: trying something different and opening up your multisport calendar

Triathlon has long been the dominant format, but there are plenty of other variations that can act as an entry-point into multisport or provide a fresh twist to tri regulars. The first is duathlon, the run/bike/run format that takes place in spring, autumn and winter (the latter for truly tough cookies out there). For anyone not ready to face triathlon’s swim leg, duathlon offers a water-free format (unless it’s raining) that kicks off with a run before a bike leg and a final run. Standard formats are 10km/40km/5km but these can vary, with off-road duathlons also common.

For anyone looking for an easy two-discipline combo, however, duathlon can be a gruelling war of attrition, with athletes forced to battle the conditions, the physical demands of trying to ride after running, and perfecting a pacing strategy. Go out too fast, too soon, and that final run leg can leave you a shuffling shell of a racer. Don’t let the toughness put you off, though, as duathlon can be one of the most rewarding multisport experiences. I promise you, you’ll soon be hooked and signing up for Powerman Zofingen (5–6 Sep), the world’s most celebrated run/bike/run event in Belgium.

Racing the other multisport formats can also give you the chance to improve your weakest discipline(s), so if you’re a bike powerhouse, why not give the swim/run combo of aquathlon a blast? Or if you’re recovering from a running injury, then an aquabike could be the leg-saving option you need.

A fun variation of multisport is swimrun, which sees athletes do multiple swim and run legs in one race, often with a partner and invariably somewhere off-the-grid and involving islands. ÖtillÖ are the foremost organiser in the world of swimrun with events in Sweden, Switzerland, and more, but also look out for Love SwimRun events in Llanberis (17 June). You’ll need to buy or adapt a wetsuit that you can run in for it, but that’s all part of the DIY fun and adventurous ethos of swimrun racing.