The sun rises over the water, nervous tension feels 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, tides, 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 (5 Aug) and Escape from Alcatraz (10-11 June) into the bracing liquid below; traversing crashing waves at the Croyde Ocean Tri (2 July) or Ironman Wales (3 Sept) with the crunch of sand underneath; or the deep-water starts seen at the UK’s biggest triathlons of London and Hever Castle (23-24 Sept), as opening options that’ll lodge in your memory for the rest of your life.
The best river swim triathlons
And that’s not forgetting the thrill of the river swim (hello, the 30 year-old Windsor Triathlon (11 June) and the Deva Divas (16 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 (17 Sept) – 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 (13 May), the Cannes International Tri (21 Apr) or the big daddy of them all, the Ironman World Championships (14 Oct for women; men's will be held in Nice in September) in Hawaii. There’s just the small matter of qualifying for the latter…
3 of the best open-water triathlons
Escape from Alcatraz, 10-11 June 2023
escapealcatraztri.com
Croyde Ocean Tri, 2 July 2023
croydeocean.co.uk
Ironman Wales, 3 September 2023
ironman.com/im-wales
Top image credit: Nigel Roddis/Getty Images for Ironman
