Be more like the Brownlees! Make a splash at the Berkhamsted Triathlon

The third Berkhamsted Triathlon takes place in April with applications now being accepted. And you don’t have to be world-beaters like Alistair and Jonny – it’s open to all.

Triathletes will complete 16 lengths of the Knox Johnston Sports Centre pool before cycling a loop of 20km and then running 8km to the finish line.

And for the first time, you can take on the course as a team of three with the introduction of a relay race – you can pick a different person for each discipline.

Hopefully, you won’t have to haul your dehydrated team-mate over the line like Alistair did.

The Berkhamsted event is run by former triathlete Cliff King – one of only a few people in the world to be a certified Vivo Barefoot Running coach.

He said: “When I used to do triathlons, it was just some geezer and his dog doing it. They’re massive now.

“This year we’re looking to go bigger than ever.

“It’s very picturesque but it’s also a very tough sprint triathlon. A lot of people who do it say it’s really brutal.

“But it’s a really great event, very slick and it’s interactive – there are plenty of ‘well dones’ from everyone watching.”

Cliff, who has more than 15 years’ experience in specialised sports training, thinks now is the perfect time to start training.

His advice to anyone thinking of doing their first triathlon is to focus on the two transitions between the three disciplines and practise the adjustments.

Cliff, who hopes to attract 300 triathletes, is planning on introducing a kids race from 2018.

The sponsors for 2017 include estate agents Knight Frank and bike shop Lovelo.

Last time around, Kieran Lindars set a blistering time of 1:08:45 to win the race.

The quickest woman was Louise Croxon, placing her 11th overall, with a time of 1:24:14, with Jen Lande in second place with a time of 1:29:27.

The Berkhamsted Triathlon takes place on the morning of April 23, 2017.

Visit www.berkhamstedtriathlon.com for all the information you need.