What Is a Swim Snorkel and Why Use One? A swimmer’s centre-mount snorkel is not the snorkelling-holiday kind attached to a mask — it’s a training tool that sits in the centre of your forehead and allows you to breathe without turning your head. Used by elite swimmers and triathletes worldwide, it removes the breathing…
Why Wetsuit Rules Matter Nothing is more frustrating than arriving at a race with your wetsuit packed, only to find the water temperature means it’s either banned or compulsory. Different race series operate under different temperature thresholds — and the rules for elite athletes often differ from those for age-groupers. Here’s everything you need to…
More training hours is not the only path to faster race splits. For most age-group triathletes — especially those fitting training around work, family, and other commitments — the answer isn’t adding another session per week. It’s making the sessions you already have more effective. Here’s how to get faster with the time you’ve already…
Most triathletes swim significantly slower in open water than in the pool — not because the water is harder, but because they haven’t practised the specific skills that open water demands. The good news: the fixes are learnable, and most of them don’t require a coach. Here are seven technique changes that will make you…
What Is an Aquabike? An aquabike is a two-discipline race combining an open water swim and a bike leg — no run at the finish. Born from the triathlon world, aquabike has grown into a standalone format with its own dedicated race calendar, offering an appealing option for athletes who love swimming and cycling but…
Where you line up for the swim start in a triathlon is a strategic decision that affects your entire race. Get it wrong and you will spend the first 400m fighting traffic, swallowing water, and burning energy you need for the rest of the day. Get it right and you will settle into rhythm faster,…
Most triathletes build structured plans for cycling and running, but when it comes to swimming many assume you need a coach poolside to make meaningful progress. The reality is that with the right approach, tools, and feedback methods, you can improve your swim substantially as a self-coached athlete — and many age-groupers do exactly this….
The Risk Is Real — But Manageable The mass swim start in triathlon is one of the few endurance sporting scenarios where participants face genuine, immediate physical risk from environmental and physiological factors beyond simple fitness. Open water incidents do occur, and understanding the mechanisms behind them — and what to do about it —…
When Is Open Water Safe in the UK? For most UK triathletes, open water training restarts in April or May — but “safe” depends on water temperature, your wetsuit, and acclimatisation. Here’s a practical guide to getting back into open water this spring without the cold-shock surprises. UK Water Temperature by Month Month Typical Temp…
Why Open Water Safety Matters Open water swimming is one of the great joys of triathlon and outdoor sport — but it carries real risks that pool swimming does not. Every year, preventable accidents occur in open water due to cold shock, overestimation of ability, poor preparation or failure to use basic safety equipment. This…
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