Outlaw Triathlon 2026 Race Week Preview: Nottingham Course, Championships and What to Expect
Race week is here for the Outlaw Original Weekend at Holme Pierrepont, Nottingham — 25-26 July 2026, with Sunday’s Outlaw Nottingham the headline full-distance event: a 2.4-mile swim, a 113.5-mile bike leg and a full marathon. It’s one of the fastest full-distance courses on the UK calendar, and this year it doubles as the English and British Long Distance Triathlon Championships, so the field carries a bit more edge than a standard open full-distance race.
The course, in brief
- Swim — the flatwater rowing lake at Holme Pierrepont, one of the most swimmer-friendly full-distance venues in Europe: no current, no swell, a straightforward out-and-back that rewards steady sighting over open-water experience.
- Bike — 180km rolling through Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire countryside. It’s flatter than most UK full-distance courses but not pancake-flat — there are enough rolling climbs to punish anyone who goes out too hard on the first lap.
- Run — a flat, multi-lap marathon along the River Trent towpath, past the White Water Rapids centre and Regatta Lake. Multiple laps mean you’ll see the finish line more than once before you’re actually done with it, which is either motivating or brutal depending on how your legs feel.
What’s different this year
With the English and British Long Distance Triathlon Championships running alongside the open race, expect a stronger age-group field than a typical Outlaw weekend, particularly toward the front of each category. If you’re racing purely on your own clock, that shouldn’t change your pacing plan — but it’s worth knowing if you’re near a podium spot and the field is deeper than you were expecting.
Race week checklist
- Heat prep — late July at Holme Pierrepont can run warm with little shade on the bike course; check the forecast a few days out and adjust your fuelling and pacing plan for a warm-weather race rather than assuming UK-mild conditions.
- Course recon — the multi-lap run format rewards knowing exactly where your special needs and aid stations sit relative to each lap marker, so a walk of the run course (or at least a close look at the lap map) pays off more here than on a point-to-point run.
- Bike check — this is a fast, rolling course where aero position holds for hours; get your bike serviced and your position dialled in during race week rather than discovering a creak or a rub on lap one of 180km.
- Transition rehearsal — with British and English titles on the line for the age-group field, transition areas will be busier than usual; know your rack position and walk the route from swim exit to T1 and bike-in to T2 before race morning.
For the full breakdown of distances, cut-offs and logistics, see our Outlaw Triathlon 2026 full-distance race guide.
Sources: outlawtriathlon.com.
