Vital facts

Background

The Virgin Active London Triathlon takes place at the ExCeL Exhibition Centre in London's Docklands and is the largest triathlon in the world with over 13,000 competitors expected to participate in one or other of the events over a two-day period. While the fact that it's the biggest means that there going to be an awful lot of people there, it doesn't mean that everyone goes at the same time! There are 15 waves on the Saturday and 20 on the Sunday and there's a choice of distances from super sprint through to standard distance (and introduced in 2010, 'Olympic Plus'), together with dedicated corporate waves.

Around a third of the competitors will be first-timers, a staggering statistic in itself. In fact, this whole event is all about mass-participation and it has grown steadily year-on-year with a major focus being on fund-raising for charity, the official ones are Cancer Research UK and Well Child. For the experienced triathlete there is the option of a sub-2:30 wave which tracks the elite route into central London or a slightly shorter loop that goes to Tower Bridge and back twice.

Because of the sheer size and complexity of the Virgin Active London Triathlon the single most important piece of advice that we can give is to READ THE RACE PACK!!! Unlike the page or two of A4 that most organisers provide this is a massively comprehensive, multi-page, multi-colour document that answers pretty much every question that you might reasonably ask. And probably a few more...

So, why are we doing a 'How to succeed...' feature? Well, because there are other little tips and tricks that can help you through London that are more than just a line or two in the race instructions!

The swim

The swim at London takes place in a dock so there's no current to deal with but, because the water is contained in a tank, there can be a fair amount of chop once the event gets going. It's a deep water start and you need to be at the marshalling point at least 20 minutes before your wave. Because of the sheer size of the ExCeL building it could take you ten minutes to get there and there are always people who leave it too late. Remember, you collect your swim cap at the marshalling point, don't go worrying that you left it behind or someone forgot to put it in your race pack, and then enter the water to swim across to the start line.

The swim course itself is an 'out and back'. You swim down the dock to the appropriate buoy and then make a 180 ° turn to the right to swim back towards the start, before turning right to swim in to the exit ramp. The exit ramp is part submerged so you can swim right onto it before finding your feet. NOTE: The swim direction changed from the 2010 event and that remains for 2011! The first leg of the swim will be next to the ExCeL building, meaning you will swim in a clockwise direction. This should enhance the experience for spectators, who will be able to close watch the 'out' portion of the swim. All events will be one lap. Do familiarise yourself with the swim course prior to the day, via the excellent course maps within that race pack! This will greatly enhance your understanding of what lies ahead, and improve your confidence and performance on race day.

If you are an inexperienced open water swimmer then do try to remember to kick your legs a bit before you get to the ramp to get the blood circulating again so you don't get that dizzy feeling when you stand up. Another unusual feature of London is that you get to take your wetsuit off straight away and stuff it into a plastic bag that you then carry to transition. Why? Well, imagine just how slippery all that flooring would get after a few thousand athletes had dripped a litre or so of water over it! And the first bit of floor you get to go across is a set of stairs...take care.

The transition to bike

It's a long way to pretty much anywhere in transition - even more so this year following development activity within ExCeL - and because the access points are in the corners of transition to ensure that the distances are equal you will run in off the swim in the top left corner of a wide rectangular area. Bikes are racked in marked rows by wave and it really is essential to have taken the time to walk round the area and establish where you are relative to the entry and exit points. Marking your transition spot is not allowed but there are legal ways to assist you - a brightly coloured or distinctive pattern on your transition towel could mean the difference between finding your bike after the swim and running around wasting valuable minutes. Balloons, flags and talc on the floor are definitely not allowed!

All of the entry / exit points will have signs indicating where you "bike out", "bike in", "run out" etc - do take the time before your race to locate these, and mentally rehearse the routes / directions which you will be following. One the guns goes, it is easy to forget, so it is well worth having this knowledge long before you arrive there mid-race and the adrenaline is flowing.

If you've ever seen the transition at Windsor and thought that was big then be prepared for a major upgrade - we are talking double and then some!

The bike

Each of the events has its own bike route, we'll concentrate on the two routes that go into central London on the Sunday, though all are thoroughly explained in - you guessed it - the RACE PACK! All of the morning races, that's the thousands of age groupers, those capable of sub 2:30 plus the elite men and women get to race this course. It consists of a short loop to Canary Wharf (Billingsgate) and back followed by a longer loop all the way along the Embankment to Big Ben and back. Note, the elite athletes do these two loops in the reverse order - they do the Big Ben loop first. The afternoon races do two loops to Tower Bridge and back. The whole route is closed to traffic and there is massive support along the way.

Oddly, the trickiest part of the entire route is the transition from the ExCeL building to the ground level. Not only do you change from indoors to outdoors and from a slick floor to concrete but you go from artificial to natural light and it may take a few moments for your eyes to become adjusted. The problem is that at the same time you are going down a ramp with several bends... Much better to wait until you are safely at ground level before putting the hammer down! Also, this is a natural area for spectators to congregate and there is a temptation to wave at your loved ones. This is NOT a good idea - you need both hands on the bars at this point...

For those that have raced the London Triathlon before 2010, the entry/exit routes from ground level to ExCeL is now the concrete ramp that in previous years you would have run up and down to ExCeL on. The run course introduced from 2010 is now completely changed from that in prior years, and sits to the EAST by Royal Albert Dock, rather than heading west and the out-and back around the Royal Victoria Dock...

The transition to run

The bike in actually moves from the morning to the afternoon races but it is always located at the bottom left corner of the currently active transiton section. The flow lines are clearly set out and you'll need to navigate back to your bike. Again, we cannot stress too strongly that it is so worth taking the time to figure things out in advance because it is easily possible to waste minutes of time running up and down the wrong row looking for your slot.

Once changed you will head for the run exit which is in the top right corner of the transition.

Notice that the flow lines work the diagonals - there is always the possibility of having someone going on the opposite diagonal so do keep your eyes open and be aware that others are racing and have just as much 'right of way' as you do. Listen to the marshals and stay alert.

The run

From 2010 - and applies this year too - the run courses for all events take place on new run course loop, based on the eastern end of the venue. This will greatly enhance spectator access to, and support on the run section. On exiting transition from the bike - you will of course have noted this route before you started, won't you?! - you head out of Excel, and then along the dockside towards Royal Albert Dock, and the turn point at Building 1000.

The run course is an approx. 2.5km loop, which means you complete one lap (Super Sprint), two laps (Sprint) or four laps (Olympic and Olympic Plus) - each lap returns into the ExCeL venue, meaning a tough incline to get back 'up' from ground level.

When you have completed your required number of laps, rather than turn left back onto the run course you will continue straight on to the finish chute to complete your race - with a smile we hope. Remember to count your laps! If you don't complete the requisite number of run loops you will be disqualified, as this will be identified from your timing chip. You only need to count a (maximum) of four, so don't spoil your day by forgetting...

Oh, and one thing on timing chips - wear it, at all times, on your ankle! Do not wear it on your wrist. Do not wrap it around your bike, or put it in your pocket. Yes, every year people do this - and plenty of more bizarre options - and then wonder why their results don't appear or are not complete. Oh, and yes, you do wear it in the swim too!

Other information

The biggest triathlon Expo of the year takes place alongside the race and, as it's getting well into the second half of the season, there will be lots of bargains there for those in need of retail therapy. It's also a safety net for those who manage to lose, forget or break vital bits of kit - we've even heard of people buying their wetsuits and bikes for the race at the Expo.

Travel to ExCeL needs careful planning as a lot of the access roads are closed off for the bike course. The best route in is on the A13, HOWEVER (and a reminder to check that RACE PACK!), do take note of which car park to use . The west entrance to ExCeL has a 1.9metre height restriction, so if you are transporting a bike on the roof of the car, you are strongly encourgaed to use the east car park! For spectators, however, the DLR is the most direct connection to the venue with links into central London and both the Underground and regular rail services.

Do note however, BICYCLES ARE NOT PERMITTED ON THE DOCKLANDS LIGHT RAILWAY. ExCeL London is connected to the Jubilee line at Canning Town via a three minute DLR journey.

We strongly advise competitors to arrive at the venue using private transport although the DLR remains open for spectator use. For information about travelling on public transport with a bicycle or to select a bike route, refer to Transport for London www.tfl.gov.uk or London Cycling Campaign www.lcc.org.uk

There is plenty of catering on-site with a wide choice of outlets in the central spine of the building plus a couple of restaurants and bars in the immediate area. There are a lot of new hotels but expect most to be fully booked for the event. The floating hotel moored in the dock next to ExCeL is a great, if expensive, location.