Lakesman Triathlon British Middle Distance Championships, 15 Jun 2025

First race back…

The choice of race to return to postpartum would, for most, be short, low key and something you know you can do. But instead, I chose the middle distance British championships.

My 2nd daughter was born 5 months ago and the delivery posed some complications which really affected my return to run. So much so that I was only signed off to run without pelvic floor breaks at the end of May. So, 13.1 miles at the end of this triathlon was going to be a challenge.

In the lead up to this race, I was nervous, very nervous. Nervous about whether I could even do the race. Nervous about whether I could still be competitive as I wanted a British champs medal. Nervous that I might hurt myself. Nervous that I might let people down.

So getting to the start line was huge.

The swim:

1.2 miles of hell. I had been swimming really well in the pool in the weeks leading up to the race, and with a new wetsuit I was really hoping for a good time. But alas, within 50m my goggles had steamed up and I couldn’t see anything or any of the buoys I should have been aiming for. Cue a lot of panic and worry of not knowing where I was. After about 10min I was able to settle a bit and swim relatively well, only to have spotted a buoy which wasn’t in fact the one I should have aimed for leading to swim exit. As a result I had to completely change direction to leave the lake. My time was 3-4 minutes slower than what I thought was possible, so disappointing, but I was pleased to be out on the bike.

Transition 1:

The very long run up the road to transition was hard on the feet but I managed to pick up quite a few places here and even remembered how to do something akin to a flying mount onto the bike…

Bike:

This was glorious. 56 miles of an overall undulating course but with a middle section of challenging climbs and risky descents. I picked off a few women in the first few km which really lifted my spirits. I was annoyed when another female came speeding past me, but the satisfaction of catching and overtaking her later on the uphills was worth it! Internally I had been aiming for a 2hr40 time so only being 3 minutes outside this wasn’t too bad.

Transition 2:

Bike was quickly racked and shoes on. The sun had now come out and it was boiling, just in time for 13 miles of fun!

Run:

Prior to the race my longest run had been about 11 miles so while running has always been my favourite discipline, this time it truly was a case of the unknown. I set off from transition at my ‘best case’ pace (4:20km) and held this for 3km! I soon settled into a more realistic 4:30/km pace which I held for quite a while. The course was pan flat but involved lots of puddle jumping and an out and back section on a main road that was both physically and mentally sapping. Seeing my family every lap was the encouragement I needed. After about 15km I started to really struggle and I was hanging on at this point. Finishing in a 1:37 on very little run training was hard, but a time I know I should be proud of. It was the first time I’ve had my family cross the line with me and it was the best feeling ever!

So, 2nd in my age group isn’t something to be sniffed at, but I know a fully fit me could have challenged for that gold, so the motivation to keep going has not waned.

Overall most of me is proud of this one, but a little part of me is frustrated I couldn’t have been closer to 1st and to have done a swim time that my current swimming is capable of.

Thank you to Tim for believing in me (when I don’t) and for getting me to a level of fitness 5 months postpartum which is quite frankly unbelievable given where I was only a couple of months ago!

Sarah Harding