Vitruvian Middle Distance Triathlon, 14 Sep 2025

Vitruvian was the final race of the season. An early 0400 wake up for a 0630 swim start, which was actually quite nice as we got to see the sunrise over the reservoir.

The swim was 2 laps with an Aussie exit. The first lap was rather civilised, the 2nd lap however, somewhat resembled a washing machine, catching the waves set off behind at the end of their first lap. That being said, I was happy with my position out of the water and out of T2 onto the bike.

The bike was cold and windy, we were not blessed with a September heatwave this year. It took me a while to settle in and my legs just did not show up. I got round the bike course and out onto the run: things had shifted to a ‘just finish’ kind of mentality.

The run surprised me, considering how bad my legs had felt on the bike. I dug in and plodded around the 13.1 miles, only finishing the run a minute or so slower than Tallinn.

It was not the day I had wanted to finish the season with, but the cold I'd had at the start of the week had perhaps affected me more than I'd thought. One bad day doesn't take away from the progress I have made this season, and I am over the moon with my PB from Tallinn 3 weeks earlier. Onto next year and IM Kalmar.

Chloe Simper