Maldon Sprint Triathlon, 21 Sep 2025

On Sunday I completed my first sea swim triathlon. I was nervous about the swim knowing it would be tidal and choppy. However the 750m went by quickly and the swim back had the tide on our side. It was a busy start but I soon found my space and rhythm, blissfully unaware that the objects in the water that I kept hitting were jellyfish not driftwood! Including the long run up to transition my swim time was 15:44.

First section of the bike was tailwind, a pleasant surprise and great to see speed right from the start. I passed a few riders on the road and felt strong the whole time. In the last 2km traffic was not on my side and a rider I’d passed caught up again, we proceeded to race into the headwind back to T2. My bike split was 45 minutes for the 25km, I also hit a new 45 minute power pb of 183W.

I loved the run course and although it wasn’t as fast as I’d like I finished the 4.8km in 20:53. Last stretch I could see the arch and finishing tape!

Another great weekend out - I finished first woman and 2nd out of 88.

I loved testing the speed I’ve been working on over summer. Now time to take a step back from racing as we go into winter.

Zoe Palmer