Bala British Standard Distance Triathlon Championships, 6 Sep 2026

I don’t think I have ever felt less motivated or ready for a race that in the week leading up to this week. My body felt tired, I lacked the motivation I normally don’t even question, but it was my final race of the season and a British Championships race.

Bala is an absolutely beautiful place, and a stunning backdrop for the race. But crikey, it was hard to get to and somewhat traumatic on the country roads trying to find our accommodation!

It was an 11am start, which whilst it meant I wasn’t getting up at silly o’clock, it was very different to most races and this threw me a bit pre-race. Transition was absolutely packed, with bikes and belongings everywhere.

Whilst the lake was gorgeous the wind was quite strong and there were white horses. I tried to set off and stick with some of the faster ladies. I stuck on someone’s heel pretty well only to realise I chose the wrong feet! Cue a horribly choppy swim where you got battered in the face with a wave every time you breathed or sighted, so I was very grateful to get onto the bike!

Lovely undulating 40k(ish) ride, picked off lots of ladies (and men). But in hindsight probably went a bit too hard on the first half (into the headwind)…

Run. Well, it’s normally my favourite. This one wasn’t. There were quite a few inclines on the course, and I struggled. Whether it was me having overbiked, or just feeling generally tired, but I was a little disappointed with what I managed on the day. I gave it everything, but was 90 seconds off gold.

A silver medal 🥈 in the British Championships isn’t too bad, but I’m still on the rebuild and hopefully the run speed off the bike will come soon…

Sarah Harding