If you’re looking for an activity to train in or to put your training into practise and pick up a bit of bling. All of the below are commonly found on a weekend:
- Triathlons
- Duathlons
- Marathons
- 10kms runs
- Sportives
- Century Rides
The problem is though that a lot of these activities require planning, preparation, serious training and can often take up a whole day if not weekend.
The solution?
GO TRI
An initiative created by British Triathlon following the 2012 London Olympics, GO TRI offers participants of all abilities the chance to train and race in a safe environment with other likeminded people at accessible and affordable distances and prices.
GO TRI offers both training and events
I have been running GO TRI events since 2015 and as McA Fitness & Events since 2017. I have never operated a GO TRI training session, so cannot really speak for them. What I will tell you is that they are sessions organised by clubs, gyms or sports clubs, accredited by British Triathlon to GO RI standards and will aid in your participation in multisport. Ideal for beginners, GO TRI Active sessions are designed as an introduction to Triathlon and multisport.
GO TRI events though, now here is where I come into my own…
McA Fitness & Events is twice North West region “GO TRI Operator of the Year” (2019, 2022) and in 2019 was Runner Up at the Triathlon England awards.
We have had over 2500 unique entrants and around 35% of those are first timers. It safe to say we know a thing or two about GO TRI events, how brilliant they are and why so.
A GO TRI event can be any multisport discipline, Triathlon, Duathlon, Aquathlon or Aquabike and can be indoors, outdoors, open water or pool swim, there really is no limit.
I’ll focus on Duathlon as that’s what we specialise in, but distances will be similar for all disciplines.
A GO TRI is designed to be Accessible, Affordable and Achievable. Its an opportunity to take part in a Duathlon in a safe environment, at a distance you know you can achieve and without paying over the odds for your entry.
Organisers are restricted to limited distances and entry costs.
Most GO TRI operators are club or community projects, so a maximum of £15 entry fee is in place. This allows the organiser to pay for venue costs and other necessities for running an event. I made the decision early on to charge top whack and use your entry fee to offer as much value as I possibly can, by providing custom medals, water and sweets. I’ve also been able to invest in transition racking, I have enough to comfortably fit 200 participants, additional signs, I try to put 20-30 signs out over our 10km – 18km courses as well as branding, first aid supplies and goodies for marshals and volunteers. Anything I spend on the events, obviously eat into my profits, but they also add value to entrants and help our events stand out from the others.
Distance wise, GO TRI Duathlons are limited to a Super Sprint distance, 2.5km run / 15km bike / 2.5km run. You’ll notice our events have roughly 2 – 2.5km run sandwiching a 10 – 18km ride. We’ve pushed the boundaries slightly, but with the venues and routes that we have, they are as short as possible.
Our venues are all accessible, easy to get to from the M60 and M56, great parking and suitable toilet facilities. Importantly, they all have excellent areas for transition and if I’m honest, it’s been choosing a venue the most important part when creating my events. Without a top venue, I’d have nowhere to base, no transition and no race.
Courses have then been designed as looped courses or out and backs from transition. Sticking with GO TRI distances, I’ve been lucky that I’ve picked venues in fantastic areas where scenic bike routes are a plenty. I live in South Manchester and we are relatively flat, with a few small climbs and our routes are just that. A GO TRI should be long enough to be challenging, but short enough to be achievable and not so technical, that it takes away from that.
McA Fitness GO TRI Duathlon Events have become synonymous with cracking bike routes. Manchester Airport, Dunham Massey and Woodford are all rural Cheshire countryside, largely flat, some easy S bends, a few nice houses to ride past and some of the most picturesque villages in the north west. Our run routes, do the job. They sandwich the bike route, they’re short, flat and allow an opportunity for speed, which brings me onto my final point.
Thus far, I spoken about the accessibility and benefit of GO TRI’s for beginner athletes and novices. GO TRI Duathlons are however suitable for all abilities and make a great training session, practice races and equipment tests for the more experienced athlete.
Given the relaxed nature of the events, the non-competitive nature, it’s a fantastic opportunity for you to test yourself, against yourself, to try some new kit, to experiment with flying mounts and dismounts or just to get an extra training session in in a race environment.
If you haven’t given it a GO TRI yet, what’s stopping you?