For this week’s Tryout Tuesday, Oliver Kidman competes in a duathlon with Jersey Tri Club. It proves harder than he expected, and he comes away exhausted but inspired
THIS week’s Tryout Tuesday pushed me to the limit up at Sorel Point, as I was pitted against some top talent in one of the Jersey Tri Club’s fun and engaging duathlon races.
The Jersey Tri Club are well and truly back, with their short-distance duathlon races kicking off what’s promising to be an action-packed season.
With a range of distances and formats on offer, there really is something for everyone – so let’s get into it.
Let’s find out more
First formed in 1985, the Jersey Tri Club have always led the local triathlon community, presenting a hugely varied programme of races – including aquathlons, duathlons, and triathlons – to offer something for everyone.
This race made up part of their entertaining series of duathlons that help commence their season at the beginning of the year, so what is it?
Well, duathlons are athletic events that consist of a running leg, followed by a cycling segment before another running leg, held over a great range of distances.
“We (Jersey Tri Club) run a wide array of races throughout the year, but we specifically run duathlons every Thursday in April, before hosting aquathlons each week in August as our shorter races,” said Luke Holmes, Jersey’s triathlon star, who was acting race officer for the duathlon.
“It’s a different format, which is that bit more exciting, and they’re not that massive, making it more accessible with the shorter distances and they really get the season going,” he continued.
“Swimming is where a lot of people struggle with triathlon and that’s probably what intimidates people the most, but these races completely remove that.
“With these duathlons, there really is no fear – the roads are closed off, you’re in your own little bubble and it’s perfect for making your start into the sport.”
Although Holmes may be striving to reach the very pinnacle of the sport, the local ace has been competing in these races time and again.
With this, Holmes delved into his own experiences, saying: “I’ve done countless local races – I may not do them so much nowadays, as I’m targeting the bigger races and have big goals, but I try to take part whenever I can as I love to do them.
“They’ve definitely been key to my progression, especially through the younger years as I was coming through.
“I used to race my dad a lot in these, and the great thing is that there’s such a wide range of competitors out there that there’s always someone to race – there was someone doing their first duathlon the other day and they weren’t last.
“As a short-course athlete, I find going faster and pushing the pace very fun. I know a lot down at the club get into the Ironman races, but that’s not for everyone – especially given the immense amount of time needed to even prepare for it – so it’s good that we have these so everyone can enjoy themselves.”
“It’s really great for developing that racing ability and just for racking up the experience.
“You can’t always go away and race, so gaining experience locally and working on the small things – like transitions and drafting – can really boost confidence when they’re in those bigger races.”
These races attract a vast array of standards and abilities to the track, as Holmes continued: “Up front, we had people who would usually rank near the top of local cycling races, but there were some people near the back who were literally doing their first ever race, but everyone still managed it – as long as you can ride a bike, that’s what matters.
“The standard we have here in Jersey is really high. We’ve won team gold for the past two Island Games, which just goes to show we’re up there with the strongest nations – if not the strongest – at that level, and it shows the talent we’re bringing through.”
In addition to all abilities, it was also a wide array of ages as well, with the Big Maggy’s Tristars displaying the sport’s bright future while veterans exhibited they still had what it took to compete.
“There was all ages there – I think the youngest we had up there was seven or eight years of age, and our oldest was 80. No matter what age you are, people just want to push themselves,” said Holmes.
“Although Douglas Smith is 80 years of age, he’s still up here racing with us. No matter how old you are, there’s always something you can work on – he was telling me about bits he could improve – but he still feels like he has someone to race.
“The challenge of triathlon is what most attracts people – it’s not easy, and you have to push yourself and train hard, but you feel like you’ve achieved something. Whether you’re a kid who wants to try something new apart from the traditional sports, or an adult who wants to keep pushing, there will always be that urge to do well and push yourself.”
The Jersey Tri Club’s “welcoming” community are certainly an asset to easing the process of getting involved, with WhatsApp groups and a jam-packed schedule meaning there’s always something to do.
“We have so much going on at the club – following the WhatsApp groups can get pretty tiring sometimes. As you can see, there’s something for all the different events and everyone’s always on there organising swims or cycles for people to join in,” Holmes continued.
“It’s so easy to get into, Jersey Tri Club have a big presence on either Facebook or Instagram, so just get in touch through those or check out our website. Everyone’s so welcoming and keen for new members to join, so if you have any questions, please feel free to get in contact.”
Time to take my place on the start line
Since the Rock N Road Runners reintroduced me to the art of running, I was heading into this race with a bit of confidence. Of course, when Luke Holmes messaged a couple days before about the great opportunity to join the race, it’s fair to say I snatched at the opportunity.
I didn’t set myself up for success, however, as my pre-race routine consisted of jumping straight off my laptop after just finishing signing off this newspaper’s sports pages, grabbing my bike and sprinting to the transition area, only completing the set-up with less than a minute to go before the start.
It may have been a hurried process, but I quickly settled into the opening one-mile run segment pretty quickly, finding my pace pretty comfortably.
Having already experienced the track at Sorel – although pretty differently from a kart – I knew how to manage myself, meaning the opening two laps were pretty straightforward to come seventh out of 15.
However, I was pretty much already out of contention from the off, as the lead pack stormed off – with Island Games team manager David Holmes, Island Games athlete Peter Holmes, Joe Holmes and Dylan Hedgecock all well in the mix, while Ryan Paterson sped off to lead.
Getting on the bike, I assumed this is where I’d gain some more ground – after years of cycling pretty much everywhere, I thought I’d blaze my way around the track. But, it’s fair to say I was humbled pretty quickly, as the lead pack came into their own and lapped me twice during the ten-lap cycling leg.
However, I did hold my own to stay well around the middle of the pack, once again surprising myself – I hadn’t really done this sort of racing since my triathlon experience with Luke Holmes last year, so the fact that I hadn’t withdrawn was already a win for me – my split kept me at around halfway on the rankings, but I had lost some ground.
Finally, it was time for the final run leg, and my legs were starting to feel it. But, I was driven to keep pushing and put in the best-possible shift to make up for any lost time, so I picked up the pace, got one last overtake and then finished going downhill.
I was pretty exhausted after that, but it felt amazing to get back in the flow. One of my goals for this year is to improve my swimming and try triathlon – finishing ninth here has helped fuel the fire – showing me it’s possible.
