Name: British Under 20's Festival 
Date: Sunday 4th September 2016
Venue: Strathclyde Country Park, Scotland
Distances: Swim: 750m, Bike: 20km, Run: 5km 

Another long drive up to Scotland. This time it was for the U20 Festival at Strathclyde Country Park for the finale of the British Super Series. After a scare a few days before, where someone accidentally took my wetsuit, we had everything packed and ready to go. Nine hours later we made it. 
For this race we had to be there for the whole weekend as on the Saturday we cycled the course and practiced some of the technical bits which was really useful this time, because some sections of the course were very very technical. We also had the chance to check out the swim course and see how cold the water was. Colder than I thought was the answer!
Arriving on race day it was sunny with perfect conditions. The water was flat and had gotten a bit warmer and the air temperature too. After getting my registration pack which included a nice pair of sunglasses, I watched the Junior Women and then started my warm up. 

The field was strong and had the best in Britain, as well some French and Australian’s that had come over for the race. We were called up in our Super Series rank, which surprisingly meant I was in the middle of the field. And I also decided to start from the middle of the pontoon as that seemed to be the best line. Diving in I had a great start. I could see clear water ahead of me so I was near the front. My hard work in swimming had clearly been paying off and I have been seeing myself move further and further up the field. However, being this far up you’re vulnerable to how brutal open water swimming can be. At the second buoy I had my feet pulled, was swum over then someone used my shoulder to pull themselves over me. I tried to get going again, but more and more people pulled my legs and arms and I couldn’t go anywhere. Realising that being in the middle of everyone also didn't help so next time I think I shall start from the edge of the pontoon! After fighting and fighting and pulling a few feet, I found myself almost at the back. Not where I wanted to be. I worked hard on the rest of the swim to make sure I would be with others for the bike but was never going to get back to the front. On the bike I found myself in a group of three and we worked together to limit our losses, but with larger groups ahead we weren’t going to make much difference. It was hard to get a good rhythm going too as the bike was very hilly and the only flat bit consisted of technical turns. We caught some people, but many times kept dropping them. I decided to work for most of the bike, but towards the end I did little work and saved my legs as much as I could for the run. 
After the bike I was pumped for the run. Someone in my bike group set off really fast and I thought I’d try to stick with him. We were catching people quickly and constantly moving up into higher placings. After half of the run I’d already moved up around five places. I kept pushing and pushing overtaking more and more people. I felt really good and just felt like I was flying until I crossed the finish line in 34th. Afterwards I was disappointed as 34th is not where I wanted to finish but I was never going to do well after that swim. I took huge amount of positivity from the run having put in the 11th fastest run time out of everyone and with over 50 junior elites I was super happy with that! 16:27 for 5km! I haven't had many good runs this year so I was pleased to get this one under my belt before the Worlds next week. 

It was a good race to do and great preparation for the final race of the season. Thursday 15th at 8.55am (Mexico time, 14:00 GMT). Since then I have arrived in Cozumel, Mexico and look forward to training here before the race! After a good finish earlier this year in the European Championships I am confident I can get a good result in the World Championships and hopefully be up there fighting for a high finish. 
My sponsors Pedal Potential, Swim Canary Wharf, Sam Farmer, The Body Therapy Company and Zone 3 have been amazing supporting me throughout the year and helping me to get to the World Championships. 
My coach Dermott Hayes, S&C Coach Max Curle and Excel Physiotherapy have kept me in the best shape possible for these World Championships and I hope to be able to do them all proud! 
 
Bring on Cozumel!!!
​
Sam

Race Times                                                  
Swim: 10:44mins                                                                              
T1: 1:00min                                                                                       
Bike: 33:34mins                                                                                
T2: 00:34mins                                                                                      
Run: 16:27mins                                                                                  
Total: 1:04:21hours        

With only a week and a bit to go before I jet off to Mexico I thought I better get some blog writing under my belt! First up is the Monster Ely Olympic Triathlon then the National Triathlon Relays. Hopefully next week I'll be able to squeeze another one in before I fly out!

​Name: Monster Ely Olympic Triathlon
Date: Sunday 21st August 2016
Venue: Ely, Cambridgeshire
Distances: Swim: 1500m, Bike: 44km, Run: 12km 

A few weeks ago I stepped up to an Olympic distance triathlon! My coaches Dermott and Ray had both said it would be interesting to see how I faired at a longer distance. Ray, being my swim coach, was particularly interested to see if I could hold a 750m swim pace for twice the distance. I had no idea how my body would hold up but with a month before Mexico we thought this race would be a good time to give it a go. 
The morning was dull. Very windy and a bit wet. We had driven the course the night before and knew the wind would be very strong in places as the course was very exposed. My first priority was the swim. My aim was to do sub 20mins and be first out to give myself the best chance at potentially winning the race. I started off hard and pushed it all the way down the river (which was flowing against us) until the turn point where we came back down for another 200m to finish off the swim. I exited in 20.01 (including a little run) so I was super happy! I had succeeded and done exactly what Ray believed I could do. His swim coaching and analysis in the endless pool has been key to improving my swim and turning it from my weakest discipline to being very strong and making me really enjoy swimming!
I had a quick T1 and set out on the bike in the lead. I was in front by about 2mins putting a huge gap between myself and 2nd from the swim. I lead for around 10km and was then overtaken. There was no point wasting energy keeping up with this guy so I kept my tempo the same as it was and kept it steady making sure I didn't blow up. After the first 20km I could feel the pain, but I had to keep going and with 6km left it was mostly downhill with the wind. Pushing 50kmh I gave it everything I had arriving in T2 in 4th place. My dad said 3rd was 1min ahead so I got my head down and ran. I was caught pretty quickly but stayed with this guy and we both soon overtook 3rd. I stayed in 4th but after 8km I was starting to feel the past 2hours of racing in my legs. I've never raced for more than an hour and a bit before so my legs were crumbling beneath me. I defended my 4th place overall and my 1st in my age group till the finishing line. I was very glad to have finished and extremely pleased to see that I'd finished 4th overall! And 1st in the U25's winning me a nice trophy and a pair of trainers courtesy of Alphawoolf! I was slightly gutted finding out I was only 28seconds off of 3rd place overall! So close! The next day I was pretty broken, but took an easy week in preparation for what was to come the next week...

Name: National triathlon Relay Championships 
Date: Saturday 27th August 2016 
Venue: Holme Pierrepoint, Nottingham
Distances: Swim: 500m, Bike: 15km, Run: 5km (X4)

My next race was something complelely different again. I'd been asked to join a relay team for the National Championships and was really looking forward to it! Annoyingly the BTF wanted us to pay a ridiculous amount of money to become a 'RaceTeam' to be in contention for the BTF medals as we weren't all from the same club. We decided not to do this but still race and see how we did. 
The team was Angus Smith, Emily Patch and Whitney Larkin (+me). Thanks to sponsorship from Zone3, they allowed us to represent them and race as Team Zone3. In this format of relays all competitors swim, then bike, then run. Our order was as I listed above and Angus got us off to a great start putting us in the top 10. Great swims for Emily and Whitney moved us up into 5th and in my leg I managed to move us up to 3rd. On the bike Angus managed to move us into 2nd place and put in a big chunk of time between us and 3rd. Emily's bike was brilliant, but as she was racing against a guy we slipped back into 3rd place. Whitney held our third position and on my leg I kept us there too, handing over to Angus to start the run. Again he moved us up into 2nd as he was now  racing against a girl. The team in 1st were way ahead as they were a team of 3 boys and 1 girl...not sure how that is fair but oh well. Emily had a super run holding 2nd place, but Whitney was up against a good runner and we were then back in 3rd. Over to me to finish it off...no pressure! I set off for the 5km run around the lake and half way through I looked behind and could see 4th right there! Oh no! Time to put the pedal down. I gave it everything I had. After almost 1km of sprinting and just a few hundred metres left behind I looked back and could not see 4th! A smile broke out and we all came down the line together to finish off a great race and a great day (despite the miserable weather)! We finished 3rd overall and 2nd in the Open Category! Wow that was awesome! 3rd in the country, not bad! Thank you so much to Angus, Emily and Whitney for inviting me to be a part of your team! 

I owe a big thank you to Pedal Potential, Zone 3, Swim Canary Wharf, Sam Farmer and The Body Therapy Company for their support helping me to achieve these results! I would not be able to perform this well without their invaluable support! Many thanks to my team Max Curle, Excel Physiotherapy and my coach Dermott Hayes for everything they do to support me throughout the year to get me into this shape!  

My next race will be on Sunday 4th September at the U20's Festival at Strathclyde Country Park, Scotland in the Junior Elite wave. The last race before Mexicoooo!

See you in Scotland! 
​
Sam

Race Times (Ely Olympic Triathlon)                                           Race Times (National Relays) - Angus/Emily/Whitney/Me
Swim: 20:01mins                                                                              Swim: 6:30 / 7:34 / 7:07 / 6:57mins
T1: 0:36mins                                                                                      T1: 0:29mins
Bike: 1:17:40hrs                                                                                Bike: 21:17 / 26:12 / 25:24 / 23:12mins
T2: 00:36mins                                                                                    T2: -
Run: 46:28mins                                                                                 Run: 17:48 / 22:40 / 21:36 / 18:23mins 
Total: 2:26:17hours                                                                          Total: 3:25:16hours

Name: The London Triathlon 
Date: Sunday 7th August 2016
Venue: ExCel Centre, Docklands, London
Distances: Swim: 750m, Bike: 20km, Run: 5km 

The London Triathlon is one of the biggest triathlons in the world. It is also a very prestigious race to race in. A good result looks very good on your CV and goes down very well. The Junior Elite wave had a strong line up with some big names including some Australians and a competitor from Hong Kong. The swim start was problem free. I took an outside line but knew I could move inwards with a strong start. I lead for the first few metres so managed to move inwards pretty quickly, but then settled into my rhythm. The wind made it very easy up the first straight, but after turning the first two buoys it was into a headwind. This stretch of the swim felt like an eternity but finally we reached the final two pigs shaped buoys to turn around and headed into the swim exit. I exited in a time of 9:48! I noticed the clock as I came out and was amazed! I was so happy! My swim has come on so much in the last few months so I was so pleased to see a time like that on the clock! 
Going into transition I slipped and fell hard on my hip but quickly got back up and onto the bike and chased to catch someone up front. I sat on his wheel for good while until I thought I should work a bit. We then chased hard together to catch another person then formed the chasing group of 3 with a group up ahead of 6. We kept up good speed and worked relatively well together on the course. Towards the end two of us broke away and dropped the third guy. We completed the bike in 32.06.
It was a hot day, which made it good preparations looking ahead to Mexico, and so the run was very very good training. I messed up my dismount off the bike a so was a few seconds behind so worked hard coming out of transition and after the first half a lap moved into 8th place. I had lots of friends and family there cheering me on and coming past them each time on the run, it spurred me on even more and just helped me to keep on running hard. The run course was packed with age groupers and I was constantly shouting at people to move out they way but they didn't listen. A lot of pushing and shoving and swearing took place but I powered through the crowd and could make out the people ahead of me. There was quite a gap but I dug in to close it. Coming into the area for the final time it was so noisy. I sprinted in to finish in 1:06:08 and in 8th place! I was very happy to have placed to high and so well in such well-respected event in the calendar. It gave me a lot of confidence that my training has been going well and with a month to the World Championships things seems to be in a good place. 
A huge thank you to my sponsors Pedal Potential, Swim Canary Wharf, Sam Farmer, The Body Therapy Company and Zone 3 for supporting me all the way through the year and helping me to get these results. I'm so grateful to have a a good team around me and I thank Max Curle, Excel Physiotherapy and my coach Dermott Hayes always being there to help me get the results I want. 
 
My next race will be on Sunday 21st August at the Monster Ely Olympic Triathlon, my first Olympic distance that will be very interesting! I am looking forward to racing this distance for the first time. 
 
I shall be blogging again soon!

Sam

Race Times                                                  
Swim: 9:48mins                                                                              
T1: 2:11mins                                                                                       
Bike: 32:06mins                                                                                
T2: 1:45mins                                                                                      
Run: 20:20mins                                                                                  
Total: 1:06:08hours                                                                            

It’s been a few weeks since my last blog, but I can assure you rather a lot has happened since. I’ve just returned from a weeks holiday in Croatia so am looking forward to getting back into the swing of things in preparation for the next block of racing. 

​Name: Chatsworth House Triathlon, European Qualifier
Date: Sunday 3rd July 2016
Venue: Peak District, Chesterfield
Distances: Swim: 750m, Bike: 20km, Run: 5km 

First up earlier this month was Chatsworth House in the Peak District. It was the final opportunity to qualify for the 2017 European Championships so I had to nail it. The morning of the race was cold and when I arrived at registration and saw the water temperature I was in shock. 12C!!! In July!!! OMG, I was not expecting that! I was so happy I had my neoprene hat from Zone3 otherwise I would definitely have had a frozen head. 
Getting into the river was painful. It was the coldest water by far this year and it was impossible to get warm. I positioned myself right at the front and just waited until the horn went. I sprinted off to keep in a good place, but also just to get a little warmer! I was in 3rd place for the out leg of the swim up to the turn buoy. However, I was then overtaken and dropped back to 4th. I was still very happy with the swim and kept swimming hard! I exited the water 4th and started the run to transition. It was a lot longer than I thought and also had to dodge a lot of sheep droppings along the path. I had asked the race director ‘Can you move the poo?’, but he just laughed. 
Transition was slick (fastest of the day) and the start of the bike was fast. Heading out of the grounds and on to the roads I kept up good speed, but then we turned a corner and then it went up. Really up. For 6km or so at a maximum of at least 15% gradient. At times it was brutal. However, being on a road bike I gained a few places and didn't lose too much time. The downhill was awesome (except for the bit where some road was missing). 
For the run, well, it was worse. It said 250m of climbing in 5km, really it was 250m in 2.5km and the second half was coming back down. Sadly the worst run ever for me. So hard, so steep and so slow. I was feeling cramps in three places, it was a nightmare. But I kept fighting and knew I was still in a qualifying position. Finishing the run I was in 5th place in my age group, but most importantly, I had qualified for Dusseldorf 2017! 

Name: Lidl Bananaman 
Date: Saturday 9th July 2016 
Venue: Dorney Lake, Eton
Distances: Swim: 750m, Bike: 20km, Run: 5km

Next up in the calendar and just a week later was the Lidl Bananaman at Eton Dorney. The 4th round of the British Super Series. My first elite triathlon of the year, so I was very keen to see how I faired against the best this year. 
I started the swim exactly how I did at the race at Eton earlier that year, on the inside, and tried to go round people getting the shortest line. Again it paid off! I was in the middle amongst everyone else, so I was sure to be in a pack coming out of the swim. I worked hard round the buoys and in the final straight to keep up and entered transition with four others in a time of 10:08, perfect!. Exiting transition I jumped onto the bike and had a small gap to a few riders up ahead. After missing out on the group a few times this year I was determined not to let that happen again, so I put in a huge effort and caught up with them. After a few kilometres into the ride a group of nine formed and we started to work really well together closing in on the group ahead. On the end of the 3rd lap however, two decided to break away disrupting the rhythm and nobody wanted to chase them down. We all were looking at each other to see who was going to chase. Eventually we all got back to working together again to catch the two ahead, but they stayed away for the rest of the bike leg. I dismounted the bike in a time of 32:59 and got my running shoes on and sprinted off. Immediately I caught one guy from the breakaway and aimed to stick with a few others from the rest of the bike group. I worked hard on the run and moved well across the ground making good time. I upped the pace on the second lap and I chased the guys in front as hard as I could. Crossing the line in a run split of 18:29 and a total time of 1:03:08 and in 23rd place, my best ever finish in a Junior Elite Super Series race! I was more than happy, I was thrilled with the result! 

A huge thank you to Pedal Potential, Zone 3, Swim Canary Wharf, Sam Farmer and The Body Therapy Company for helping me to achieve my goals! They are without doubt crucial to my success and I am so grateful for all that they do! I owe a huge thank you to my team Max Curle, Excel Physiotherapy and my coach Dermott Hayes for everything they do. 

My next race will be on Sunday 7th August at the London Triathlon at the ExCel Centre, Docklands in the Junior Elite wave at 10am. 

Have a good summer everyone! 
​
Sam

Race Times (Chatsworth House)                                                   Race Times (Lidl Bananaman)
Swim: 11:51mins                                                                                Swim: 10:08mins
T1: 0:47mins                                                                                        T1: 0:49mins
Bike: 36:26mins                                                                                  Bike: 32:59mins
T2: 00:47mins                                                                                      T2: 0:43mins
Run: 24:44mins                                                                                   Run: 18:29mins 
Total: 1:14:38hours                                                                            Total: 1:03:08hours

Name: Strathclyde Country Park ITU World Qualifier 
Date: Sunday 5th June 2016
Venue: Strathclyde Park, Scotland
Distances: Swim: 750m, Bike: 20km, Run: 5km 

Only a week after the triumph of Lisbon, it was time to head north to another country far far away. They call it Scotland. I call it Scotland. It was Scotland. It was my chance to book my flight to the World Championships in yet another country far far away. This time, Mexico. 
Scotland was lovely! It was sunny, it was hot, it was ideal racing conditions for sure! I'd never been to Strathclyde Country Park (triathlon venue for the Commonwealth games) so was excited to see what the venue was like. We arrived with some knowledge that the organisation hadn't been great the previous day and we were slightly confused about the course. After kind of working it out, it was onwards to the hotel for dinner and a good nights sleep in none other than Holiday Inn Express. 
Waking up, I had a bowl of Cheerios as always and prepared myself for the race ahead. The field was pretty competitive, but I knew I had to race hard to secure my place at the Worlds. With more poor organisation in the morning it was not the ideal start, but the weather made up for it! A glorious day with not a cloud in the sky! 
We walked towards the edge of the pontoon. Jumped in. Swum about. Positioned myself on the pontoon. Then it was go. Not very far until the first buoy. I chose an inside line to cut the distance but knowing I was a strong swimmer I thought I could get ahead of the chaos. I rounded the first buoy avoiding the legs and arms being thrown about in my direction and held my line, keeping strong, holding my position close to the front. The sun was blinding and made it tough to see the next few buoys, but I got round in a time of 10:45 in 13th place. After realising it was a good 30 second run to transition I was very happy with the swim as it would've been just shy of the sub 10 min mark, exactly where I want to be this year. After a lightening quick transition, thanks to my Zone3 Vanquish, I leapt onto the bike. Unfortunately the lead group was a few metres ahead and I tried desperately for the first lap to catch them! Having made no ground and I gave up the chase and got caught by a group of three. We didn't really work, I just sat at the back while the other three lads attacked each other. It was frustrating and by the end of the bike we had lost two minutes on the front group. Thankfully, except for one other, there was no one else in the group who wanted to qualify. He attacked towards the end of the bike and I let him go knowing my run legs should catch him. A good run meant I caught him in the first kilometre putting me in pole position for qualification. I just kept my rhythm and did what I had to do to keep my place. Crossing the line in 1:07:16, I was a bit disappointed with the time, but who cares! I'M GOING TO MEXICO! Knowing I'd secured my place I could relax a bit after the stress from puncturing at the first qualifying event, it was a real relief! VAMOS A MEXICO! 

Name: WTS Leeds, British Elite Aquathlon Championships 
Date: Saturday 11th June 2016
Venue: Roundhay Park, Leeds
Distances: Swim: 750m, Run: 5km 

Six days later, it was time to head north again. Not as far, only Leeds. But this time for an Aquathlon. The British Elite Aquathlon Championships and the 3rd round of the British Super Series. 
We arrived the day before and had a good walk around the town centre at the expo and the finish of the Elite triathlon races. Registering was easy and simple. Then we drove down to check out the course. There were few signposts and once again we were confused. This time it was about where to run and where our transition would be! Not ideal! 
After an interrupted sleep, thanks to some rather loud people outside the hotel room, it meant I was quite tired on the way there. But a few gels and sprints later I was awake and itching to get going. I hadn't raced with the Elite Juniors since March so was keen to see how I would do!
Diving into the water from the pontoon I positioned myself well and was up near the front. I could see clear water from where I was sighting, a rarity in these races for me, so I knew I was having a good swim! However, at the first buoy I took  a few kicks and punches and then a bad line and I slipped back. I was on the back of the main group and tried desperately to hang on. I finished the swim in 10:24, only 70 seconds behind the leaders, I was amazed and so happy! Never have I been so close to the leaders! Last year I would've been over 2 mins behind so the hard work has definitely been worth it! 
It was a long transition, and I mean long, almost 4 mins! Onto the run it was straight up. Really up, it was a big hill! And it just kept on going! I gained some ground on two guys, one of whom was a fellow Pedal Potential athlete. The three of us worked hard pushing each other, but it was tough and it was super hilly and there was not a flat part on the run. I kicked hard, but so did another lad. He had the better kick and I chased him as hard as I could but it wasn't enough. 34th place for me. I was pleased though, a fantastic swim was the positive to take forwards when I race a triathlon with these guys in a few weeks time. 
I may do the racing, but I have a fabulous team behind me helping me race to the best of my ability and to compete with the best. I am so happy to have Pedal Potential, Zone 3, Swim Canary Wharf, and Sam Farmer supporting me and I am so grateful! I would not be where I am without them for sure! I cannot thank you enough for everything you do!
Thank you to The Body Therapy Company for supplying me with some fantastic pre and post race oils! They really do work and worked their magic on me! Got my muscles warm even before the warm up and helped them recover quicker than ever! 
Finally a special thank you to Max Curle, Excel Physiotherapy and my coach Dermott Hayes for coaching me to a spot in the World Championships! 
My next race is Saturday 3rd July where I will be trying to qualify for the 2017 European Championships in Dusseldorf! Fingers crossed! 
Enjoy the pictures below! 

Sam.

Race Times (Strathclyde Park)                                                      Race Times (WTS Leeds)
Swim: 10:45mins                                                                                Swim: 10:24mins
T1: 0:35mins                                                                                        T1: 3:37mins
Bike: 35:55mins                                                                                  Run: 20:53mins
T2: 00:31mins                                                                                      Total: 34:53mins
Run: 19:30mins                                                                                   
Total: 1:07:16hours                                                                            

Name: ETU European Triathlon Championships 
Date: Friday 26th May 2016
Venue: Lisbon, Portugal
Distances: Swim: 750m, Bike: 21km, Run: 5km 

What could be better? A trip to Portugal to compete in the European Triathlon Championships in the middle of exams. A well deserved break I think ;). The race was on a Friday and we flew out Wednesday afternoon after my C2 Maths exam (which I will avoid talking about at all costs). A nice lunch with my dad at Jamies' Italian in Gatwick and a smooth flight into Lisbon got the trip off to a good start. No luggage was lost on the way, thankfully, and we arrived at our hotel ready for a good nights sleep once we had glued the bike back together. 
The next day was hectic. It was non-stop. First, after registering, was something I will never forget - A POLICE ESCORTED BIKE RIDE! The majority of the bike was along a motorway so the police escorted me and 1000 others around the bike course - 10km out and back with a small hill at the turn around point. It was a very wide course but also very windy, especially on the way back almost a complete headwind the whole time. I knew this was going to make it a little tougher than expected. Once the bike ride was complete and the many photographs and videos taken, we headed to the Team GB race briefing. Pretty standard with the odd silly question, as usual. The manic Team GB photo was next, but finally got done after a lot of shouting and screaming (oh and smiling). Finally we had a bit of time free to get lunch before heading down bike transition and practice the swim course. After checking the bike in it was time to get in the water. My first sea swim...went well actually. I enjoyed it and was now getting very excited! My Zone3 Vanquish felt slick and speedy in the water and I just knew we would work very well together on race day. 
8am. Race day. The alarm sounds and breakfast is eaten. We headed down to transition to put the rest of my kit in position before warming up. Water temperature was 19.2C so me and my Vanquish would be able to work in perfect harmony. And we did! After the gun sounding and a super fast swim coming out very near the front, I recorded a split of 10:11! With the timing mat position being a good 30 secs run away it was my first sub 10min swim!!! Finally I'd broken the 10min barrier! Now onto the bike. A cobbled start with speed bumps made for an interesting start but once on tarmac I was motoring. Averaging around 50kmh and getting up to 60kmh at points I was loving it! Overtaking many Portuguese made for a brilliant first 10km. The climb suited me and I made up some more places, but after the turning point and coming down the hill it was head on into the wind and I went backwards a bit. I still managed to overtake other athletes but I lost a few places to some Brits in my age group. I found my self just outside the top 10 after coming in off the bike in 35mins 36secs. A smooth transition in less than 45secs I charged out onto the run course to get back into the top 10. The course had a twisty start in and out of the MEO Arena but then had an out and back to complete the rest of the lap. Two laps and three times through the arena till I would be finished. My target before the race was a top 10 finish and I was not going to fail! I made up a place, and another and another until I wasn't sure where I was anymore. I just had to race hard until the finish and hope for the best! Crossing the line absolutely exhausted in a time of just under 1:05 I had an anxious wait to find out where I came. To my delight it was 10th! 10th in Europe for the U20's! I was over the moon! Seeing all my other friends get superb results and some get on the podium made for a brilliant day! Thank you to everyone who made it so special! 
It was great to see so many people out there - John and Marsha, Vicki, Karen, Caroline, Claire, Emily and Rachel from the RGActive Race Teams. Much of the Pedal Potential Team and old school friends just to name a few! 
A massive thank you to my sponsors for getting me to Lisbon and helping me perform to the best of my ability! Pedal Potential for their funding, Zone 3 for their super speedy suit getting me my fastest swim EVER and Swim Canary Wharf for coaching me to swim like a fish! 
Thank you to Max Curle for his strength and condition programmes to keep me up with the best of the best, Excel Physiotherapy for keeping me in one piece and Dermott Hayes for coaching me to being in the top 10 in Europe! 
I'm also very grateful to Sam Farmer for recently sponsoring me and providing me with the best body wash products out there! 
​Thank you all so much! I couldn't be where I am now without your support! 
Onwards to Scotland this weekend now at the second ITU World Qualifying event in Strathclyde Country Park. 
See you up north! 
Sam.

Race Times
Swim: 10:11mins
T1: 1:01mins
Bike: 35:36mins
T2: 00:42mins
Run: 18:07mins
Total: 1:04:57hours

Name: ITU World Qualifying Race 1, Eton Sprints
Date: Sunday 22nd May 2016
Venue: Dorney Lake, Eton, England
Distances: Swim: 750m, Bike: 21.2km, Run: 5km 

My season finally got underway (sort of) with the first of the ITU World Qualifying races at Dorney Lake, Eton. 750m swim, 21.2km bike and 5km run was the distance to cover - fast and furious as always. I've been buzzing so much lately and looking forward to finally starting my season after some good weeks of training under my belt. Arriving there, after the usual little sleep in the car, I felt refreshed and ready to go. Registration was easy, I racked my bike and everything was great! Good place, good weather it seemed like the makings of a good day! After a warm up I slipped into my nice new Zone3 Vanquish wetsuit, the first time I'd raced in it, and headed down to the start. The water could not have been warmer for this time of year, 16C I believe and I got in without any problems. 
The horn sounded and we were off. I started on the inside so immediately headed straight for the first buoy keeping in some clear water. The first turn was carnage, legs, bodies and arms all over the place (and a little buoy - we had a nice head on meeting). The second turn was less brutal, but turning in that direction brought a new problem. I could not see a thing as we were heading directly into the sun and all I could see was white splash. Not ideal, but I managed to follow some sort of line and only in the last 10 metres could I finally see the finish arch. I exited the water in 10.56, a reasonable time, but a time I hope will be coming down quickly, after recently almost doubling the amount of swimming I do per week. T1 was fast, especially with the new Vanquish wetsuit, it came off in lightening fast time. I left T1 after only being in there for 52 seconds and was just behind a large pack of around 12-15 athletes. But they were just too far ahead and I wasn't gaining on them, but I was joined by two other athletes who worked with me for 3 out of the 4 laps trying to catch the group ahead. Unfortunately after a ferocious chase I was dropped. The other two caught the big group but I just couldn't make it. On the final lap I was caught by the second group of around 10 and recovered on the back of that group. However, in the last 1.5km I started moving towards the front to get some space going into transition and gave myself a little advantage going into T2, but as I was moving up the group I heard a noise from the back of my bike, I looked back and couldn't see anything. As I looked up one guy in the group said 'you're good', but just as he said that, all the air escaped and my tyre was flat. I'd punctured. I was cursing. I was livid. 1km from the finish of the bike! It was a slow and long disappointing walk back. I've had a good run until then, having never punctured in a race before, but I guess there's a first time for everything right? Better this week than next week too! 
Which brings me on to next week. Only 5 days until the European Championships in Lisbon. My second race abroad and hopefully a successful one! Flying out on Wednesday evening after my C2 Maths exam it will be a short stay but I'm very excited! 
​Last but by no means least, a huge thank you to Pedal Potential who have been supporting me all the way through the off season. A great aid to my training and helping me to purchase equipment needed to race this year. My lovely new wetsuit came from Zone 3 this year and they have been great sponsors providing me with some awesome kit to race and train in the open water as well as in the pool! And Swim Canary Wharf! Ray has been a master swim coach spending the last two years transforming my swim stroke and helping me hugely to get to where I am now and will help me to get that swim times down even more!
I must also say thank you to the rest of my team. Excel Physiotherapy who have kept me in tip top racing condition after having a few niggles earlier in the year and also Max Curle. Max has helped me build my strength up and that has been key to getting me to where I am now. If you're near Canary Wharf and need someone for Strength and Conditioning, Max is your man! Finally Dermott Hayes, my coach, has been awesome putting together my training plans, coaching me throughout the year and helping me to succeed as an elite athlete. I am very happy and glad to have such an amazing group of people supporting me! I cannot thank you enough! 
See you in Lisbon!

Race Times
Swim: 10:57mins
T1: 00:52mins
Bike: PUNCTURE ARGHH!!!
DNF (but please enjoy the pictures below, before it all went wrong!)

(And so has the revision...)
The first big race of the season was early April, The British Elite Duathlon Championships at Windsor Park. The week before I hadn't run much due to an injury in my lower leg caused by the overuse of a muscle. So going into this race I'd only run once in the past week. Not ideal, but nevertheless I was feeling pretty good. My foot was taped up and ready for the 5km run, 20km bike and 2.5km run. My bike preparation has been the best yet, something I've really improved on over the winter so I was looking forward to racing.
It was a narrow start line, around 4 rows deep of Junior triathletes, which made for a busy and hectic start with numerous people around me nearly tripping up. I was keeping up with the back of the first group for the majority of the first lap but after checking my watch at the halfway point and seeing a 7:55 for 2.5km I knew this was way too fast and definitely unsustainable so I had to reduce the pace. The second lap wasn't a struggle, but it was tough like all races are. I entered transition at 17:56 (there was a long run from the end of the run to the start of transition). Mounting the bike went smoothly and I saw a group in front so I made an effort to catch them, but with a hill the first thing ahead it was going to be tough and it was. After half a lap I caught someone who had dropped off the back and we worked together for another lap until being caught by a group of five. We were the third noticeable group on the road and we worked well together, but it was tough to get a good train going as there was barely a flat part on the course. 
In the final lap I started to feel my calves cramping. On the final descent to the bike finish I put in a really hard effort to try to get some distance in knowing I might be slowed down if I got a cramp. I dismounted the bike and ran into transition, which was smooth, but about 200m into the run ..... OUCH! Cramps in both calves. I could barely stand and just fell to the ground trying to stretch them out. I got rid of the left one quickly but the right calf cramp didn't go away for ages. I must have sat there for 5 mins but after seeing some of the Junior women going past I decided to finish there and then. A really tough decision. I hate not finishing but sometimes a DNF makes you stronger. The fact I did not record a result in that race has definitely motivated me to go out in my next triathlon and get a good result. The next race is yet to be confirmed but should be mid-May with my next major race on the 27th May in Lisbon at the European Championships.
On the 16/17th of April I attended a talent weekend for Triathlon England at Loughborough. It consisted of an 800m pool swim on Saturday and a bike and run on the Sunday (20km/5km). The weekend also consisted of talks to do with health and nutrition, injury prevention and how to be a good athlete. The pool swim was tough for me as I am not a pool swimmer so with a time of 11:28 I was near the bottom. Normally being able to make time up on the bike I would have been confident I could improve, but with the circuit only being 2.5km long (8 laps) and a lapping rule in place, I knew there was little chance I'd make it around. I went full gas on the bike, but with the lead swimmer starting around 2mins 30secs ahead of me I managed four laps before getting lapped and having my race neutralised. They allowed us to finish the bike (with one less lap done) and do the run but I don't really know what that counted for or what they gained from it as 25 (yes 25!) out of around 55 Juniors were lapped. I ended up being ranked 41st, but many people believe in a real triathlon the results would have been completely different. This month will conclude with an interesting race this weekend. Steeplechase! My school has decided to enter me for a Steeplechase event at Harrow School in an Athletics competition so I am very excited to be doing that, especially as I have never jumped a Steeplechase barrier before! I will let you all know how that goes in my next blog but for now enjoy the gallery I have put together for this month's racing! 

​I must add by saying a huge thank you to everyone who voted for me in the 220 Triathlon Awards. Unfortunately I did not make the top 3, but making the shortlist itself is something I am very proud of and a huge thank you to everyone who voted to get me on the shortlist! 
Finally I cannot thank my sponsors Pedal Potential and Zone 3 enough for their amazing support. They have really helped make a difference and with some new kit on the way, I really cannot thank them enough for their generosity! 

See you all soon!
​Sam

These past few weeks have been very busy in comparison to the start of the year. The final Cross Country race of the year, the first Duathlon and then the final Modern Biathlon. The last Cross Country race of the year was the Teddies Relays at St Edwards Oxford School. A team of four runners completed the 3km circuit passing the baton round. A relatively flat course with the odd steep but very short hill. The team consisted of Sean Wilson, myself, Matt Braybrook and Ben Davis on the final leg. Sean came down the final straight in third place and passed the baton over to me. Second place was about 50m ahead so I set out to make up some ground. The runner out in front extended their lead having some very strong runners in the early legs of the race, but towards the end of the circuit up the final hill I caught second place and accelerated past him to hand the baton to Matt. It was Sean and Matt's final race for Coopers' so I knew Sean had given everything and so would Matt. I knew I had to gave it my all to give him the best chance for his part of the race. Matt came round having a great run, closing the gap on first, but we were still at good 45 seconds behind. Ben had had a great race at the English Schools Cross Country the week before so was in great shape and that showed closing the gap even further. Ben finished with the fastest lap time of the day and brought us home in second place and only 12 seconds behind first. A brilliant race to end the Cross Country season. 
Next on the calendar was the first Duathlon of the season. The Bedford Autodrome World Duathlon Qualifier. I had decided not to try and qualify due to the race being in the middle of exams and I already have a busy race calendar around that time anyway. 
It was an incredibly foggy morning, you could not see the course at all from the start line. The 5km run, 20km bike (draft legal) and 2.5km run was somewhere ahead of us. As the gun went I set off hard, trying to stay with the lead group, but after a few hundred metres I realised that was not going to work. I settled in to my rhythm and came into transition completing the first run in 16:53. After a small mistake in transition, forgetting to take my run shoes off, I mounted the bike and found myself in a group of 7 or 8. There were one or two people that wanted to do all the work for some reason, but as a group we didn't make much progress and on the second lap of four we were caught now making us a group of 15 and now the increased dramatically. Soon we came into the final few bends of the last lap and a good friend of mine from rgActive, Colum, shouted at me to get on his wheel and he gave everything to get me into transition first. Thanks Colum! Finishing the bike in just over 30minutes I set out on the final run. My legs were feeling tired having given a lot on the bike to get the group working and putting in the odd attack to test my legs. The last run in 10:16 I was a bit disappointed with, but an overall time of  58:33 was pleasing.  Overall I finished 6th in my age group.  I would have also qualified for the Worlds so a good race nevertheless. 
The final event was the second British Modern Biathlon Championships. This time the Schools Championships were held at Crystal Palace Sports Centre. This was another tough event with the best Biathletes in Britain from previous regional rounds committing for the British title. The swim for my age group came first and in a time of 2:27 I was in 8th place and happy with the time. It was nothing special and a long way behind the stronger swimmers, but it was a good time considering we were in a long course pool. After a 45 min wait it was time for the run. Four laps of the running track making up a fast 1600m run. The group set of fast with me and two other athletes separating ourselves from the field. The pace was fast but also comfortable, however going into the final lap someone had bridged across the gap and joined our group. As he joined with 300m to go he went past us with someone else and I tried to follow. I couldn't keep up the pace but with 100m to go I was in third and knew I had to keep third place. Sprinting across the line in a time of 4:44 I was pleased but annoyed as the winning time I have done before. I finished the Championships in 7th place but felt I could have done better. 
As the Biathlon and Cross Country season ends, the Duathlon and Triathlon season starts with tomorrow the British Elite Duathlon Championships at Windsor Park. I will be racing at 2:30 pm in the Junior Elite wave. Hopefully it'll be a good race with another blog next week with my results. 
A big shoutout and thank you to Pedal Potential and Zone 3 for their continued sponsorship and support throughout this year and I look forward to the year ahead with them. Thanks for reading and here's a few photos! 
​Sam 

Its been a while since my last blog, but there hasn’t been much going on. To add to that over Christmas while I was away I had a small asthma attack. This meant training was halted for a few days and a few cross country races had to be missed. Asthma was not something I thought I had and we are still trying to determine if I do have it or not. However, in the meantime I've managed to get back to training and the level of fitness where I should be at this time of the season. 
The most recent race I had was representing school last Thursday at Radley College, one of the top private schools in England, along with other private schools such as Harrow as our competition. The race was a cross country relay with a tough, hilly and muddy two mile circuit completed by four runners with a baton containing the timing chip. I was given the final leg so had the pressure to bring the baton home. Ben, our runner on the first leg, came in third, passing the baton on to Matt who had an amazing run too. He overtook the first two runners putting us into first place by a long way. Our third runner, Sean, also had a brilliant run holding our first place. The pressure was now on me to bring it home. I was going strong and having a great run fighting my way through the mud and puddles along the course. However, turning a corner I spotted someone from Harrow gaining on me. Unfortunately he caught me in the last 300m. I didn't give up and I tried to keep up with him, but with a sprint finish it just wasn't enough. After 47 minutes of racing there was a only a second time difference between our teams, unfortunately with me taking second place. It turned out he also got the fastest lap time of the day so I was well beaten. Overall it was a good day and the first time for a good many years the school senior boys team had podium'd at this event. Next year we will be back and we will definitely aim to go one better. You can find the full results HERE. 
Another recent event was the shortlisting for the 220 Youth Triathlete of the Year, an unexpected nomination from people who had been voting for me in the first round. I feel very privileged to be shortlisted for this award and with voting closing on the 4th March I am excited to see the outcome, though there's some very very tough competition. You can vote HERE by entering a few details. 
Finally, I must say a huge thank you to Pedal Potential for their continued support throughout the year helping me get where I am. And a big thank you to Zone 3, a new sponsor this year, for their support in supplying me with kit to race in this year. Spending a day at the London Tri Show with Zone 3 was brilliant. 

With a few races coming up on the calendar (which I shall be posting in the near future) I will be blogging again. See you soon,

Sam