Epic Adventures: Weekend Warrior 2026

Somehow it's been two months since Blenheim Palace Weekend Warrior and I've only just got around to writing a race recap. Oops! If you missed my last post, why not catch up on what a weekend warrior is and why I'm trying to become one, before grabbing a cuppa and reading about how it went!

Day One, Race One: Weather Warning

It's difficult to be a fair weather triathlete: there's so much training that you have to just get on with it, whether there's a heatwave or a hurricane. However I spent the week before the race looking at the weather forecast with increasing trepidation: it had gone from predicting occasional light showers to torrential downpours which was not ideal. Race morning dawned, early but not particularly brightly, and I was shovelling down porridge and glumly resigning myself to the fact I was going to get pretty soggy by about 5.30am. The weather didn't appreciably improve on the drive over and, once we'd arrived, the major challenge was finding somewhere dry to attach my various numbers so that I could actually get into transition to set up.

The setting for Blenheim is absolutely incredible with transition being in the courtyard of the palace which is a very far cry from the usual muddy field! Weekend Warriors have their own section of transition which is on a little platform to the side of the courtyard which made it feel extremely fancy. Thankfully, despite the fact I was running a little behind schedule, my Women in Tri buddy Shrehan was already there and had nabbed us good spots near to the entrance point for the swim so we'd be able to find our bikes easily! As I was setting up, a ripple of excitement went through the assembled triathletes as Jonny Brownlee arrived to make his attempt on the weekend warrior record. This made for quite a surreal situation where I was trying to get my wetsuit on and put everything I'd brought with me in some kind of waterproof bag whilst trying to avoid spoiling the photos/videos being taken by his social media team!

All too soon, it was time for us to get ready for the start - the Weekend Warriors all go off together in a single swim wave at the start of each day - and I made my first strategic error of not wearing flip flops for what was actually quite a long and uncomfortable walk to the swim start. For various reasons, this was actually my first triathlon of the season and, like most first races of the year, not everything went to plan. My pre-race nerves always kick in when I'm waiting for the swim and this was no exception - even with a fantastic WIT squad around me. As soon as I jumped into the lake, I felt a bit panicky and really struggled to get my breathing under control which was not ideal. For what felt like ages, but could only have been a couple of minutes, I was swimming breaststroke and trying to get my breathing right whilst simultaneously thinking "oh god, this is over before I've even started". Thankfully I was able to calm down and get back to front crawl quite quickly but it was not a great start and meant my first swim was quite a bit slower than I wanted.

The Blenheim swim is a point-to-point swim down the lake so you get in and get out at different places. I was delighted to finally see the swim exit coming into view but was pretty dismayed at how steep the walk from the lake to transistion was! However, given that I wasn't exactly racing for time, I walked up the hill admiring the view and trying to make sure my legs didn't cramp up. Once I was back at transition, I wriggled out of my wetsuit with the grand plan of leaving it inside out so it could dry for the next swim. It was grey but not too rainy at this point so I made my next mistake and didn't put on a jacket for the bike ride. Cue torrential rain...

Blenheim's bike course is three laps and is both hilly and technical with some sharp, narrow descents as well as a couple of big climbs. I'd factored in the hills somewhat but not the challenging descents or the amount of people racing - by lap three of the first race, there were multiple waves of triathletes on the course and the range of abilities was huge. This was a challenge throughout the weekend but on the first race, whilst still getting to grips with the course and getting absolutely drenched, it made for a really challenging bike ride. I was very glad to get off the bike and onto the run!

The first run was an absolute dream - it had finally stopped raining, I'd had the foresight to put on dry running shoes, and I felt like I was flying! So much so that I had to stop and walk a couple of times just so I didn't empty the tank on the first run! The run was two laps around a different lake to the one we swam in so I got to see a new part of the palace grounds than and whilst there were a few inclines, it's not too hilly. You run down the finish straight twice which is really great for morale as the crowds are very enthusiastic! Despite the swim and bike dramas, I made it to the end of race one feeling strong and ready to go again!

Race Two: Getting in the Groove

I trekked back to transition through the hordes of people, found Andy and ate some potatoes whilst getting ready to go again. My plan to let my wetsuit dry out had been scuppered by the downpour so I had to slowly and painfully wrestle on a very soggy wetsuit before I could go again. Given the weird freakout I'd had on the first swim, I was a little bit nervous again and made sure to get in the water just after a wave of swimmers had left so I had time and space to sort myself out. Thankfully, I was fine once I got back in the water and, despite some slightly choppy water, made it round the second swim with no problems - hurrah! Bike two was similarly low incident - I remembered to pop a jacket on this time to stop me getting too chilly and, whilst the course was still busy, at least I knew what I was doing. My legs were deeply unimpressed with me though and I was definitely a bit slower. I also managed to get lapped by Jonny Brownlee twice on the bike which, considering it's only a 12 mile course, feels like an achievement!

The second run started off pretty well - my legs were bizarrely much happier about running than cycling and I got to see Andy and Marlowe on my first lap which was a source of great joy! I did however get lapped by Jonny yet again (three times in one race!) and towards the end of the second run the rain returned with a vengeance and I was once again absolutely soaked through for about the fourth time. Once I'd finished and collected my second medal, I made my way back to transition with Andy to decide whether I had enough energy to go out again. The rain continued with an absolute vengeance and I was so wet and cold that I decided against a third race even though I had plenty of time. Instead I got changed into some dry clothes and ate potatoes all the way home!

Day Two, Race Three: Bring me Sunshine!

Getting out of bed on the Sunday morning was quite the challenge, although I wasn't as stiff and sore as I'd expected. We were back at Blenheim bright and early due to an unhelpfully timed road closure which meant we had to get out of Leamington before 07.30 - however that did mean I got to see some of the Pro race which was exciting! I also caught up with Shre who had somehow managed four triathlons on day one and was contemplating a further three which was seriously impressive given the tight cut offs - we didn't start until 10.30 and had to be off the run course by 15.45!

The first swim of the day was another mass start for all the Weekend Warriors - this time I made sure I stayed a little further back in the start funnel and enjoyed probably my best swim of the weekend. The start of the bike leg was pretty tough as my legs were a bit stiff from Saturday's efforts but I actually warmed up into the ride pretty quickly. The course was a bit quieter with fewer races taking place on the Sunday and I was able to get round in a similar time to Saturday's bike efforts. I was worried the run would be hard but my legs were warmed up from the bike and apparently not too tired so I flew around feeling really strong to collect my third medal of the weekend! I'd been worried I wouldn't make it to a fourth triathlon - my goal for the weekend - but I needn't have been. Despite tired legs, I was well within the cutoffs and was soon back on my way to transition to eat (yet more) potatoes and go again!

Race Four: The Final Countdown

I knew that my fourth race would be my last one of the weekend - there simply wouldn't be time to go around again so all I had to do was survive one more triathlon! The final swim was pretty hard work - the water had got really choppy and my arms were getting really tired which was not the ideal combination! The marshals at the swim exit were so supportive though - helping me unzip my wetsuit and cheering me up the hill to transition for the final time!

For the final bike ride, I distracted myself my counting down my final three laps, cheering on every Weekend Warrior or Women in Tri that I passed, and making sure to thank every marshal. I was a bit slower I think but I was so elated that I wasn't going to have to cycle up any of the hills again that I didn't really notice! The final run however was TOUGH - my legs felt much heavier and more tired than they had on previous run legs and I really had to push through, taking regular walking breaks. Again, cheering people on and thanking the marshals was a very helpful distraction technique, but I really did feel like I was running the final few miles of a half marathon at this point. Finally, after what felt like a very long time, I ran on to the finish straight for the final time and sprinted over the line! Only to be greeted by a phalanx of people with cameras - it turned out I was about 30 seconds ahead of Jonny Brownlee who was competing his record-breaking 10th triathlon.

This turned out to be an excellent opportunity to get some photos of him crossing the line (as I was already in the finish area they couldn't kick me out!) and shake his hand before I swapped my timing chip for yet another medal. Shortly afterwards, Shre came in from her seventh (!) triathlon - making her the women's weekend warrior champion and an absolute legend. Shre only did her first tri last year (supported by Women in Tri!) and is now out there kicking ass and taking names on a regular basis - read all about it!

Final Thoughts

This was indeed a completely bananas challenge but in the end, despite bad weather and early starts, it was a lot of fun! The cameraderie between the Weekend Warrior contestants throughout the weekend made it such a friendly event and by the end the marshals had got to know us as well. It was also really special to be part of a huge Women in Tri crew although I didn't get to see as many people as I would have liked given that I was racing all weekend. I'm also still a little bit disappointed about the rain on day one as it definitely meant that I did at least one less race than I could have done but overall I'm really proud that I did four triathlons in two days! Would I do it again? Probably, particularly if any friendly deities could arrange some better weather! I certainly found it easier than a half ironman triathlon as, even though it took longer, the switching between disciplines and the opportunity to stop made it feel much easier on the body.

I'm also delighted to have been about to raise £580 for WIT - thank you so much to everyone who's donated! My fundraiser will be open until the end of the triathlon season in September or you can donate direct via the WIT UK website.