One such triathlete experiencing the Spanish lockdown was the Girona-based top pro David McNamee, Britain’s highest-placed male in Ironman World Championship history and a man with one of the fastest long-course run legs in triathlon.

With that running gait unlikely to be seen on the race course at least until September, the Scot has been improvising from his city centre balcony, including doing an improvised 10km after his first virtual Ironman experience.

Isolation goals https://t.co/UjILJyukN1

— David McNamee (@DavidMcNameetri) April 15, 2020

“I just have to focus on what I can control,” says the 32-year-old to 220. “Having no idea what will happen with the race season is frustrating but it’s not something I can control. But I think this experience will be a wake-up call to how we take so many things for granted. I know personally I’ll never take for granted again the fact that I can travel the world doing something I love with very little restriction. And it’s been nice seeing how the triathlon and cycling community here in Spain have been supportive of the ban on outdoor exercising. People have adapted to the situation and supported the government’s decision.”

Like in Britain there’s been a widespread awareness of the role frontline workers are performing during the crisis, as well as heightened bonds between neighbours. “Every night we clap for the frontline workers,” says McNamee, who’s planning to be race ready by September. “That and a lot of shouting between balconies as people try and communicate. I developed a daily conversation with one of my downstairs neighbours while I was on my turbo and he was in his garden walking around in circles.”

Spain is gradually opening up some of the world’s strictest lockdown restrictions, meaning that McNamee and professional athletes can train outdoors with little restrictions. It also meant McNamee experienced his first outdoor run in 49 days. “It was like Christmas morning as a child. I did a 10.3k steady run which was painfully beautiful.”

Freedom Day:

– I ran 10.3k. It was the most beautiful training session of my life.

– Celebrating by having cake for breakfast (obviously porridge too)

– Same again tomorrow? #free pic.twitter.com/UtQr9bIfJu

— David McNamee (@DavidMcNameetri) May 2, 2020

Here’s David’s key advice on training through the lockdown…

BUILD MENTAL STRENGTH

I learnt to set myself some small simple goals to achieve each day that I could control. So, training wise, that was mainly cycling based but then I’d also target doing something else like reading another chapter of a book or making a certain meal for lunch or dinner. Write these down so that you can look back and see if you did or not.

SET GOALS

Set yourself targets that you can control. For me, over the coming months, I’ll now focus on getting my run fitness back and then, hopefully soon, that’ll include swimming as well.

UTILISE TECH & COACHING

I was never a fan of Zwift until this experience, but I’ve now been converted. Also having a coach has been crucial during the lockdown, and I’ve been speaking to him more during this time than I would even coming into races.

SWIM TRAINING TIPS

For the swim, I use resistance bands most mornings to try and keep some arm strength and a feel for the movement.

BIKE TRAINING TIPS

A mixture of Zwift races, including a 17.7km time-trial which was probably the hardest I pushed myself during this period. I also focused on leg strength so did, for example, intervals of 5 x 8mins at just below FTP and 70 cadence.

RUN TRAINING TIPS

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After my treadmill blew up, I started skipping a lot. In terms of strength and conditioning, a lot of core work focusing on foot mobility and upper-body strength, with plenty of press ups.

The Ironman World Championship will now take place on February 6, 2021 returning to its historic original race month and marking 40 years since it first took place in Kailua-Kona on the Island of Hawaii. While a new date for the Ironman 70.3 World Championship has not yet been determined, teams are working diligently with local and national officials and authorities to secure a date for early 2021.

Similar to 1982, there will be two editions of the IRONMAN World Championship in a single year (February and October) to accommodate athletes who qualify during the 2020 and 2021 seasons.

As a result of the continued impact of COVID-19, the qualifying window for the 2020 edition of the Ironman World Championship has been extended to provide further qualification opportunities. The most up-to-date information on overall qualification details for the Ironman World Championship can be found at www.ironman.com/im-world-championship.

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For more information and event details for the IRONMAN World Championship, please visitwww.ironman.com/im-world-championship. Further updates on the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship can be found atwww.ironman.com/im703-world-championship.

You don’t need to have completed a triathlon to participate; and, all those who complete the survey will be entered into a series of prize draws. There are already loads of individual prizes in the mix, collectively worth more than £7200, with the prize pool growing day-by-day. The next prize draw takes place in a few days. So, the sooner you complete the survey the more chance you have of winning!

In addition, everyone who completes the latest survey will be given access to an exclusive list of discount codes from a number of TIA member companies. The codes will be shared (with all who opt-in to receive them) in late May 2020 – as a thank you for taking part.

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>>> Click to give your input

This means German and European professionals and age group athletes can not only fight for victory in DATEV Challenge Roth, but also for the German or European crown over the 3.8 km swim, 180 km cycle and 42.2 km run.

“It is a huge sign of respect for the triathlon district of Roth that the governing bodies have approached us to host both championships here,” said Felix Walchshöfer,  of Team Challenge. “The region will do everything possible to be a great host for the double championship.”

There is a special allocation of entry spots for the sold out event for the European Championships. 200 of the 3,400 places have been reserved for the ETU and will be given to the national associations. All athletes who have already registered for DATEV Challenge Roth 2021 from Germany and Europe and who hold a valid membership of their national associations can take part in the European Championships. Athletes should contact their national body for further information on eligibility.

Renato Bertrani, ETU president said, “It is with great pleasure and excitement we announce the 2021 Long Distance European Championships will take place on the iconic long distance course in Roth. Still in my mind are the memories, back in 2012, when for the first time we held our European LD Champs in collaboration with Challenge in Roth. In the extremely difficult period we are currently living in, such positive news is greatly welcomed.”

This is not the first time Roth has hosted the European Championships. In 1987, Detlef Kühnel and his team hosted the title fights over the middle distance. Challenge Roth was once again the venue for the European Championships in 2012 when Rachel Joyce (GBR) and Timo Bracht secured the wins.

£399

Many portable treadmills are only useful for walking on, but this fold-up, more affordable unit from Domyos allows runners to reach 13km/h for low-intensity workouts. There’s a 10% incline and 10 pre-set programmes.

Buy from www.decathlon.co.uk

02 TIGER TAIL TIGER BALL

£28

The Tiger Ball is designed to eliminate knots in your back, legs, shoulders and more. The ball slides up and down the rope to help you find the exact position of the ache and should stay precisely where you want it to. 

Buy from www.tigertail.co.uk

03 TACX BOOSTER

£219

The Booster is the most powerful ‘basic’ turbo out there, and offers a beginner-friendly intro to turbos as you don’t need to mess around with cassettes. Tacx’s Speed and Cadence Sensor (£45) will give you access to a host of training apps via ANT+ or Bluetooth Smart. 

Buy from www.bikeinn.com

04 WATTBIKE ATOM

£1,599

Those who’ve used a Wattbike gym trainer will find the Atom functions far more like an actual bike. There are clickable gears, drop bars and tri-bar extensions, and a moveable seatpost,  all built on a solid alu frame. The lack  of screen means you’ll need a tablet or phone to use it with the Wattbike app or a third-party offering.

Buy from wattbike.com

05 TRX HOME 2

£169.95

This suspension-weight training system from TRX offers huge versatility. It can be set up on door frames and garden trees for triathlon fitness and strength gains over the whole body.

Buy from store.trxtraining.co.uk

06 COMPRESSPORT POSTURAL AERO

£85

For both indoor cycling and outdoors, the Postural Aero offers superior breathability and back support thanks to the compressive weaving. The fabric is ultra-light, thin and stretchy, and nothing stretches too far in the TT position.

Buy from www.runnerinn.com

07 TORQ MANGO

£29.25 (for 15)

Torq’s bar delivers 144cals from mainly carb sources (127cals), all topped off with a hint of protein (8cals) and fat (just 9cals). This combo of fast and slow-releasing carbs is ideal for high-intensity turbo sessions. Its texture is chewy and has just enough water to avoid that claggy feel. 

Buy from www.tweekscycles.com

08 OPEN WATER, MIKAEL ROSÉN

£26

Translated into English, Swedish swim coach Mikael Rosén’s superb book takes in open-water swim history, technique and theory in a hardback that’ll be a must for swim geeks and those seeking aquatic gains. 

Buy from www.amazon.com

09 ELITE SUITO

£649

Weighing in at 14.5kg, the Suito is relatively light for a direct-drive turbo and also has a useful carry handle. An 11-speed Shimano cassette out the box saves time and money, a front wheel block is included, and there’s a cadence sensor, accurate power measurements and inclines to 15%.

Buy from www.wiggle.co.uk

10 THERAGUN G3PRO

£549

The Theragun is named as ‘percussive therapy’, which combines frequency (2,400rpm), torque and amplitude (16mm) via its pulsing and repetitive arm to encourage increased blood flow and flush out lactic acid. The benefits? Muscle relief, tension reduction and pain alleviation. 

Buy from kitbox.co

11 MUC-OFF CLEANING KIT

From £9.99

Muc-Off’s indoor training range includes Sweat Protect spray and Antibac Cleaner, plus a mat. It’s designed to keep your bike clean and free from corrosive sweat and dirt, while the Antibac is a handy way of keeping things clean. 

Buy from www.wiggle.co.uk

12 HUUB DESIGN CORE BIBS

£99.99

These bib-shorts have been our training staple for the past couple of years, more so in this turbo-heavy 2020. Breathability is heightened by the mesh inserts, the pad is dense and the anatomical cut gives tri-bar comfort. 

Buy from huubdesign.com

13 TRI SERIES BOARD GAME

€40

Hit the wall with Disney+? Then this tri board game could be just the ticket for self-isolation boredom. Divided into two phases, you build fitness and wellbeing in the first phase then take those skills into triathlon race day.

Buy from afterracegames.com

14 FABRIC TRI RACE FLAT

£79.99

Fabric make some of the best, most affordable tri saddles around, and buying now will give you time to bed-in your position for race season. The Tri Race Flat has titanium rails and weighs 232g, and it’s grippy to keep you in position. 

Buy from www.bikeinn.com

15 PUSH UP SWIVEL BARS

From £10

Push up swivel bars target your chest, shoulder and back muscles, with the rotation providing a greater range of motion and are easier on the wrists. Seen here are Opti from Argos, but Decathlon do home deliveries if Argos can’t deliver to your local Sainsbury’s.

Buy from www.argos.co.uk

16 TACX NEO 2T

£1,199

Tacx have nailed their smart turbodesign with the Neo 2T. There’s even more motor power (with the option to run it wirelessly), greater stability and a neighbour-friendly level of noise. Power accuracy is spot on, and you’ll really notice the superior quality of the ride feel.

Buy from tacx.com

17 ACTIVBODY ACTIV5

£119.95

The Activ5 is a Bluetooth-enabled device that comes loaded with a whole host of exercises, performed by you squeezing it in various different positions to provide resistance. Just download the app, pair with your phone and there’s over 100 different workouts at your disposal. 

Buy from www.amazon.co.uk

18 HEALTHSPAN ELITE VEGAN

£24.99

This recovery powder from Healthspan Elite offers the textbook 20g of protein per serving for enhanced recovery. It also contains a blend of amino acids and multi-vitamins. 

Buy from www.amazon.co.uk

19 UP FOAM ROLLER

£19.99

Soothing your turbo aches and pains is this budget pick from Ultimate Performance, a solid, lightweight (660g) and portable roller that’ll improve flexibility and core strength. 

Buy from www.chainreactioncycles.com

20 ZWIFT SUBSCRIPTION

From £12.99 Zwift, Sufferfest… indoor triathletes have never had it so good in terms of fun and competition. A Zwift subscription starts at £12.99 per month, and for that you’ll get training plans, group rides, races and more on 80+ routes.

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Buy from zwift.com

Once on, it’s that Speedsilk fabric that draws the attention. Created from a hot-press treatment, it’s utilised on the front torso, the side panels and the legs and is said to be aerodynamically swifter than regular Lycra. The aero appeal is continued with the pinstripe fabric woven into the arms and back in an effort to create the turbulent ‘golf ball’ aero effect to reduce drag. The race-day comfort continues with a long zipper guard, secure leg grippers and a spongy chamois
that has endurance appeal.

We analysed the Speedwear Concept at the Boardman Performance Centre’s wind tunnel in Evesham under the watch of Boardman’s head of science and technical development, Jamie Pringle, and it posted very impressive results at the 0° yaw angle (simply, the direction of wind on the bike) especially, figures that put it ahead of many £200+ tri-suits we’ve tunnel tested. For £25 extra, Bioracer also sell ‘Aero Tube’ calf guards for those searching out every possible watt reduction and a wealth of custom kit options.

It’s the lack of pockets that’ll divide opinion, however, and is something we saw in last issue’s Ironman tri-suits test in the form of the Orca RS1 Dream Kona. So is it worth the fuel-carrying penalty for the aero gains and enhanced, non-wetsuit swim hydrodynamics?

In our separate wind-tunnel tests at the Silverstone Sports Engineering Hub conducted by Stephen Roche (thebiketailor.co.uk), adding two energy gels to each of the Huub DS tri-suit’s back pockets in the tri-bar position while riding at 45km/h added 31:08secs at 0° yaw angle or 46.42secs at 5° yaw to a 180km Ironman bike leg, which is certainly something to be considered by the elite and top, top-end age-group long-course whizz kids out there.

For many (definitely this back/midpack triathlete), however, we’d rather have the option of using pockets on the run and in training, even if we don’t utilise them on the bike leg when racing. So, personally, we’d prefer to use the Speed Concept for short-course racing only, but there’s much to admire here for the multisport speedsters out there and anyone racing non-wetsuit swims. 

Verdict: lacking pockets, but a speedy, smooth and swim-friendly suit 85%

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Buy from www.bioracer.com

Launched today (1st June 2020), the Extreme Triathlon Series (XTS) consists of five truly tough events in Europe and South Africa, including the Austria Extreme, the Czech Republic’s Winterman, Stonebrixiaman in Italy, Pirene in the Spanish Pyrenees (pictured), and South Africa’s Knysna Extreme.

“Each event is unique in itself, with varying terrain, scenery, distances, challenges and characteristics but with one common feature across them all – they are all focused on the athletes’ experience, with a family atmosphere,” say the XTS organisers.

When an athlete completes all five races within the three-year period, they’ll become an XTS athlete. Athletes who complete the challenge will also get an XTS shirt, bag and a free ticket to one of the participating Extreme triathlons in the series. Their name will also be listed on the Extreme Triathlon Series Wall of Fame.

The series joins the Xtri World Tour (Norseman, Celtman and more) on the extreme iron calendar, with the XTS organisers saying they’re open for more events to become part of their series.

The current races and next dates are below, with the total elevation gain of the bike and run legs listed.

Winterman (Czech Republic, 11 October 2020) – 3.8KM Swim | 180KM Cycle | 43KM Run – 4,700m gain
Knysna Extreme (South Africa, 21 November 2020) – 5KM Swim | 174KM Cycle | 50KM Run – 3,800m gain
Pirene (Spain, 26 May 2021) – 3.8KM Swim | 177KM Cycle | 40KM Run – 6,500m gain
Austria Extreme (Austria, 26 June 2021) – 3.8KM Swim | 186KM Cycle | 44KM Run – 5,800m total elevation gain
Stonebrixiaman (Italy, 3 July 2021) – 3.8KM Swim | 180KM Cycle | 42KM Run – 7,050m gain

For more information, head to the XTS’ website and social media pages.

Website – www.xtri-series.com

Facebook – www.facebook.com/xtriathlonseries/

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YouTube – www.youtube.com/channel/UCoU-Zg4WB6bqsFhRxrXF3KQ

It’s the latest initiative from the race organiser that has witnessed tens of thousands of triathletes sign up to compete or complete its free weekly virtual challenges on either the turbo and treadmill or by uploading data files.

As part of its Ironman Virtual Club, slots to the postponed 70.3 World Championship in Taupo can now be won through a four-race duathlon series – comprising one 70.3 distance and three standard-distance race formats – with points weighted towards the longer distance. For the 70.3, a 5km run replaces the 1.9km swim. A 3km run starts the shorter event.

The Championship Series kicks off with its VR10 challenge this weekend (5-7 June), with each event having to be completed within a 12-hour period and the top three results counting. It’s free to take part, but while it might add a welcome incentive for many triathletes, it also raises yet more questions over the veracity of virtual racing that can be largely brushed aside when it’s just for fun.

Launched in partnership with training set-up Rouvy, Ironman VR was announced on 1 April and was no April Fool – although if you were to put too much faith in the results you might be taken for one. It was hastily and understandably rolled out in reaction to Ironman’s Covid-related quandary. After all, few industries are hit harder by a pandemic than global events organisers. Timing for its cash flow running dry could hardly have been worse. Ironman was already facing legal proceedings from investors over a disappointing share flotation, and was on the cusp of pushing through an agreed sale to new owners.

Ironman does deserve credit for acting swiftly, though, and all too aware of potential for result manipulation, the organiser is now ratcheting down and set to introduce new rules that will weed out eyebrow-raising performances and attempt to give virtual reality racing increased credibility.

It’s already split its offering into Classic and Challenge divisions, the latter for the more serious contenders and the one that will be used for Ironman 70.3 Worlds qualification. In this class, cycling is restricted to the stationary bike on Rouvy (not on the road), with runs conversely having to be completed outdoors (not on a treadmill).

Without losing ourselves in the weeds of this, Ironman CEO Andrew Messick has pledged to imminently release updated rules including pulling together an ‘e-racing bio athlete passport’ that will provide a holistic look at individual race performances and assess if any mistakes (aka cheating) has taken place. The forensics mean results won’t be posted until the Tuesday following the weekend’s racing.

Ironman is trying a fail-fast policy and prepared to make tweaks as it goes. If it doesn’t pass muster for the community, Messick says his instinct will be to “shut it down”, the chief exec being well aware opinions remain divided about whether virtual racing has any compatibility with the traditional side of the sport.

Certainly, many professionals, while embracing the concept of virtual racing with Ironman or the popular pro Zwift races, have been at pains to point out it shouldn’t be seen as a proxy for regular racing. The Professional Triathlon Organisation recently pulled back from attempting the 2020 Collins Cup in a virtual format on Zwift.

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As for the prize on offer, Ironman is not a brand associated with subtly, but this is about as light-touch as it gets for morphing virtual racing into real world scenarios. It’s been reported by triathlete.com that only ‘around 100’ [Ironman Will Award 70.3 World Championship Slots At Virtual Races]  slots will be given out initially – a tiny percentage for a 70.3 world championship that is typically packed with 6,500 age-groupers over two days of racing.

Enervit is an Italian Nutrition Brand based in Milan, celebrating over 40 years in positive nutrition with products across sport, wellness and snacking. Our business is 100% in-house and the manufacturing plants are on the hills of Lake Como preserving its bonds with the area and the people and supporting industrial development which has is integral part of the mission – to become a leading International Health & Wellness brand supporting everyone’s personal active and fitness goals.

Enervit are Official Nutrition Partners for the Ironman European Series, UAE Pro Cycling Team, TREK Segafredo Pro Cycling team, Dublin Race Series including the Dublin Marathon, Peterborough Marathon, Wicklow 200 sportive and the Ring of Berra sportive.

Follow Enervit on Facebook and Instagram