This was my first time competiting at the Arundel Lido event but it came highly recommended and as I had been nursing a calf injury for several weeks, this race was to be a good test of my rehabilitation and fitness.

In the couple of weeks preceding the event we received emails from the event organisers with updates and reminders to read the pre race instructions.

The Standard competitors were going off first with relay teams and sprinters going off some time later.  I arrived in Arundel a couple of hours before my swim time and found plenty of car parking space about a ten minute walk from the venue.

No queue at registration and transition was set up on the grass a few feet from the open air pool.

Swimmers were dropped into the pool as a space became available which felt a little disjointed.  The pool is very warm and as there are no markings on the bottom it took me at least 4 lenghts before I could get my wall turn off properly with out swimming into it or missing it altogether!

Off onto the bike leg - this is a tough bike route whichever way you look at it.  A short section around a couple of roundabouts and then you are onto the climb up London Road - a climb lasting approximately 4km.  It seems endless.  There is a good downhill once you get to the roundabout however, then eventually you hit the A27 dual carriageway.  This is a little daunting if you haven't been on a stretch of road with fast moving vehicles.  Its not a flat road either but undulates nicely.  

Back into transition and then out onto the run.  For the sprinters the run is posted as being flat.  It's not!  Well it mostly is but there is a hill just short of a kilometre at the half way point.  Of course this means a good downhill towards the finish.

No medal but a nice tshirt and some protein balls from one of the sponsors.

All in all a nice, friendly well run event.  i would probably do again.

Love this event. Early season test. 

Don't underestimate, just because it's a pool swim the bike and run are truly a test. 

This year the registration was only Sunday morning which I was a little concerned about, but I shouldn't have the Raw Energy Pursuit team are well organised and slick operation so no problems. 

Loads of parking right near the event some on road parking that's free a little bit out but a few ££ and you can park right at the venue.

Lido pool swim in the showdows of Arundel Castle is a beautiful starting point. It's a bit chilly waiting around for the go, but the pool is warm and you soon forget about it. Do put a good estimate of your swim time it will help you have a clearer swim and allow others to do the same. Each person is set of individually from the deep end. It is well managed and the Marshals do a good job at keeping the lanes uncontested. Lap counters count you laps but it's good to count also they have a tough job, although I've never had a problem with them missing any laps. Sides of the pool are quite slippy so watch your push off the walls. Exit from the deep end means a tricky exit. 

Transition is well marshaled and easy to follow. 

Bike course again well signed and marshaled at all major junctions. You head quickly out of Arundel and hit the climb. Although not massively step it does go on with a couple of kicks and a fulse promise of being to the top only to discover you have another few minutes to climb. A quick decent onto a roundabout. Watch out for early traffic. You can work hard on the flat but there is another couple of shorter hills to come with one that's a little. Nasty. Then plenty of downhill to exploit and pick up speed. Watch out because the biggest fastest decent take you to another round about. And the start of lap 2. You really know about the long mean hill this time round. When you have completed the 2nd lap you return back to the Lido for T2.

The run. Enjoy the 1st 1km of leafy shaded flat run out of the town. You then start to climb and climb and climb. You reach the turn point for the sprint with a water station and shortly after you come off road and climb again to the trig point turn and come back down. Past the water table again and don't miss the LEFT turn for the standard distance which is a combination of heart breaking leg smashing mind crushing ups and downs. Nothing like the major climb but with that already in your legs this part of the run is just mean. You go down to just before the church on a farm road turn and come back. Then you come back down the hill before the water station and head back to the Lido enjoying the knowledge that the worst is behind you. Keep moving and return to the Lido for the glory of the finish line. With water and protien snacks for all finishes. 

Now for those that race for bling

There is none unless you finish in the top 3, top 2 vets or top super vets / junior. HOWEVER every person gets an Awsome events TShirt specifically designed for that event. As well as free race photos.

Brilliant season opener, tough little number but great achievement when you do it. 

first time completing this event. Was very good even with a longer swim than advertised. Well organised, and compact. Sensible field size for the area. Perhaps slightly bigger time gap between waves to give swimmers a chance to get into the river and set up before the race starting.

Even though the distances are just under the standard Olympic length, this is a challenging event.

Pool swim in a heated open air lido, lanes are narrow, but marshals are strict on how many in a lane at a time so works well. Walls are slippy and you exit from the deep end so if your a short arse like me it can be difficult.

For the standard distance there are 2 laps including a long slog up an almost never ending hill ( well thats hae it feels like) there are some fast down hill stretches, and some undulating parts which allows you to forget the hill until you start lap 2.

Run is just horrible. The star lulls you into a fulse Spence of security, but you soon start to climb, as you pace the water station you go onto a grass track and the hill gradant increases and increases and increases. As you turn and head back down the hill, don't forget to turn left after the water station, where you are meet with some more hills that would have got the headlines apart from. The big bugger of the hill you just ran up. You turn once more and retrace your path back to the water station more or less and then it's down hill from there. 

Do to the early timing of this event it can be cold on the bike, and waiting for your swim start so be prepared.

Even though the distances are just under the standard Olympic length, this is a challenging event.

Pool swim in a heated open air lido, lanes are narrow, but marshals are strict on how many in a lane at a time so works well. Walls are slippy and you exit from the deep end so if your a short arse like me it can be difficult.

For the standard distance there are 2 laps including a long slog up an almost never ending hill ( well thats hae it feels like) there are some fast down hill stretches, and some undulating parts which allows you to forget the hill until you start lap 2.

Run is just horrible. The star lulls you into a fulse Spence of security, but you soon start to climb, as you pace the water station you go onto a grass track and the hill gradant increases and increases and increases. As you turn and head back down the hill, don't forget to turn left after the water station, where you are meet with some more hills that would have got the headlines apart from. The big bugger of the hill you just ran up. You turn once more and retrace your path back to the water station more or less and then it's down hill from there. 

Do to the early timing of this event it can be cold on the bike, and waiting for your swim start so be prepared.

Everything else was good to excellent, but the registration needed a boot up the .......  For an organisation that has run many events, it looked like this was the first time they had ever put on a registration.  It would take too long to explain all the mistakes, but if you go prepare to queue for a long time.  The swim waves were understandably 3 mins apart, but apart from wave 1, the other 8 waves were all organised in a way that maximised the need for people to swim through the wave in front.  Now I know there is a wide variety of abilities, but oldest females first, followed by females in descending age, followed by oldest men, followed by youngest men is not a great idea.  I'm not worried about myself or the faster people, but consider you are a weaker swimmer - must have been a nightmare.

Arundel Lido
Superb backdrop of a Castle while you do the swim in the Lido outside Pool. We were lucky with the weather a beautiful sunny morning! I entered the Standard also a Sprint option.

Standard is shocker of an early starter at 6am! Really organised wave start and just 4 to a lane at a time. Transition is really close by on a lawned area next to the pool. Not on closed roads the bike leg is out onto main roads in a loop up over a hill with a long descent down A29 back into town. Marshalled really well. The run is into town along the river by the side of the Castle up a hill ..yes that HILL It's 300ft! With a very undulating just under 10k Thank God!
It's a challenging course with the Finish back by the Lido. It's fantastic for spectators. loads of refreshments available BBQ , Massage Tent and Prizes for Age Group winners .. and of course your finishers smashing Raw Energy T Shirt with Cliff Bars!