Great course. My only complaint is that I was very very ill the day after with quite severe V&D. I am still not right and will probably go to the doctor's tomorrow. I believe this was due to the water quality in Cardiff bay. Looking around forums I am definitely not the only one who has suffered. I would like to do this event again because everything else was fantastic. However there needs to be a review of the water quality and some more assurance of the water quality before I sign up to do another.

This is the second time I competed at Cardiff in the standard distance race. I registered early (Oct 18) with the early bird discount you receive from racing the year before. It’s about £85 I recall, which I find pricey for a standard distance. Registration is on Saturday afternoon and briefly Sunday morning for those who could not make Saturday. The mini expo had a few local stalls. Collecting race packs are easy. Find your number (show your race licence if you have one ) if not, pay the £5 british tri day licences fee. The volunteers give you a pack with all the bits, plus a bunch of goodies. (Cow bell, nutrition, laundry soap sample, water bottle, hydro tabs and a buff). If you are arriving later, alot of this stuff is gone. Race day; a decent amount of parking in the area. 10-15 max walk to the race area. Rack and place your stuff where your race number is listed on the racking. Tranistion is tight for spacing between the bikes. Bag storage in transition (white tents). Port a loos near transition. About a 5 minute walk to the eve start. It was delayed due to a police incident by about 30 mins. Due to the incident the bike course was changed to 30km, 6 x 5km Laps. The bike is quick, but busy due to the change. There was drafting to a certain degree on the tighter sections of road. You need to count your laps. The run is two laps, part of it is an out and back along the water front. The course is short, it’s about 9km. Atmosphere is good, exspecially having a lapped bike course, everyone is cheering along side the road and it’s close enough to walk to the swim and run too. When you finish, you run down a carpet, maybe get a few photos. A medal and some snacks and water. Results are pretty much instance on the app for the race chip company. If you want a tshirt or goodie, these can be pre ordered during registration or bought at the expo. About £20-35 I recall. Over all it’s a decent event having closed roads and the support is good. They also have a super / & sprint distance the same day.

This is my 3rd Cardiff Tri at Standard distance and again it did not disappoint. 

This is a local race that I've been down to support quite a few times. The closed roads element has always appealed and knowing how good the support would be i was quite looking forward to racing this year. 

Location - Fantastic! Set in Cardiff Bay, easy to get to, lots of parking at the nearby County Hall or one of the few car parks. Lovely setting in the Roath Basin for transition outside the beautiful Millenium Centre and overlooking the bay and views out to sea. 

Registration. Small tents set up outside the centre in the bay for registration and other sponsors and businesses. Being local i'm familiar with the area but again it's pretty straight forward once you've parked the car and walked into the bay area. The transition area is all closed off and set up and the top part next to the centre is lined with tents and things to browse and look at. It's also nice to walk over to the water and see the swim area and for those visiting the bay is full of nice restaurants and places to eat and drink. Registration itself is pretty easy. You need a race licence as part of one of the home nation federations - ie Welsh Triathlon etc or you would need to pay £5. There are ipads to help you search for your race number if you can't remember it and then a small number of freebies to collect. Water botle, sport tape etc. 

Race Day.

For this event, there is a Standard Distance, Sprint Distance, Super Sprint distance, ITU Sprint distance and British Elite distance race. All one after the other. Pretty big event, lots of organising and you can tell a lot goes into it. 

Very briefly, we had a police incident in the local area which delayed the start. This also then resulted in the organisers having to change our standard distance 40km bike course into a 6 lap 30km bike course. Effectively sharing the same space as the racers following us! Totally understand it was beyond the organisers control and nothing they could have done about it. They did their best to keep the race on and we raced the distance then set out. 

However, this caused a lot of cyclists and with different abilities to be on the course at the same time. A few nasty crashes were witnessed and quite a few near misses as well. It happens in racing and i was just glad to get off the bike course as quickly as possible. 

The swim was a deep water start. We entered in waves and had to jump in off the pontoon. Water was pretty decent and we soon warmed up. The organisers had layed out a line of yellow buoys to mark the course but i found this confusing as it was difficult to actually follow the line as opposed to aiming for one big one or a pair in the distance. The wave was also pretty congested. A short sharp left was just after the start and it was chaotic at the turn buoy. Getting out at the jetty the other end was also difficult despite the efforts of the volunteers helping. 

The run course was good. Straight out of transition and follow the path and boardwalk out towards the barrage and back and repeat. 

Pro's

Support - 100%. No matter where you've travelled from, the race always has a lot of support for the athletes and it makes a great atmosphere and really enjoyable. 

Location - Brilliant. City centre meets sea front. Parking, shops, Millenium Centre! 

Distances - Wide range and caters for newbies to the Elite. 

Closed Roads - Adds to the cost but as a one off it was good to experience this. 

 

Con's

Price - This is not a cheap race! 

Toilets - OMG!! Ridiculous!! Absolutely ridiculous! A block of about 8 toilets to the side of transition. Then a row of 4 at the swim start! With the number of athletes this is not acceptable! No option of a urinal portaloo either so everyone had to queue. I know this isn't fair on the ladies but it does take the men out of the queue and thus making it a little quicker on those queuing for the specific toilet. Having 4 at the swim start was crazy! We had a 30 minute delay of which i spent the whole time waiting patiently in the queue like everyone else! If we hadn't had the delay, most of us wouldn't have made the actual toilet before the start because there weren't enough of them!!! 

Bags - I understand large boxes and bags normally need to be taken out of transition before the race. Each race organiser is different. But a transition bag or small rucksack folded flat or out of the way is often ok. Here, we were told over the tannoy minutes from being asked to leave transition that bags were not allowed to be stored with our bikes etc. Any left would be removed! A member of the event team came over and i mentioned to her about the large number left with the bags and she said they would be remove. No mention as to where! There was a small tent in transition marked as a bag drop or bag tent. I took mine here to find lots of athletes doing the same. No event person or volunteer was manning this, athletes were just leaving their valuables and bags in this tent in any order or space they could find! I honestly had no idea if the bag would still be there when i came back! Note, on returning to this tent after the race, bags were everywhere! For the races that followed clearly the atheletes had just left their bags all over the ground to the side of the tent! Either because there was no room or this was the only other option.... Unbelievable! Could the organisers have not set up a bag drop properly for this! Also, there was no mention of this in the pre race information. I've raced a lot and with different organisations so how would i have known! Really hated not knowing if my bag and car keys, phone etc would actually still be there post race. 

Bike racking - Like sardines!! Good that the organisers added race numbers so a specific slot to the tranistion bars. But athletes had bikes the wrong way round and we were so close together! Barely any room to leave a pair of shoes and your helmet next to the bike! Clearly a case of how many can we fit in and how much money can we make! 

Bike route - It isn't scenic and is lined with speed bumps, potholes and man hole covers. We were unfortunate on the day to have it reduced further and do extra laps with so many other athletes as well. Part of the location that it has to be where it is. Just don't expect it to be anything exciting. 

Transtion to swim start. Take old flip flops or slippers or something you can throw away or give to a friend/family. Boardwalk is hard on your feet and then a lot is on very stony ground by the swim start. Not pleasant when you're already tired and irritable. 

Feed stations - What feed stations?! Apparently there was a water station as you exited the swim and came in to Transition.... Nothing at all on the bike course (ok it's only 40km on a flat route...) and then one single water station at 5km on the run course. (i.e half way). On a warm humid day it just about sufficed but would it have been too much to put another one at the other end of the run course?! 

Run course - Supposed to be 10km for standard / 5km for sprint. I meausred it as 9km!! How can you get this wrong! This is not the first time the event has been on!! Crazy! Imagine doing the Elite race and it being short!! 

Overall. I enjoyed taking part in a local race with amazing support. Travelling 15 minutes to get home was also quite noval. But, as above i thought there were so many issues. Almost little things that just let it down. It's a shame, could have and should have been so much better for me. 

 

 

 

 

Loved Cardiff Tri - completed as my second Olympic distance. Registration day before was nice and easy, good set up of stalls to grab some clobber and we got socks, a cow bell, foam hand and energy bar on sign up. 

Race start was delayed due to buoys not being set up, but only 10mins or so. Swim goes off in waves at 5 mins intervals and are mixed genders (not what I’d seen before) but was fine. I had issues navigating the swim but I think that’s my poor sighting rather than the course. 

Transition was easy to navigate and the bike course was 3 13km laps, so ran slightly short at 39km. It was fast and flat, saw one nastyish crash the other side - but I think they caught the turn too quickly. 

Run was 2 laps over the barrage - very exposed and hot but I love the views of the Bay here. Ran short at around 9km which was quite frustrating as I was pacing for 10km but ah well, the massive crowds at the end and name check as I crossed the line was pretty epic. Nice medal too. 

i was doing the Olympic distance.

The event is centred around Cardiff Bay and in particular the Millennium Centre, outside of which is the large transition area. 

I picked up my race pack on Saturday afternoon, which was stress free and also had some free merch for the kids. 

Staying in an air B&B appt on Sat night meant the shortest walk to racking on Sunday morning ever. Racking was quite precise, with marshals being very on the ball (not a complaint, just an observation).  There were quite a few confused newbies, nervous enough already and it was a good job there were quite a few others, myself included to help them get organised, but actually this gave transition a relaxed feel overall. 

The swim start is a short walk, but far enough for the use of flip flops if you have supporters at the start or disposable towel slips from a hotel trip. The swim is in the calm of the bay and it is a lovely swim. There are not a lot of marker buoys so the field does spread out quickly. 

The bike course is closed roads, but the road surface is rough and there are a lot of turns. I completed on a TT bike, but might consider my road bike next time, as I think with the handling and acceleration out of the corners, I would be quicker. 

The run is a super flat out and back affair, with two laps. I loved the view running on the barrage and was really able to get the legs going. There are a couple of narrow pinch points on the run, so be polite and people will make way for a speedy runner. The run is exposed, so if the weather is not good be prepared, not an issue this year. 

The event was very well supported (this years weather might have helped) with the locals getting very involved.

The organisers athlete tracking app is really good for your supporters and gave accurate splits on the day, in real time (quite a surprise given some out there).

In summary a really good Olympic distance event, in a great location and well supported. Well done AAH Events and Cardiff for keeping it closed roads.  

 

 

I signed up for this September 2017 and this will be my first Olympic. I’ve heard good things about.   Flat bike and flat run. 

Online registration was easy. Collection of packs the day before (and I think the morning of) and a walk through the mini expo was easy. Lots of freebies with the race pack (cow bell, sponge finger, gel). 

Race day, easy to get to and park. Tranistion was large and easy to set up. Race brief was ok, a little hard to hear and follow what they were saying about the swim as the buoys where not our yet. The race was delayed due to safety people where not set up. Wave one was in the water for awhile before they could start. 

Swim was calm. Trainsition was easy. The bike is flat, three laps (you need to count them). Some of the road is rough and nothing picturesque about the bike. Good for support as it’s lapped. A lot of drafting exspecially when the sprint competitors were on courses. Next trainsition was easy. Run was two laps. A water station farther down the course is needed. Spectators were in the way on the run. It needed to be tapped off and marshalled better here. 

Finish chute was good. Food and drink after finishing had a good selection. Medal was nice. If you want a tshirt you need to pre order  or buy one at the venue  

No changing or showing facilities. Support was good. Lots of races after the Olympic so the crowd is still there. Being in the bay, lots of food and drink options post run. Car parks near. 

I will race this again. Value for money, my option as it’s closed roads. So it’s worth it. 

Writing on behalf of my wife who took part in the ITU sprint qualifier.  Her verdict was that it was a great race, fun course (though quite a bendy, slow bike course in places) and well marshalled throughout but let down at the end when she couldn't get her (unfortutnately relatively expensive) flip flops back from the race start.

She spent some 45mins looking for them and spoke with around 10 marshalls who had no idea where they were.  Eventully she managed to speak with British Triathlon officials, who were very lovely and helpful. They radioed the swim start to check and said they’ve been taken to the start line by the announcers box. She went there- the people in the announcers box and at prize-giving had no idea where they were, said only the shoes from the previous waves had been bought up earlier that morning. So she evenutally gave up as she had a long journey back from Cardiff.

The most dissapointing thing has been the dissmissive attitude from the race ograngaisers who have not once aplogiesed, let alone offered any compensation in our subsequent emails.

In future years they should add to the briefing exactly what the deal is as none of this was mentioned. I.e- competitors have to wear shoes at all times, shoes left at swim start will be collected and taken to xxxx, approx xxx amount of time after each wave. Competitors are responsible for collecting their own footwear and organisers are not responsible etc etc. 

Pity that a good race was tarnished by the race orgnasiers after the even in this this way.

... if this race was good or not. I took it on as it had good ratings on Racecheck and it was also in my team's race calendar this year, but there were several areas where I unfortunately felt let down.

The pre-event registration and pre-amble emails from Suunto Cardiff Tri were excellent, with an easy-to-navigate website, and plenty of details about the course. I decided to register the day before the race, which was very straightforward, but there was no written race pack provided; course information was on a board (very crowded) on the plaza. The bike/run courses were on closed roads and self-explanatory, but there were no swim buoys in position in the Bay, so most people had no idea where they would be going. It was also not clear how transition would function - for the Olympic race, you had to rack in the morning and be clear of transition by 0615 - it would have been useful to have swim/bike/run exits labelled in advance for those of us wishing to recce! 

Less doom and gloom now (I was smiling at the finish after all!). The swim was glorious, although we did start late due to safety boats not being in position. A great open freshwater swim with minimal current, and a wave start reducing chance of carnage. The bike course was 3 laps, and I was worried about congestion on the course, but aside from a couple of near-misses and poor cycling ettiquette from other competitors, it wasn't too bad. The course is FAST, if a little boring, and you need to keep an eye out for potholes! The run course was 2 laps out-and-back (and short at 9km!), again a little boring, but a fabulous view over the Bay. There was only ONE water station on the whole route, at the run turnaround - not ideal, especially on such a hot day. 

The best bit about Cardiff though? The spectator support. Cardiff came out to support in the sunshine and they were amazing, lining practically the whole route. The support was so good, I feel guilty highlighting some of the other issues about this race! 

Cardiff Triathlon is a bit pricey, but it is a well-marshalled, well-supported course with chance of a fast time, a great medal and t-shirt and the opportunity to watch the Elite athletes racing on the same course. I stil can't decide how I feel about it - probably not one of my favourites... but I wouldn't say no to racing there again.