This race had been on my radar before I even thought about ever doing a tri. I had heard of it simply because of being such a Jenson fan.  As soon as I finished my first Tri last year I knew this had to be on the calendar for next year and signed up the day tickets went on sale! 

In the lead up to race weekend the information provided was plentiful and the interactive twitter page answered a few questions for me along the way including if someone else was able to pick my racepack for me... even to advertising if anyone was available to do this for me (totally me not explaining myself very well in 180 charachters that I did in fact have someone in mind, but kind of them all the same to advertise on my behalf!) 

The race pack included my 'goodybag' which was a nice drawstring bag with tshirt, chip, swim hat, labels, small sweat towel and porridge. I was impressed of the goodybag on first glance. I was later disappointed to find out my tshirt was quite a big 'small' cotton tshirt. At the race entry price and Jenson being an athlete himself, I would have expected a tech tshirt at the very least. I still wore it on race day after the event was finished but probably won't get much wear out of it now due to it being so large and non training friendly which is a shame as the design was really really nice. In comparison to the nice fitted woman specific tech tshirt I picked up at Leeds Castle Tri it was a bit of a let down. 

On to the event... that was just ace. I loved every minute of it. The format: a super sprint qualifier in the morning with top 50 or so athletes competing in a sprint distance final and the rest lining up for the wooden spoon race re-doing the sprint distance.

The swim was a short 200m swim from one side of the lake to the other. It's quite a walk from transition to the swim start but the helpfully have a flip flop wheelie bin where they wheel them back for you to save ur feet! The lake itself was quite frankly rank tho. The worst I've swam it. Every stroke I was grabbing handfuls of weed that was like hair! I was in the very first wave and was even bad then, by the afternoon it was worse. Needless to say I was glad the 200m were over quickly.

The bike course was a fairly easy going course, there is a bit of an incline on the way out, some twists and turns and a nice loop round the town where some hay bales were set out to catch the speedies should they come a cropper!! Plenty of locals out and about cheering you on too! 

The run course was around merkeaton park with some undulations through the woods with an aid station half way if you wanted it. Plenty on support especially around the race village and the finish straight, people really getting behind the athletes to push hard on the home straight was just the perfect boost!

The marshalls on all 3 elements were engaging and supportive, on the bike course I was told by one on a bike he was going to chase me back which made me chuckle and a particularly energetic and enthusastic Marshal on the run course certainly raised a smile with his witty encouragement! All of them were a credit to the event and so much more engaging than other events I've done! 

Talking of aid stations, in transition; there were high-5 electrolyte drinks, gels and bars that you could help yourself to!  Nice touch guys! 

Between the races you could show your wrist band which got you a free meal and a really good one at that! Tasty chicken with cous cous, slaw and salad, really nice touch and very well received. 

You also get a free pint at the end super bonus and the police were on hand doing free bike marking too. 

Jenson was of course racing himself and having him racked directly behind me in transition was distracting to say the least but definitey the highlight of my day! Getting a cheeky selfie 5 mins before my swim start certainly out a spring in my step to kick off the day! I hadn't invinsiged the day I'd meet JB that I would be zipped up head to toe in rubber though!! A true gent who was happy to talk to everyone and pose for the endless requests for pictures!! 

Would I do this even again? Yes in heartbeat... not just because of the JB factor, but because it's a great day out. 2 races in one day. I got hot 2 PBs, a selfie with Jenson and laughed a hell of a lot! Just maybe reconsider the tshirts for next time, not sure you can do anything about the lake issue! 

There was nothing I could fault about this triathlon. I have been involved in many sports and this gave the feeling of an elite event. It was a fantastic experience . 

Organisation was perfect. 

Such an easy registration process.

Amazing support.

The Marshalls were absolutly fantastic! The entire team in blue were friendly and supportive, and for me who had a few questions were only too pleased to help!

GREAT EXPERIENCE!!! THANK YOU!

My friend won 3 free places at short notice to this event and I bit her hand off to have one of those places, however, the company 'All The Challenges' forget to tell the hosting company HUUB Events that we had these places meaning registration was a difficulty. That said the paid up registrations seemed to be processed very smoothly hence the average mark.

Race briefing at the swim start was brilliant, very informative with comedy thrown in for free. The logisitics of the walk from race village to the swim start was handled well with a large blue bin wheeled round after the waves completed with footwear returned to the registration tent. Transition was well laid out and marshalled effectively.

Feed stations were a small water stop on the run course but for such a short distance event this was sufficient but nothing above average. As I say I didn't pay for the entrance to the event so value for money is based on theory, a goodie bag with t-shirt was provided along with a free meal and beer from the food village (not sure if this is every year). But the big thing for me was the closed roads on the cycle especially as I had a puncture mid way through the morning qualifier wave and had to nurse the bike back.

Local support was fantastic throughout and it was great seeing Jenson Button enjoying his own event. Can't say I was overly impressed with the natural beauty of the event compared to other events of this nature in the UK. But the course was well marked out from start to finish.

Would I rush back and pay the £85 entry fee? Realistically no ... it's no slight on the event but I have ticked the box and will look at other events next year. Definitely worth doing at least once!

Brilliant event, well organised. The event volunteers do a fantastic job, hats off to them. 

The route is not technically challenging meaning it is ideal for new comers to Triathlon and the value for money being able to race twice is excellent. 

The athletes lunch is novel in my experience but so welcome after the morning race. 

I think the naming of the second race could be better. "Wooden Spoon" is a term associated with losers, or bottom of a league table. When infact everyone who enters is a winner. Many are raising money for charities or achieveing a personal goal. Even "tier 2 heats" or "round 2 heats" would be better. With the Grand Final remaining as is.

the lake could do with some attention from the local council to ensure that the event continues to be a success and Derby retains the hosting of the event as I believe it will continue to grow over the coming years as the sport of Triathlon grows.

Thanks to all the sponsors, and Jenson. I will be back next year for sure and will continue to encourage others to sign up too.

I may not have anything to compare this to, given that this was my first ever experience of completing a triathlon but I thought this was an excellent day. All of the pre-event information arrived on time, there were updates on social media and on the day to me it ran like clockwork. The marshalls were superb as I had many questions around transitions and where to go and everyone was so supportive. It was also a fun event with a great atmosphere and the competitors from the professionals to the beginners like me were so friendly. Loved it! Definitely want to return next year and bring a couple of friends with me next time.  Thank you again.

I did this last year as well - one of the very first triathlons I have ever done, so I was excited to return and see if I could improve my time, particularly on the swim. 

I certainly was faster in the water, however it was mostly down to the thick weeds that I was desperate to get away from. I've done a lot of open water swimming over the last year so I'm not afraid of weeds, but these were very concerning. Also, the race briefing was difficult to hear, but not a massive drama as I knew the course.

Aside from that, it's a nice family event with plenty going on for those not competing. The variety and quality of food on offer was excellent, the ease of getting there and away was fab and the marshalls were happy, smiling and very competant. I will of course be back next year - just sort those weeds out, please!

2 races in one day presents a unique challenge! Communication from the event into the run up was perfect, not overfilling inboxes but sufficient. Registration and racking was easy and stress free. Race breifing was a bit too brief for an open water event realistically. Route was lovely! Marshalls and local support were superb on the route, especially the ride through town in the afternoon! Cannot thank the volunteers enough, everyone was helpful and happy to be there! If it weren't so far away I would definitely be back next year - highly recommend!

Went as a family and had a great day. It was expensive but you get two races for that price. Swim was good but a little weedy, cycle was good and closed roads and run was nice and gentle on the knees. Only tip would be wear something on your feet walking from transition to the swim start as the roads are unforgiving.