An early start but super easy to get to from London. Loads of space for parking onsite and plenty of room for our team tent! We prearranged to have space and were able to put up a team tent right on the run / finish shoot. Brilliant. F3 have been very accommodating (and were rewarded with cake later).

With team members in several events on the day it was great to have a base so central to proceedings. Registration was a doddle and very efficient. Sadly I couldn’t make the Saturday registration but was sorted quickly on Sunday morning.

The swim start was good and spacious. Not too much of the usual bumping and bashing but the 2 loop swim was more challenging. Turn buoys at each loop were busy and slowed the pace a lot. Also the water exit was a new challenge having to clamber up over the metal edge.

The bike leg is glorious. The road between Marlow and Henley a pothole challenge but I believe being resurfaced soon. The lovely Pishill was harder than I expected (especially on loop 3) but the decent from Bix to the turn a pleasure to ride. The drinks station was well manned and the marshal in Nettlebed was amazing at stopping the traffic, I didn’t have to stop once. The route back to Marlow was again challenging on road surface and the hill up just before Marlow took breathe away again.

Back to Transition and off on the run. The first 2km along the river bank is stoney quite rutted dried mud and was also busy with people walking but pleasant to run along – no fault of the organisers. Another 2km to the first water station was perhaps a bit too far as there was also water at the transition area less than 1km past this. 4 loops on the run in total in the sun was hard work but a 5km loop worked very well to see team members regularly.

Across the finish we were all named and cheered by many supporters.

Personally, not so sure about the rubber medal but that maybe that as a regular F3 eventer I am used to their usual metal medals that we love.

Overall rating 4 / 5 and the only issues were water stations and medals for me.

Definitely a race to recommend and I will be back in 2017.