My race got off to a very bad start as the organisers didn’t send me any pre race emails about car parking or the pre race pack. They didn’t respond to several tweets, never answered the phone and only finally responded to my emails 2 days before the race with my start time. It was a bit of a shambles and gave the impression that nobody was looking at their email, social media or answering the phone (and no option to leave a message.)

In terms of the race itself, both the bike and run are undulating but on smooth roads for the bike and good surfaces for the run. I enjoyed the run but found four laps of the bike course to be very monotonous and boring. I love Richmond Park but with very little support out there it was a far less interesting bike course than most Triathlons & Duathlons I have done.

Also, there are several very sharp turns that at times were pretty sketchy due to how fast you approach, the number of people on course and how tight the corners are. I also heard there was a bad crash due to deer running over the course and people swerving to avoid.

Aid stations only supply water and considering the entry fee and length of the event, this is a little lacking compared to other events. The entry cost for my distance (standard) was £80 which is very expensive. Yes you get a cycling jersey but I’d rather choose to

buy one rather than it being part of the entry fee.

I was lucky in that I had an early wave start. Later waves were really congested bordering on dangerous in terms of how busy the bike course was and people were having to queue to get back into transition after the bike leg.

, I wouldn’t recommend it unless you really want to race in Richmond Park. I won’t be going back as there are better races out there that are safer and much better organised.Overall