Reading Triathlon, Aquathlon & Aquabike Race Day Information

Video Race Briefing

The video briefing for the 2025 race will be available here well before the event (link will be above nearer the time). Once available please ensure you watch the briefing, and read all of the race day information below. They both contain vital information relating to the race and it is imperative that you familarise yourself with all of the information before race day. There will be NO live briefing on race day.

Start List 2025

The 2025 race start lists will appear here closer to race day

Code of Conduct

We do ask all of our competitors, spectators and marshals to abide by the British Triathlon Code of Conduct throughout the event. In the main please be respectful of your fellow competitors and marshals, practise good sportsmanship and have a good time!

If you have any concerns during the event around anyone’s welfare or any safeguarding concerns, our welfare office is Kate Kitto. They can be contacted through any of the race marshals helping around the Lake. For more detail around the Code of Conduct please see the BTF triathlon rules:

https://www.britishtriathlon.org/britain/documents/events/competition-rules/july-edition-british-triathlon-competition-rules-2024.pdf

There will be a British Triathlon Federation technical official at the race venue on race day, to help ensure that the race is safe and fair. If they do speak to you on the day day please do listen to them, abide by their requests, and be respectful and courteous.

Lake Temperature and Weather Forecast

The lake temperature at this time of year is usually around 18-20°C. For up to date information on the water please check the H2O Swim Centre https://hi5ski.co.uk/open-water-swimming/. BTF (British Triathlon Federation) rules apply regarding the wearing of wetsuits (please see page 11 of the rules linked above) – but in short, if the water temperature drops below 13° (extremely unlikely!) then wetsuits will be compulsory; between 14° and 22° wetsuits are optional, and at 23° and above, wetsuits are prohibited due to risk of overheating, apart from for athletes aged 60 years and above, who may wear wetsuits up to temperatures of 24.6°. However, we strongly recommend that all but the most experienced athletes wear wetsuits if the water temperature is below 23°.

A limited number of wetsuits are available to hire through the H2O Swim Centre; please email us at events@tri2o.club subject heading WETSUIT HIRE, with your height, weight and whether you require a male or female fit wetsuit, at least a week before the race and we will arrange this for you.

Kit Preparation

Ensure that your kit is in good working order. In order to moderate our environmental impact, we do not provide free swim hats to all athletes, so please bring your own swim hat with you. If you purchased a swim hat with your race entry, it will be available for you to collect at registration on the day. There will be a limited number available to purchase at registration, but we strongly recommend you bring a back-up hat even if you intend to purchase one on the day, as we cannot guarantee stock. Swim goggles should be leak-free and should not mist up, your bicycle must be roadworthy with tyres, brakes and gears fully functioning and in good condition, bike helmets are compulsory, and running shoes should be fit for purpose. The run course is grassy and uneven under foot so plan accordingly. You will need a race belt to which you attach your race number, as this needs to be displayed on your back on the bike, and on your front on the run. Relay teams will need to transfer the race belt from cyclist to runner. Think through each stage of the race: swim, T1 (first transition), bike, T2 (second transition) and run, to ensure you have covered everything that you will need for race day.

Parking

IMPORTANT NOTE, remember that there will be NO ATHLETE OR SPECTATOR PARKING AVAILABLE AT THE VENUE – if you come to the hotel to park you will be redirected to the designated parking area.

Parking for athletes and spectators will be provided at nearby Green Park:

100 Longwater Avenue, Green Park, Reading RG2 6GP

https://maps.app.goo.gl/WTor1UoBTjYdda4F8

The car park will be open from 06:00 on race morning and is a 1.6 km (~20 minute) walk or cycle from transition; please allow sufficient time. Please be aware that there is a height restriction of 2.1m for the majority of the car park. There will be a limited number of spaces for cars with bike racks on the roof, but if you do have a choice, then bringing your bicycle on a rear-mounted carrier or in your car would be HUGELY appreciated. Please follow any instructions from our car park marshals.

When you are returning to the car park after the race, be aware that there will almost certainly be other athletes still racing, so please take care and keep to the left.

There is a discretionary £2 charge for parking – please bring change with you! ALL money raised will go to our chosen charity Sport in Mind. You can read about the charity and its work in the local area here: https://www.sportinmind.org/

Directions

Exit the M4 at Junction 11 and head North towards Reading on the A33, staying in the left-hand lane. Do not turn left at the Select Car Leasing Stadium –  continue to the entrance signposted to Green Park which is just after you have passed B&Q, on the left. The entrance to 100 Longwater Avenue is just down on the left; on entering Longwater Avenue you will be directed to the designated parking area. Please ensure you leave plenty of time to get to the site and register for the event.

From the car parking, look for the race signage to race registration (there will also be signage to get you back there too!)

Start times & Race briefing

Swim starts will follow the time trial format rolling start. Finalised race information will be updated here and sent to competitors by email by Wednesday 10th September, in which you will be allocated a 10 minute starting window for your wave. Please make sure events@tri2o.club is in your safe sender list. If you don’t see any mail from us please check the website here first and also check your spam folder before contacting us. 

We will ask you to wait in the waiting area outside of the tennis courts, until your wave is called lake side to line up based on your 100 metre estimated swim pace. This is the time that it takes to swim 4 lengths of a 25 metre pool at your race pace (not your fastest ever 100m!)

There will be some signs on the side of the lake with four pace ranges …

• < 1:35 min per 100 metres
• 1:35 – 1:50 min per 100 metres
• 1:50 – 2:10 min per 100 metres
• > 2:10 min per 100 metres

By placing yourself in the right zone, you are more likely to swim with others around the same speed as you and this also minimises congestion and the need for overtaking.

You will then enter the lake over a timing mat, with competitors set off approximately 10 seconds apart. Your race time starts as you cross the timing mat. In response to previous years’ feedback, we know that some swimmers prefer to swim with others in a group, with more of a “mass start” atmosphere. For that reason, on race day we will facilitate swimmers to move off at shorter intervals if they so wish, earlier in the waves, and will encourage those who would like to do this to move towards the front of their wave.

Please remember, there will be NO live race briefing. Instead, we will record a comprehensive race briefing at the venue available to watch here beforehand.

You MUST ensure that you watch this briefing BEFORE you attend on race day, as it contains important safety and course information.

Provisional race start times are as follows, but this MAY CHANGE:

Race Wave number & start time:

1     08:00     Female Standard Distance triathlon & Female Aquabike

2     08:10     Open Standard Distance triathlon aged 40+

3     08:20     Open Standard Distance triathlon <40 years and Open Aquabike

4     08:50     Female Sprint Distance triathlon & all Sprint Relay Teams

5     09:00     Open Sprint Distance triathlon aged 40+

6     09:10     Open Sprint Distance <40 years & all Aquathlon

Registration

Registration will be on race day only.

Race registration will open at 06:30 and will close at 07:45.

You will need to go to the appropriate desk, which will be laid out in alphabetical order by surname, to pick up your Race Pack and timing chip, BEFORE you enter transition and rack your bike. You will be provided with 1 race number, 1 Helmet sticker & 1 Bike sticker, and a bag label for bag drop. There will be instructions inside your race pack for how and where to affix your numbers. Aquathlon competitors please disregard any stickers that you do not need. Check that all of the numbers in your pack are the same and ask if you are unsure. The timing chip is valuable – make sure the chip and Velcro strap are secure and wear the chip UNDER your wetsuit. If you lose it you will have to pay £50 to replace it – so please look after it!

Check your race pack carefully in case you have won a Golden Ticket! We will be giving away a number of free race entries to the Reading Triathlon and some other prizes, in randomly allocated race packs – don’t miss out!

There will be some bike racking at registration to facilitate registering prior to racking your bike in transition. Please be considerate of other athletes and do not spend any longer than absolutely necessary on this short-term racking. Once you have registered, make your way to transition (wearing your bike helmet, fastened and ready for checking) and rack your bike as directed by one of our friendly marshals. You cannot take anything out of transition without having your corresponding race numbers and bike/helmet stickers.

If you have pre-arranged to hire a wetsuit for the event, it will be ready for you to collect at registration. Please bring the correct cash as directed in advance to pay for the wetsuit hire.

The Reading Triathlon is a British Triathlon permitted event. If you are not a home nations e.g. Triathlon England member, you would have purchased a day licence (race pass) when you entered the race, so you need to do nothing more. For more details on what your race pass provides you, see here: https://www.britishtriathlon.org/race-pass.

If you ARE a Triathlon England, Scotland or Wales member, you MUST bring your membership card with you to registration (digital is acceptable), otherwise you will have to purchase a race pass on the day, for £8, with cash. No exceptions!

Toilets

There will be plenty of toilets available on site, including urinals, and the toilet blocks will be very visible on the way  to registration / transition. When you are queuing, do check which toilets you are queuing for! Last year we had lots of people waiting for cubicles when they didn’t know there were urinals! We will be checking for toilet paper supplies regularly!

THE COURSES

For more information, please visit the “Course Information” page on the website here: Reading Triathlon Course Info, where you will find a link to all the route maps for the race.

Swim Course

• Sprint, Sprint Relay & Aquathlon one lap
• Standard, Aquabike two laps

There will be a dedicated area where you can get in the water before your start time, to acclimatise to the temperature if you so wish. If you are already familiar with the venue, this will be at the usual entry point for swims at the swim centre, from the pontoon. For those who haven’t visited before, just head towards the start and a marshal will show you where you can get in.

Bike Course

You are ultimately responsible for your own safety and your navigation of the course although we do have a great team of marshals to help keep you safe and make sure you are travelling in the right direction. Please obey the marshals, and treat them with respect and good manners; remember they are there for your benefit and are volunteering their time to ensure you have a great race. Remember that most of the bike course is on roads open to traffic, so take care and always obey the Highway Code.

IMPORTANT NOTES:

• There is one major right hand turn on the bike course. The turn comes at the junction where Palmer’s Lane meets Goring Lane >>Map Link<<. For your own safety, at this junction you MUST stop and remove your foot from your pedal and place it on the ground, in view of the marshals. Failure to do so will result in immediate disqualification. Participants have been disqualified in previous years, so don’t assume it won’t happen to you! You’ll see good warning of this junction and there will be a marshal there, but it is NOT their responsibility to ensure you put your foot down.
• There is a course split after at the Mortimer War Memorial >>MAP LINK<<. Here Sprint distance competitors should turn left. Standard and Aquabike competitors should turn right.
• Standard and Aquabike competitors will complete the new extended bike loop. You will then rejoin the Sprint bike course at the bottom of Mortimer Hill, turning right on the roundabout to rejoin the Sprint course.
• Sprint distance competitors should take care on this roundabout and give way (as per the Highway Code) to any Standard distance cyclists coming from the right.
• There is also one set of traffic lights on the bike course. However, these are on a section of closed road near the end of the bike leg >>MAP LINK<<. You are permitted to go through a red light here, but please do so carefully. No cars should be using this stretch of road, but you never know (and emergency vehicles will still have access.)
• The bike course is:
• Sprint Distance: ONE 22km lap
• Standard Distance and Aquabike: ONE 40km lap

Run course

We have returned to our much loved, classic run course around the lake. 

Sprint and Sprint Relay Distance: THREE laps  
Standard Distance: SIX Laps

The run is predominantly on a grass track around the lake, which can be slightly uneven at times. Work will be undertaken prior to the race to ensure the surface is as flat as possible, and the grass will be mown in the days before to ensure it is short. 

The run course will come through the race village and past transition so you will get plenty of cheers from the spectators each time you come through. 

Cut Off Times

None of the races will have any cut off times.

Relay Teams

Relay participants will all need to collect their race packs at registration – one team member can collect all three. Relay change-overs MUST take place by your designated space in transition – nowhere else – and you’ll need to transfer the timing chip and strap from person to person here. Relay swimmers and cyclists should contact a transition area marshal to collect their finisher medal – you don’t have to wait until the end.

Water Station

There will be one water station at the start of the run route. Please note this year we will not be providing plastic cups in a bid to become more sustainable. You will need to provide your own drinking cup/bottle. We do have a collapsible cup to purchase on the event entry site.

Water and food will also be available at the finish.

Finishing your race

Aquabike participants, your race will finish when you cross the timing mat when you return to transition at the end of the bike leg (rack your bike and make your way to the finish line to get your medal and finisher gift).

All other races finish when you cross the finish line.

Other Operational Information

• Please make sure you bring your own swim hat (unless you purchased one when signing up for the race – which of course we would recommend!) In order to minimise waste we are NOT providing swim hats for this year’s event.
• We will NOT be supplying safety pins for your race number this year. You should use a race belt so you can easily move your number from back to front, or transfer between relay team swimmers just as you transfer your timing chip. We will have a small number for sale at registration, but please do not rely on this!
  
• Please make sure you bring your own water bottles for the bike course (there is no aid station on the bike course) and use sunscreen if necessary. As the swim is in open water, we would respectfully ask that you use sunscreen that is “reef safe” for the benefit of the aquatic environment and organisms.
• Mark the inside of your wetsuit with your name and contact details. Make sure you take the correct wetsuit home!
• For everybody’s safety, ear pieces / iPods / phones are not allowed in transition or on the course on race day. You will be stopped during the race if you are using any of these devices.
• Bikes can only be removed from transition with matching race number and bike numbers.
• No bags or boxes will be allowed at your transition area adjacent to your bike, but there will be an allocated area in transition for you to leave a small bag or box. We are unable to take responsibility for any loss or damage, so any valuables are left at your own risk, but we will do our utmost to keep this area restricted to competitors only and a marshal will be allocated to oversee it at all times.
• Race Photos – we have three race photographers who are volunteers; they will be publishing race photos available for you to download. Your race photos will be available to download in the week following the event; further details will follow in the post-race email.
• When you are returning to the car park, please keep LEFT on the road, as there may still be cyclists on the route, coming the other way back in towards the hotel.
• We are trying to minimise waste and in particular single-use plastic, so will be providing water in compostable cups at the finish line and the water station on the run course, or ideally you can bring your own water bottle or flexi-cup to fill up.

Podium presentation

After you have finished your event please stay around for the Podium presentation Ceremony, encourage the athletes still out there racing the course and just enjoy the atmosphere. The presentation will commence as soon as possible after 11:30 am adjacent to the finish chute.

Event Village

There will be a range of support on hand for your every need before and after the event, and to keep your supporters and spectators happy and well fed. Our marshals are experienced and enthusiastic triathletes and if you have any questions or concerns, do not hesitate to ask.

We will have two massage therapists on site for pre- or post-race massage – a great way to ready yourself to race and to aid your recovery after the event. Please bring some cash along.

We will have hot food available on site to purchase.

Barista style coffee and delicious cakes will also be available from a local(ish) coffee shop and bakehouse.