Supplement: The best off-season races

THE BEST OFF-SEASON RACES

LENNON BRIGHT

CHALLENGE WANAKA

New Zealand’s largest multisport festival (18 Feb 2023) is a feast for the eyes, taking place against the backdrop of the Te Wahipounamu World Heritage Area in the Southern Alps. Its centrepiece is a middle-distance triathlon that’s an A-race for Antipodeans and an earlyseason blow-out for Europeans.

STEVE ASHWORTH/XTRI

PATAGONMAN

This iron-distance triathlon (4 Dec 2022) on the southernmost tip of South America prompted Tim Don to comment, “It’s the hardest triathlon and one of the most special races I have ever done. Patagonman is raw!”

DARREN MUSGROVE

STORM THE CASTLE

This duathlon is more pre-season (23 Apr 2023) than off-season but it’s still worth your money and effort. It’s set against the historic backdrop of Ludlow Castle, and features a taxing 10km run, 33km bike and 5km run.

SPORTCAM

HARLECH

This spring sprint triathlon (23 Mar 2023) takes place under the watchful eye of Harlech Castle. It’s a 400m pool swim so you won’t need your thermal booties, while the 21.5km bike is flat with a hill in the middle. A 5km run finishes things off.

LEE SHAW WILLIAMS

ESCAPE TO AFAN

Two days of mountain-bike (MTB) duathlons (26-27 Nov 2022) will test your offseason mettle. The MTB trails feature technical sections, steep uphills and rapid single-track. The race is under the Tough Runner umbrella.

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