Amsterdam Marathon 2026

 At the end of each year, especially when its an Ironman or a Zofingen year, I like to finish off with a marathon - this was true in 2022, 2023 & 2024. At the end of 2025 I had just cycled so rule did not apply, so with Ironman 70.3 on the calendar for this year, the rule was dusted off and I entered Amsterdam as it was big city and flat ! 

Logistically an easy weekend - 8:38 train from Grantham, into Kings Cross for 9:52, then walk around to St.Pancreas for 11:04 getaway, and arrive in Amsterdam for 4pm.  Metro 52 to station zuid, then bus 62 to NH Amsterdam Zuid hotel - simple !! (Actually, worked seamlessly and can recommend ! )

Pre Race Amble

Registration on the Saturday, we got there for 10.30 and queue reasonable, I wouldn't leave it later than this as when we left queue was massive. Nice easy registration and expo easy to navigate - I didn't buy anything ! 

Raceday - I could have got an uber for 40 euro. I went down to reception with 20 euro cash, but managed to get a place in someone else's for free. Roads closed near stadium so Uber got us to within a kilometre which was OK.  It was windy but not awful, and the rain that was forecast held off or was spotty. I was there early, and got shelter in a hotel lobby to kill time. I dropped my bag off and was left with a bin bag to wear to keep warm ! Our start was the pink wave and outside of the stadium.

The race 

I lined up in the pen just behind the 3:30 pacers. Before the race I had figured that I could maybe hang with these guys until mile 16 and then if I fell off my a minute a mile average over the remaining 10, then I would meet my 3:39 or better target !  As we started, we got funnelled through a narrower channel and I found myself 45-60 seconds off the pacers. I ran steadily ahead of pace schedule and could gradually see them coming back to me. This worked well as the early few miles passed very quickly. I got back in a run pack and this was the best place to be as other than being busy and having to be careful to follow the right runners, it was actually easy to keep pace and sit in. A toilet break at 4-5 miles saw me drop another minute off, but that was OK I just did what I did before.

Back in the pack by mile 7-8, I found the pace manageable, but some elbows, and handbags as runners jostled for position behind the pacers - this was evident as the paths narrowed, especially around the canals where a long out and back provided fun as runners faded and fell back. Overall through, manageable. At mile 16 I was amaz


ed to still be with the pacers, and tried to stay with them until mile 20. At 20 still there, so picked off the miles one by one. It was clear that my muscles were tightening but I wasn't hitting any wall, whilst a small drop off, it was only 20 seconds per mile so one happy Newham. BAck into Amsterdam and the heavens really opened - with just two miles to go, I didn't mind this. As we enetered the stadium, I knew the course was long and with just a half lap of the track to go, I found a little bit more. I crossed the 26.42 mile finishing line with just a few seconds to spare - 3:29:43  

A great marathon made better than a better than anticipated performance.  A two mile walk back to the hotel could have been planned better, but as an experience in logistics and race day feel, this was my best marathon event to date !

Ironman Knokke 70.3 & Outlaw Middle

This year was very much focused around two middle distance triathlons which I agreed to take part in in the latter part of 2025. It had been a toss up between continuing with middle and long distance Duathlon this year or changing things up, The second of these was Ironman Knokke Heist in Belgium which was special as my first was also in Belgium. It also takes place in the first weekend of September coincidentally the same weekend that Powerman Zofingen usually takes place so it was a direct replacement. 

Ironman Knokke 70.3 - 5:12:13

Swim 43:18 I had swum for six months only in preparation using the pool at the leisure centre and also the lake at Whisby on a handful of occasions and I was generally happy with the way that swimming gone. My biking had been okay all year but my results had been mainly average with a couple of standouts. My running low was not where it was when I had a rest period following 2024 of England race nonetheless  nonetheless apart from Work pressures affecting some of the training load I lined up in my wetsuit next to the river in sluice generally optimistic that I could go close to 5 hours. Th e swim was in the river at Sluis which happened to be the weediest river I have ever known and it took quite a lot of composure not to be thrown off by the constant feeling of swimming through netting. The race was staggered well and the swim didn’t feel too busy. I competently made my way round in a little over 43 minutes and then immediately retired again from swimming!!

Bike 2:30:00 The bike was a blast and I absolutely loved it - very flat, very open, very much like riding some of the old 25 mile events in Lincolnshire. There were some twists and turns and I made lots of places along the way . I had one incident where the Garmin decided to separate from the bike on a coupled section which lost me a minute also but generally speaking I felt in good condition when I arrived back in T2 and had saved enough legs for the run .

Run 1:47:04 The Sun was out and I had feared that this would be a very hot run however the Belgian coast is
famous for large holiday blocks and I found that most of the Sun was blocked out by these hotels. This meant that I was able to keep a consistent pace for most of the run with only a drop-off towards the end. I’m not where I wanted to be with my running but this actually was a lot better than the outlaw run so I do feel progress is being made.
Across the line just 12 minutes over the five hour target and was pleased with the way that I managed to string a performance together. Knocker is a great course and a really good 70.3 experience. I would highly recommend this race to beginners and those looking to crank out a personal best.

Outlaw Middle Triathlon - 4:51:08
This is a race is one that I had done two times previously, but today was a little special as there were was still high levels of Blue-Green Algae in Holme Pierrepont pump and that meant that the race became a Duathlon !! (Get In !!)

Run 21:05 First run, I decided to just relax and make it an easy run and not worry about runners disappearing into the distance. My experience told me that people go too hard too soon in a Duathlon

Bike 2:25:38 Onto the bike and really enjoyed this course as I always do it has a little bit of everything and of course the roads are no better so you have to have your wits about you. When I arrived back into the transition, I did feel that I’d gone a little too hard overall mainly because I was catching a teammate.
Run 1:53:55S econd run then, and my legs didn’t feel like they were my own and my run form just felt forced. I knew the pace that I wanted to aim for, but they just didn’t have the talent to achieve that. So I settled into a pace which was just a little quicker than my endurance pace made sure that I took on the right level of hydration and nutrition and settled in for a tempo style half marathon.
Overall, my result wasn’t too bad. I had a broken five hours for the first time albeit because of the run replacing the swim and fifth in my age group this result will be good enough to submit for next years European and world champs.
Always a good day out at the outlaw, it would be great if they could do a Duathlon every year !

Cholmondeley Duathlon 2026

Cholmondeley Middle Distance Duathlon 3:23:47 1st

I had previously completed this race back in 2022. It was my first middle distance duathlon event and far as I can remember on that day it was a stacked field as it was an organised qualifier for the European Duathlon championships. 

However, this was a standalone event and the aim of the day was to finish within 115% of the event winner to aid my planned qualification for next year‘s European championship. It was a lovely day and I had camped over the night before and enjoyed a relaxing night sleep when I lined up. It was disappointed to see that there was maybe only 12 or 13 people in the event but you can only race against the people that enter turn upon the day and it was an opportunity to make sure that I was race ready for other longer distance events later in the year.

The course was a little bit kinder than the one that we ran in 2022 however the same climbs were there and the same grassy descent onto the first run then and I decided given my history of going off too quickly that I would run very conservatively and within myself and not worry about where I was in the field.  I could see that I was towards the front, with perhaps five or six people ahead of me, and not looking too far in the distance I concentrated on my own effort and kept an RPE of around seven.

I finished the first hilly 10k in 52 minutes 28 which included the transition onto the bike and I love it even though it was a little bit shorter and it was multiple laps and there was a hair raising crossover when you returned into the castle ground I made lots of places and came off the bike leading the event.

Onto the second run then and this was very strange. This was the first time that I had led an event in the 17 years that I’ve been competing and let me tell you the pressure is non-existent when you are on the front I just concentrated on keeping that level effort and as I had been conservative in the first run my second 10k was only less than a minute slower !

I crossed the line having won the event by some four minutes from the second place person I was then given a medal and asked to cross the line again so a photographer could capture the winning moment. It was all very embarrassing but unnecessary part of the sport. I will be submitting the results from this event for qualification but let’s see what happens given the number of entrance on the day.

Rauceby Ripper 2026

 This would be my tenth Ripper. This year would be different as I'd only had that three months or so of running last year after 10 months off, and again, had been solely bike training over winter so had not run really since October.  I had done a parkrun on Xmas Day cold, and had just done a few 4-12 minute treadmill runs at low intensity ( I have found that casting you tube run influencers is an ace 'Rouvy'
style experience for runners).

I lined up with the usual suspects, being Ian, Scrappy & Lauren on a really saturated Ripper course, Way back in 2013 at my first Ripper it had been a similar mud fest but hadn't hit those heights for the other 8.  This one came at the end of 36 days of continual rain, and there were parts of the course that were under water.

My plan was to start at a relaxed but pressing pace and see how long I could go for. Having managed three miles on Xmas Day I thought I'd at least be able to match that and then fall into a run walk strategy to get done. As it transpired, I soon settled into a good pace that didn't feel like it was stressing me, and then the miles seemed to tick over nicely, and to my surprise, got to 3,4,5 then 6 without any walking. I took the climbs steadily and watched my footing carefully. I could defenately feel it in my legs from that 6th mile onwards, and tried to just catch myself and ease off just a touch as the exertion late on was above where I would like it.. (i have a five hour ride in the morning).

The wettest part of the course was the woods as usual, and whilst I'd skilfully avoided wet feet for most of the course, there was no way I could avoid the lake at the exit from the woods, but that wasn't as uncomfortable as I thought it would be , and navigated it OK.

I kept position until the last downhill and lost a place, but made the line in 64th, and without walking in the 8.99 miles. That was that - long course 8.99 miles, average pace 9:13 minute miles, 64/204. 

A welcome return to running and first medal of the year ! 

What's in store for 2026 ?

 Hopes and dreams and all that ! 

Last season was crazy - with racing twice a week and sometimes 3,4. It took loads of energy and having managed to finally get to the top of the Wheelers mountain after 14 seasons, I feel it's something I don't need to repeat.

So next year will be three simple aims 

1 - Complete a half distance Ironman in under 5 hours - this could be tricky, as I have come close before, being within half a minute, but that was 2019 me, not 53 year old me.

2- Qualify for the Middle & Long Distance Duathlon Championships for 2027 when I'll be the youngest in the 55-60 AG.

3- Do well in the Velo 99 road race series.

To achieve the above I've entered both the new Outlaw Middle event at the end of July, and Ironman Knokke -Heist 70.3 in September. Again over winter, I'll just ride my bike and make sure I'm tippy toppy on the bike, and then add in running when the TT season starts, and then swimming when it's warmer at the lake. 

As this is written, just 3 months until the start of the season !

Closing out the 2025 Cycling season !

This is a whistlestop tour of the end of the season. As I'm writing this in my two week down period in October I will forgotten a lot of the detail.... 

01.07.25 Wheelers Ingham TT 22.16

08.07.25 Wheelers Ingham TT 21.58

15.07.25 Wheelers 10 Champs 22.17

22.07.25 Wheelers Ingham TT 21.59

29.07.25 Wheelers Ingham TT 21.49

The last five weeks of the Lincoln Wheelers TT season. Each week saw a solid warm up in the car park on the stationary roller and then a ride up and down along the top.  Each of these nights I felt I rode well and have really studied and learnt the nuances of the course. The highlight being the 29th July which when coupled with good conditions produced my best ever time on there. 

26.07.25 Pendle Forest 10  21.15

Another trip up to the lake district and the second time on Levens. This performance saw a btter overall power than the visit in May but was 20 seconds slower - go figure ! 

10.08.25 Vive Le Velo 10   21.25

A return to the legendary V718. It has been a long 8 years since the course was decommissioned and we thought we had lost it forever. This was very much a test event and seemed to go off without a hitch. It was like an old glove and I loved every second of being back on it !  It is a slightly slower variation and although it was a great ride from me power wise, the day and the course didn't produce the flyer I wanted.

05.08.25 Torksey 5TT 11.18

12.08.25 Torksey 5TT   10.52

19.08.25 Torksey 5TT  11.01

The last of the Lincoln Wheelers Time Trial Calendar and a course I know well and have learnt over the years. All of these rides went as well as I could expect and again, the middle one stands out time wise.  They are not my favourite distance and I look forward next year to doing more 50 mile TTs . Job done though and the clubs rider of the season award was finally mine after years of trying.

27.09.25 Haus GP

Off to Darley Moor for the Haus GP.  Last year I rode one of their Cat 4 events and finished in the bunch, this year in August I repeated that trick and now this would be a three event day - a sprint race , a TT and an Endurance Race to finish it all off.  This is how I described the day to my coach :

1. Sprint Race - Started toward the rear of the field and quickly got dropped because of this. It was a large pack and filled with all Cats so when it surged, the concertina effect was too much. I rode strongly and picked up four of five more riders to sit in a little group, then, after getting annoyed with the constant inability to come through sensible, I just sat in,  with a plan to wait for the final couple of laps and just leave them. After 30 mins we came across a nasty accident at the chicane and stopped racing - the two lads were a mess.
2. TT -  I was OK with this one - not sure where my watts would be but I figured 270 ish, pushing harder into the headwind up the climb, and saving some in the shallow descent backwind - it felt like a competent effort for a long 24.  Looking at the one lap strava segment, my laps watts ranged in a tight window been 265 to 270W, and lap times within 6 seconds which given my cold legs I thought was consistent.
3. Endurance Race - Spat out early again, and I just wanted to put the 1hr 30 mins away. I think it was a tale of dimishing return and cadence as the cold really got in , and the people that jumped on did not really offer much help. I surfed a couple of groups as I got lapped, but put away the whole 90 minutes to round off 55 miles on the day, which is exactly the length of the bike leg of next years Knokke Ironman.

A return to running after 10 months away!

 This year was an experimental one, as at the end of October 2024, after the Yorkshire 10 mile event, I decided to hang up my running shoes for a year and concentrate on just cycling. Five times a week I trained on the bike throughout winter and by the time late March came around I could tell I was a stronger rider and a little faster than I had ever been.  To get my running fix I'd just watch you tube videos. By the time late August rolled around I'd met the majority of my ambitions for the season and the itch to start again was too much to bear...

30.09.25 Carsington Water 10k -  49:52

A nice day out with Scrappy and a big uplift in distance. Coupled with an undulating course & going too fast = a sore Achilles but a better than expected time !

13.09.25 Doddington Parkun - 23.05

I don't normally note Parkies but as this was my only 5k in anger, it slips in. Started strong, but just not fit enough to hold it into the wind in the last mile. A conservative start back in the field meant a slower first mile and missing a 22 !

21.09.25 ABP Humber Coastal 10k - 45.58

Quicker than anticipated, a very windy howler of a day in Cleethorpes. What I noticed was a good first half when I was ahead of the 45 pacers, and then a horrible return where my form was terrible !

05.10.25 Lincoln Half Marathon 2.08.40

My first and only pacing gig for NPV in 2025. It was a windy affair and really hard to judge. By halfway with the benefit of a cross backwind and a downhill we were 3 minutes up, and by the top of the hill, we were still ahead.  This meant my group had some good time to ebb away at as we had the fierce wind to contend with along the top. A good day out and glad to be back.

11.10.25 Thonock Farm Parkrun 24.31

Likely my best run of the year - nice and relaxed, good form all the way through and really enjoyed running entirely on grass.

Gainsborough 10k - 49:42

Outta nowhere and likely because it was my 53rd birthday the day after, it was time for Gainsborough 10k - no pressure , just ran at a pace that I hoped I could hold until the end - best conditions that I can remember for the event - steady 8:09/8:09/7:53/7:59/8:02/7:48 mile pace so consistent. A medal to sign off the season with..... can't be bad !

13