The annual JLL Property Triathlon celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2016 year. Numbers participating in one of the biggest sporting events on the property calendar have ballooned over the years, with highly coveted spaces now selling out within hours. But there are a few hardy souls who have taken part in every single event. Here, they share their memories and tips to help you have your best race yet.
Richard Wilks
Company Aggregate
What was first Property Triathlon like? It was very well organised and it was a glorious day – and as I had been doing Ironman distance race training that year, it was a nice short but hard effort.
Why have you raced every year? The Property Tri brings together so many like-minded people from the same industry that it is also proves a great opportunity for some networking and friendly competitive spirit.
Where have you seen the greatest improvement? To be honest, as I have progressed from my mid 40s to 50s, the natural ageing process has been a struggle to try and improve with faster race times, so I have unfortunately got slower rather than faster!
What has been your proudest moment? Winning my age group together with the corporate cup the first time.
What has been your greatest race faux pas? I’m glad to say I’ve not really had one at Dorney (yet!) apart from the year the race was held earlier in the year and the temperatures were freezing. I lost all feeling in my fingers so after the bike I couldn’t squeeze my helmet clip together to get it off and after what seemed like several minutes struggling I had to ask a kind spectator to undo it for me, otherwise I would have had to run with it on!
What advice would you give to a first timer? Transition is where you can lose so much time by not quickly moving from one discipline to the next, so make sure all your kit is well laid out and you have practised the change-overs many times before the race. Time gained here is really “time for free” and doesn’t require a lot of effort. You can easily save 30 seconds in transition by not having to tie-up laces on your trainers. As a comparison, just try improve your swim time by 30 seconds – it takes a lot of training in the pool!
Garith Brown
Company Dorrington
What was your first Property Tri experience like? I had done a couple before so I wasn’t completely new to it. It was a fun event – it was the first time I’d had the opportunity to race against anyone I knew, which made it a tad more competitive!
Why have you raced every year so far? I like having an event in the diary each year, plus it’s fun to race one’s peers…
What has been your proudest moment? Winning my age group, which by my reckoning might be in 2037, aged 70.
What has been your greatest race faux pas? I forgot to pump my tyres up properly one year.
What advice would you give a first timer? Don’t drink two cans of energy drink minutes before the swim.
John Percy
Company Cushman & Wakefield
What was your first Property Tri experience like? A more professional affair than I was expecting. I had participated in the London Triathlon and a few others before this event, and thought I would be part of a smaller more informal event; I even had aspirations of doing quite well.
My illusion was soon shattered by the quality of the field and some first-class times.
Why have you raced every year so far? I really enjoy the event – it is great when your own hobbies combine with part of your work. As I have got older, I have been able to bring my family down, and you get to catch up with friends and colleagues in a very friendly environment.
Where have you seen your greatest improvement? My triathlon results have been fairly consistent, which is either good or bad, dependent on your view. My bike splits have got a little faster, as my swimming gets a little slower.
What has been your proudest moment? Giving a high five to various property pals the year when the event took place a little earlier than usual, and we all knew we were running with very cold feet and hands. There is something gratifying in that unsaid mutual awareness at a tri or endurance event, especially when conditions are colder than usual.
What has been your greatest race faux pas? Not realising I had my tri-suit on backwards – the contortionist positions I had to get into to zip the thing up should have been clue enough, but I blame the total focus I had on racing/not being late.
What advice would you give a first timer? As a general rule, don’t stress too much about the event, and try to enjoy the whole experience. As to specifics: use your satnav and leave plenty of time to get there. It always seems to be busy and when there, you have to walk for ages to get to the start. Try not to photograph your favourite client/ boss in their Lycra, they are unlikely to look at their best. If it seems difficult to get into some gear, it may be backwards/upside down.
Philip Marsden
Company JLL
What was your first Property Tri experience like?
Horrific, I thought I was going to die. I thought I had trained for the swim but it was terrible and I couldn’t figure out why. After it was pointed out that I had trained in a pool only 10ms long so had only ever swum 10m without stopping during training.
Why have you raced every year so far? Despite dreading it on an annual basis, it’s a great day and a brilliantly organised event which is proving more and more popular each year. It also is a once a year reason for getting fit(ter).
Where have you seen your greatest improvement? Swimming and not needing life support afterwards.
What has been your proudest moment?
Surviving each year and making it in under 1hr30. I have somehow been getting faster as I get older. Have they shortened the course for the over 40s?
What has been your greatest race faux pas?
Cycling with my wife’s bike with a basket on it in the first year and expecting to keep up or be taken seriously!
What advice would you give a first timer?
Don’t take it too seriously, you are not going to win, so relax and enjoy the beers once it’s over.
Jamie Beecham
Company Wedlake Bell
What was your first Property Tri experience like? It was really enjoyable. I hadn’t raced on the course before but heard it was flat, traffic-free and people I knew well were also racing.
Where have you seen your greatest improvement? Mostly in running. I have a work colleague and friend (Marc Leyshon, winner of last year’s Property Duathlon) who makes me go running when I don’t want to. Add in a client and friend (Nathan Pask – a regular top-10 finisher at the Property Triathlon) also doing the same, and it means I run more (and faster) than I wish to.
What has been your proudest moment? Winning my age category a few times and getting on the overall podium a few times.
What has been your greatest race faux pas? Forgetting where my bike was in transition. The transition area at the Property Tri is a busy place.
What advice would you give a first timer? Aside from familiarising yourself with the transition area and where your kit is, take the race at your own pace. If you are not the most confident swimmer, perhaps start at the back and you’ll have plenty of feet to follow. Also smile, otherwise your event pictures turn out terribly.
Beecham is the speedster in the all-timers bunch
James Orr
Company Gerald Eve
What was your first Property Tri experience like? I was apprehensive. As a runner and not a swimmer, I was not sure if I would make it and the thought of thrashing around a murky lake with a load of surveyors meant I was seriously questioning my sanity. However, once I crossed the finish line, I had an overwhelming sensation of achievement. This was a great introduction to triathlon and I have since competed in many triathlons all over the country and abroad and, much to my wife’s dismay, invested in numerous bikes and kit, hoping to buy a bit more time and speed.
Why have you raced every year so far? The Property Tri is a very well organised and fun event and the opportunity to compete against colleagues and fellow professionals is an intoxicating mix. It is always one of the first things to go in the diary, once the date is announced, to ensure I get my entry in, which is becoming as competitive as the day itself given its ever-increasing popularity.
Where have you seen your greatest improvement? My dodgy hip and getting older means the run is becoming more of a challenge and my times are getting slower, but improvements in my swim and on the bike have in previous years managed to offset this degradation. I’m less confident this year though.
What has been your proudest moment? Winning the over-40 category in 2014.
What has been your greatest race faux pas? I had a DNF in 2010 when in my haste to get out of my wetsuit I managed to rip my timing chip off. Unfortunately I didn’t notice until I crossed the finish line at the end of the run in my fastest time for the course.
What advice would you give a first-timer? Relax and enjoy it. It is not as daunting as you may fear. Human Race and JLL put on a great day and this is becoming the must-do event in the property calendar.
Orr is the most improved among the all-timers, with a 14-minute difference between his slowest and fastest times
Will Monk
Company Knight Frank
What was your first Property Tri experience like?
Great best ever time – it’s been a slippery slope since then. Still, it’s the taking part that counts, right?
Why have you raced every year so far?
Because I have nothing better to do in early July. Seriously, I have managed to introduce a whole host of Knight Frank employees to the world of triathlon and it has been incredibly rewarding seeing some superstars emerge!
Where have you seen your greatest improvement?
Bike leg – I’ve now got something with gears!
What has been your proudest moment?
Beating JLL’s Angus Minford when he wasn’t in fancy dress – closely followed by Knight Frank winning the team event in 2013.
What has been your greatest race faux pas?
Towelling my hair (yes, I had some in 2007) after the swim leg wasted at least 25 seconds in T1.
What advice would you give a first timer?
Don’t push too hard early on, it’s a long way to the finish even for a sprint triathlon.
Lucy Till
Company ST Bride’s Managers
What was your first Property Tri experience like? It’s so long ago I can hardly remember! All I do remember is we had the most hideous blue tri-suits!
Why have you raced every year so far? It’s always a fun day, the sun usually shines and it’s a great atmosphere.
Where have you seen your greatest improvement? My run is a little speedier but I’m sadly going backwards on the swim.
What has been your proudest moment? I don’t have one, but I did qualify for my age group for GB last year – maybe nine years of doing the Property Tri helped get me there!
What has been your greatest race faux pas? Being stuck on the M4 when my wave went off.
What advice would you give a first timer? Do some training but above all enjoy it.
Till is the only female to have competed in every Property Triathlon so far
Tim Hutchen
Company JLL
What was your first Property Tri experience like? Amazing. I loved it straight away. I had always enjoyed running and cycling, and adding swimming for a multisport event was terrific.
Why have you raced every year so far? It’s an incredible day. The camaraderie, support and sense of joint endeavour is fantastic.
Where have you seen your greatest improvement? Transition, I think – there are minutes there for the taking with a bit of forethought and organisation.
What has been your proudest moment? Years when I’ve got a PB – it’s good to compete every year, but PB years are great!
What has been your greatest race faux pas? Probably in 2012 when the event was very early in the year, and it was absolutely freezing – I cycled out to the event, cooled off, did the tri, cooled off again, and then had to warm up again cycling home – on the plus side, I missed the traffic on the M4 cycling home!
What advice would you give a first timer? Keep it tidy through all three events, and especially the transitions – forget heroics on a single event, just keep it all flowing.
The numbers game
Common sense might tell us your first attempt at a race might be your slowest, but this is not true for the Property Tri. While almost 36% of the all-timers had their slowest race in 2007, 2013 was the real dud year for this elite squad, with 43% putting in their poorest performance. But this was the year temperatures plummeted. On the flipside, 2008 was the year of the speedster, with more than a third securing a PB.
This article was first published on 26 April 2016
