GO TRI Reading at Green Park
GO TRI is a Triathlon England initiative which aims to provide everyone with the opportunity to take part in the exciting sport of triathlon in a friendly, relaxed and fun atmosphere.
GO TRI is aimed at beginners to multisport and all abilities are welcome, with a minimum age of 15 years. We are working towards putting on junior events.
I have been co-organising GO TRI Reading at Green Park since 2016 with BTF Level 3 Coach Dom dos Remedios, with the support of Tri2O Triathlon Club.
We put on ten events a year: nine of these are duathlon format (2km run/walk - 8km cycle - 2km run/walk) with cycling and running distances that are designed to be achievable for most fitness levels. These take place on Sunday mornings at 9am, once a month between January and October. I bake cakes for all entrants and marshals to have at the finish. We have an amazing team of supportive and enthusiastic marshals, most of whom are members of Tri2O Triathlon Club.
Our annual GO TRI Triathlon, also in the beautiful setting of Green Park in Reading, takes place usually on a Wednesday evening in August. This comprises a wetsuit-compulsory 250m open water swim in the Green Park lake, followed by an 8km cycle and finished off with a 2km run. Green Park have always provided a delicious free barbecue at the end for everyone involved.
The cost is kept low, with entry for the duathlon only £12.60 and the triathlon £17.60.
All abilities are welcome; beginners are actively encouraged! The minimum age is 15 years as the cycle is on open roads.
Each GO TRI Reading duathlon kicks off at 9:00am, with registration at 100 Longwater Avenue, Green Park, Reading, Berkshire, RG2 6GP starting from 8.00am.
Reading Triathlon
The very first triathlon event to take place in the UK was held at the Kirtons Farm Water Sports Centre back in 1983. The venue has now become the Tri2O Swim Centre, based adjacent to the Reading Lake Hotel.
Tri2O Triathlon Club took over the organisation of the Reading Triathlon in 2017. The race is at the beginning of September and it takes in an open water swim in the pretty setting of the Tri2O lake, followed by a cycle course around the local lanes of Burghfield, Mortimer and Grazeley, before finishing off with a run around the lakeside trail. There are two race distance options, sprint and standard distance, and it is a British Triathlon sanctioned event, which means that it has met required standards regarding insurance, safety, quality and fairness. The race is really friendly, and great for all levels of ability. There’s also a sprint relay option.
I have been part of the small Tri2O Events Committee since 2016, during the handover of the event to the club, and really enjoy volunteering to put on a fantastic race with the athlete experience as the first priority. I have delivered the race briefing each year and just love the atmosphere at the Reading Triathlon.
