Training & Preparation

The Artemis Great Kindrochit Quadrathlon is a tough event requiring serious training and careful preparation. A 0.8 mile swim, 15 mile hill trek, 7 mile kayak followed by 34 miles on a bicycle through the Scottish Highlands requires some thought as to how you can best prepare yourself for the challenge.

Training for Swimming

Build up your swimming progressively over 3 months. Start off slowly and building up to 1,500 metres (or 60 lengths of a 25 metre pool prior) before the event.
Try using Kick Boards and Pull Buoys to build up the arm and leg elements of your stroke.
Open Water swimming, in a wetsuit, is very different to swimming in a pool and we strongly encourage you to get some experience before the event.
Find out where you can join open water swim coaching sessions where you can learn how to adapt your technique for open water. See one-triathlon.co.uk for the London area and thetricentre.com for the Edinburgh area.

Training for Walking

Choosing the correct shoes is vital. Of all the items of kit you buy, your shoes are the most important. If incorrectly fitted they are the most likely to cause injury and prevent you training or competing. For the Munro section of the race, fell or trail shoes are best. Walking shoes are fine, but they will slow you down, although they may have good ankle support.
Over the 3 months before the event, go for walks or runs, outdoors, incorporating hills and rough terrain, at least three times each week. Make one walk/run each week a ‘long’ walk/run and build up the distance slowly, adding one mile each week. Walk or run with friends so that you can support and encourage each other.
Practice walking and running downhill (as well as uphill) as you need to adapt your muscles to the downhill to prevent muscle damage on the downhill sections of the Mountain phase. During the event, you should be taking advantage of the downhill sections and conditioning your legs to this will benefit you immensely.
Always stretch before and after your walks or runs. Stretching will reduce your likelihood of injury and muscle/ tendon strains. Do not stretch cold muscles.

Training for Kayaking

All participants paddle Malibu Two sit-on-top kayaks for the kayak phase. They are compact, lightweight and stable. We prefer our rescue boats not to be too busy on event day!
The best way to train for the Kayaking phase would be to Kayak at least once a week for three months prior to the event, however, that will not be possible for many people, so you need to build your upper body and core muscles and endurance.
Body weight and core exercises such as Inverted Row, Chin Ups, Russian Twist and Plank are a great way to strengthen your core and upper body muscles and to build endurance for the Kayaking phase. Try doing these outside rather than in the gym and work to approximately 30 to 50 repetitions per set.

Training for Cycling

There is no substitute for getting out in the fresh air on your bicycle, try to cycle as much as possible. Maybe use your bike for your commute or daily errands as well as going on long rides when possible. Visit www.one-triathlon.co.uk for more information on group bike rides from London.
Make sure that your bicycle is fitted correctly for you, with the seat at the correct height and handlebars adjusted to fit you. This will ensure that you are cycling efficiently and help avoid injury.
Wear cycle shorts to reduce rubbing and chaffing, ensure your helmet fits and is comfortable and familiarize yourself with how to repair a puncture.
We recommend you put in some ‘brick’ sessions during the latter weeks of your training. This means going for a long walk/run and then cycling 20 to 30 miles in the same training session. Practice taking on nutrition and water while walking/running and cycling.

Top Tips

Feet - toughen your feet by walking as much as possible. Trim toenails and use foot powder. Walk about at home in bare feet as much as possible.
Socks - Smart wool or Teko socks are recommended. Change your socks regularly. It is important to keep your feet as dry as possible.
Walking boots - or fell running shoes with good grip.
Boots - Light Goretex type boots are fine. Make sure they fit, allow for foot expansion and ensure they are well broken in.
Rubbing - Wear lycra cycle shorts and use Vaseline to prevent chaffing.
Stretching - Warm up before stretching and stretch both during and after walking. Remember to stretch down after the event.
Hydration - Drink regularly. Use the Camelback/ Platypus water container. Mix energy drinks with water. Drink plenty of tea, soup, water and eat plenty of fruit. The key to getting through endurance events is nutrition – train with the (correct) foods you will use on the events.
Dehydration symptoms - beware of symptoms: thirst, not going to the loo, dark coloured urine and minor headaches.
Hyponatremia - A potentially fatal condition, resulting primarily from drinking too much fluid and not replacing the sodium (salt) lost by sweat. Symptoms are very similar to those of dehydration but your urination becomes frequent and your urine is clear-coloured. Monitor your fluid intake and remember that you must eat to keep up your salt and mineral levels. Drink isotonic drinks containing electrolytes as well as water.
Blisters - If you feel a potential blister forming, stop and deal with it there and then. Puncture the blister with a pinprick, drain and apply compeed or similar dressing.
Temperature - Maintain a constant body temperature and prevent your body from overheating by continuously adjusting your clothing. Zip tops make this easier. Use a hat - you lose 30% of heat through your head and it saves time changing other layers!
Check points - Keep stops at checkpoints to a maximum of 20 minutes or your muscles will begin to seize-up.