supertri, London

With a song in our hearts (Chappell Roan’s Hot To Go) and a hangover in our heads, E and I went to watch the supertri London event yesterday. In the last six weeks, we have made triathlon our entire personality so this was a social event that was not to be missed. For those who haven’t suddenly pivoted everything about themselves to swimming, cycling and running, allow me to explain.

A supertri consists of three sets of 300-meter swim, 4-kilometre bike, and 1.6-kilometre run. These are elite-level athletes, returning from the Paris Olympics and at the top of their game. I cannot explain to you how in awe we are of incredible humans including Beth Potter, Alex Yee and Georgia Taylor-Brown.

The event, hosted right by the dirge on civilisation that is Canary Wharf, brought large crowds and we found a good spot between the water and the track so we could dip between the various sections. It was so exciting to be a part of and gave us a further spring in our own triathlon efforts. Towards the end of the womens’ event, I felt the hairs raise on the back of my neck. I have never really been one for sport but it was as if I had been blinkered and was suddenly seeing something that others have tried to explain to me.

It was an incredible day to be present for, even if any the very thought of what they were putting themselves through made my stomach flip. We got a great spot on the river for the men’s event, which meant we could enjoy the hair of the dog at the same time. There’s something particularly macabre about nursing a pint while watching such incredible feats of humankind.

What an amazing ability they all had and how impactful and inspirational it was to see it in the, not flesh, but lycra.