Racing opportunities for 14+ (Youth & Junior)

You may have previously competed in categories up to Tristar3 that have large race fields, so once you become a youth it can seem like there are no longer many competitors to go head to head with. 

This is mainly because there are many more race series opportunities available from Youth onwards – so the field is more thinly spread.  The possibilities range from regional to national, open water and sea swims to pools, closed circuit tarmac, open road and grass cycling and a variety of run terrain.

Continuing to participate in the East Region League is the best option for most Youth and Junior triathletes.  You can then complement this with other one-off races, such as Age Group Qualifiers or mass participation events like the Castle Triathlon Series, or those held at Eton Dorney or Woburn Abbey.

The list below is by no means the whole spread of events open to you, and if you discover an event that is really good, pass the news on to the Club so others can try it.  If in doubt where to race, ask around some of the other youth & junior triathletes at the Club to see what they plan to do in the next year.

You can also ask at the sign-in desk at Saturday training if you’d like to be put in touch with a coach or family that have experience with any of the following race opportunities.

• Triathlon England East Region children’s league events. (https://www.britishtriathlon.org/east/take-part/race-series/junior-events). If you are a British Triathlon member, you can gain league points from this series, the sum of which determine the overall league winners (your best 5 results are counted). If you are not already a group member, joining the “British Triathlon East Junior Race Series” Facebook page is useful – lots of update information is shared there.
• There are a wide variety of regional multi-sport events, including Tris at Newmarket, Ely, Bury St. Edmunds and Haverhill!  There are also a number of mini-series not too far away, such as those organised by http://www.galeforce-events.com/triathlon-events/bedford-sprint-triathlon-series/  & http://www.nicetri.co.uk/
• ‘Big’ events. There are quite a few of these e.g. Banana Triathlon and Eton Dorney Sprints (run by Human Race), Woburn Abbey Triathlon, Outlaw Triathlon, Castle Triathlon Series and many others.
• At the regional level there is an adult league (https://www.britishtriathlon.org/east/take-part/race-series/adult-league) and championship (https://www.britishtriathlon.org/east/take-part/race-series/adult-champs).
• British Triathlon Super Series (https://www.britishtriathlon.org/events/performance-events/youth-and-junior-super-series) – these are national level, mass start, 1 wave only, draft-legal, and very competitive, but give a great chance to race with the very best in the country. As such this is a big step up in commitment for both you and your parents. Not only must you be performing at a very high level with a huge commitment to training goals, the time, travel and financial commitments are also significant for your family.  If you aspire to compete in the Super Series, you need to attend the British Triathlon Performance Assessment weekend (https://www.britishtriathlon.org/gb-teams/talent/performance-assessment-weekend).
• National championships (https://www.triathlonengland.org/events/triathlon-england-championships). These are open to all standards, so are a good alternative for those not quite meeting the Super Series criteria.
• Age group qualification for European and world championships (https://www.britishtriathlon.org/age-group). These are open to all standards, so are a good alternative for those not quite meeting the Super Series criteria.