My Outlaw Half Nottingham May 2025- Ricky Long

Outlaw Half Nottingham

Swim 1.9km

Bike 90km

Run 21.1km

Sometimes referred to as Irons or half Irons.

I’ve had a real mindset shift this year with events and training.

With a new job and injury, it was always unlikely I would be able to smash training blocks. This was evident in the London Marathon last month and this Half Distance Triathlon.

This was my fourth year doing the Half.

This was my first year doing minimal training for it.

The result:….

SWIM

A man-made lake. It’s quite shallow. The locals complain it sometimes feels cold around 16/17°C. Anyone used to swimming in Western Scottish open waters knows this feels like a hot tub.

The secret to the Outlaw lake:

Swim wide right. Get out of the way of traffic.

TRANSITION 1

I decided early in the week I was not racing. I would take my time in transitions. This was 9 minutes.

BIKE

Immediately after the transition, there was a gear lock on my bike, resulting in me falling and the rear wheel needing adjusting. This happened 10 metres from getting on my bike. There were loads of crowds. It took a kind local spectator 5+ minutes to fix this for me.

Casting your mind back to last weekend, you’ll remember the UK had a heatwave. Glorious. Fortunately, Outlaw starts the swim at 6am meaning I’m on the bike before 7 a.m. and finished before 10 a.m. It was a cloudy morning, making it humid but with zero sunshine. I don’t know why, but this makes the bike FAST.

Over 15-minute PB with favourable winds, clouds, quiet roads, and a bit of luck.

I would have been faster too, but I needed to pee for the last 40km and I couldn’t bend over to tuck into my aero bars.

The bike is always fantastic. Stealing some chats with other racers, seeing the Nottingham countryside, and hitting good speeds on the flat/rolling route.

Averaging a respectable 181 watts, 32 kph, and a time of 2:43:00. Proud of that, having done less than 6 hrs on my bike outdoors this year.

TRANSITION 2

3 minutes peeing

2 minutes changing

2 minutes chatting on the mic

2 minutes walking through the long transition

= 9 minutes again

RUN

3 laps of the lake we swim around earlier in the day. Around 7km each lap. Makes for good pacing and is not monotonous as we are in sight of the finishing line throughout and pass it 3 times to much applause from the hundreds of supporters.

I decided not to race. I jogged it. My run is actually in a good place. I really enjoyed chatting with people on the run and at the aid stations. I’ve got to know them over the years, and I really appreciate the volunteers giving up their weekend.

2 visits to the toilets

1 stop to talk on the mic

1 stop to talk to a pal who was spectating

2 stops to tie my laces

And still, I hit a PB for this! 1:59:00, which is the first time I’ve been under 2 hrs for a Half Marathon in the Triathlon.

I even avoided sunburn for the first year.

🙋🏼‍♂️ Take Out

This is the first ever Triathlon I have 100% enjoyed from start to finish. I didn’t place any time goals. There was no pressure. I just wanted to cruise each section. The joy of doing it is enough.

During the London Marathon, I didn’t see Big Ben. I was in the hurt locker, trying to claw back time in the heat and also fighting off cramps.

During this Half Outlaw, I saw everyone’s face. Everyone’s smile. Everyone’s sign.

PB yes, but more importantly, it was the experience.

I don’t know what’s next for me triathlon-wise. I don’t need to chase the Middle or Full distances anymore. I have those medals. I don’t need to try to be “fast”.

Let’s make completing events cool again.