We’ve spoken to some of our current fastest participants ahead of the big day to find out how they recommend tackling the Dorney Lake triathlon route and perhaps bagging a new PB, or even beating a course record.

Karla Boddy – fastest overall female Olympic time 2:24:15 set at Shock Absorber WomenOnly Triathlon

“The course at Dorney lake is great for setting some fast times because a) it’s flat, and b) you don’t need to worry about anything other than yourself; there is no traffic, no junctions you have to navigate. You just have to focus on you, which is a luxury not afforded to you on open courses.”

“The wind can play havoc but you just have to be careful not to give too much into the headwind on the bike. Likewise, it can get very hot out on the run course so take time to consider your fuelling strategy based on the conditions, and wear a cap!”

Florian Heigl – fastest overall male Olympic time 2:07:21 set at Goodman Masson Diamond Triathlon

“While the ultimate goal in any triathlon is always a balanced performance across all 3 disciplines, everybody certainly has their strengths and weaknesses. For me, that would be the bike, and as a bigger guy it is mostly on flat courses such as the one around Dorney Lake that I can make the most inroads. It is important to keep those pedals turning hard for all of the eight laps and in order to do so it is advisable not to start out harder than sustainable and build into it a little. Aerodynamics are also important and on this course you would want to ride the most aero position you can comfortably hold for an hour or so. With a little practice you can get through most of the turns on course without leaving the aerobars.”

“The out and back run course can be a little tough mentally, but no matter how much you suffer: try to always keep up your confident poker-face when you see the guys or girls chasing you on the opposite side.”

Sarah Lewis – fastest overall female Sprint time 1:05:50 set at Nuffield Health Eton SuperSprints

“I like racing at Dorney Lake as it’s easy to get to from London and the traffic-free roads are great – it’s also good to be able to compare your times from year to year.”

“It’s usually windy at Dorney Lake so if you find you’re cycling into a headwind, push slightly harder on that side of the lake and recover a little on the way back for a faster overall time. There are a couple of corners where you’ll need to slow down, sprint out of these to get your speed back up as quickly as possible.”

View our 2018 triathlon calendar and bag a place now at www.humanrace.co.uk/triathlon.