THE triathlon consists of three parts ¿ a swim, a bike and a run completed one after the other with very little time between each part. Although you are given a breakdown of your time for each part, it is your overall time when you reach the finish that counts to determine your placing. There are various distances in triathlon but the best known standard distances are Olympic (1500 metres or about one mile swim, 40K or about 25 mile bike and 10K or about 6.2 mile run) and Ironman (3.86K or about 2.4 mile swim, 180K or about 112 mile bike and 42.2K or about 26.2 mile run).

In between each part competitors enter a "transition" area where they move from one event to another as quickly as they can. Experienced competitors will wear a tight fitting one piece triathlon suit for the full event to minimize time in transition and they will forego socks and have Velcro straps on bike shoes and "lace locks" on their shoes to minimize time in transition. Depending on the distance between the swim finish and the bike start experienced competitors will be looking to start the bike around two to three minutes after exiting the water and to start the run in under a minute after dismounting the bike.

There are also non-drafting and drafting races. Drafting races are normally only for the professional category. In drafting races, such as the Professional Olympic Distance World Cup Series, World Championships and Olympic Games, competitors can ride in groups or "packs" ( so getting the benefit of the draft of the competitor(s) in front which makes the cycling much easier). Typically drafting races are on "spectator friendly" loop courses with two swim loops and multiple loops on the bike and run. Non- drafting races have "distance between competitors" rules and require that when a competitor enters a "restricted" zone to pass another competitor they must do so within 15 seconds. Illegal drafting (there are motorbikes on the course watching for drafting) leads to time penalties. Non drafting races is the "purer" form of the sport as competitors who are weaker cyclists can't minimize their bike times by drafting.

The Escape to Bermuda Triathlon is an Olympic distance and non-drafting race for professional triathletes and amateurs alike and in addition to the men's and women's professional categories there are amateur age group prizes in five year increments from 20-24 right up to 80-plus ( s well as an Under-19 division).

Each part of the triathlon has its own hazards. Competitors will be taken one mile from Dockyard on a Government ferry and jump into the water for a mass start swim into Dockyard. Last year the water was choppy in the first part of the race and less experienced swimmers suffered with some swallowing a fair share of seawater leaving them nauseous on the bike/run. However, the use of triathlon specific wetsuits is almost certain (depending on the water temperature on the day) which is a big advantage for weaker swimmers due to the buoyancy a wetsuit provides. A few swimmers will also suffer in the mass start as kicks and bumps are inevitable and some athletes may lose their swim goggles or get slowed down. Staying on course is also important as there is no pool line and so competitors need to "sight" on a landmark on shore every few swim strokes without slowing down in order not to go off course and lose time. This sighting technique is a skill triathletes practice. Drafting the swimmer in front of you is permitted and if a competitor can get behind someone slightly faster than him/her and stay right behind that person they can slash up to a minute or more off their swim time. However drafting can also be detrimental if the swimmer you are following goes off course!

The first transition up the steps into Dockyard is a key part of the race. The temptation is to rest but competitive triathletes will sprint into transition whilst removing their wet suits, put their helmets on, remove their bikes from the bike rack and run to the "bike mount" line. Often their bike shoes are already clipped into the bike pedals and they will slip into the shoes and Velcro the straps as they start the ride. Tired and with the adrenaline going some athletes will fumble with their helmet locks or forget where their bike is in transition or where the bike exit is and so lose time. I know of a triathlete who lost over five minutes in a transition area because he couldn't find his bike (mind you there were 5,000 bikes in transition!).

The 24-mile bike portion is both mentally and physically challenging and will take athletes from Dockyard to Barnes Corner, along South Shore to the Paget lights and then South Shore to Paynters Road and across the golf course to Harrington Sound Road where competitors will head right and start the most technical part of the course between Shark Hole and Wilkinson Avenue. They will then enter the fastest part of the course (depending on the wind direction) between Swizzle Inn and St. Georges Square.

The bike course is an outstanding course as it requires good bike handling skills to deal with Bermuda's narrow and winding roads and has a lot of rolling hills that will provide a stern test (Fort Scaur, Elbow Beach Entrance hill, Rural Hill and McGalls Hill will be notable tests for competitors).

Most competitors will be looking to stay in the "aero" position as much as possible but this technique, which minimizes wind resistance, requires real courage on parts of the course with sharp unsighted corners and on steep downhill sections as the brakes are located on the handlebars as opposed to the aero extensions. Competitors must remember to drink from their water bottles to ensure that they don't dehydrate on the run and also ensure that they don't get drafting penalties. Although the roads are closed competitors still have to look out for unexpected hazards.

The bike to run transition is also important. Experienced competitors will be mentally preparing themselves for the run and some 400 metres from the bike dismount zone will take their feet from their bike shoes and ride with their feet on the top of their shoes. At the dismount they will run barefoot to their bike rack allocated position, rack their bike, remove their helmets, put on their running shoes and head for the transition run exit. Failing to rack your bike properly can lead to a marshall calling you back and not remembering your bike rack position or run exit point can also lose you valuable time. Some competitors also struggle with getting their run shoes on quickly.

By now the body is aching and the early part of the run requires the body to adjust from "bike legs" to "run legs" and from a horizontal to a vertical position which is hard on the back. Trying to find a rhythm in the early part of the six mile run is key as the legs are now starting to burn as the lactic acid builds up and find it hard to adjust from biking to running. The early part of the run course is also challenging as competitors will immediately be faced with a long hill up Cut Road towards Gates Fort. The two loop run course around by Fort St. Catherine and back via the "Unfinished Church" to St. George's also means that competitors will have to negotiate Cut Road and the hill by Tobacco Bay twice, not easy hills as legs begin to tire. Taking water at water stops and staying mentally tough are key to a good run but the sight of the finish line in St. Georges Square after two to four hours out on the course will be a welcome sight for all competitors!