Holkham half

Events
1

Any tips or ideas on accommodation for the Holkham half?
I know a lot of people camp but Id rather not camp if poss.

I also hear mixed views on the course, whats it like? I hear its a tough run, is that right?

Thanks

2

I stayed in Kings Lynn, which is a fair schlep away (40 mins ish iirc) but was late to the party and nothing local.

Swim has duck goo slime if you put your foot down in the mostly shallow water.

Bike is really good, pretty flat nice and flowing, can be headwinds in the last 1/3 and if a nice sunny day traffic issues in the last few miles as you get near the coast again. But I really enjoyed it.

Run has some trail, some moderate undulations. Nothing too nasty, I don’t recall it as a ‘difficult’ run especially.

Great race overall.

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3

There are some lovely boutique hotels along the coast… a favourite of mine is the Hero at Burnham Overy Staithe…

The bike route is fab… a lovely rolling ride… its not flat, but there aren’t any lung busters. The ride back into Holkham along the A148 can be a tiny bit frustrating if the traffic is busy, as you can get held up by the cars as they sit behind cyclists ahead of you, but not to a level that is a problem, and no worse than I’ve had at other races like the Vit over the years.

The run is not that bad. I made up shit loads of places by being a stubborn twat and refusing to walk up the one decent hill…its not that challenging, and over in 3 or 4 mins per lap. You’ll already have experienced it as the bike course heads out that way at the start.

The swim is nasty!.. the water is 50% duck shit, with added duck shit stirred up because its shallow enough to walk in places.

Overall, its a cracking race. I really enjoyed it… made all the better by his Lordship at Holkham being a keen triathlete and welcoming the race with open arms.

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4

I’m thinking about doing this next year - but the swim sounds grim :duck: :poop: :nauseated_face: Was that an isolated year or is it always like it?

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5

Next year will be my first.

I’ve just seen the announcement that next years Holkham Half will be the British 70.3 championships.

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6

Ah nice! Yeah it was the British 70.3 champs that made me look into it. I found a youtube vid of the swim from this years event Outlaw Holkham Half Triathlon | 3rd Overall Female!! - YouTube - you can see plenty of the weed but probably ok!

7

I hear its improved a lot, as its a diving start from a decking platform now, so you don’t have a thousand people wading around in the mud, stirring it up before the swim starts.

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8

It’s a lot better now. I did it the last 2yrs and they improved it a lot this year. They cut a channel in the weeds and it was pretty clear as long as you stayed in the channel :grinning:
Make sure you have tinted goggles- you can’t see a thing around the island

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