With final preparations for the ITU Age Group World champs in Auckland well underway, my coach and I agreed a last little race before I leave would be a good idea. And with Bowood House just a 30-minute drive away, the sprint duathlon fitted the bill nicely.

It’s hard to believe that in less than three weeks I will (hopefully!) have finished racing at the World Age Group Triathlon Championships in Auckland. What, for most of the summer, has seemed like an age away is suddenly very close and very real.