World of Triathlon LIVE: My experience at the UK's ONLY Tri-Expo

Last weekend, I made the trip down to the Excel in London for World of Triathlon LIVE – the UK’s only expo dedicated to all thing's triathlon - and it didn’t disappoint. From the moment I arrived, the atmosphere felt welcoming and inclusive, with something on offer for athletes of any level.

The exhibition space was packed with stalls showcasing any and every piece of equipment in the sport. There were great deals on wetsuits, tri-suits, running clothes, bikes and race entries. There were bits of tech and clothing I’d never heard of, like neoprene gloves for open water swimming. The space was also extremely interactive; a short walk across the room meant passing two people having a plank competition, a head-to-head on treadmills, and a VO₂ max test taking place. I even saw pro triathlete Malachi Cashmore as he spent the entire day on his turbo trainer, playing Connect 4 with passers-by.

I attended several talks over the weekend. Keri-Anne Payne, a two-time open water world champion and Olympic silver medallist in swimming, gave an incredible and interactive talk on swimming technique, and the tips she gave have been genuinely useful in my past week of training.

Endurance athlete Sean Conway was then interviewed on his motivation, tips and tricks which he learned as he broke the world record for completing 105 Ironman triathlons in 105 days. When asked if he had any more endurance challenges in the works, he hinted at a possibility of attempting 365 Ironman triathlons in a row.

“If no one does it in the next couple of years, I might have a crack at it”, he stated.

Hearing from these athletes, alongside many others within the outstanding line-up, was surreal. I left with a free hat, t-shirt, supplements and plenty of discount codes for upcoming races, which was a nice bonus. Overall, it was an engaging and motivating experience that I’d recommend.