Triathlon World Championships Mixed Sprint Relay Hamburg July 16 2023

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Mixed sprint relay is a competition form I really enjoy. There are two men and two women on every team. All team members do a super sprint triathlon each; 300m swim, T1, 5km bike ride, T2 and finish with 1.5 km run. First relay leg is always done by a male, leg 2 a female, leg 3 a male and a female finish. Start is communal, so first to finish line by 4th team member win. Age groups are done at 10-year intervals, so I compete with my team in the 60–69-year age group. 

It is short, it is speedy, positions change all the time, it is exciting. This was my fourth relay competition and every time I have had mostly new team members which makes for new friends.

I was on Team III USA 60-69; I think we had 6 or 7 teams in this age group. I had leg 2 and there was a lot of anxiety before we could enter the exchange area. Information of where to go was substandard, huge audience crowds and closed roads made it very difficult to navigate. I, and many other stressed athletes finally found our way and the race could start.

There was a TV monitor showing incoming runners, but it was so far away, most of us could not read it. My teammate came in with the first crown and I managed to meet him in time. I had set my smartwatch to triathlon, but I forgot to press start in the excitement. To avoid my swim goggles to get misplaced, I jumped, rather than dove, into the water. I still managed to overtake a team, but others overtook me during the short swim. 

I did not manage to get a draft during the bike ride, but when I changed into my new super shoes, I had a feeling I was going to make some places back. I started hard and easily passed several teams right away. I managed to keep up a good speed and even put on a sprint just before exchange. I was very tired.

My other teammates did an excellent job and we ended up on 7th place overall. USA Team II came in third, and team I fourth. It was fun, probably the highlight of all the competitions for me.


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