First off, what are your goals? Like AG podium, beat a buddy, etc?

That will have a lot to do with any advice given. OF course you can go all out on both, but the 2nd one will be slower at that all out pace. Will chime in on the other questions once I know your goals. I have done this many times over the years, even did 5 race days in a row recently, but not all triathlons...

one thing i'll say about point (1). something i learned from stage racing is that you have to fuel for the long game. so, even though you're near the finish of the run in the standard-distance race on saturday, you're going to keep fueling right through the finish line. being a bit sore is one thing, but as much as possible we want to avoid you being depleted on sunday.

if you were only racing saturday you might get away with saving the extra few seconds from taking that gel or that second water bottle or whatever, but not this time. your mantra is going to be to fuel right through the finish line!

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The Saturday race is provincial championships, I'm aiming to make the podium in my AG for that. Sunday's half-iron is a race I've done probably eight times in the past, so my goal for that one is more fluid and more in the "beat a buddy" range.

My plan is to race Saturday as the "A race" and then do Sunday's with whatever I have left. That said, I'll likely only do five races next year, so I want to do as well as I can on Sunday's race as well.

That makes sense, and it means I'll need to practice because I wouldn't usually take in calories on a 10km run. I'll need to experiment with fuelling at that kind of intensity. How much of a hole would I dig by not fuelling during the 10k and just eating a bit more at the finish line?

If it is a combined placement then hold back 1-2% on the first day and make sure to eat and recover after that first one.

Advice: hit it hard. Don't think about the second race while you are in the first. You can absolutely go all out in both races and have a good performance. Sure you might be 98% instead of 100% on day 2 but that's the game.

Look at the top triathletes at Age group nationals. They take the podium both days.

The Saturday race is provincial championships, I'm aiming to make the podium in my AG for that. Sunday's half-iron is a race I've done probably eight times in the past, so my goal for that one is more fluid and more in the "beat a buddy" range.//

Ok good. So with that in mind, you need to just go all out in the swim/bike of day 1, and then really, I mean really, monitor your position in the run. Take it out on the conservative side and hold a steady race pace, and just see where your comp is stacking up. If half way through you find yourself locked into either a battle to catch someone, or hold someone off, then just go for it. But once you know your place is locked in, and that could be at 3 miles in really, just soft run and hold that place. Hopefully there are out and backs where you can assess your position relative to your comp, but otherwise use a friend or family member to get you some splits. This requires a real heads up approach, like getting race numbers of the few you will be competing with, and making sure your support knows those folks too.


Best case scenario for you is you got your podium spot, guys up the road are too far and too fast to catch, and no one really close behind. Not having to go balls to the wall on those last miles, even last mile really, can make such a difference in how you recover and feel the next day. Also going into the run with a negative split attitude can help a lot. Not only gets you your fastest run usually, but the least intrusive on how you are going to feel the next day..


You got good nutrition advice, get a medium massage if you can, if not find a hot tum and use the jets to flush out what you can. Hit the Advil or aspirin right after the race, and continue to the morning the next day. Get good sleep if you can, and eat the meal that really suits you night before races. For me it is a super fatty Mexican meal, lots of rice, beans, cheese with all that grease that floats on top of it. For breakfast I would opt for the shakes that are around, I just use the old peoples food Insure. Usually drink a couple/few of those, and then hit a couple gels just before the swim. Keeps the stomach light and mostly empty, then do your normal 1/2 nutrition plan..


And of course you can kind of practice this in workouts, back to back days, but nothing is really going to simulate all out racing. Just keep in mind that it is the run that screws you, so being really fit there and hill fit too is your best prep for this.. Have fun, let us know how you do..

Time trial / rolling start or mass start? This only works with a mass start.

Don't overthink it :)

It's not the last gel on the standard distance that will make the difference!

But bigger carbload the day before the standard, aim for 8-10 grams of carbs per kg body weight the day before. After the standard distance aim for 100 grams of carbs pr hour for 4-5 hours after the race. Maybe spin 20-30 minutes on the bike after the race.

Then 5 hours after the standard race, just spend the rest of the day like you would the day before a normal half distance race. Quads will hurt a bit more the first 5-10k on the bike on Sunday, that's all.

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Long Distance PB: 8:25
Instagram: larsschmidttri

You've already answered the first question I would have asked (goals for the race) & have already gotten some really good advice (go all-in on your 1st race/don't think about the 2nd race in the moment). That's exactly what I would have said, given your goals. Focus on that first race. Treat it like your "A" race. Back to back racing is fine. I prefer the longer race first but it's better in this situation since the shorter race is your priority. I don't think you should mess with training by throwing in some bigger sessions back to back. I would just focus on getting as fit as possible. I don't think it's worth it to invite the added injury risk in. You're racing at two different intensities. Hit the first race hard & focus on nutrition as soon as you cross the finish line. I fuel during an Olympic so if you're used to that I think it might be helpful in the first race. Then eat a good (healthy) meal when you finish. Hydrate well. Roll out. Get to sleep early. Then wake up & run it back. Maybe take the swim & bike starts closer to 140.6 pace. Holding back just a little might help you execute a strong 70.3.

Thanks for the advice. I agree that the run is the part that will make or break Sunday's race in particular. I have occasionally done back to back days of hard cycling sessions but I don't ever run hard two days in a row.

Fair point. I am not super resilient when it comes to running, this is something I am trying to address by increasing my weekly run frequency and doing some strength training through the winter.

That's my thoughts and attitude too.

Ultimately, how well you back up is determined by your training and racing schedules. The more often you do this type of thing, the better you get at it. And the more fun you have.

Not sure how many weekends of back-to-back racing I've done over the years. It would be hundreds if we're counting triathlon and running events, including ultras. Even as a broken old runner who works on alternate weekends, I've still backed up for Saturday/Sunday racing at least 15 times this year. Admittedly, it's usually a Saturday 5km and Sunday 10km these days, but there was one ODTri among my weekend doubles in March.

Triathletes tend to race infrequently these days, which isn't good for the sport. Without racing, is someone still a triathlete? Or do we just become someone who swims, cycles and runs?

I've done back to back sprint oly type weekends many times but never old 70.3 a lot of great advice I'd also add to spin comedown on the first day and if u can have someone calling out time so u only go exactly as hard as u need no more. Run is the damaging part.

Start fueling feet up as soon as u finished the comedown day 1 and if u can do Cryo or normatec boots or massage all will help weight off feet rest and eat a lot. Have everything pre set up as much as u can so zero need to do anything just lie down watch tv and stuff your face with carbs. I'd go light on caffeine day 1 after early bike so u can clear and rest easier.

Day 2 u might feel sluggish early on so if u can do a longer warm up may help a lot especially bike and swim warm ups don't worry for run. Hammer caffeine maybe. If u did training it's really not that bad just like 2 hard training sessions back to back. And then some u will feel it Monday would love to know how u go.

How old are you?
I used to be able to race Saturdays and Sundays, and give a best effort in each. This year (at 49) I decided it was time to pick only one race a weekend as I just wasn't able to recover sufficiently for Sundays and really give my best effort for the second race.

Thanks for the advice. Since I don't have normatec/cryo boots, I might put my wetsuit back on and go for a recovery swim after Saturday's race. I'm thinking the compression from the neoprene and the cold from the water might work in a similar way to the boots to help with recovery.

I'll be 49 when I do the race weekend. I agree recovery is going to be the big issue.

Unless that gel is the one that makes me double over and puke! I'll have a go at taking in a gel on some faster run workouts and see how I go, maybe I can teach my stomach to accept calories at 10k race pace. If not, I'll just go with the "stuff yourself after the race" advice.

Back in the day here in the UK we used to have the Vitruvian half IM on the Saturday and Helvellyn on the Sunday. It has not happened for a long time now as the races have ended up happening on different weekends. When it was a regular occurrence quite a few of us used to race both races with the goal of going sub 10 for the combined races which was hard but doable for most age groupers. It was a great weekend with lots of camaraderie and support.

Aside from the nutrition advice already given I would offer the following:

• Make sure you plan your travel between both races as efficiently as possible.
• Maximise time off feet - don't hang around after the first race - get to your second race venue as soon as possible.
• Make sure you book a comfortable bed and get a really good nights sleep Saturday night.
• Warm up for the second race is really important - as is the bike check. Things can happen travelling between races. Take a pump and spares.
• I personally never noticed a dramatic dip in performance for the Sunday race after racing hard on the Saturday. Its a tuff ask on the body - but if you are motivated enough and the mind is strong you can do it.
• Plan an easy few weeks after. Don't push and get injured.

Anecdotally Alastair Brownlee did Helvellyn in 2020 the day after racing ITU Hamburg. He looked shocking when he got to transition on Sunday morning and allegedly only had a few hours sleep after getting to the Lake District well after midnight travelling from Germany. He then proceeded to crush the race a set a blistering new course record.

From experience I think you can perform on 2 consecutive days - the risks are injury and you need to be motivated and mentally strong to pull it off.

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He who understands the WHY, will understand the HOW.

I’ve never done back to back tri’s before … but if it were me

- make sure you’re super well hydrated and carb’s up the day before the race
- eat on the bike, but don’t force yourself to eat during the run if you can’t … just eat when you’re finished. It’s only 40ish mins of running, eating within that window shouldn’t really matter
- hydrate and fuel up afterwards as you suggested

If you’re fit enough, day 2 / 70.3 should probably be at an intensity you can handle at almost full speed like others have said

I'd say you are some-one that exercises...

Are the two races one race combined - as in everybody is doing both races? Or did you just pick two separate races?

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