With just a week to go until the Ironman 70.3 World Championships I have a fun weekend of packing and preparation ahead of me before flying to Montreal on Monday.

From this point onwards, training volume tapers off – although intensity still remains fairly high to ensure the engine stays sharp. I typically do my last major session a week out from the race, so tomorrow I’ll go out for one final simulation before travelling on Monday morning. Good rest, recovery, refuelling, hydration and sleep become even more important than usual.

The training is done, it’s time to relax and prepare.

The race is taking place in the small resort town of Mont Tremblant, which is about 90 minutes away from Montreal in Quebec, Canada, and looks to be a beautiful area.

The 1.2 mile swim is staged in Tremblant Lake while the 56-mile ride will take us through Mont Tremblant’s mountains and is sure to be a hard and hilly bike with plenty of tactical moves being made. The run takes place around the resort village, so there’s bound to be a lot of support and energy from the crowd.

World Championship races are always special and ensure everyone brings their A game. I know I’ll have a lot of support from friends and family watching online back home in Cricklade, Purton and beyond so I’ll be sure to think of you all for added energy and inspiration at various times during the race. 

Although my preparation going into the race has not been as smooth as I would like due to injury and illness setbacks in the past few months, I am going into the race with a fresh approach – and a fresh body! I’ll give it everything I have on the day and will be very proud of myself – and my team.

At times it has been a tough season and there were occasions when I wasn’t sure I would even make it to the World Championships this year, so I will be racing with a sense of gratitude, celebration and gumption. I’m very thankful to all of my friends, family and sponsors for their continued support.

I’m sure the teams at Morris Owen in Old Town and Virtua in Hook – two of my longest standing and local sponsors – will be cheering me on from Swindon and I’ll be wearing their logos with pride. 

After the worlds, I head straight to China for a race in Beijing the following weekend, so it’s going to be a fun and busy time.

I’ll check back in in two weeks from Beijing – I’m looking forward to that.