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A Beginner's Guide to the Bastion Full Iron
Advice from Soraya at Tri Training Harder

Stepping up to a full iron distance race can be daunting. Coaches for Tri Training Harder, an industry leading Triathlon coaching providers in the UK, give their guidance to aid you to answer the question: am I ready to take on the Bastion in 2025?

Thinking about tackling The Bastion Full Iron in 2025?

On Sunday 9th June 2025, Castle Race Series will host a full iron distance triathlon, The Bastion, at Château de Chantilly, a beautiful Château in northern France, under an hour north of Paris. This fast and flat course will test even the most hardened of athletes.

Are you considering signing up for your first ever full iron distance race? Read on for the most important things you need to think about when considering tackling The Bastion.

1) Why do you want to do a Bastion?

This seems like a silly question, but it’s the most important one. “It sounds like a cool thing to do” probably won’t get you to the finish line – you need to understand what is motivating you to do this so that when things get tough, you can stay focused on the task at hand (both in training and during the race).

2) What is your current endurance fitness level

Anyone can complete a Bastion if they want to. If you are considering it, then there is no doubt that you can do it too… with a bit of self-belief and hard work, you can achieve anything.

#believe in yourself, #strive and work towards it, #achieve it

However, you need to give yourself the best chances of success. Be honest with yourself when evaluating your current endurance fitness level. Note that I put the word endurance in there – you may be the fittest cross-fitter or sprinter on Earth, but if you are not used to endurance sports, then you need to build that up slowly in a similar way a beginner does. Unfortunately (or fortunately, as training is part of the fun!), there are no shortcuts. Just give yourself a bit more time to prepare and build up the miles safely. If you’ve already tackled the Castle Race Series Gauntlet half iron race, 6 months is a reasonable time frame to build up to The Bastion.

3) Can your lifestyle handle the training?

Most active people can “wing” a 70.3. This approach won’t get them the best results, but they will probably finish the race, hopefully uninjured. This is less true for The Bastion – sure, there’s always that guy (or girl) that can wake up one morning and say “tomorrow, I’m doing a full iron”, and then go off and do it in under 11 hours. Those people do exist, but they are rare. It’s probably not you, and it most certainly isn’t me.

So for the rest of us ordinary people, training for the Bastion requires dedication. Whether your goal is to win the race or to make the cut off times, you will have to work hard to cross that finish line. This means you won’t have much time for family and friends, as when you aren’t training or working, you need to be recovering. Think about your existing commitments and whether you have the bandwidth to train (& recover) for the Bastion.

Still keen? Good, read on!

Ready to take the plunge?

If you’ve got the drive, a decent level of current fitness and the time to put in the training then you’re well on your way to completing your first Bastion.

Chantilly is the ideal location to complete your first full iron distance race. The flat, fast course, it’s location only half an hour from Paris and the Castle Race Team will be there to support you every step of the way.

 

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LEARN MORE FROM THE TTH TEAM

Tri Training Harder are one of the leading Triathlon coaching providers in the UK, using our wealth of experience to unite scientific and technological research with already well-established and successful best practices, to create a formula for triathlon and endurance coaching that works.

The result is an honest, dynamic, yet simple new way of constructing an athlete’s training to allow them to reach their potential.

If you’re planning your next season, just starting out in the sport or are looking for extra guidance at the very top end of the field, we are here to help, and our coaches would be delighted to hear from you. You can contact us via the website, and one of the team will be in touch.

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