When the stakes are high and thoughts turn to medals, every athlete is looking to find an edge over their competitors.

With countless hours spent pushing themselves to the limit in the pool, on the bike, and out on the run, British Triathletes and Paratriathletes are some of the hardest working athletes out there. We take a look at how British Triathlon have used Official Supplier, Garmin, to assist high performance preparations, helping to maximise performance and minimise time away from training.

Using data to track training loads and reduce injury and illness

The Garmin Forerunner group of watches helps track data across the swim, cycle and run

The provision of continuous data tracking and details of training load from the Garmin Forerunner group of watches, enable coaches and athletes to manage training across all disciplines. The ability for British Triathlon’s support staff to create a clear picture of athlete wellbeing over several months and years, allows them to build clues as to when injury or illness could be approaching, and put in preventative measures.

For competitors at any level, avoiding injury and illness is crucial, but with top triathletes who are constantly pushing the boundaries, good recovery strategies are essential to maintaining peak performance. Interrogation of regular and accurate data from the Garmin Forerunner has been an important part of the Great Britain Triathlon Team training programme.

Recovery from injury

British Triathlon are using the Vivofit range to track movement during rehab

Despite a comprehensive injury and illness prevention strategy, being a World-Class athlete means that you are always on the edge - it is part and parcel of top level sport. Getting an athlete back to fitness needs careful handling. Rushing the rehab process can open the door to the potential of further injury.

One of the products that has been used with athletes in the UK Sport World Class Performance Programme who are returning from injury, is the activity trackers. Athletes on the team have tracked their steps using the Vivofit range, which has been useful for athlete and coach alike, in determining when to reintroduce load. Significantly, coaches have found at least two instances in the current cycle where the tracking of steps has resulted in interventions to help avert the risk of relapse.

Targeted preparation

With British Triathlon always looking to lead the field, any advantage that the Great Britain Triathlon Team can gain is hugely beneficial. The team have been tracking race performances over the last few years, with a focus on the 2015 Rio Test Event, using the Garmin Edge paired with Vector pedal-based power meters. With the data they’ve gathered, British Triathlon have been able to set up some specific cycling sessions to aid preparations for 2016. Whilst British Triathlon would not impart specific details, this training has provided a significant advantage in race preparation.

The Garmin VIRB XE and Vector Pedals have helped with specific training around the Rio 2016 course

What the team can share is that the athletes have been using footage taken on a Garmin VIRB XE during turbo training sessions to help them visualise specific sections of the bike course. The VIRB XE has also been used in a more focused way for technique analysis, with two of the medal hopefuls having used footage from their training session in St Moritz to hone their descending skills. This has produced improvements in their technique and helped them become more comfortable with higher speeds – which will aid them when in the pressurised environment of an Olympic Games.

Understanding your own data can help you beat your own personal best

So, whether you are aiming to be the best in the World, or just trying to #BeatYesterday, using data gained from your own training could help you push to the next level. Great Britain Triathlon Team Head Coach Ben Bright said; “British Triathlon have definitely benefited from our relationship with Garmin. Providing athletes and coaches with product that helps us all review, monitor and plan for both training and competition is invaluable, and one of the things that helps us in our aim to be the best prepared team on the start line.” British Triathlon continue to try and push the boundaries of performance to help maintain their lofty position in World Triathlon.