This was my first middle distance event and I loved it. 

The athlete briefing that really detailed, to the point of advising which gear to rack your bike in, as there is a small hill as soon as you exit the transition. There were a few small discrepancies between the athlete guide and the information on the website, but all of this was explained in the detailed race briefing.

We arrived by car, but I think there were shuttles organised for athletes between Haugesund airport and the main hotels in town. They also organised shuttle buses from all the main hotels up to the swim start, every 15/20min in the morning.

Registration was really easy, and right next to the expo, in one of the hotels by the harbour. 

They ran several race briefings, both in English and Norwegian. These were really detailed and went through all aspects of the race, including most quesions you might have about the event. 

The transition area was great. We had two full astro turf pitches. The men were on one pitch, and the women on the other pitch. As there the bikes and between the racks, if felt like pure luxury. There was lots of space for the men as well. I was told that there would be several pumps dotted about in transition. Race morning I arrived quite early to check everything and get myself ready. I wanted to check the tyre pressure, but rather than having to look for the pump, one of the volunteers was standing off to one side, and at few people had lined up, waiting to have their tyres pumped, all sorted in less than 5 minutes. There were plenty of portaloos in several places in transition as well, and never any major queue, that I noticed.

One month before the event the city had enjoyed sunshine and summer temperatures, but come race day we were not so lucky. Race day morning was a chilly 10 C, and 15 C in the water. As a result, the swim course was shortened by a few hundred meters. The swim takes place in a lake next to a sports complex, which provides an excellent location for transition. Due to the size of the lake, the swim course doubles in on itself a few times. The different 'lanes' created by th is course were delineated with different colored ropes and buoys and bigger turn buoys, but there were sections were I did find it confusing to sight, and where I ended up sight. A few other people I spoke to found this difficult too, but I think that was the only criticism for the event. Someone had suggested an Australian exit, but this might not work because of the rolling start. 

It was the first time I'd taken part in the rolling start. People were split according to their anticipated finish times, and I did put myself in the right group. I think a lot more people added themselves to the group later on, and therefore it was an unusual experience to have a lot of people swimming past me who had started later, but there was never anyone swimming too close or any elbows or shoving etc. We all ligned up quite a while before the start of the race and we were all still standing in the transtion area when the pros started, which was a shame, but there really isn't enough space to have everyone down by the water before the start. The atmosphere at the start, even so early in the morning was great, and you couldn't help but smile, even in the cold.

After the swim, there were more volunteers waiting as 'wetsuit strippers,' which I tried just for fun! Then into the change tent and out onto the bike. Because of the chilly temperatures, it was difficult to decide what to wear. I decided on the Fusion speed top in addition to my trisuit, and compression socks, which I would have worn anyway. I spoke to some people in transition, who were going going all out with wool socks, base layers hats, etc. I thought they would be too hot. The first 30km or so were chilly and a bit wet, but after that the sun came out (as well as the wind), and i was glad I'd not added more layers than that.

The bike course was one loop through the beautiful Norwegian countryside. There were hills, lakes, sea, horses, and other farm animals, and at every farm or cluster of houses, the people were out cheering, waving flags and sometimes even singing, even in the rain. It was great having such encouragement and support. The course was a lot more rolling than I would have expected from the course profile on the website, but luckily I had a similar amount of climbing in most of my training rides. The main difference being that the quality of the road surface was much better than in the UK. There was a section that I understand was less pleasant to ride in previous years, but this had been recently repaved. 

A lot of other people were starting their bike leg at the same time as me, so there were times when the road got quite crowded. Another thing I've heard from other races, is that people don't seem to understand that they need to drop back if they are overtaken, to avoid drafting. I did overhear someone saying that it was quite difficult to avoid drafting, but not many people were making efforts to create the space where needed. This did eventually even out though. 

After dropping off the bike into transition, there run heads down into the city center and along the harborfront, which is where the finish shute is located and where most of the supporters are lined up and cheering you on. The run is a two-loop course, which doubles back on itself. I don't normally like that sort of course as much, but this allowed them to put the aid stations in the middle of the road and to it meant that you were encouraged or could shout encouragement at other athletes coming in the other direction. While the support did thin out the further you got from the center, there were still frequent support. The last long stretch on the second lap was a slight downhill as well, which really helped, but there is a small loop at the end of this before you can turn around and head towards the finish. There was such an amazing atmosphere and so many friendly people I was smiling nearly the whole way. I was definitely glad to cross the finish line though, to get some food and a well-deserved, wonderful massage. It was well worth the wait.

The volunteers along the course were amazing, so helpful and friendly, just fantastic.

We stayed at the hotel Amanda, right on the harbour and a couple of hundred meters from the finish. Great service, the staff were so friendly, and the receptionist we'd been chatting to the night before even came out to cheer me on as I was going past the hotel! They also have a buffet dinner, free to all guests, and a wide range of food for breakfast. And every afternoon guests can enjoy Norwegian waffles! As I wasn't sure what we would find and what we would find I'd prepared food that I took with me, which I was able to heat up in the restaurant as well. 

A fantastic event, I loved it and would definitely recommend it.