Trigirl uses ECONYL® for a truly sustainable triathlon clothing collection.

Starting with our 2017 collection, Trigirl began using a new, high-performance fabric, made from ECONYL® regenerated nylon yarn. ECONYL® is an innovative fibre produced with discarded nylon consumer products such as carpets and fishing nets.

“Eco-friendly” or “recycled” are big buzzwords these days, but prior to introducing ECONYL® into our line, we did our research. We wanted to ensure that our eco-friendly fabric would truly have a reduced impact on the environment, and, very importantly, still maintain the high-performance qualities our customers have grown to expect.
Excitingly, this fabric achieves both!

According to the ECONYL® website: ‘… [ECONYL®] want to rewrite the rules for producing man-made fibres. The goal is to manufacture products that are not only entirely made of regenerated material, but are fully and endlessly regenerable.’ Which sounds pretty good to us!

Our new eco-friendly fabric comes from our most trusted fabric manufacturer, the number-one supplier of technical performance fabrics in Italy. They have supplied high-quality performance fabrics for our trisuits for years. They have now worked with ECONYL® yarns to create an equally amazing and environmentally-friendly fabric.

A win-win that enables us to bring you truly eco-friendly triathlon clothing!!

For more information about ECONYL® yarns, click here.

sustainable triathlon clothing

Team Trigirl has always been proud to develop triathlon clothing for women, by women. Our kit is exclusive to Trigirl and we carefully curate the items within our small collection to bring you the best triathlon kit out there. But what inspires us, what is important to us in our designs and how do we come up with ideas for the trisuits that you love?

As athletes, we are always thinking about the kit that we want to wear.

Performance-wise, we want it all – the fabric has to dry quickly to avoid being cold and wet and a comfortable pad for the cycling leg is MANDATORY. That same pad has to feel like it magically disappears when it’s time to run.

Of course, we also like to look good wearing it! We design triathlon clothing that is made just for women, so it fits well, isn’t some shrunken-down version of what someone designed for a guy and looks great. We firmly believe that we’re faster when we feel confident!

What inspires us?

In developing our new designs each year, we start by looking at what has worked in the past. We want a fresh look, but the main objectives are still what works technically and what our customers loved/ what’s worked for them.
That said, when designing, it’s always exciting to see what’s “next”. Design trends and inspiration can come from fitness and ready-to-wear markets, art, a fantastic print or our new favourite fabric colours for the season!

Of course, we are also inspired by our Trigirl customer. We listen to your feedback and implement it in our designs. Items like our triathlon capris and larger cup-size tops have come directly from what we’ve heard from you!

What’s next for Trigirl?

We’re still loving the prints-in-athletic-wear trend, so you’ll see some beautiful (and trend-right) prints in our upcoming season. Plus we’re excited to be adding in a couple of swimsuits with a Trigirl twist.

In our entire collection, you’ll get the same well-fitting, gorgeous and high-performing pieces that you expect from us. And, of course, in our trisuits, you can expect our ongoing commitment to fit, form and function- triathlon clothing that performs.

Want to show your triathlon pride, even when you’re not racing or training? Looking for an extra layer to wear pre- and post-race? How about one (or more!) of our new Trigirl Triathlon T-shirts?

Our new T-shirts are soft, stylish and feature a female triathlete swimming, cycling and running. The perfect way to show your triathlon love and your tri-girl power!

In two styles and three colour choices, Trigirl Triathlon T-shirts are 100% cotton or a super-soft cotton-poly blend, depending on style. Great for when you’re recovering– or just relaxing! Each T-shirt coordinates with Trigirl capris and  tri shorts, too, so putting together the perfect outfit is a snap!

A beginner’s guide to open water swimming

One of the questions that I hear most, both working at Trigirl and as a triathlon coach, is some form of, ‘How do I transition from the pool into the open water? How do I escape the pool?!’

It’s a valid question: many triathletes already feel that swimming is their worst sport, then add the stress of jumping into a strange lake or sea, wearing a wetsuit… guidance is needed!

At Trigirl, we’ve published some great articles and blogs on open water swimming. We have coached swimmers and have done a fair share of open water swimming ourselves. But even we can’t claim to be at the expert level of Outdoor Swimmer Magazine.

Outdoor Swimmer Magazine is a great place to catch up on tips and techniques for the new and experienced swimmer alike. They offer training and nutrition tips, suggestions on great places to travel to enjoy outdoor swimming, and a glimpse into the open water swimming community.

And for those of you who are wondering how to make the transition from the pool to the open water, Outdoor Swimmer Magazine have released their FREE Escape the Pool guide. It is packed with tips on gear, how to become more confident and wetsuit advice. The Escape the Pool Guide provides tons of answers to your open water swimming questions, written by the open water experts!

Outdoor Swimmer say, ‘For many people, swimming outside is incredibly daunting. It induces panic rather than exhilaration and joy. Or you just don’t know where to start. We’ve therefore produced this short guide to help you start on your own outdoor swimming journey which will take you to places and give you experiences that you never imagined.’ Sounds great!

For your free copy of Escape the Pool, click here.

Happy Training (and open water swimming!)

Coach Kristin x

Open water swimming guide

To the Finish Line – A World Champion’s Guide to Your Perfect Race by Chrissie Wellington


Chances are if you’re a triathlete, thinking about trying triathlon or have followed sports news in the slightest, you have heard of Chrissie Wellington. Well, four-time Ironman World Champion, Chrissie, has released her second book!

This time, she draws on her own experiences to help YOU navigate, and excel at, your first (or 100th) triathlon. Lucky you!!!

And now, you’re even luckier! We have three copies of To the Finish Line to give away!! To enter, just like our Facebook page (@Trigirl.UK) then let us know why you want/really want/absolutely NEED a copy.

To the Finish Line covers a plethora of topics, ranging from fitting triathlon into your busy life to nutrition advice, all in a relaxed, readable way.

Hopefully everyone is in full swing with training now that the weather is improving, but even the most committed triathlete could use some tips from Chrissie. We can especially recommend some of the less-covered-by-other-triathlon-books topics, such as strength and conditioning tips by six-time World Champion, Dave Scott. Or check out  actual recipes that Chrissie has used during training and in everyday life.

Of course, there are also easy-to-read training plans and advice on how to get the most out of your swim, bike and run training and how to be your fastest on race day.

Want to know more? We’ve read To the Finish Line and share our thoughts in our latest book review.

To read our review of To the Finish Line, click here.

To let us know why you are one of the three lucky people who gets a FREE copy, like us on Facebook @Trigirl.UK and comment in the post! Entries close on 12th June 2018.

Arm Warmers Review – Trigirl blogger Jemima tests out this essential piece of spring cycling kit

Trigirl Arm Warmers: “a MUST HAVE piece of kit”

arm warmers reviewWhoever came up with the idea for arm warmers must have lived in a topsy-turvy climate like the UK and  was a genius! They are such a versatile bit of cycle kit.

Arm warmers act as an extra layer for freezing winter days and are great for those ‘too cold to start off, boiling hot midway through’ rides. Easy on/ easy off arm warmers have been a lifesaver for me so many times! They are also a great way to extend use of your summer kit- making fave summer jerseys long-sleeved in a snap!

Unfortunately, for such a simple piece of clothing, arm warmers seem to be pretty tricky to get right. Too tight, too baggy, too cool, too warm, not long enough…

No more!

This week I had the chance to try out Tri Girl’s Cosy Cycling Arm Warmers in Black/ Hi- Viz Pink. 

I really liked the style and look of them (the reflective logo is also a bonus!)

These warmers use gripper bonding at the top to hold them up comfortably and securely. They’re also easy to take off (even whilst moving!) and they will fit neatly into your back-jersey pocket. They stayed up well and didn’t rub or chafe at any point.

Trigirl warmers are toasty and warm. The soft insides feel nice on the skin and help to keep the heat in… important for British spring time!

Trigirl arm warmers come in two sizes. I chose small and they were a tiny bit big for my titchy arms, but when my other cycling buddies wanted to give them a try they fit perfectly. For most, sizing shouldn’t be a problem as the stretchy material helps them fit a range of sizes (and makes them comfortable to wear). I do have fairly long arms- these were the first pair of arm warmers that I have found that can actually give me full-length coverage (another bonus!)

Trigirl arm warmers are a definite MUST HAVE piece of kit for your year-round activewear wardrobe!  

Buy your set of Trigirl arm warmers in our online shop here.

Read more from university student and ambitious age group triathlete Jemima Cooper here.

Trigirl’s High-Intensity Triathlon Training – Descending Intervals Bike Session

Trigirl’s HITT (High Intensity Triathlon Training) sessions are back by popular demand! (HITT is a hit!) This week, we’re back on the bike for a scorcher session that will increase both your aerobic and anaerobic capabilities and burn loads of calories in minutes!!

Before beginning… If you’re new to Trigirl’s weekly high-intensity triathlon training, see week one for more information on HITT, how it works and how to approach the sessions.

Though high-intensity triathlon training has been proven safe, if you are starting a new exercise plan (whether traditional triathlon training or HITT), it’s always a good idea to speak with your doctor.

Your HITT Session for the Week:

This session can be performed indoors or out. Outdoors is best, though if the weather isn’t very cycling-friendly, you are forgiven if you can’t bear to ride outside.

If you are training indoors, it’s recommended that you ride on a turbo trainer, Wattbike or spin bike, with a typical gym bike being the least-recommended option. (The closer that you can train to your actual bike set-up, the better!)

We’ve adapted this session from Olympic coach Gale Bernhardt’s “miracle intervals”, originally published on Bicycling.com. If the long recoveries seem a bit much, do them anyway. They’ll allow you to go “ALL OUT!” doing the fast intervals for maximum HITT benefits.


Warm-up for 8 minutes:
– 5 minutes gentle spinning, making sure that you have enough resistance not to bounce in the saddle.
– 3 minutes – add a gear or two, then ride 3 x [30 seconds spinning your legs up to the fastest cadence you can spin without bouncing, followed by 30 seconds easy recovery]

  • 45 seconds all-out fast with 4:30 easy recovery
  • 40 seconds all-out fast with 4:25 easy recovery
  • 35 seconds all-out fast with 4:20 easy recovery
  • 30 seconds all-out fast with 4:15 easy recovery

Cool down, riding another five minutes in an easy gear (still not bouncing!)

Well done and…


Happy HITT training!

High-Intensity Triathlon Training

Try Pilates for all kinds of triathlon benefits!

We all know that triathlon is a really cool sport. Yes, people swim, bike and run, but put them together and something unique and special is created. And no one can say that training for a triathlon is boring! Triathlon’s training diversity is what attracts so many people to the sport.

Unfortunately, it’s also what often puts triathletes at high risk of postural imbalances, muscle strains and over-use injuries.

This is where a fourth discipline, Pilates for triathletes, comes in. New Trigirl blogger and qualified Pilates instructor, Jemima Cooper, recommends Pilates as a way to keep muscles lean, balanced and injury-free, with the added benefit of some free speed in your next tri!

Pilates for triathletes is one of the most effective forms of body maintenance and injury avoidance, so why not add Pilates to your training today?

See Jemima’s article here for Pilates exercises that you can do in less than 10 minutes at home and more advice about Pilates for triathletes!

Novice Training Day on 9th of June in Northwood

The amazing coaches at Tri50 and novice-training experts GoTri are teaming up this summer to offer a fully-coached triathlon training day!

Are you a novice triathlete preparing for your first event? Do you want to build your confidence and improve your technique for the OW swim? Or maybe you’d like more of a clue what happens on the big day? This triathlon training day will answer these questions and many more.

Sandra from Tri50 will be leading the course, drawing on her wealth of knowledge as a British Triathlon Federation Level 3 Coach, L4 Personal Trainer and IRONMAN Coach (to name a few of her qualifications!)

What should you expect?

  • 60 mins fully coached OW swim – perfect for less confident or inexperienced swimmers
  • Sessions on cycle/run technique
  • Transition training
  • Classroom sessions on kit, training plans, sports nutrition and hydration plus Q&A
  • An opportunity to put everything together in preparation for the big day

Though Trigirl isn’t running our own women’s training day this year, we’ve worked with Tri50 for years, including as coaches on previous training days. Jo from Tri50 also runs women specific triathlon training groups and wrote about it for us here.

Despite it not being women-only, we can highly recommend this course as a great way to gain the skills and confidence you need for your first triathlon.

The training day costs £50 and will take place on Saturday, 9th June at the lovely Merchant Taylor’s School in Moor Park (near Watford). It can be booked through the British Triathlon website.

Trigirl’s High-Intensity Triathlon Training. Today is High-Intensity Swim Day!

This HITT – high-intensity swim session will help build strength and increase your aerobic and anaerobic thresholds in very little time. If it feels tough – good! The results are worth it and you can do it!!

Getting Started

If you’re new to Trigirl’s weekly HITT training, see our introduction for more information on HITT. Here we explain how it works and how to approach the sessions. Though high-intensity training has been proven safe, if you are starting a new exercise plan (whether traditional triathlon training or HITT), it’s always a good idea to speak with your doctor.

Your HITT Session for the Week:

This high-intensity swim session has longer intervals than our last HITT swim session, but try to keep up the intensity. For the sprint intervals, the goal is efforts around 90% of MHR (maximum heart rate). It should feel HARD. If you’re training without a heart rate monitor, think ‘all out’.

You may need to gradually build speed and endurance over a few weeks, but don’t give up!


Warm-up (10mins):
5 minutes, easy swim
3 minutes front crawl, increasing speed gradually throughout

2 minutes, changing between front crawl and kicking every length



Interval Set:
Sprint 50 metres (2 lengths), swim slowly (active recovery) one length, repeat four times
Sprint 1 length kicking hard (no arms), active recovery one length, repeat four times
Sprint 25 metres, active recovery 25 metres, sprint 25 metres, active recovery 25 metres. Rest at the wall for 20 seconds, repeat four times.

Cool Down (5 minutes):
2 lengths easy kicking

Swim easy for the remaining time, mixing breaststroke, backstroke and front crawl


Happy HITT training!

High-Intensity Swim Training - Trigirl HITT

Quadrathlon. For when three disciplines just aren’t enough!

Trigirl are delighted to be sponsoring the women-only sprint triathlon Deva Divas again in 2018. This will be the 11th year of the event which aims to encourage women into the sport of triathlon. It’s a brilliant event with an impressive pedigree. In 2016 it won the coveted British Triathlon ‘Event of the Year’, Triathlon England ‘Club Event of the Year’ and North West ‘Regional Race of the Year’!

As if that wasn’t enough, last year, organisers Sally Napthen and Jean Ashley decided to offer their competitors another challenge. The first ever ladies only quadrathlon IN THE WORLD was born!

Of course, the female triathlete community love being out of their comfort zone. As a result the 30 available places for the inaugural 2017 quadrathlon were snapped up in a matter of days. The event consisted of a 750m swim, 25k bike and 5k run followed by a 4k kayak. Competitors were offered the opportunity to take part in a 12-week canoe course at Chester Canoe Club as part of the quadrathlon training package.

Deva Divas TriathlonAnne Collins, who took part in last year’s race, said that the kayak training was, for her, almost as much fun as the race itself. “The women came from a complete cross section of backgrounds but shared a common goal. We were all rooting for each other and, having trained together as well, we shared a really strong bond”

For those of you tempted to give quadrathlon a go, sadly all 50 places for this year’s event are already taken but there is a waiting list!

The good news is that there are still places left for the main Deva Divas triathlon race which takes place on Sunday 8th July at The Meadows, Chester.

Deva Divas has a unique atmosphere. The emphasis is on fun and encouraging women to give achievable, short distance races a try. Something we at Trigirl wholeheartedly agree with.

Most participants stay to watch and cheer the other women over the line and the day finishes with cake for all. Now you can’t say fairer than that!

Check out the Chester Triathlon Club website for more information on the race and how to enter.

Deva Divas Quadrathlon

Tri50 Swim- and Triathlon Training Camps for Mature Triathletes

If you’re a mature triathlete of any standard, it’s worth taking a look at the triathlon training camp that Tri50 is running in spring this year.

There is a swim camp that will run from Mon 23rd April to Sat 28th 2018. The triathlon training camp will then follow on from 29th April to Sun 6th May 2018. You can also do the combined camp from Mon 23rd April to Sat 6th May with a rest day on Sat 28th.

The camps will take place at the stunning Sands Beach Resort Lanzarote where, guess what ladies, there’s a good chance it will be warm!

More details can be found on the Tri50 website . The camps include underwater filming, 1-1 corrective analysis and feedback, and a personalised comprehensive 6 week training program to take home. There will also be various presentations, workshops and sessions on S&C and core strength.

Trigirl were lucky enough to catch up with coach Jo Lewis to find out more about the camps.

Jo said “We had a ball at the last camp in November and are really looking forward to more of the same in April. Last time all 14 people on the camp made every session throughout the week which was fantastic. I’d encourage anyone who is considering coming along to pick up the phone and have a chat. I can explain what’s involved and answer any questions you have and if you can’t make the whole week we’ll try and accommodate your needs”

We’d love to hear how you get on. Don’t forget to share your camp experiences with us when you get back home.

More about the Tri50 coaches

swim and triathlon training camps Tri50Jo Lewis co-founded Tri50 in 2010 with a vision to inspire and nurture mature athletes. Far from winding down in her forties and fifties, she was just hitting her stride and ultimately achieved her fastest 10k and half marathon times age 47.

Jo took up triathlon in 1998 and has since achieved several podium finishes at national level including being National Age Group Champion at Sprint Distance. She has also captained the GB Age Group Team and won multiple medals at international level.

As if her own personal achievements weren’t enough to inspire us to get up off the sofa and get out there, she, along with her coaching partner Sandra Barden have made it their mission to offer practical help and training for mature athletes.

Their coaching is tailored to novice and advanced triathletes who are not yet ready to hang up their trainers.

Trigirl’s HITT Training – High Intensity Run Session

This HITT run session will help build strength and increase your aerobic and anaerobic thresholds in very little time. If it feels tough – good! The results are worth it and you can do it!!

Getting Started

If you’re new to Trigirl’s weekly HITT training, see our previous post for more information on HITT, how it works and how to approach the sessions. Though high-intensity training has been proven safe, if you are starting a new exercise plan (whether traditional triathlon training or HITT), it’s always a good idea to speak with your doctor.

Your HITT Session for the Week

For this high intensity run session, you will need a hill that will take you just less than 60 seconds to run up to complete this session. It should be a real hill, but not so steep that you can’t run it with good form.


Warm-up for 10 minutes:
– 8 minutes of gentle jogging
– 2 minutes or more of dynamic stretching to loosen joints and prepare them for the session

HITT the Hills! (See what we did there?)

Run up the hill at a 9 out of 10 effort for 60 seconds. Ideally, you will just crest the hill and have about 10 seconds on the flat at the top to practice running hard out of an uphill.
Jog or walk to recover down the hill, then immediately run back up.
Start with 3-4 hill repeats, ultimately building to 8-10.

Cool down with an easy run on the flat and with static stretches to ward off muscle soreness.


Happy HITT training!

Hound of Happiness book review – 52 ways to feel good

Hound of Happiness ReviewWith an introduction from Jake, and canine-companion to international mind-body coach, Kim Ingleby, Hound of Happiness, is an inspirational little book that will brighten anyone’s day.

Jake (a super-cute Staffy mixed-breed) and Kim offer up fifty-two active, positive quotes, which can be read in a sitting, over the course of a year or just when you need a little pick-me-up. You also get photos of Jake so it’s a great gift for dog lovers!

Hound of Happiness is a quick read and its tips come from someone who not only is an expert in positivity, but has practiced what she preaches.

In addition to being founder of Energised Performance, a Global Award Winning Mind and Body Consultancy, Kim has given a TEDx talk and worked with well-known sports and entertainment figures, such as Team GB and Strictly Come Dancing.

Kim has used her own positivity to help heal her brain after catching Weil’s disease swimming in open water. On each of the book’s pages, you get some insight into Kim’s strength and resilience, which she clearly wants to share.

At Trigirl, we’ve worked with Kim a long time, so we know first-hand that her positive mental coaching works. Although Hound of Happiness isn’t specifically about triathlon, we love how Kim’s quotes help to inspire us to stay motivated, and everyone (especially a hardworking triathlete) likes a little extra happiness!

Would you like to win your own copy of Hound of Happiness?

Simply tell us why you think you need a little extra inspiration and cheering up.

Entries close on the 18th of March 2018. We will give away a free copy to the three most convincing answers. To enter simply scroll down and post your entry in the comment box below.

Steve Trew is one of the best-known names in world triathlon and has coached medallists at European and World Championships. One intriguing fact about Steve is that all the athletes he has coached to World Championship titles have been female.

Trigirl wanted to find out what Steve could tell us about female triathletes; what makes us tick, what we find tough and what we can all be doing to get the most out of our training.

Do women struggle with any particular aspects of triathlon? Are there any areas women tend to neglect in training? Do you think women get better results if they train in a group? What changes have you seen in women’s triathlon?

These are just some of the questions we asked expert tri coach Steve Trew in our recent interview. Click here to read the full interview.

Steve has published a number of books to help triathletes achieve their sporting goals. The book “100 Essential Triathlon Sessions” that swim coach Dan Bullock co-authored with him is particularly useful to triathletes of all levels. The book features 100 sessions – 30 swim, 30 bike, 30 run and 10 brick – that have been developed and honed over many years and have proved effective in improving performance.

Asked if he had one piece of advice for the newbie triathlete, Steve replied:

Give it a go! What’s the worst that can happen?!

Expert tri coach Steve Trew
Tri coach Steve Trew with Marc Dragan commentating Sydney Olympics.