Triathlon Course: (1500m swim, 40K bike, 10K run)

The 1500m swim is about as ideal an open water swim as you will find anywhere. Castlewellan Lake boasts pristine waters and beautiful surroundings. As it's a relatively small lake, it will produce no more than a ripple even when it's windy.

The 40k bike course exits the Forest Park and takes the A50 towards Banbridge, with great views of the Mournes, if you have time to look up!

The entire bike course will be traffic-free for 2006 (except for any emergency access requirements)

The course is quite hilly, though none of the hills is long. As the course is two laps out-and-back, any hills you go up on the way out, you can fly down on the way back!

The 10k run course is two laps of a flat woodland path that surrounds the lake. There is only one very gentle rise at the far end of the lake. Otherwise, it too is as close to perfect as you'll get.

Please note all competitors should read the Race Briefing which provides details on all aspects of the event from registration to danger spots on the cycle.

Duathlon Course:

The duathlon will be based round the same transition area as the triathlon - beside the slipway at the end of the lake. The start will be beside transition. The first run will be two anticlockwise laps of a 600m course partly on grass and partly on paths. On leaving the start the competitors will go along the path to the main crossroads then turn left towards the castle. They will run uphill to the fork in the road where they will turn left and follow the path back toward transition. After the second lap they will put on their helmets, take their bikes from the transition racks, run to the bike mount line, then ride in a clockwise direction round the lake. The lakeside path has a good surface but is not smooth tarmac. It would not really be suitable for race bikes with drop handlebars. Mountain bikes or hybrids would be much better. They will then dismount, rack their bikes, take off their helmets and run one further lap of the run course.