T100 Triathlon Wollongong - Coach Rhianne Hughes Professional Debut

A week before the T100 event in Wollongong, Australia, I received an unexpected wildcard entry. The T100 format consists of a 2 km swim, 80 km bike, and 18 km run — and it’s part of one of the most competitive professional triathlon series in the world. Despite the late notice and the 10-hour time difference, it was an opportunity I simply couldn’t turn down.

Just a few days after getting the call, I was on a plane bound for Australia, knowing that racing on short notice and limited adaptation time would be a gamble worth taking.

In the days leading up to the race, we had the official briefing and course recces. This was a great chance to familiarise myself with the layout and conditions. The support from the event team was excellent — bike mechanics were available to assist with builds and maintenance, turbos were provided for pre-race spins, and transport to the pool and other training venues was well organised. The course itself looked exciting and challenging: a three-lap swim with a beach start and two Aussie exits, a six-lap 80 km bike course featuring a technical section, short climbs, and a fast out-and-back, followed by a five-lap undulating run.

"Unfortunately, I made a few tactical errors early on the bike, allowing the gap ahead to open up more than I’d planned, and I wasn’t able to close it. I focused on holding steady, consistent power and riding smart."

Race morning came quickly. I arrived at the venue a couple of hours before the start to set up transition and get in a proper warm-up. The conditions were warmer than expected, but the sea was calm, which made for a fair swim. I settled into a strong rhythm early, letting the faster swimmers go and finding myself leading a small group of three. I exited the water with two others, recording one of my best swim performances to date, and headed onto the bike with a relatively small deficit to the front — one of the smallest I’ve had in this calibre of field.

Unfortunately, I made a few tactical errors early on the bike, allowing the gap ahead to open up more than I’d planned, and I wasn’t able to close it. I focused on holding steady, consistent power and riding smart. Around the halfway point, I began struggling to keep my nutrition down, which made things more difficult. From there, I switched to a simplified strategy — sticking to gels and plain water to manage my stomach.

PGC1-Coaching's Rhianne Hughes being announced on the start line of the Wollongong T100 Triathlon event. This was Rhianne's first race on the T100 tour at professional level having got a late wildcard pick.

By the time I hit the run, my stomach had completely turned, and I knew it would be a grind to the finish. Typically, this is the part of the race where I come into my own, but today I had to shift my focus from performance to perseverance. I did everything I could to keep moving forward and was proud to cross the finish line knowing I’d given absolutely everything.

Initially, I was disappointed — knowing what I’m capable of when things come together. But reflection brings perspective. Professional sport doesn’t always go to plan, and every race brings lessons. I’m taking away the positives: a career-best swim, a strong bike effort, problem-solving under pressure, and the resilience to keep pushing when things weren’t ideal. These are the days that build a stronger athlete — and I’m already looking forward to putting those lessons to work in the next one.

Initially, I was disappointed — knowing what I’m capable of when things come together. But reflection brings perspective. Professional sport doesn’t always go to plan, and every race brings lessons. I’m taking away the positives: a career-best swim, a strong bike effort, problem-solving under pressure, and the resilience to keep pushing when things weren’t ideal. These are the days that build a stronger athlete — and I’m already looking forward to putting those lessons to work in the next one. I do believe jet lag played a big part in my stomach issues, and given the opportunity again I would need to eat even simpler than before and just have rice, honey, jam and banana the day before and day of the race. However, with the late c all up to the event I I have a few months before my next race to trial and error different products and speak to a nutritionist to fix my nutrition plan. 

This blog was written by Rhianne Hughes, a professional triathlete who works for PGC1-Coaching as both a Triathlon Coach and a Running Coach. Rhianne is also one of our coaches who leads our Workout Wednesday Sessions up in Leeds and has helped develop our Triathlon team especially in the longer distances. Having gained her Triathlon Coaching Qualifications through British Triathlon, Rhianne continues to support and develop athletes of all standards through her work at PGC1. If you are interested to work with Rhianne and develop your triathlon training get in touch with us via email on rhianne@pgc1coaching or book in a Free Triathlon Coaching Consultation here!