In this episode
Konstantinos Chatzigeorgiou is 27, lives in Volos and works as a swimming coach. He records a day after TRIMAN, where Jenny and George place him third in the men’s national middle-distance championship behind Panagiotis Polizos and Nikos Barboudis.
The conversation moves from competitive swimming and open water to his triathlon beginnings, technique work with Evdokia, running injuries and race dynamics when pursuing position as well as time.
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Detailed show notes
From the pool to the TRIMAN podium
He has swum since age four. Open water stands out; he recalls approximately 53:40 for 5 km at a European championship, without committing to the exact second. At Ironman Lanzarote, he reports a 47-minute swim and being the first age-grouper out of the water, although he did not finish the race.
He traces the triathlon spark to an event in Volos around 2012–2013. He started after his studies, using his brother Timos’s equipment; the race bike still belonged to his brother. His first official race after the pandemic was the 2021 Almiraman sprint: he was leading but was disqualified after going off course/littering, as they recount it.
Technique before the stopwatch
With Evdokia Papanikolaou—his partner, introduced by George as second at 3FAST—they put the stopwatch aside and worked on technique, swimming three times a week, rarely four. He says he saw improvement at 3–3.5 km a week, but not at 2.5. At 3FAST, she was approximately two minutes faster than the previous year over 750 m.
Concentration in the sea differs from the pool. Yesterday, he entered the water only once before the race. He prefers feeling speed in the water rather than using a drag suit. As a coach, he puts technique ahead of the clock.
Loving the bike, hurting on the run
Outdoor cycling is his favourite; he dislikes the trainer. Running does not come naturally. George says yesterday was his best run, better than Dubai 2022 at 4:07; Konstantinos agrees and says he had not run faster again between 2022 and 2026.
In 2025, he had IT-band trouble from February to September and spent around six months without running. He saw three doctors; one discussed surgery. Strength training helped him progress without an operation, but he raced with bone oedema in the hip and took a painkiller. He has trained with George for a few months.
Placing, not just time
He wanted a lead of around five minutes to feel safe against Polizos. His watch showed roughly 23:45 out of the water, with a gap close to 1:50. The standard behind him had risen. T1: Polizos 57″, Konstantinos 58.5″. T2: 41″ versus 1:15, including socks. Jenny says the first four men all went sub-4.
Next are a qualifying sprint at Lake Doxa, a half in the Czech Republic on 16 August alongside Evdokia’s first half, and the Olympic-distance Greek championship in October, which has not been announced. What stays with him is feeling rewarded this year after years when the work did not produce the result.
Key takeaways
- At the national middle-distance championship, placing is the target; time is an outcome rather than the plan.
- For age-groupers, technique in the water comes before the stopwatch; three sessions count when they contain volume and quality.
- Six months without running and hip oedema change pacing; communication with the coach needs to happen early.
- A good transition and strong bike are not enough if T2 and the run are lost through seconds and pain.
