can running alone maintain my tri fitness

I'd be more concerned about the swimming. Swimming is very much a technique thing and if you don't stick with it you'll lose that "feel" for the water quickly. Don't know about the UK but there are usually options for public pools in most cities here in the US that allow "walk-ins" for a small fee. I'd try to track down pools ahead of time and make a point of getting 1-2 swims in per week.

Check this out: www.swimmersguide.com

Edited by TH3_FRB 2006-05-11 6:41 PM

i'm with TH3_FRB.

you can definitely keep your fitness up by just running, but swimming is about efficiency first, not fitness. even if you run a sub 3h marathon you can't just jump into the pool and expect to swim a 20 min mile. swim training is a must.

i'd have some reservations about the biking, too. not as much as about the swimming, but it does use different muscles and in a different way. why is it that you could run but couldn't bike?

Depends on your experience with swimming. I was on the swim team in HS, which wasn't all that many years ago, so I could make it through the swim. Would I do my best? Most likely not, but I was able to get some pretty solid times swimming less than 20K yards all last year.
Most people don't have anywhere near the level of swim fitness to do that though.
As far as biking, also depends on your level of fitness. Maybe you could arrange to go on a bike ride/tour for part of the day with someone that you would be seeing over there?

Hmm
Funnily enough when I wrote the original question I was least worried about the swimming as it is my strength and the only sport I have been doing since a kid (not fast but confident).
Running is something I can just get out there and do wherever I am. Cycling on the otherhand is more difficult cos I will be moving around the country visiting various relations which will make any sort of bike hire impractical and also we will be spending a week of the trip on a canal trip where we will likely moor in the middle of nowhere (Ok so near a pub realistically) in areas I don't know so I think I will only feel comfortable running along towpaths.

hmm will have to think more about this one. I do have a reasonable base but I like to feel I am doing my best at things so don't want to do them for the sake of them.

Jackie

I think you can do it, especially if you put a lot of biking hours in while you're here. I would try to find a pool or open water area to at least do a few swims though.
I am in the same situation, actually.
I am going home to Russia for August and would like to do another tri in September. I am planning to bike like mad the first half of the summer. While there, I hope to be able to find a pool and maintain a couple swims per week and running a lot of course. Riding a bike is not an option because I am not shipping mine there and I don't think I can rent one, or couldn't afford it for a month anyway. Plus riding on roads there would be suicide anyway and there are no bike paths.
I am not really concerned though. I might not PR, but I know I can finish the bike leg in decent time by maintaining just running for a few weeks.