Archive for the ‘Race reports’ Category

While Alistair Brownlee stole the headlines at the Triathlon World Championships with his epic duel against Javier Gomez, a host of other British athletes were also adding to the medal collections in the age group and paratriathlon events. Chris Goodwin finished 2^nd in his event and shares his story here.

It was ten minutes past six and dawn must have happened as the sky was now turning from black to grey.  Rain fell heavily onto the saturated grass that was transition.  It had been raining hard for twenty-four hours without stopping and there was an inch of standing water.  There was also just twenty minutes left to get everything set up for the paratriathlon World Championship race.  The bus that had brought Alex and I, plus the other paratriathletes and guides, helpers, friends and family from our accommodation had been late bringing us to the race start.  Things were not ideal.

Date: 15 August 2010

Location: Bedford

Format: Olympic Distance (1.5k swim/41.5k bike/ 10k run). Mini distance also available.

Organiser: Galeforce Events

Website: www.galeforce-events.com

The quiet, unassuming town of Bedford seems an unlikely venue for one of the most competitive events of the season. In contrast to some of the mass participation events such as London or Windsor, Bedford attracts a smaller contingent of athletes (but still significant at around 600 people), but many of those who compete are among the best in the country for their respective age groups.

This year they came because the race doubled as both the National Age Group championships and as part of the National Series. In previous years the race has been a qualifier for World or European Championships.

These athletes expect a slick event over a testing but fair course. They weren’t disappointed.

Race HQ is in a scenic park along the banks of the River Great Ouse, where the swim takes place. The swim presents a couple of unique challenges. Firstly, the river through Bedford is relatively narrow so the swim start was unusually congested as triathletes battled for the best line. On top of that, the organisers only allowed five minutes between waves, which was simply not enough. The fastest swimmers from the later waves tended to hit the mid pack of the preceding wave at the only turning point.

What goes up...

Date: 8 August 2010

Location: Hawes/Semerwater, North Yorkshire

Format: Equivalent to a Middle Distance (1800m lake swim, 42 mile hilly bike, 12 mile fell run)

Organiser: Kudu Bikes Triathlon Club

Website: http://www.kbtc.co.uk/

Wensleydale triathlon is a small sized event held around the market town of Hawes in the Yorkshire Dales. Given its low key nature and bucolic surroundings, you could be led into thinking that the race might consist of a gentle day out in the countryside. However, the race has a well deserved reputation for being one of the toughest in the country: the bike route has numerous 25% climbs and rapid descents, and the run consists of getting to the top of Yorkshire’s 3^rd highest hill! Anyone competing is bound to require plenty of Yorkshire Grit (or their regional equivalent…) just to get round.

Sheep or triathletes?

James Gill, who finished 12^th in the sub 2hr30 wave, sent us this report on the London Triathlon.

Date: Sunday 8^th August 2010

Format: Olympic distance:1500m Swim / 40km Cycle / 10km Run

Organiser: Challenger World

Website: www.thelondontriathlon.co.uk

The spectacle of the London Triathlon never fails to excite. This was the 7^th time I have raced there, 5 times previously as an elite, last year as the swimmer for the Bangkok Lady Boys relay team and this year for the first time as an age grouper. Having been through medical school since last doing the Olympic course I was looking forward to returning to the London Triathlon with its revamped route. Would the run still be as “fast” as the old course?

I think the one thing that strikes me each year above anything else at the London Triathlon is the number of bikes in transition. Nowhere else in the world is there such a gathering of triathletes competing in one place. This attracts just about every major triathlon retailer to the expo. My friends at Total Fitness were there, as were Speedo who had brought and endless pool for so their new TriathELITE wetsuits could be tried on the spot. I enquired if the pool had a jacuzzi setting for after my race……. they agreed to look into it for next year!!

Image: Brett Hochfeld

Challenger World claim the London Triathlon to be the world’s largest and there’s no doubt it attracts thousands of competitors and spectators. This August the crowds seemed better managed than in previous years. Parking was available for all competitors at the venue compared to the gravel strewn wasteland a 20 minute walk away that was on offer last year, although still irritatingly expensive at £15. The tailbacks to approach the ExCel centre were also considerably shorter than usual. We don’t know however whether this was due to improved planning or simply luck.

The most notable change though was the reconfigured layout of the transition and expo areas and the new four-lap run route. The fresh combination seemed to work a lot better than the old setup, enabled faster transitions and reduced congestion approaching the swim start. The swim route was also reversed in direction making it easier for spectators to watch competitors battling out the mass start. We liked that the market buoys were bright yellow this year instead of dark blue as they have been on other occasions.

Editor’s note: Matt Jones wrote this report for T-Zero before we heard about the death of Steve Newton, who died after getting into difficulties during the swim section of the event. On hearing the news we questioned whether or not we should publish this story as Matt’s positive experience jarred with the sombre outcome of the day. We decided to go ahead because, judging from the comments in the organiser’s statement on the tragedy (republished below), we felt Steve would not have wanted to jeopardise the future running of what sounds like a superb event, and we hope our reports help triathletes make informed decisions about which events they enter.

Unfortunately triathlon, like many other activities, does involve risks. It also brings many benefits, particularly in terms of fitness, health and lifestyle. It’s quite possible the risks of not doing triathlon (or other physical activity) outweigh the risks of taking part. Deaths are thankfully rare. When they do occur, they remind us of the need to look after ourselves and each other. No doubt there are plenty of 40 something men out there thinking, ‘that could have been me’.

Date: 27 June 2010

Location: Ellesmere, Shropshire

Format: Olympic Distance

Organiser: Shropshire Council

Results: StuWeb Race Timing

After weeks complaining about numb feet and becoming increasingly fed up with racing in the cold and rain, along comes a scorcher. As temperatures at the Shropshire triathlon approaching 30 degrees one competitor found it all too much and ended up with a disqualification for nudity. Unfortunately we don’t have a picture to go with it. As the final qualifying event for the age-group World Championships in Budapest later this year, the event also witnessed plenty of hot racing.

The course has a reputation for being fast and, looking at the times, this seems to be the case. Tom Sturdy (Team Nemesis GB) finished first in 1.53.55 (winning himself a mountain bike in the process), closely followed by Colin Dixon (competing in the 40-44 age category!) and James Ratcliffe. First woman home was Holly Lawrence (Swansea University) in 2.09.27, then Catherine Pickthall and Jennifer Eilertsen. Holly also won herself a mountain bike.

"I won"

Andy Collier (pictured) of Cambridge University Triathlon Club sent us in this report from the Dambuster Triathlon. It sounds like a great race.

Date: 19 June 2010

Location: Rutland Water, Leicestershire

Format: Olympic Distance

Organiser: Pacesetter Events

Website: www.pacesetterevents.com

The Dambuster triathlon has become a popular triathlon in the Midlands, being particularly well known for its hilly bike route which includes the infamous ‘Rutland Ripple’. 1000 spaces are available and these were all snapped up well in advance of race day. The race HQ and transition are located on the northern edge of the Rutland Water reservoir, an area well suited for running a triathlon event, with no obstacles and easy access to the swim, bike and run courses, as well as good facilities and plenty of parking (which is free owing to a handy permit in the race pack!).

With this year’s Dambuster counting as a qualifier for the ITU age group world championships there were a lot of strong athletes competing, all eager to prove their worth and earn the right to race in GBR kit in Budapest in September. This lead to a fast field – though there were plenty of more ‘normal’ people who had simply come to challenge themselves on a course with a well deserved reputation for being pretty tough.

Date: 12 June 2010

Location: Windsor, Berkshire

Format: Sprint and Olympic Distance formats

Organiser: Human Race

Website: www.humanrace.co.uk

“Worthington worthy Windsor winner” was almost too good a headline to ignore, but Windsor’s famous 20 year old triathlon is so much bigger than the race between some of the UK’s best known triathletes. Besides, at T-Zero we had a special interest in the four triathletes who won places at Windsor through our competition sponsored by Speedo.

The Windsor Triathlon attracts thousands of entrants from first timers to seasoned age-groupers and sells out within days. It is one of the most popular events on the triathlon calendar and it’s easy to see why: stylish location, tough but fair course and fantastic organisation.

One of the great things about open water swimming is that every occasion provides a unique set of challenges. As well as dodging puzzled swans, the Windsor swim section offers competitors the choice between a direct route up the centre of the river, a longer route hugging the banks or anything in-between. With the first 900m of the race heading upstream, making the right choice could make the difference between a good or bad swim.

Date: 6 June 2010

Location:  Emberton Country Park, Buckinghamshire

Format: 750m swim / 20km bike / 5km run

Organiser: Big Cow

Website: www.big-cow.com

Last week we reported on the National Sprint Triathlon championships. Swimming, cycling and running alongside (and in fact totally integrated into the event) was the Oxford versus Cambridge Varsity Triathlon challenge. Matt Jones of Cambridge University Triathlon Club sent us in this report.

Reigning varsity triathlon champions, Oxford, had their cage rattled early this year when Cambridge won the varsity wave at the Big Cow Duathlon. In fact, Cambridge’s convincing victory included winning both the first team and mob match categories for both the men and the women. Could Cambridge repeat this success over three disciplines?

The preseason duathlon success for was a sure sign of intent from the Cantabs, backed up with some promising early season form in the shape of a smashed half-marathon personal best from club secretary Andy Collier in the Cambridge Boundary Run and a top twenty finish in British University and Colleges Sport (BUCS) sprint triathlon for varsity duathlon 2010 winner Alex Young.