The British Triathlon Championships Liverpool is the pinnacle of the British Triathlon competition calendar. The weekend features British Championships for over 2000 age group triathletes, as well as championships for elite, youth, juniors and Paratriathletes. Over the two day festival of triathlon, the event hosts the pinnacle of triathlon competition in Great Britain. It will incorporate British Championships for age-group athletes, senior elite, youth elite, junior elite and paratriathlon.
All competitors race on closed roads in the heart of Liverpool in front of thousands of spectators. The race is supported by Liverpool City Council, and organised by Upsolut and British Triathlon, the team behind the PruHealth World Triathlon Grand Final London.
Robert Puestow, Managing Director, Upsolut Sports UK said: "The British Triathlon Championships is triathlon for everyone. While Britain's best triathletes come to Liverpool to compete for national titles, everyone is invited to take part in the separate Open Age Group Race. We are especially excited about the new relay format. It provides a fantastic opportunity for novices to do their first ever triathlon together in a team. And for the more experience triathletes it is an opportunity to team up with their club mates for a fun weekend in Liverpool."
Liverpool City Council's cabinet member for culture and tourism, Councillor Wendy Simon, said: "It is a real coup for the city to be hosting the British Triathlon Championships.
"Liverpool has a strong track record in staging major national and international events, and I'm sure this event will attract a huge number of competitors who will enjoy pushing themselves to the limit in the iconic surroundings of Liverpool's waterfront."
Volunteering Opportunities
Volunteers are the people who really make an event work, and make the experience for the athletes every bit more special.. British Triathlon is beginning the search for volunteers to be part of one of the highlights of the 2013 British Triathlon calendar. There are a number of roles available, there's always a great atmosphere at these events, and you can be part of it! In addition you will receive a race crew t-shirt and a packed lunch.
The event will be held over the weekend of the 13th & 14th July 2013, volunteers will be required throughout each day to help with the event build, and also for the race itself. Our volunteers will be given training to perform their roles, and will work in teams to make the event run smoothly.
Roles available
Bike Course Marshals
Run Course Marshals
Transition & Site Marshals
Registration Team
Water Station Team
Finish area Marshals
Build and de-rig helpers
The event will be held over the weekend of the 13th & 14th July 2013, volunteers will be required throughout each day to help with the event build, and also for the race itself.
REGISTER YOUR INTEREST HERE: www.britishtriathlon.org/liverpool/volunteers
Volunteering: British Triathlon Championships Liverpool
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Calling young, triathlete artists...!
Royal Berkshire Festival Of Sport: T Shirt Design Competition
F3 Events (www.f3events.co.uk) need your help! We ordered some T Shirts for our races this year, but the printers made a mistake and they came back plain old white. DISASTER.
We need you to rack your brains and fill in this blank T Shirt with the best design you can think of. Bright and bold will look the best – the rest is up to you!
The winning design will be made into real T Shirts and they will be given out to all the children who compete in our Scootathlon at the Royal Berkshire Festival of Sport on August the 24th.
This competition is open to children of all ages up to 12. The winner will receive a complimentary T Shirt and a gift voucher for F3 Events.
You have until the 10th May at noon to submit your designs. Please send a scanned copy to alice@f3events.co.uk (you can ask your parents to do this bit for you). Don’t forget to include your name, age, phone number and email address if you have one.
Good luck. We are counting on you!
(To enter the Royal Berkshire Festival of Sport, which has a multitude of events for adults and children, please go to www.f3events.co.uk/general/royal-berkshire-festival-of-sport)
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Human Race announce 2013 Triathlon schedule
Human Race, the UK's largest organiser of mass participation sports events, have announced their Triathlon event calendar for the 2013 season. With many familiar and popular events returning, there are also some new events including the Wiggle Tri Challenge on 26th May.
The early season schedule sees the return of some old favourites including the Eton Super Sprints on 18th & 19th May and the Dorney Super Sprints a week later on 25th May. The flat conditions, both in the lake and underfoot, and Super Sprint distances, make these events ideal for first time triathletes as well as a perfect season opening tester for the more experience triathlete.
The new Wiggle Tri Challenge event on 26th May will offer a wider variety of distances including Sprint, 3Quarter and Olympic as well as relay options in both of the longer distances. Competitors entered in to some of the bigger mid-season triathlons such as the Toshiba Windsor Triathlon have also been signing up to utilise the May offering as part of their training and numbers are exceeding the levels of last year. The Toshiba Windsor Triathlon on 16th June is once again sold-out with over 2500 competitors and will be covered by Channel 4.
Also returning is the unique Shock Absorber Women Only Triathlon on 14th July. The event, which welcomed over 1400 participants in 2012, forms part of the wider Human Race Women Only Series that includes a run, swim and the Women Only cycling series, Cycletta.
With Human Race noticing demand increasing from beginner and first time triathletes, particularly since the Olympics, shorter distance and novice waves have been included within most of the Human Race events in 2013 to ensure participants of all abilities are catered for.
Human Race will once again be organising a host of cooperate triathlons including the Jones Lang Lasalle Property Triathlon (May), The Marketing Industry Triathlon (July) and the HSBC Triathlon, Duathlon and Scootathlon (Sept). Human Race has also once again been appointed to deliver the Jenson Button Trust Triathlon in July, which launched with great success in 2012.
Human Race's commitment to driving Youth, Junior and Children's events continues with the return of the SuperTri on 7th July for ages 8 – 19 alongside delivering 12 Scootathlon events throughout the year, in which children aged 4 – 8 Scoot, Bike and Run in triathlon-style taster events. Also highlighting the credentials of Human Race's event delivery, the company has been selected by British Triathlon to host the British Triathlon Youth and Junior Super Series Triathlon on 26th May.
2013 will also see the company deliver their first triathlon event in the Caribbean, the St. Lucia Triathlon. The event, which is supported by British Olympic Legend Daley Thompson, is being billed as an end of season triathlon party. There's three distances to choose from, The Dagger, The Pistol and The Cutlass and with sea temperatures expected to be around 27C participants are being told to leave their wetsuits at home!
For the full Human Race 2013 triathlon calendar see the list below or visit www.humanrace.co.uk/triathlon
ETON SUPERSPRINT SATURDAY - 18TH MAY 2013
THE JONES LANG LASALLE PROPERTY TRIATHLON - 17TH MAY 2013
ETON SUPERSPRINT SUNDAY - 19TH MAY 2013
TRIATHLON TRAINING DAY - 19TH MAY 2013
DORNEY SUPERSPRINT - 25TH MAY 2013
SHOCK ABSORBER WOMENONLY TRIATHLON TRAINING DAY - 26TH MAY 2013
WIGGLE TRI CHALLENGE - 26TH MAY 2013
BRITISH TRIATHLON YOUTH & JUNIOR SUPER SERIES TRI - 26TH MAY 2013
TOSHIBA WINDSOR TRIATHLON - 16TH JUNE 2013
MAA MARKETING INDUSTRY TRIATHLON - 5TH JULY 2013
STEELMAN TRIATHLON - 6TH JULY 2013
SUPERTRI CHILDREN'S, YOUTH & JUNIOR TRIATHLON - 7TH JULY 2013
LIDL BANANAMAN TRIATHLON - 13TH JULY 2013
SHOCK ABSORBER WOMENONLY TRIATHLON - 14TH JULY 2013
JENSON BUTTON TRUST TRIATHLON - 14TH JULY 2013
DIAMOND TRI - 8TH SEPTEMBER 2013
HSBC TRIATHLON - 15TH SEPTEMBER 2013
ST. LUCIA TRIATHLON - 22ND TO 23RD NOVEMBER 2013
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WIN: entries to the Trident Standard Distance Triathlon
Competition Time
Functional Fitness Events (www.functionalfitnessevents.co.uk) are offering two free entries (one male and one female), for the Trident Standard Distance Triathlon, to be held on the 16 June, at Newby Hall, North Yorkshire.
Newby Hall is one of the most stunning, and beautiful locations to race Triathlon in the country. Race entry also includes free entry to Newby Hall for all the family after the race and free camping is also available. Take a virtual tour of the route HERE.
Competition question:
Who was the first ever male Triathlon winner of the Gold medal at the Sydney Olympic Games?
All you have to do is email functionalfitnesscoaching@aol.com with your correct answer.
The draw for the competition will take place on Sunday 12 May. All unsuccessful correct answers will receive a 10% discount for the race.
More details can be found at www.functionalfitnessevents.co.uk
Newby Hall Sprint Duathlon 21 April 2013
You still have time to enter the Sprint Duathlon at Newby Hall - 5km 20km 5km, more details can be found HERE.
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British Ironman success: Ladies
[UPDATED and edited following Corinne Abraham's win at the Ironman Asia Pacific Championships, 2013]
British ladies, long distance especially, are on something of a high - indeed, they have been for several years now and just seem to get better and better. Leanda Cave is arguably showing the best form of her long and distinguished career (Leanda now an Ironman World Champion!). Julie Dibens and Cat Morrison were showing signs of potential greatness and, injuries permitting, still aim to achieve their potential. Bella Bayliss is hardly slowing down (well, perhaps due to pregnancy - but she's back with two M-Dot podiums in 2012!), and while Chrissie Wellington is now in retirement... Jodie Swallow was ITU Long Distance World Champion in 2009 and Ironman 70.3 World Champion in 2010, Rachel Joyce finished fourth at Kona in 2011 and now has an M-Dot victory to her CV from Lanzarote 2011 (and then added the 2011 ITU World Long Distance Championship, and is now an 8:45 Ironman!). To those we can now add the breakthrough at the highest level of Corinne Abraham at Melbourne, plus the potential of Lucy Gossage and several others who we could also mention seeking to join this elite group.
From time-to-time your Editor has been known to enjoy a statistic or two - but with good reason. Having asked myself the question of "how many podium finishes have British athletes achieved in Ironman racing?", the only thing to do was get researching and try and find out.
A couple of notes before I start. For the purposes of this analysis only, the subject is limited to full distance Ironman branded (M-Dot / WTC) races. There are of course many iron-distance events around the world (including the likes of Challenge Roth, Almere, Forestman, Outlaw, Norseman...), many of which - Roth especially - rival any Ironman branded race in terms of spectacle, size and quality. That said, there is little doubt of the impact that the Ironman® brand has made within the triathlon world over the past 30 years and that for many, winning an Ironman race is a career goal.
So, what follows is my attempt to create the definitive record of Ironman® podium finishes by British female athletes.
If you think any performance is missing from the list, email me via editor@tri247.com.
British female Ironman® podium finishes by year *
Athlete
Position
Event
Year
Corinne Abraham
1st
Melbourne
2013
Corinne Abraham
3rd
Arizona
2012
Leanda Cave
1st
Hawaii
2012
Joanna Carritt
3rd
Wales
2012
Bella Bayliss
2nd
Switzerland
2012
Corinne Abraham
3rd
Frankfurt
2012
Bella Bayliss
2nd
Lanzarote
2012
Rachel Joyce
2nd
Melbourne
2012
Leanda Cave
1st
Arizona
2011
Chrissie Wellington
1st
Hawaii
2011
Leanda Cave
3rd
Hawaii
2011
Yvette Grice
3rd
UK
2011
Julie Dibens
1st
Coeur d'Alene
2011
Catriona Morrison
1st
Texas
2011
Rachel Joyce
1st
Lanzarote
2011
Chrissie Wellington
1st
South Africa
2011
Rachel Joyce
2nd
South Africa
2011
Chrissie Wellington
1st
Arizona
2010
Leanda Cave
3rd
Arizona
2010
Julie Dibens
3rd
Hawaii
2010
Yvette Grice
1st
UK
2010
Bella Bayliss
2nd
UK
2010
Joanna Carritt
3rd
UK
2010
Corinne Abraham
3rd
Regensburg
2010
Catriona Morrison
1st
Lanzarote
2010
Louise Collins
2nd
Lanzarote
2010
Bella Bayliss
1st
UK
2009
Bella Bayliss
1st
Austria
2009
Bella Bayliss
1st
Lanzarote
2009
Chrissie Wellington
1st
Australia
2009
Chrissie Wellington
1st
Hawaii
2009
Abigail Bayley
2nd
UK
2009
Bella Bayliss
2nd
Cozumel
2009
Rachel Joyce
2nd
Lanzarote
2009
Bella Bayliss
3rd
Florida
2009
Rachel Joyce
3rd
South Africa
2009
Bella Bayliss
1st
Florida
2008
Bella Bayliss
1st
UK
2008
Bella Bayliss
1st
Lanzarote
2008
Bella Bayliss
1st
South Africa
2008
Chrissie Wellington
1st
Australia
2008
Chrissie Wellington
1st
Germany (Frankfurt)
2008
Chrissie Wellington
1st
Hawaii
2008
Bella Bayliss
2nd
Austria
2008
Leanda Cave
2nd
Arizona
2008
Abigail Bayley
3rd
China
2008
Bella Bayliss
1st
UK
2007
Chrissie Wellington
1st
Korea
2007
Chrissie Wellington
1st
Hawaii
2007
Sara Gross
2nd
Ironman Canada
2007
Bella Bayliss
3rd
Western Australia
2007
Bella Bayliss
3rd
Brazil
2007
Bella Bayliss
3rd
South Africa
2007
Bella Bayliss
1st
Florida
2006
Sara Gross
2nd
Ironman Western Australia
2006
Bella Bayliss
1st
Florida
2005
Bella Bayliss
3rd
UK
2005
Sara Gross
3rd
South Africa
2005
Louisa Edmonston
3rd
Lanzarote
2005
Bella Bayliss
2nd
Florida
2004
Jess Petersson
3rd
Austria
2004
Bella Bayliss
1st
Florida
2003
Bella Bayliss
3rd
Lanzarote
2003
Bella Bayliss
1st
Florida
2002
Beth Thompson
3rd
Austria
1999
Sarah Coope
2nd
New Zealand
1992
Sarah Coope
3rd
Hawaii
1991
Sarah Coope
2nd
Japan
1991
Sarah Coope
2nd
New Zealand
1991
(* For the purposes of this analysis I have taken overall positions, 1/2/3 as 'podium' finishes, irrespective of race category (assuming that the event wass mass-start with the same pro/age group rules) or event (as in some races, there may be ten athletes physically 'on the podium'). For example, in the case of Ironman Lanzarote 2010, while Bella Bayliss was the third professional finisher (Louise Collins, age group athlete finished ahead in second place overall), I am treating Bella's result as fourth overall, and hence not within this listing. Also, Corinne Abraham finished third overall at Ironman Regensburg while racing as an Age Group athlete and is included here for that reason, as in both cases the races were concurrent, under the same rules).
Position
1991
1992
1999
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
Total
1st
1
1
1
1
3
7
5
3
6
1
1
30
2nd
2
1
1
1
1
2
3
2
1
3
17
3rd
1
1
1
1
3
3
1
2
4
2
3
22
Total
3
1
1
1
2
2
4
2
7
10
10
9
9
7
1
69
British female Ironman® podium finishes - 'medal table' style
Athlete
No. 1st places
No. 2nd Places
No. 3rd Places
Podiums
Bella Bayliss
12
6
6
24
Chrissie Wellington
10
10
Leanda Cave
2
1
2
5
Catriona Morrison
2
2
Rachel Joyce
1
3
1
5
Corinne Abraham
1
3
4
Julie Dibens
1
1
2
Yvette Grice
1
1
2
Sarah Coope
3
1
4
Sara Gross
2
1
3
Abigail Bayley
1
1
2
Louise Collins
1
1
Joanna Carritt
2
2
Beth Thompson
1
1
Jess Petersson
1
1
Louisa Edmonston
1
1
16 Athletes
30
17
22
69
This table is the data above presented in the style you would typically see for the Olympic medal tables. Overall order is determined initially by number of 1st places, then by 2nd places, then by 3rd places. For example, though Rachel Joyce has five Ironman podium finishes each versus two for Catriona Morrsion, for the purposes of this display, Cat is listed 'higher' by virtue of two wins versus the one each of Rachel.
Aside from summarising an athletes podium history, how much value this adds is...debatable! Clearly, Bella Bayliss has put together, over a long period of time, the most consistent set of performances both in volume and number of wins. However, bear in mind that of Chrissie Wellington's Ironman wins (and she won all ten full distance M-Dot races she has started at the time of writing - plus Challenge Roth three times - review all of her wins HERE), four of those are Ironman World Championship Kona victories! We suspect Bella would trade a few of her wins for one at the big show... At her current rate, Chrissie had looked set to pass Bella's 12 Ironman® victories in 2012... but not now, having confirmed her retirement from Ironman racing.
Chrissie's win at Ironman South Africa 2011 also represented the fastest Ironman® time recorded to date, to add to all of her many accolades including the four fastest times ever.
It is also worth bearing in mind the way that the Ironman circuit has changed over the past 15/20 years. While there are around 25 Ironman events on the annual calendar now, that wasn't always the case, and hence the opportunities to race were few and far between. With this increase in volume, not surprisingly some events can be considered 'softer', in terms of depth of professional field, and hence 'not all races are equal'. Indeed, with the introduction of the Kona Pro Rankings, races are now specifically classified at different ratings via points status and prize money.
For example, Sarah Coope finished third at Hawaii way back in 1991. It is very easy to believe that she would be a multiple Ironman event winner today given her performance in Kona, and the huge number of victories she achieved in other events. Aside from Chrissie Wellington (4 wins), Julie Dibens (3rd, 2010) and Leanda Cave (1st, 2012 and 3rd, 2011), Sarah is the only other British athlete - male or female - to have finished in the top-3 in Kona at the Ironman World Championships.
Cat Morrison's win in Texas (2011) made her, at that time, the only British female - aside from Bella and Chrissie - to have won more than one Ironman® event - while Rachel's Ironman victory in Lanzarote (2011), Leanda's in Arizona (2011) and now Corinne Abraham (Melbourne 2013), means that they join a small list of just eight British ladies to have crossed the line first in an Ironman®. Leanda of course joined Bella, Cat and Chrissie with multiple wins by taking the biggest one of all in Kona.
You can check out how British men have fared over the years in Ironman® competition IN THIS ARTICLE.
Tri247 Iron-Distance Statistics Library
Sub-9 iron ladies: a history
the definitive list of sub-nine hour female iron distance finishes
Sub-8 iron men: a history
the definitive list of sub-eight hour male iron distance finishes
British Ironman success: Ladies
the definitive record of Ironman® podium finishes by British female athletes
British Ironman success: Men
the definitive record of Ironman® podium finishes by British male athletes
Home Nations Iron Distance Records
the fastest ironman distance times achieved by each of the Home Nations (England, Scotland, Ireland, Wales)
Fastest British Iron Ladies
every sub-nine hour 15 minute iron-distance finish by British female athletes ever recorded.
Fastest British Iron Men
every sub-eight hour 30 minute iron-distance finish by British male (and female...) athletes ever recorded
Do you believe there is a performance missing here? If so, please do let me know via editor@tri247.com.
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Free Triathlon taster session this Sunday
LAST CHANCE FOR BEGINNERS TO AVAIL OF FREE LANCASTER TASTER TRAINING SESSION
Salt Ayre Sports Centre - Sunday 14th April 2013
Lancaster's first large triathlon event is coming this summer and local people are being offered the chance to grab their place on the start line.
Tri Together, run by the charity Leonard Cheshire Disability, is an accessible, short distance triathlon for people of all ages and abilities to swim, bike and run together. The event will take place at Salt Ayre Sports Centre on Sunday 07 July.
This exciting new event has been designed so everyone, from beginners to seasoned triathletes, can take part on their own or share the challenge together in a relay team. A junior race has also been introduced for children aged 8-16 so the whole family can get involved.
Tri Together is also fully inclusive so disabled people are being encouraged to sign up. Lancaster City Council, one of the event partners, will provide adaptive cycles such as tandems or hand cycles and sports wheelchairs for participants to use on the day.
Andrew Richardson lives in Lancaster City centre. He is a member of COLT Triathlon Club which was established to bring together beginners through to experts old and young who want to participate in the sport.
The 50 year-old is coordinating a team from COLT in Tri Together. He said: “We are delighted that Tri Together is coming to Lancaster.
“It doesn't matter if you haven't taken part in a triathlon before, why not set yourself a challenge and sign up for Tri Together? It's a really good opportunity for friends and family to get active and try something different.”
To help beginners feel equipped and prepared for the event, the award-winning Leonard Cheshire Disability team are hosting free a training session at Salt Ayre Sports Centre this Sunday April 14 from 9.30-12.30 and there are still a small number of places available.
Experts from COLT triathlon club will be on-hand to share advice and answer questions.
Andrew continues: “We encourage disabled and non-disabled people across our region and beyond to come along to the taster session and find out more about how they can participate in our triathlon community.”
HOW TO REGISTER FOR THE TASTER SESSION:
There are a limited number of places available at the taster session so to register email tritogether@lcdisability.org or visit www.lcdisability.org/triathlontraining. The taster is free but there is a deposit of £5. Payments will only be taken if you register and do not attend.
To sign up for Tri Together on 07 July, or to find out more about race categories and distances please visit www.lcdisability.org/tritogether or text TRI to 80878*. Race entry is from £22 for adults and £10 for children. Minimum sponsorship applies for adults only.
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Heron and Bray Lakes opening 27th April
Is it that time already? Were it not for the last week of semi-acceptable (non arctic) weather, the prospect of even considering open water swim training is certainly not one that this Editor had at the top of his 'to do' list for several months yet.
Still, time waits for no man and - temperatures allowing - the open water venues around the country will be opening their doors in late April / early May. We'll bring you our annual roundup of UK training venues in due course, but news here that two of the South East's most popular venues, Heron Lake (Wraysbury) and Bray Lake are set to open on Saturday 27th April.
We suspect sales of post-swim hot drinks might reach record levels given temperatures during the first quarter of 2013.
www.openwaterswimminguk.co.uk | www.braylakeswimming.co.uk
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David McNamee: ready for San Diego?
2011 World Under-23 Silver medal winner David McNamee is ready - at least, he hopes so - for the start of his World Triathlon Series season in San Diego next weekend. Have the last six months of training produced the hoped for improvements? Tenth place in the Auckland Grand Final was a fine way to end his 2012 year, can he build further on that in 2013?
His final 'test' before he boarded the plane to San Diego was the British Elite Duathlon Championships, and David explains his race day in his own style - as well as pondering why people fake tan before their holiday....
Six months without that feeling, the feeling of waking up knowing that today it wasn't about training but about racing; do the legs feel good? Have I packed everything? Anyway, before I get to the race lets have a quick recap on the Winter.
Train, sleep, train, eat is about the general theme of the winter. This off season has been focused on improving the run tech, getting stronger on the bike and staying injury free. Week after week its at the forefront of my mind - what can I do this week to swim, bike, run without feeling any muscle twinges.
There have been a few training camps; a mental break away from routine, enjoying the buffet breakfast, getting some quality bike miles in, racing up hills for as soon as you put bib shorts on you feel 10% better and want to show it.
The majority of the time has been spent in Leeds though, doing nothing fancy just consistent, no nonsense training. Consistency really is key.
Anyway....
So here I sit in Heathrow waiting to fly to San Diego my first World Series of the year thinking: "why did the sales rep ask if I wanted a rejuvenating facial? Do I look that tired". "Surely a beer and a bacon bap is not what those guys need to kick start their holidays at 10am" and "why do people fake tan before the holiday?". Just my musings. They are a long way away from what I was thinking during the National Duathlon Champs on Sunday where I placed a pretty successful third.
"Oh jeez these boys are running fast, my legs were not ready for this, I miss the swim, just hang on to T1, balls they are accelerating.... just made it! " - The thoughts of the first 5k.
"Thank god I made the group, this course is flat, so so flat, 8x2.5k laps- my head hurts, attack after attack we really don't have any rhythm, I may as well have a shot, how many laps is that??? Why are people not fighting harder to lead into T2?" - The bike leg.
"Pyros, I should of tried to get a pair, run fast, bluff them, try and break a few.... this hurts! Third! How the hell did I get here?!?! Where are all those fast boys from the first leg? They are right behind me, aren't they? Don't look!!! You twat, you looked!!! Run faster, breath! You've made it!! Jog the last 10 metres, enjoy it, god my legs hurt!" - The last 2.5k.
Anyway it is time for 12 hours of movies, plane food and my favourite travelling past time - people watching.
San Diego will be the big test, 70 of the best guys in the world on the startline, all ready to unleash six months of training into two hours of frenzied racing.
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Cambridge Duathlon preview: TE National Champs
Cambridge Duathlon hosts first Triathlon England - National Championships for 2013 season
The Triathlon England – National Duathlon Championships are scheduled to take place this weekend on Sunday 14 April 2013 at the Cambridge Duathlon, presenting the first opportunity of the season for Triathlon England members to be crowned National champions.
The event is only the second Triathlon England – National Duathlon Championships after last year's inaugural event at Ashbourne Duathlon, which was won by Julian Lings and Parys Edwards in the male and female overall races respectively.
The Cambridge Duathlon is a well-established race at Bottisham in Cambridgeshire with a relatively flat opening 7.5km run followed by a 40km bike through rural Cambridgeshire. The bike can be subject to some tough winds, meaning the final 7.5km run can be a real test of an athlete's endurance.
The event is also the second opportunity for standard distance duathletes to qualify for the Great Britain Age-Group Team at the 2013 Ottawa ITU Duathlon World Championships ensuring a strong field is present, including Olympic gold medal winner, James Cracknell. The third and final qualifier is the Clumber Park Classic Duathlon, which was rearranged to the 11 May 2013.
For duathletes intending to qualify at the Cambridge Duathlon, you must register your intent to qualify on the British Triathlon website by 5pm Friday 12 April 2013.
Duncan Hough, Triathlon England Director for Events, Rules and Technical was delighted to be getting the season underway commenting: “It's really exciting to be able to get the Triathlon England – National Championships started for the season. We have an enhanced calendar of seven Championships this year and the Cambridge Duathlon will provide a challenging yet rewarding test for all our members who are competing for National titles.”
Don Hutchinson of Cambridge Triathlon Club added: “Here at Cambridge Triathlon Club we are delighted to be able to host a Triathlon England – National Championships. The event this weekend will provide a friendly atmosphere that ensures all the Triathlon England members competing for National titles will have a great race experience here in Cambridge.”
Malcolm Westwood, British Triathlon Director for Age-Group, added: “The Cambridge Duathlon is always well organised and will see age-group duathletes competing on a fast course as they aim to book their place in the Great Britain Age-Group Team for Canada. Cambridge is the second opportunity to qualify for the standard distance team and will ensure that the event has a high calibre of duathlete whilst maintaining a fun and friendly race environment for Triathlon England competitors. I'm delighted to see this qualification event combined with the National Championships.”
The event is being organised by Cambridge Triathlon Club, with more information available on www.cambridgetriathlonclub.com
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2013 Challenge Fuerteventura preview
This Sunday will see the third running (check out our previous reports from 2011 and 2012), of the half distance Challenge Fuerteventura (www.challengefuerteventura.com) at Playitas Resort in the Canary Islands.
EUR 25,000 is on offer - paying ten deep - with EUR 5000 for the race winners.
Ladies - Can anyone stop Lisa Nordén?
The headline of the race - and surely the ladies winner? - is the presence of Olympic Silver medal winner Lisa Nordén (SWE). After her London 2012 success - and ITU World Championship title - Nordén is taking a different approach to 2013. With proven experience at Olympic distance non-drafting racing, including back-to-back Hy-Vee Triathlon wins in 2011 and 2012 - and with evidence of plenty of success already this year from 'ITU' athletes racing over the longer distances post London 2012 - making her the hot favourite is a given.
The presence of Nordén will make it an interesting challenge for Eimear Mullan (IRL) Bella Bayliss and British Duathlon Champion Anna Turvey. Mullan and Bayliss have both raced several times this year in smaller events close to their Lanzarote training base - and Fuerteventura won't cause too many travel problems either! Mullan likes the hills too, so both the bike and run courses around Playitas should be to her liking.
Dutch athlete Heleen Bij de Vaate is also start-listed, and with a sub-nine iron-distance to her CV, will be a serious challenger. Look out too for Sophie De Groote (BEL) who came so close to ending the 'unbeaten outside of Kona' Ironman record of Mary Beth Ellis at Ironman Cozumel in November. Add in Ironman Kalmar winner Äsa Lunström (SWE) and fifth place in last year Daniela Sammler (GER), and the battle for - in our eyes - the second and third steps on the podium will be a tough one.
Our top three? Nordén, Mullan, De Groote.
Men - French to take Spanish victory?
Ritchie Nicholls and Stephen Bayliss are the British Pro's listed and for Ritchie this will be - I think - his first race over the longer distance. Several wins under his belt already this year in Lanzarote including the Club La Santa International Duathlon, he'll be familiar with the local winds in the Canary Islands. Third in 2011, eighth in 2012, Bayliss is familiar with the course and will have sights on another top finish.
Winner in both 2011 and 2012, Rasmus Henning, retired from the Pro ranks last year... but we understand will be racing again at the venue he lived and trained at towards the end of his career. However, we are going to assume that while likely stilll fitter and faster than almost all of us, it will be more of a social(ish!) outing for the Great Dane, rather than the start of a comeback! When the racing starts though, you never know...
Fellow Dane Martin Jensen was second in 2011, but was 'missing in action' during 2012 with a stress fracture, missing a whole year of running. Twice a podium finisher at the ITU World Long Distance Champs, great to see him back, though we might have to wait a while to see him back at his previous best. His strengths are in the water and on the bike, so he could feature towards the front of the race for much of the day, even if that lack of base becomes a problem later in the run.
Perhaps the most interesting name listed is Duathlon legend Joerie Vansteelant (BEL). The dominant name in Powerman Duathlon racing, Joerie can bike and run like a dream and recently won the half distance Triatlon Santa Cruz de Tenerife. He'll need that bike and run strength though, as he'll likely lose around seven (if not more) minutes in the swim to the likes of Jensen and Bayliss. For most that would be game over, but if the winds get up, Vansteelant has the bike legs to cut through the field like a knife. Whether it will be enough to get to the very front will be the question.
France's Stephane Poulat is a class athlete with plenty of top finishes on the 70.3 circuit, Jonas Djurback (SWE) was fourth in Fuerteventura two years ago and to those you can add Wimbleball 2011 winner Mikel Elgezabal (ESP), Romain Guillaume (FRA) and Georg Potrebitsch (GER) as potential podium finishers.
A top three prediction here feels like a tough job, but we'll go with a French double of Poulat followed by Guillaume, with Vansteelant running through to third and keeping the British pair off the podium.
PREVIOUS RESULTS
2011
Pos
Men
Women
1st
Rasmus Henning (DEN) 4:12:59
Eva Ledesma (ESP) 4:47:14
2nd
Martin Jensen (DEN) 4:14:01
Erika Csomor (HUN) 4:49:13
3rd
Stephen Bayliss (GBR) 4:14:33
Edith Niederfriniger (ITA) 4:53:28
4th
Jonas Djurback (SWE) 4:15:59
Emma Ruth Smith (GBR) 4:16:16
5th
Daniel Halksworth (GBR) 4:16:18
Sonja Jaarsveld (NED) 5:05:35
2012
Pos
Men
Women
1st
Rasmus Henning (DEN) 3:57:16
Emma Kate Lidbury (GBR) 4:32:41
2nd
Daniel Halksworth (GBR) 4:01:09
Lucy Gossage (GBR) 4:35:25
3rd
Victor Manuel Del Corral Morales (ESP) 4:01:49
Eva Nyström (SWE) 4:37:11
4th
Per Bittner (GER) 4:04:18
Erika Csomor (HUN) 4:37:53
5th
Strijk Erik-Simon (NOR) 4:04:34
Daniela Sammler (GER) 4:38:09
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Weekend preview: April 13-14
Has Spring actually arrived? Or will those very words make it disappear again? Just like the old saw that "one swallow does not a Summer make", we could be being fooled by two consecutive weekends where a yellow disc appears in the sky. Mind you, an awful lot of open water swim venues and early season open water triathlon organisers are, right now, praying to whatever gods that they believe in in the hope that this time it's real. Sales, or so they tell me, of digital thermometers have never been higher ...
The weather has always been on the pleasant side for my trips to the SpecSavers Ironman South Africa in Port Elizabeth although the wind has been a bit freaky at times. The racing there is varied and interesting, you can catch up on the recent history and current predictions in John's detailled preview; there's plenty of British interest, especially in the women's field, where Jodie Swallow must start as race favourite.
The rest of the international races are a bit of a mix. The ITU have a World Cup Series race in Ishigaki but the only British or Irish name on the sheets currently is Bryan Keane, who will no doubt be fired up after his crash last week in Auckland which mysteriously appeared to leave both wheels separated from his frame?!
The Challenge operation has their early season half-distance opener in Fuerteventura and as well as a sizeable GB age group contingent heading out to Playitas Resort, the pro field includes Stephen and Bella Bayliss plus Ritchie Nicholls and Ireland's Eimear Mullan - all part of the Lanzarote based teamTBB squad. We've got a full preview on that one too HERE, where the presence of ITU World Champion Lisa Nordén would appear to make it a battle for second place in the ladies event. Probably!
The XTERRA World Tour rumbles on to the bubbling mud pools of Rotorua in New Zealand, at the time of writing there was no start list available though we do know that Daz Parker will be in that one. Will it (finally?!) be a week off for Ben Allen and Jacqui Slack...?!
The domestic schedule shows a pretty busy Saturday with Dorney Lake getting yet another taste of duathlon, this time it's F3's Maxifuel Winter Duathlon series with added 10k and 5k runs. Just think, in exactly ONE MONTH the first triathletes will be heading into the lake rather than going round the outside... Chilly.
The new off-road Hurtleberry Duathlon gets to strut its stuff in the Surrey Hills and organiser allabouttriathlons has secured a decent collection of specialists including Richard Stannard, Sam Gardner and Jez Cox to christen the course. There's a trail run as a side attraction, the venue will be familiar to those who have been doing the Hurt series of runs through the Winter.
Another of the Winter-long off-road series concludes this weekend; the Winter Feast in Arisaig gets the final course of the meal with the Big Puddin. And, for those who don't want to spend the rest of the weekend cleaning mud off every surface, the Newlands Duathlon takes place in Keswick.
Sunday's racing is nicely varied. The status event is the Cambridge Duathlon which is hosting the English National Duathlon Championship and also provides another opportunity to qualify for the World and European Duathlon Championships.
The Redbridge Cycle Circuit once again plays host to the Dragonslayer Duathlon with its 20 ascents of the hill and, on a good day, an unrelenting breeze that seems to have come all the way from Siberia. Mind you, the cafe´ there does awesome home made cake! Alternative run, bike, run action is available at Lancaster, Abbeyfield, Ayr and Hereford.
The triathlon season is still spluttering into life but you can get an early start with races at Clitheroe, Desford, the Osprey Centre on Portland, the Cupar Centre in East Fife and at the Penzance Leisure Centre.
Aquathlon races this weekend are a bit thinner on the ground but the Midsomer Aquathlon at the Wansdyke Sports Centre and the Tyne Aquathlon stand alongside an aquathlon option at the Desford Triathlon.
By way of something different, although it does contain swimming, biking and running, there's the Chichester Big Weekend running across the whole weekend as a training session for the long distance brigade. More on that one HERE.
FULL WEEKEND RACE LISTINGS
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New Z3ROD GB Age Group Tri Suit
In February this year, triathlon clothing specialists Z3ROD were announced as the Official Performance Apparel Sponsor to British Triathlon.
At the Triathlon show at Sandown Park last month, Z3ROD revealed some samples of the new British Triathlon Age Group team trisuits - at that time only in image form - as you can see in our video HERE with Z3ROD founder Pierre Dorez.
The first (non-Winter) Age Group event of the year takes place next weekend at the ETU Powerman European Duathlon Championships in Holland - and the new Great Britain Age Group Team Trisuits are ready - and we've got one. First impressions are very positive. Check out the first images below.
Z3ROD Great Britain Age Group Team Trisuit
GB Age Group Team member Boo Alder will be racing at the ETU Powerman European Duathlon Championships next weekend in Holland.
We're very pleased to see the Union Jack featuring once again on the suits. We much prefer the darker blue of the 2013 suits versus the previous edition. This colour reflects that worn by the GB Olympic team last summer.
The suit also features quality looking flat-lock stitching, based on their uSUIT model.
The back of the suits is mostly white, with the red and Union Jack side panel detailing from the front of the suits continuing on the rear.
Z3ROD branding on the front left shoulder plus the side panels of the legs.
The suit comes with the required ITU logo's too.
Reverse zipper 'ReverZip', connects at the top, closing downwards to prevent it being accidently pulled down. An elasticated cord is attached to the pull tab to aid ease of reach.
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Toft, Norden win in Fuerteventura
While the 'retired' two-time defending champion Rasmus Henning was back to race at Challenge Fuerteventura today, his participation was much more focussed on enjoyment and 'participation' at a venue were he spent much of the final years of his professional career living and training, Playitas Resort.
While Henning wasn't going to three-peat, the Danish presence was still strong and looking to maintain their stranglehold on this event. Jens Toft and Martin Jensen would lead out of the swim with Stephen Poulat (FRA) and Stephen Bayliss close on their tale. At this stage, the bike-run danger of Duathlon legend Joerie Vansteelant was approaching six minutes in arrears. If anything, that deficit was on the 'up' side of expectations, with the water not being the natural home of Joerie!
Toft and Jensen would make it a Danish double on the bike, reaching T2 together and putting a further two minutes plus into almost everyone except the tall Belgian, who matched the cycling pace of the Danes - and thus, gained on everyone else - as he started his expected move through the field after the sluggish swim.
As we suspected, Jensen - who missed a whole year of run training - did begin to fade early on the run, eventually to finish fourth in his return to competition, while Toft's 1:17:12 for the challenging half marathon was more than enough to take the win, Vansteelant crushed the run course, 1:13:26 the days fastest by a long way, to take second while the consistent swim / bike / run effort of Germany's Konstantin Bachor allowed him to pass Martin Jensen in the late stages to complete the podium.
Stephen Bayliss will be disappointed with 14th (4:18:53), while Ritchie Nicholls was a DNF during the bike - details unknown as yet.
In the ladies race, a Lisa Nordén victory was the only result we could forecast, and that one proved to be one of the easiest of the year so far, the Olympic Silver medal winner never threatened for top spot.
Second place went (again, as forecast) to Ireland's Eimear Mullan. Mullan lost a touch over four minutes in the water over the 1.9km to Nordén, which given the historic weakness of Eimear (relatively) in the water would suggest she has made some significant progress in that discipline over the winter. She'll put that to good use and be much closer to the front of races as the season progresses.
Nordén also had the fastest ladies ride of the day (2:35:09 vs. 2:38:44 for Mullan), and closed out the day with a 1:22:29 run on what is a tough and 'slow' course. Mullan showed her run strength at the end of a very solid overall performance to take second with a 1:21:09. Germany's Daniela Sämmler, fifth last year, moved up to third this time around with Bella Bayliss fourth and Ann Turvey sixth (4:53:55).
Pos
Men
Women
1st
Jens Toft (DEN) 4:03:53
Lisa Nordén (SWE) 4:26:35
2nd
Joerie Vansteelant (BEL) 4:06:46
Eimear Mullan (IRL) 4:33:30
3rd
Konstantin Bachor (GER) 4:08:14
Daniela Sämmler (GER) 4:42:02
4th
Martin Jensen (DEN) 4:09:00
Bella Bayliss (GBR) 4:46:51
5th
Georg Potrebitsch (GER) 4:10:03
Heleen bij de Vaate (NED) 4:50:45
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Ironman South Africa preview 2013
Port Elizabeth in the Eastern Cape Province will once again host the SpecSavers Ironman South Africa this coming weekend.
The race is a familiar one to Tri247, with our Editorial team having attended several races there over the past five years - including the Ironman™ world record setting performance of Chrissie Wellington in 2011 and the first Ironman podium for Rachel Joyce in 2009.
Along with Chrissie's win (Rachel Joyce was second that year too), there were double British victories there in 2008 as Stephen and Bella Bayliss (she was Bella Comerford at the time), won on the same day, a feat they repeated later that year at Ironman UK. What chance of British representation on the podium this year?
The event has a P-2000 status on the Kona Pro Rankings, and that combined with a pretty healthy $75,000 prize purse ($15,000 for the win, paid eight deep), makes this a pretty attractive event from a Pro perspective. Chrissie proved it can be a fast course - but a venue also known for its wind proved last year that speed isn't a given - race winner Clemente Alonso-McKernan (ESP) was slower than Chrissie's 2011 time.
(Check out the 2012 highlights video at the bottom of this preview)
Ladies Preview
Great Britain has two representatives in the ladies Pro race, Jodie Swallow and Joanna Carritt. Despite having been an ITU Long Distance World Champion and Ironman 70.3 World Champion - and winning the Ironman 70.3 South Africa title for the past three seasons, Swallow is yet produce the Ironman performance that her undoubted talents appear ready and capable of challenging the very best in the world with. Those world championships were won in gun-to-tape style with fastest across the board splits - the potential of a fit and healthy Swallow over the full Ironman distance is huge. Fingers crossed she will be able to show that ability this weekend. With Port Elizabeth being the home town of partner James Cunnama, you know she will be hugely motivated. Having been a late withdrawal last year will only add to that.
For Joanna, we understand this will be her last year of 'cracking the Kona Pro spot nut', and with 1740 points on the board currently from third at Ironman Wales and eighth at Ironman Western Australia, a good finish here could put her well in contention to achieve that goal.
Lucie Reed (CZE) won this race in 2009 under her maiden name of Zelenkova, and the fast swimmer will perhaps be aiming to stick with the possibly even faster swimming Swallow in the early stages. Reed took third place behind Swallow at the 70.3 South Africa in January.
The USA's Jessie Donavan was an Ironman winner last year at Lake Placid and Mont-Tremblant, as well as second at Ironman St. George. Looking at those results though suggests she will have a lot of work to do once on dry land - as she is likely to give up the best part of 15 minutes in the water to Swallow and Reed.
Switzerland's Simone Brändli has course knowledge - she was second last year to fellow Swiss, Natascha Badmann and she also has a win at Ironman Cozumel (2011). That makes her one of the pre-race favourites certainly.
USA's Dede Griesbauer has two Ironman wins to her name - and has fought back from a massive crash at Frankfurt two years ago which included a broke pelvis and hip, so she won't be worried if conditions are a little tough with bigger battles already have been successfully conquered.
All said though, the class athlete of the field in our eyes is Jodie Swallow, and we'll go for her to take her first Ironman win with
Simone Brändli and
Lucie Reed to complete the 1/2/3.
Men's Preview
Craig Twigg is the sole GB Pro representative - though British born / Seychelles representative Nick Baldwin is a familiar and popular name on these shores. We interviewed Craig prior to the recent Ironman Melbourne, where it is fair to say - and he would be the first to admit - he had a shocker. We can't help feeling though that arriving in Australia on Friday morning for a Sunday race can't have aided his performance with the resultant travel time and jet lag. All change here though, as Craig has been in Port Elizabeth for a while now, and having finished seventh last year and raced on the course several times, he will be confident of a much better result this time around. Hopefully a relative lack of performance in Melbourne will have aided his recovery for Port Elizabeth. He will certainly be motivated for a result in Nelson Mandela Bay for the efforts he has put in over the winter.
For Nick, this is his Pro debut - his last race as an Age Grouper being a win at the Abu Dhabi International Triathlon last month, so this will be an interesting first measure of where he stands on the international scene.
The headline names in the men's race are the Swiss trio of Ronnie Schildknecht, Mike Aigroz and Jan Van Berkel, Germany's Faris Al Sultan and home favourite James Cunnama.
Schildknecht is the master in Zurich, winning the last six editions of Ironman Switzerland and also has a sub-eight Ironman to his credit with another win at Ironman Florida (2011). Second at 70.3 South Africa and fourth a couple of weeks back at Oceanside, Ronnie will be tough to beat.
Faris Al Sultan had his best Kona for many years last October, finishing fifth, and with Ironman wins in Regensburg (2010), Frankfurt (2011) and Austria (2012) he'll want to keep that streak continuing in 2013.
All - and I mean all - of the pressure for the win though will rest firmly on the shoulders of the local hero James Cunnama. The Roth 2012 winner started his triathlon 'career' as a volunteer at this race... and so the desire to win it is huge. Having seen at first hand the pressure that the locals can place on their heroes, notably Raynard Tissink in 2009, does James have the fitness and form to live up to their high hopes and expectations? 10th in 2008, sixth in 2009 and third in 2011, is Cunnama ready for the top step of the podium? Your guess is probably as good as mine, as there isn't much in the way of 2013 form to go on!
An 'outside' name to watch is Bas Diederen (NED). Diederen won Challenge Barcelona and took second at Ironman Cozumel last year - so while the name may not be familiar, that is a strong form line.
France's Cyril Viennot (second last year) joins third placed Mike Aigroz on the start list in what appears to be an open and deep men's race.
Predictions here are tough. We'll go for the consistency of Ronnie Schildknecht to take his eighth Ironman title, with Cunnama to use his local knowledge to overcome a lack of recent racing to take second with Bas Diederen to complete the top three ahead of the bigger 'names'.
IRONMAN SOUTH AFRICA 2012 HIGHLIGHTS
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Schildknecht dominates Ironman South Africa
Having won at Ironman Florida with a sub-eight hour time in 2011 to add to his six consecutive Ironman Switzerland wins, an eighth Ironman win for Ronnie Schildknecht saw him add Africa to North America and Europe as winning continents to his CV - the talented Swiss athlete victorious again today at the Spec-Savers Ironman South Africa in Port Elizabeth. In that regard at least, our prediction from Tuesday proved correct.
In typical style, the Schildknecht day began with a deficit after the swim leg. A solid swim of 52:48 left Ronnie in excellent company alongside Herve Faure (FRA) and home town hero James Cunnama (RSA), but around three minutes back on other favourites including Faris Al-Sultan (GER), Mike Aigroz (SUI), Jan Van Berkel (SUI) and our pick for a podium, Bas Diederen (NED).
From the close lead swim group, it was 2005 Ironman World Champion Faris Al-Sultan who broke clear early on the three-lap bike course to set the pace. Having won an Ironman every year for the past three seasons, Al-Sultan had sights on extending that run here. Switzerland's Schildknecht had other ideas, and was making swift progress after the swim, pulling away from James Cunnama and looking in great shape on the bike. While Schildknecht reached the front and powered away, Al-Sultan would eventually pull out of the race at around the 120km mark. Meanwhile, the flying Swiss recorded an impressive 4:22:01 bike split, by far the fastest of the day, with only Georg Swoboda (AUT) also able to break the 4:30 mark with a 4:28:55.
Schildknecht would reach T2 alone - and with an eleven minute lead, looked a certain winner. When you add to that a 2:53:06 marathon to close out the day - though his rivals did manage to close the gap slightly - the win was never in doubt. Second last year, France's Cyril Viennot repeated that position once again with Bas Diederen (NED) matching our pre-race prediction for him of third place, a few seconds behind the Frenchman.
For British born Seychelles representative Nick Baldwin, 11th Pro Male (12th overall, 8:48:01) made a solid start to his Pro career with, I think, a big PB time. It wasn't a good day for local favourite and Challenge Roth winner James Cunnama who withdrew after two laps of the three-lap run - he will, surely, one day win his 'home' race?
Another bad day too for Craig Twigg; details to follow if we can, but according to an Ironman Live comment, we believe he had three punctures, and may actually have ended up pushing/running his bike into T2. Looking at his bike splits, that looks quite possible - and would I suspect mean a very upset and frustrated 'Twiggstar' in the Port Elizabeth area right now, having looked ready to build on his seventh place last year, and put the disappointment of Melbourne behind him. He did however continue despite that, and finished in 9:55:19. That, if nothing else will tick the 'Kona validation' requirement, but with points a far bigger issue for Craig, he may now have to revisit - or at least, adjust his season - if a Kona 2013 start remains his season goal.
Ironman South Africa, Port Elizabeth - Sunday14th April 2013
2.4 miles, 112 miles, 26.2 miles
Pos
Pro Men
1st
Ronnie Schildknecht (SUI) 8:11:27
2nd
Cyril Viennot (FRA) 8:19:51
3rd
Bas Diederen (NED) 8:20:09
4th
Horst Reichel (GER) 8:22:34
5th
Francois Chabaud (FRA) 8:29:30
6th
Herve Faure (FRA) 8:34:20
7th
Dominik Berger (AUT) 8:43:53
8th
Kent Horner (RSA) 8:44:32
9th
Karol Dzalaj (SVK) 8:45:42
10th
Michael Davidson (RSA) 8:47:40
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Swallow second as Jessie Donovan wins Ironman South Africa
Great Britain's Jodie Swallow was aiming for her first Ironman finish today at the Spec-Savers Ironman South Africa in Port Elizabeth, and started the day with the 'favourite' tag firmly around the neck of the former ITU Long Distance and Ironman 70.3 World Champion. Would she be able to deliver on that expectation?
The day started perfectly, and predictably, with a super fast 49:56 swim putting her among the leading Pro men over the 2.4 mile course in Nelson Mandela Bay. No surprise either that Lucie Reed (nee Zelenkova) was her closest chaser, just over two minutes back.
We noted the US athlete and multiple Ironman winner Jessie Donovan in the race preview, saying "she will have a lot of work to do once on dry land - as she is likely to give up the best part of 15 minutes in the water to Swallow and Reed." That proved correct too, as Donovan recorded a relatively pedestrian by Pro standards 1:07:11 in the water.
Swallow proceeded to extend her lead on the 180km, three-lap course, and produced a very swift 4:46:05 split - once again the fastest of the day - with Donovan (4:50:27) the only other female Pro to break five hours. That left Swallow with a huge margin at T2, starting the run with the best part of a 20 minute lead over Simon Brändli (SUI), followed a couple of minutes later by Donovan and Dede Griesbauer (USA).
The run started well for Swallow, the first 14km lap completed with little impact on her huge lead, however, by the end of lap two things were getting very tough and the more consistent pace of Donovan - having moved into second - was starting to seriously erode that leading margin. With just over 5km to go, Donavan passed the struggling Swallow to take the lead, and Jodie had nothing left to respond with. Jessie Donovan completed the marathon and took the win with a 3:09:11 marathon, while Swallow toughed it out to hold on to second via a very painful and gutsy 3:36:44. Great Britain's other Pro lady, Jo Carritt, took tenth (10:16:59), adding another 800 points to her Kona KPR standings. With a couple more solid results, she could be well on the way to Hawaii in October.
In the Age Group ranks, Liz Pinches (Thames Turbo) took second place in F35-39.
Ironman South Africa, Port Elizabeth - Sunday14th April 2013
2.4 miles, 112 miles, 26.2 miles
Pos
Pro Women
1st
Jessie Donovan (USA) 9:10:58
2nd
Jodie Swallow (GBR) 9:17:00
3rd
Lucie Reed (CZE) 9:27:07
4th
Simon Brändli (SUI) 9:32:24
5th
Diane Mcewan (RSA) 9:37:45
6th
Monique Grossrieder (SUI) 9:48:22
7th
Katharine Grohmann (GER) 9:55:52
8th
Nina Pekerman (ISR) 9:59:13
9th
Svetlana Blazevic (SRB) 10:08:42
10th
Joanna Carritt (GBR) 10:16:59
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Weekend roundup: April 13-14
There's a pretty basic benchmark that I use to determine whether it classifies as an early start to the weekend and that's when you get to a service station and find they are still assembling the Sunday papers and there's no breakfast rolls in the hot food cabinet... Well, either it really was early or the folk in East Anglia just don't do Sunday! And, given that when I wrote the weekend preview the forecast was showing the possibility of temperatures in the high teens and significant sightings of sunshine, what happened to the weather? Several organisers described the conditions as challenging, mainly due to the wind, and certainly there was nowhere to hide out in the Fenlands.
International racing has, as usual, been well covered by the Editor with write-ups on Challenge Fuerteventura HERE and the racing at Ironman South Africa with the men's HERE and the women's HERE. One day, Jodie, one day (and soon).
Elsewhere, at XTERRA New Zealand it was the turn of Renata Bucher to take the top spot alongside Ben Allen while Jacqui Slack had to settle for second place. Will those two get a weekend off any time soon? Daz Parker was ninth. Results are online HERE. Ireland's Bryan Keane didn't have any bike issues this weekend at the ITU World Cup Series (you would think... but he did actually have another fall!!!) race in Ishigaki and still finished second.
There was another British winner in Spain as Holly Lawrence took first place at the Triathlón de Elche. Plenty of other British middle distance talent in the top ten too - check out the full details HERE.
Saturday's racing at home saw the first outing for the off-road duathlon crowd at the Hurtleberry where a small but select field was headed home by Sam Gardner, recently returned from a month chasing the XTERRA circuit round the Pacific Islands and Zayne Crow. Results are on the allabouttriathlons website HERE.
Over at Dorney Lake, F3's Maxifuel Duathlon the standard distance was won by Tony Garbett and Frances Malin, the sprint by Alex Milne and Clare Elms while Jamie Stentaford and Adele Watkins lead the supersprint distance. Full results are on the StuWeb site HERE, and we also have a report from the event HERE.
Up in Scotland they finished off the three-race Winter Feast duathlon series with the Big Puddin. Winners here were Stephen Burns and Caroline Vance, full results are HERE.
The purpose of Sunday's trek to Cambridge was for the Cambridge Duathlon which was playing host to the English National Duathlon Championships. A sell-out event but the wind obviously deterred a few people come race morning although I did count three disc wheels in transition and more than a few extremely deep section as well which only goes to prove that some people are very confident of their bike handling skills! With four wave starts it's always hard to call the racing as it happens but there were some very competitive athletes out there and more than a few last gasp sprints for the line at Bottisham Village College. With slots up for grabs for the World Duathlon Championships as well as national medals and prizes and trophies for the race itself it was also good to see so many people stay for the presentation ceremony. Overall winners were Sam Baxter (Team Freespeed Virgin Active) and Gill Fullen (Bedford Harriers) and provisional results are HERE. We'll load the final set once the BTF have finalised the qualifiers.
No report from the Dragonslayer Duathlon at Redbridge Cycle Circuit but based on past experience we would reckon that the wind would have been helping up the big hill. Rob Parry (Crystal Palace Triathletes) and Vicky Gill were the winners and the overall results are online HERE.
The Hereford Duathlon organisers had not only the wind but an unexpected set of traffic lights to deal with, always a nightmare. Winners here were Daniel Geisler (Worcester Triathlon Club) and Vanessa Lawson (Chepstow Harriers) and full results are online HERE.
Mounts Bay Harriers staged the Penzance Triathlon with Neil Eddy (Cycle Logic) and Alice Nicholas (Mounts Bay Harriers) taking the wins. A full set of results are HERE.
Claimed to be the largest pool-based triathlon in the country, the Skipton Triathlon certainly isn't the easiest, no athlete dipped under the hour and that included winner Mark Livesey (Functional Fitness) while the leading female was Emma Wolff (Wakefield Triathlon Club). Full results are on the StuWeb site HERE.
Results are in from many other races as well and you can catch up on the details through our listings link below.
FULL WEEKEND RESULTS LISTINGS
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Maxifuel Winter Duathlon Race 4 report
Maxifuel Winter Duathlon - Saturday 13th April 2013, Dorney Lake
Saturday 13th April saw the fourth and final race in F3’s Winter Series.
The weather was conducive, finally, to fast racing performances, and high performance was certainly the order of the day.
In the Olympic Duathlon (5k, 40k 10k), Olympic rower and two-time World Champion Toby Garbett transferred over to dry land very effectively, looking strong throughout and winning the race with a 90 second buffer. We are looking forward to seeing what Tony can do in his new sport! Edward Kirk-Wilson (Clapham Chasers) was second man home whilst Oliver Bradford (Ful-on Tri) took the bronze. Peter Egglestone (TRI-FORCE) just missed the overall podium but was winner of the vet’s category, coming home fourth overall.
The women's race saw Frances Malin (team MK) dominate proceedings, finishing almost 15 minutes ahead of her nearest rival, Hilary Johnson (Tri London), who was also a superb winner of the 50-54 category. Christina Lindquist took third.
In the Sprint distance duathlon (5k, 20k, 5k), the men’s race became a battle between the strong biker versus the fast runner. Alex Milne (Imperial College) came into T1 with a huge lead but was overhauled by Matt Welsh on the bike, and the chase was on over the final run. In the end, Milne’s run dominance was enough to win by a comfortable margin, but the rivalry made for a good honest race. Paul Abeledo (East Essex Tri) was first vet home and third overall.
In the female category, age and experience again paid off, with the first two spots taken by the vet women who both looked sensational out on the course. Clare Elms (Crystal Palace) took the gold with Maria Powell in second place. Deborah Noel (One Triathlon RDS) was third.
The Super Sprint Duathlon (3km, 12km,3km) was won comfortably by Jamie Stentaford (Hillingdon Triathletes), followed by James Simpson and Andrew Roser. First vet prize was awarded to Andy Croft (Watford Harriers). The women’s race was a close-run affair, with top honours going to Evo’s Adele Watkins. Gabriela Gradden was a mere 20 secs in arrears and Emma Rose followed for third, just 15 secs behind that.
F3 would like to thank all the participants who have competed in our Winter series. We have been presented with the full works on the weather front, and those of you who have completed the series will no doubt have been well and truly toughened up for the forthcoming tri season!
We wish all our competitors the best of luck with their future races, and please check www.f3events.co.uk for our Spring and Summer race calendar.
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Holly Lawrence wins Triathlón de Elche in Spain
After racing last week at ICAN Malaga, Joe Skipper and Nicholas Ward Muñoz were back in middle distance action once again this week in Spain at the Triathlón de Elche. They were joined this time around in the elite ranks by several other British names too: Fraser Cartmell and Holly Lawrence; who both coincidently finished fourth at Ironman 70.3 UK last year, Eleanor Haresign and Amy Forshaw among them.
The ladies came away with three of the top four spots, the win going to Holly with Eleanor third and Amy fourth. Fraser was the top British male in fourth in what looks like a very close battle for podium behind winner Domenico Passuello. Joe finished eighth with Nicholas just outside the top ten in eleventh.
Pos
Men
Women
1st
Domenico Passuello 3:40:07
Holly Lawrence 4:10:30
2nd
Daniel Corrales 3:43:02
Gurutze Larralde 4:16:38
3rd
Richard Martinez 3:43:06
Eleanor Haresign 4:21:21
4th
Fraser Cartmell 3:43:23
Amy Forshaw 4:21:34
5th
Jose Manuel Velasco 3:44:14
Estefania Villaneuva 4:24:08
8th
Joe Skipper 3:45:10
11th
Nicholas Ward Muñoz 3:47:48
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Jet Set Super Vet in Thailand
A non-wetsuit sea swim in March? Clearly Stuart Lumb - better known as Jet Set Super Vet - has been on his travels again. This time, it wasn't off-road and he wasn't 'lanterne rouge' either - and Thailand was the destination.
You can read more about Stuart in his Tri247 column HERE.
LMP Triathlon International Championships, Rayong Province, Thailand
Sunday 17th March 2013
Stuart Lumb, aka Jet Set Super Vet, is still living up to his nickname. Every two years I attend a big livestock trade fair in Bangkok where I meet up with my good friend Chakrit Ridmontri, who is a fellow journalist.
A while back Chakrit happened to mention that his brother Jirasit, whose nickname is Tle but which is pronounced “Thun” was a keen triathlete and that the Sunday after the trade fair the Thai Triathlon Federation was putting on a Standard distance / Sprint event at Rayang, a small coastal resort two hours drive south of Bangkok city. I didn't want to ship my bike out so Thun very kindly got one of his mates to lend me his Bianchi Nirone – obviously a very trusting guy who I sadly never got to meet. I also took my own pedals (but ended up using a pair of Look ones), plus my trusty Bell helmet, courtesy of Danisco.
I flew from Heathrow with Jet Airlines and by pure coincidence remembered they had a 25kg luggage allowance, which was just as well as I needed it. Tramping round a huge trade fair for three days plus eating copious amounts of delicious Thai cuisine was hardly an ideal tapering programme, plus the 20 degree increase in air temperature added to the challenge.
Anyway, we duly arrived in Royan and checked in to our hotel which was literally overlooking transition. The event cost the princely sum of £8 and that included a nice t shirt, but not a swim cap. On face value it was the cheapest race I'd ever competed in, but after factoring in my race insurance it was not so cheap, but you can't put a price tag on triathlon racing. I had thought about doing the standard distance event but given my relative lack of fitness and the ambient temperature I opted to race the Sprint, which it turned out was a wise decision as the mercury was reading 28°C when I finished.
Race day dawned and breakfast was bread and jam as muesli is a bit hard to find in rural Thailand. There were around 160 competitors, which included a good number of juniors which was great to see, plus quite a few ex-pats had flown over from Hong Kong to race, which pushed up the numbers. The swim split was typically U-shaped and around 7am, after the usual cheers and psyching up, we were off!
Mid March and a sea swim - was I dreaming? After swallowing a good mouthful of sea water I realised I wasn't and struck out for the first buoy. After the second buoy it was a steady pull back to the shore. Staggering out of the water – well, I am Vintage now - I was delighted on four counts
Only swallowed two mouthfuls of water
Goggles didn't fog up
Sighting went amazingly well and...
...I wasn't last.
The bike split was a 20km affair, far too flat for my liking but far enough as my anatomy reminded me that riding on a borrowed saddle is not ideal.
The run was 5km, out-and-back and followed the bike route. I was running in my new Saucony Triumphs, courtesy also of Danisco. I'm not sure if they help me run faster but they have bright green soles which might upset my rivals! By now the sun had broken through and it was getting hot and I was again glad that I hadn't opted to do the Standard event, as even some of the local lads found it hard going. As I relaxed at the finish I was pleased :
That I'd finished
That I was not my usual “lanterne rouge”..
Chakrit and I waited in the shade (Thais just don't do sun..), for Thun to finish, which he did, with a big grin...
It was then a case of packing up and checking out of our adjacent hotel. Lunchtime was approaching by now and Chakrit found us a very nice restaurant where we sampled some of the excellent local seafood dishes.
My thanks go to the race organisers, Vijitr Sitinawin of the Thai Triathlon Association and all the unsung heroes that made racing an enjoyable activity. Furthermore, I was delighted to be asked to race again next year.
Fast forward and its April 10th and the first Barracuda training duathlon. I finished at 8pm and I was frozen – Thailand but a distant memory.We had a turn out of 37 members, by far the best for ages. I was last on the run - hardly surprising - but had four guys behind me on the bike split so that was some compensation. Life in the old dog yet!
Hull Barracuda Tri is celebrating the club's 25th anniversary with a special bike top and a club ride out for lunch in the Wolds. I hope my fellow members will be wearing bright clothing- this fad for being clad in black from head to toe is bonkers – maybe these fashionistas also have a matching black coffin in store back home in their garages...
On a brighter note. Let's hope the weather picks up soon and all involved in our great sport will have an enjoyable, fulfilling, and above all, accident–free season's racing.
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