Frostbite Results
Frostbite at Prior Park, St.Neots 061024.
Seniors 11/16 ....
.
41. Alan Beecroft ............ 35:03
77. Oliver Mocks ............... 37:43
114. Chris Pike ................... 39:29
126. Heather Phillips ......... 40:19
137. Simon Guerin .............. 41:08
188. Steve Hope .................. 43:35
202. Becs Burge .................. 44:43
212. Daniel Richardson ...... 45:28
214. Steve Skelhon .............. 45:38
276. Mariska Niemeijer ...... 50:44
313. Carol Smallman ............ 56:15
320. Roy Mayhew .................. 58:31
Juniors 9/14
22. Bentley Anthony ...... 08:48
45. Hugo Flikweert ....... 09:28
59. George Mansergh ..... 09:45
75. Byron Stother ........... 10:17
96. India Lazenby ........... 11:11
2024. The story so far ...
Nathan Keir and Sara Pearce made their full Ironman debut's at the Barcelona Ironman. Nathan completed the 112 mile bike section at 20.5mph to put himself in a good position and eventually finish well inside the top half from this field of 2,656.
Results:
1075. Nathan Keir .... 1:04:04 .... 5:38:53 .... 4:31:16 ..= 11:14:13 AG 143.
2207. Sara Pearce .... 1:23:01 .... 6:44:41 .... 5:10:16 ..= 13:17:58 AG 43.
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The Thruxton Sprint Duathlon took place over the distances of:
run 2-miles.
bike 12.5 miles.
run 2-miles.
This was a qualifying race for the World Sprint Duathlon to be held in Spain next year.
Mark Weathersby came first in his Age Group and qualified alongside Tom Hughes who had already qualified at the Darley Moor Duathlon in May.
Mark had some stiff competition on the two runs but pulled a minute out of his nearest challenger on the bike and held that until the finish.
Tom was 30-seconds down in 3rd place after the first run; a gap which extended slightly on the bike; but he had enough stamina on the final 2-mile run to make some good inroads and finished 3rd, running out of road to catch a fading athlete in front.
Results:
12. Mark Weathersby .... 12:33 .... 30:12 .... 13:07 ..= 55:02 AG 1.
14. Tom Hughes ......... 12:01 .... 31:04 .... 13:27 ..= 56:32 AG 3.
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Richard Rollings continued his comeback with 130th place in the Torbay Autumn Triathlon.
130. Richard Rollings .... 8:29 .... 50:41 .... 50:13 ..= 1:49:23 AG 6.
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PACTRAC held their last club event of the season, the Standard Distance triathlon, at Oundle.
Adam Clark led Simon Hoppe out of the swim, but with just a slim margin of 17-seconds, and it was another 45-seconds before Chris Elder emerged.
Simon was able to bridge the gap on the 3-lap, 27-mile bike section and the two came in off the bike together. They now had a clear lead over Chris who remained in 3rd.
Adam was able to pull clear with a strong run to take the win from Simon: whilst further back Phil Groves and Jaap Flikweert moved into 3rd and 4th respectively.
Adam Clark has competed in all ten club events this year; and the Standard Distance win ensured that he will take home an impressive 6 Trophies at the Gala Dinner on December 6th; including the overall Club Champions Trophy. The only athlete to beat him this year was Paul Lunn (twice).
Most athletes improved their scores in the club's overall Club Championships; with Phil Groves jumping into the standings in 2nd place, behind Adam. Susie Freeman had already secured the Ladies Trophy, whilst Claire Widdowson moved into 2nd place ahead of Sophie Robotham.
Results: swim 1,500m, bike 27-miles, run 4.7 miles. Top 5 -
Adam Clark ......... 24:27 .... 70:02 .... 28:30 ..= 2:02:59
Simon Hoppe ..... 24:44 .... 69:44 .... 34:20 ..= 2:08:48
Phil Groves .......... 29:45 .... 76:37 .... 30:40 ..= 2:17:02
Jaap Flikweert .... 29:24 .... 78:09 .... 31:43 ..= 2:19:16
Chris Elder ........... 25:30 .... 78:21 .... 36:30 ..= 2:20:21
Club Championships - top 3:
Adam Clark
Phil Groves
Rob Hammond
Ladies top 3:
Susie Freeman
Claire Widdowson
Sophie Robotham
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Richard Jones completed his first half-Ironman triathlon at the Weymouth 70.3 event.
Results:
1148. Richard Jones .... 42:32 .... 3:34:53 .... 2:11:25 ..= 6:28:50 AG 102.
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The European Championships took place in Vichy, France at the weekend with PACTRACers competing in both the Standard and Sprint Distance Triathlon, whilst ex-PACTRACer and now BRJ, Gilles Corby, competed in the Sprint Distance race representing France; and Jonathan Oakey continued his development in the Elite world of triathlon. Lauren Steadman (not PACTRAC) raced in the PTS5 in her first outing since winning the Bronze Medal in the Paris Paralympics.
Susie Freeman raced to a great fifth place in her Age Group. 4th out of the water, Susie got into a good group on the bike in this draft-legal format, and put in a strong run to finish in fifth place. This was Susie's 6th time representing GB in Age Group Triathlon and her best finish yet.
Steve Hope and Sarah Haslam were both representing GB for the sixth time as well, whilst Gilles Corby (BRJ. ex-PACTRAC) had his best race from 11 times representing France.
Jonathan Oakey grew up through the PACTRAC Junior ranks, before becoming an Elite athlete in the British Triathlon squad. Jonathan now races for Ireland and gave a good account of himself, working hard on the bike to keep the second group on the bike in contention. A 32-minute 10km run, took Jonathan to 28th place overall in these European Sprint Championships, which just shows the quality of the athletes at the top end in triathlon.
Local girl Lauren Steadman (not PACTRAC), fresh from a Bronze Medal in the Paralympics, took an impressive GOLD MEDAL in the PTS5 category to be crowned European Para Champion. A great end to the season for Lauren, who will now concentrate on a new career in cross country skiing. Lauren won the European Championships by a 4-minute margin.
Results:
Elite: Standard Distance.
28. Jonathan Oakey .... 17:58 .... 54:19 .... 32:06 ..= 1:44:23
Standard:
19. Sarah Haslam .... 29:28 .... 1:40:53 .... 59:01 ..= 3:09:22
Sprint:
5. Susie Freeman .... 12:33 .... 37:11 .... 21:51 ..= 1:11:35
19. Gilles Corby ..... 14:20 .... 34:49 .... 22:46 ..= 1:11:55
32. Steve Hope ....... 14:31 .... 37:49 .... 23:13 ..= 1:15:33
Para Championship:
Lauren Steadman .... 11:50 .... 32:02 .... 19:52 ..= 1:03:44 GOLD MEDAL. EUROPEAN CHAMPION.
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Paul Lunn came 6th overall at the Erkner 70.3 Half-Ironman in Berlin, and won his Age Group by a comfortable 17:30 minutes. Paul is the current 70.3 World Champion (2022 and 2023) and after improving his swimming, he came out of the 1.2 mile swim section in 97th place overall from 1,162 athletes, with only 2 in front of him in his Age Group.
Paul soon moved to the front with a rapid bike split that was the 3rd fastest overall in the race, and took him into the lead in his Age Group, as he covered the 56-mile section at an average speed of 26.67 mph. He still wasn’t finished as he then put together a 1:19 half-marathon run to win his Age Group by 17:30 minutes and finish 6th overall.
Paul will be looking to defend his World Title at the Ironman 70.3 World Championships in Taupo, New Zealand on 15th December.
Louise Hathaway came a brilliant 6th in her Age Group, picking up places as she averaged 21.25 mph on the 56-mile bike section; with a solid half-marathon run to finish in just over 5-hours.
Results:
6. Paul Lunn …........ 24:42 …. 2:10:08 …. 1:19:43 ..= 3:54:33 Age Group 1st.
410. Louise Hathaway …. 31:36 …. 2:45:42 …. 1:51:19 ..= 5:08:37 AG 6.
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Darren Smith competed in the well-established season finale at Etwall, Derby, finishing 55th overall in the Sprint Triathlon.
Result:
55. Darren Smith …. 6:56 …. 36:58 …. 25:36 ..= 69:30 AG 10.
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Grafham Water Aquabike (swim 1,500m, bike 25 miles).
Results:
14. Verity Miles .... 36:32 .... 84:05 ..= 2:00:37 AG 2.
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Scott Lloyd ran in the 24th edition of the In Flanders Fields Marathon from Nieuwpoort on the coast following the river 26.2 miles past WW1 cemeteries to Ypres.
Scott finished in 3:40:09 in his first marathon for 8-years.
Result:
82. Scott Lloyd .... 3:40:09
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Laura Hardy took part in the Signature swim in a relay team of 4 to swim the 44 miles of Lake Geneva from the east shore at Montreux to the west shore at Geneva. That is twice as long as the English Channel, although in fresh water and is one of the toughest swims around. Laura was in the water for over 7-hours in various stints.
Andy Martin (5km) and Debbie Montague (750m) took part in the Brighton Sea Swim, both finishing 51st in their respective races.
5km 51st. Andy Martin .... 1:28:40
750 metres: 51st. Debbie Montague .... 22:19
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PACTRAC hold the final race in their club calendar next Sunday – a Standard Distance Triathlon from Oundle School Pool. Non-members can compete, with entries via Pactrac.clubpal.app
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Sue Davys completed the ROC Triathlon in the Lake District.
This involved:
swimming 1,500m in Lake Windermere.
biking 28.5 miles north of Coniston with some technical sections and plenty of long fast miles.
"running" up Scafell Pike to the summit and back, a total of 11-miles on a challenging route with a full mix of terrain - some steep, some fast and some technical with a fast and furious run back down. You have to carry a survival pack with you on this one, with extra clothes, whistle, foil blanket and rations. A tough run with 906m of ascent.
bike back to Windermere on the same 28.5 mile route, with plenty of hills and technical sections.
finish with a half-mile trail run.
This was a tough day and Sue managed the second cycle back quicker than the first ride there. Sue said "it was a great event, but it nearly broke me".
Result:
206. Sue Davys .... 38:34 .... 2:23:44 .... 4:29:35 .... 2:13:57 .... 7:58 ..= 9:53:48.
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The Vitruvian Half-Ironman distance triathlon took place at Rutland Water; and incorporated the English Triathlon Middle-Distance Championships. Athletes from all over the country came to compete, and encountered rain for the first half of the bike course, before the sun came out.
Ellie Piccaver was 2nd out of the water, in her Age Group, and already nearly 2-minutes ahead of the next challenger. Ellie then cycled the 56 mile bike leg at nearly 20mph, and set off on the run with a 3:40 minute advantage. However, with a 1:35 hour half-marathon, Ellie won the Age Group convincingly, coming home 18:33 minutes clear to win the GOLD MEDAL and be crowned English Middle-Distance Champion.
Giles Cooper was in the mix in both the swim and run sections and put himself in a good position, going into the run in 4th position. He was 6-8 minutes down on the 3 in front, but had the second fastest run split and caught 2 of those in front of him to take the SILVER MEDAL by nearly 4-minutes.
Simon Guerin was 3rd going into the run and in a medal position. However, in spite of a decent run, he was caught and had to settle for 6th place in the end.
Results:
67. Giles Cooper ..... 32:59 .... 2:37:36 .... 1:30:03 ..= 4:40:38 AG 2.
93. Simon Guerin ..... 32:23 .... 2:31:14 .... 1:44:35 ..= 4:48:12 AG 6.
106. Dave Thorold ..... 39:33 .... 2:33:48 .... 1:38:20 ..= 4:51:41 AG 5.
172. Ellie Piccaver ... 35:53 .... 2:54:59 .... 1:35:47 ..= 5:06:39 AG 1st.
262. Andy Martin ...... 44:16 .... 2:59:03 .... 1:46:14 ..= 5:29:33 AG 28.
321. Steve Hope ....... 39:50 .... 2:56:28 .... 2:04:40 ..= 5:40:58 AG 6.
364. Jack Shipton ..... 45:22 .... 3:14:44 .... 1:51:44 ..= 5:51:50 AG 12.
486. Ros Goatly ....... 40:59 .... 3:24:15 .... 2:30:57 ..= 6:36:11 AG 12.
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Steve Hope took on the Helvellyn Triathlon - an event that you only do once. Steve must have forgotten that he competed in 2021 and looking around to compete in 20 triathlon's in this, his 40th season in the sport, he entered the toughest triathlon in England for a second time.
The event is in it's twentieth year, but this is the first time under new owners, The Brownlee Foundation, with all profits going to support children to get into sport.
The 1,500m swim took place in Ullswater, one of the cold northern lakes at 14 degrees C.
The 37-mile bike was constantly up and down on a 1-lap course that took in nearly 3-miles of climbing up the Kirkstone Pass, with it's brutal ascents of 1-in-5 at various points. You had to keep your wits about you to avoid cyclists in front zig-zagging across the road, which was closed to other traffic, as you tried to find the shallower side of the road on each bend. Steve punctured just 2-miles into the bike section, which took 10-minutes to repair and ultimately cost 29 places and a top-half finish.
The 9-mile run took athletes straight up Helvellyn via Swirrall Edge which is more of a very steep walk before clambering over boulders to rejoin the "path". For the "run" up to Helvellyn, athletes needed to carry their own survival packs containing extra clothes, foil blanket and whistle plus take their own food and drink supplies. Once at the top, runners were relying on the marshals, signs and flags to navigate through the clouds on rocky paths, and trying not to run out of control on the steep stony trails back down to Glenridding.
Result:
217. Steve Hope .... 29:59 .... 2:44:56 .... 2:16:55 ..= 5:31:50 Age Group 8th.
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Sara Pearce competed in the 1066 Tri Half-Ironman distance triathlon at Bexhill, on the South Coast.
Sara had a good race, although the event didn't quite go to plan, with Southern Water dumping some sewage into the swimming area both the night before and again on the morning of the race. The sea was, therefore, unusable and the event became a Duathlon with a 1.5 mile run to start proceedings off, in order to split the athletes up before the 55-mile 2-lap, hilly bike section. The 12.5 mile run took in 4-laps of the Promenade on a good, flat surface; and Sara was able to win her Age Group and hone her fitness ready for her full Ironman debut in Barcelona in October..
Results:
25. Sara Pearce .... 10:48 .... 3:16:23 .... 2:12:39 ..= 5:39:50 AG 1.
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Christian Richards competed at Dorney lake in the Standard Distance triathlon. Finishing 49th overall, Christian was 3rd in his Age Group heading into the run, but had to settle for 5th in the end.
Results:
49. Christian Richards .... 23:55 .... 1:07:15 .... 51:45 ..= 2:22:55 AG 5.
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Chris Northern finished 3rd overall in the Standard Distance Triathlon at Belvoir Castle. The swim took place in the lake, in the Castle grounds, with a long run up to Transition. Chris finished the 2-lap 26-mile bike section in 3rd place and had a good 6.25-mile run to hold onto 3rd and a Podium spot. Chris was second in his Age Group, as was Paul North in the Sprint Triathlon, whilst youngsters Phoebe and Ophelia Goodale finished 6th and 4th respectively in their swim, run Aquathlons.
After a solid swim, Ophelia was making good progress on the run, and gaining time on the top three. She was catching up quickly, but ultimately ran out of time and missed out on a Podium spot by 2-seconds and a Silver position by just 3-seconds.
Results:
STANDARD;
3. Chris Northern .... 28:11 .... 1:27:01 .... 44:11 ..= 2:39:23 AG 2.
SPRINT;
62. Paul North ....... 21:56 .... 63:00 .... 28:26 ..=1:53:22 AG 2.
TS1 Aquathlon:
4. Ophelia Goodale .... 5:04 .... 11:10 ..= 16:14 AG 4.
TS3 Aquathlon:
6. Phoebe Goodale .... 7:36 .... 17:13 ..= 24:49 AG6.
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Meanwhile, Mariska Niemeijer (swim 400m, run 3.1 miles) and Hugo Flikweert (swim 150m, run 1.2 miles) competed in the Letchworth Duck and Dash Aquathlon.
Results:
Adult.
96. Mariska Niemeijer ....... 8:41 .... 31:08 ..= 39:49 AG 17.
TriStar2.
18. Hugo Flikweert ........... 3:58 .... 10:38 ..= 14:36 AG 18.
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Catherine Burbage and Heather Watts were amongst 7 local "Wadenhoe swimmers" who successfully completed the Windermere end-to-end 11-mile swim on Saturday. All 7 swam without wetsuits and Catherine and Heather finished in 8:27:39 hours and 8:45:05 hours respectively.
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Not PACTRAC, but Local girl, Lauren Steadman competes in the Paratriathlon PTS5 at 10:35am this morning.
SOME BACKGROUND INFORMATION IS HERE:
The Games feature para triathlon racing for only the third time. The 11 events cover all of the para triathlon sport classes / categories.
All athletes, across all sport classes and genders, will race over the same sprint distance course. That comprises of a 750m swim in the Seine, a multi-lap 12.5 mile bike course and finishing with a 3.1 mile run, again raced over multiple laps. The racing is in non-drafting format.
The World Triathlon Para Series and World Triathlon Para Cup races were the routes by which athletes earned their qualification slots for Paris.
One of the key things to note here: is that it is the impact of the impairment “to the extent of activity limitation they cause the athlete when performing in the sport of para triathlon”, NOT the type/nature of that impairment(s) that determines which sport class an athlete races in.
Expected to be one of the closest races is the female PTS5 category, British athletes Lauren Steadman and Claire Cashmore have a similar disability (one missing forearm), but their closest rival, the USA’s Grace Norman, has a lower leg amputation. Different backgrounds… but always incredibly close and competitive racing!
The key difference – and these are the official ‘Laymen’s terms’ used by World Triathlon – are the degrees of impact, as determined by the formal classification process:
PTS2 – Severe impairments
PTS3 – Significant impairments
PTS4 – Moderate impairments
PTS5 – Mild impairments.
Women PTS5
For several years now this has been a Grace Norman / Lauren Steadman / Claire Cashmore battle, with everyone proving that they can win on their day. Grace won in Rio and Lauren took the gold in Tokyo, where she was joined on the podium by Grace (silver) and Claire (bronze).
It would be a surprise if – in some order – that wasn’t the podium again, though the progress of Kamylle Frenette (CAN) has continued to keep the pressure on the leading trio as the standard of para racing continues to evolve.
Steadman has not raced in international para competition this year, thanks to an Abu Dhabi cancellation and COVID, while Norman and Cashmore have not crossed paths during their unbeaten seasons so far. So, next to nothing in terms of form to go on.
https://www.tri247.com/triathlon-news/para-triathlon/paralympics-paris-2024-paratriathlon-schedule-change-water-quality-currents
The Para-triathlon events at the Paris 2024 Paralympics have been postponed by 24 hours because of poor water quality in the River Seine.
All 11 triathlon races had been due to take place on Sunday but heavy rain in Paris has caused water quality in the Seine to drop, World Triathlon said in a statement.
The events will now take place on Monday, subject to further tests.
all the events were switched to Sunday because of the forecast of bad weather.
That weather arrived earlier than expected, meaning the triathlon is now due to happen on Monday - the day initially vacated by organisers.
all the events were switched to Sunday because of the forecast of bad weather.
Great Britain has 11 athletes competing across seven of the triathlon events at the 2024 Paralympics.
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Paul Lunn finished 2nd in his Age Group at Ironman Frankfurt and qualified for the Ironman World Championships to be held in Hawaii at the end of October. Paul was the 69th Age Grouper to finish from a field of 2,422 and came in, in just over 9-hours with a very consistent race.
In a tightly fought contest, Paul was 13th in his Age Group out of the swim and right behind the eventual winner. Paul shot through the 112-mile bike split in 4:30 hours, giving an average speed of 24.9mph. Their was one athlete still 2:33 minutes ahead of him; and in spite of a rapid 3:17 hour marathon, Paul saw the gap slightly widen and had to settle for 2nd place, which qualified him for his 6th Ironman World Championships.
This is Paul's 19th Ironman race and gives him another shot at a Podium place in Hawaii, where his best result to date is 3rd back in 2018.
Results:
127. Paul Lunn .... 1:05:27 .... 4:37:11 .... 3:22:25 ..+ 9:05:03 Age Group 2nd.
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PACTRAC had 14 seniors and 13 juniors competing in the Oundle triathlons on Sunday.
Adam Clark won the main Sprint Triathlon outright, to take his first open win of the season and retain his Oundle Triathlon crown from last year.
Adam took a 6-second lead from the swim with 3rd place already 43-seconds down. He held on to a slender lead on the tricky bike section, coming in with just a 7-second advantage; but a quick transition and 18-minute 5k run saw the lead extend to 30-seconds by the finish.
Verity Miles was 2nd overall in the Aquabike Sprint and one of 7 seniors to win their respective Age Groups.
300 juniors took part in the afternoon's racing which covered 5 Age Group races for 8-16 year old's; each competing over different Age-related distances.
The outstanding performance came from Ophelia Goodale who won the TriStar 1 event outright from 86 competitor's, aged 9-10.
Ophelia was 3rd= out of the water, just 8-seconds down, but grabbed the lead in Transition and was 23-seconds up after the bike leg with only 2-athletes within a minute of her. She extended her lead to win by 35-seconds, with a consistent showing all round.
The PACTRAC Juniors train fortnightly on a Sunday at Stanground with the next session this Sunday 25th August. Young athletes from ages 6-16 can join in with these fun sessions by signing up at https://pactrac.clubpal.app with sessions currently free of charge.
Results.
Sprint: (swim 600m, bike 16-miles, run 3.1 miles)
1. Adam Clark ............ 7:50 .... 40:22 .... 18:11 ..= 66:23 AG 1.
5. Phil Groves .......... 11:53 .... 44:56 .... 18:37 ..= 75:26 AG 1.
6. Rob Hammond .......... 10:25 .... 45:28 .... 20:19 ..= 76:12 AG 2.
14. Steve Hope ........... 12:36 .... 49:27 .... 23:08 ..= 85:11 AG 1.
37. Jack Shipton ......... 12:13 .... 55:32 .... 24:32 ..= 92:17 AG 3.
70. Debbie Montague ...... 16:03 .... 65:53 .... 25:46 ..= 1:47:42 AG 5.
79. Daniel Richardson .... 22:35 .... 70:13 .... 24:15 ..= 1:57:03 AG 3.
83. Gill Bates ........... 20:08 .... 68:16 .... 35:39 ..= 2:04:03 AG 1.
86. Georgina Jennings .... 17:10 .... 69:39 .... 47:15 ..= 2:14:04 AG 1.
Sprint Aquabike (swim 600m, bike 16-miles):
2. Verity Miles ....................... 11:26 .... 51:19 ..= 62:45 AG 1.
Super-Sprint: swim 300m, bike 8-miles, run 1.5 miles)
10. Steph Fordham .............. 7:57 .... 34:01 ... 13:05 ..= 55:03 AG 2.
12. Sophie Greville-Heygate .. 11:27 .... 34:59 .... 14:17 ..= 60:43 AG 1.
24. Yvonne Lee .............. 13:06 .... 37:20 .... 17:57 ..= 68:23 AG 2.
26. Tracy Rookyard .......... 12:05 .... 41:29 .... 15:30 ..= 69:04 AG 3.
TriStart (8-years old):
16. Byron Stother ....... 1:59 .... 5:23 .... 3:31 ..= 10:53.
17. Mordy Smith ......... 1:55 .... 5:23 .... 3:38 ..= 10:56.
27. Jack Dundee ......... 2:38 .... 5:27 .... 3:39 ..= 11:44.
29. Thomas Moys ......... 2:08 .... 6:01 .... 3:44 ..= 11:53.
30. Imogen Lazenby ...... 1:54 .... 6:03 .... 4:01 ..= 11:58.
37. Orla Caskey ......... 2:41 .... 6:44 .... 3:56 ..=13:21.
TriStar1 (9-10 year olds):
1. Ophelia Goodale .... 3:01 .... 7:06 .... 5:25 ..= 15:32. FIRST OVERALL from 86 athletes.
TriStar2 (11-12 year olds):
23. Beatrice Faith .....3:29 .... 13:50 ..... 8:51 ..= 26:10.
44. Bentley Anthony ... 4:55 .... 13:50 ..... 9:03 ..= 27:48.
51. Hugo Flikweert .... 4:19 .... 14:45 ..... 9:55 ..= 28:59.
66. George Mansergh ... 4:36 .... 16:00 .... 10:08 ..= 30:44.
78. India Lazenby ..... 5:08 .... 15:42 .... 11:51 ..= 32:41.
Youth (15-16 year olds):
14. Phoebe Goodale .... 6:57 .... 21:29 .... 13:03 ..= 41:29.
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Saturday's Sprint Triathlon at Mallory Park on the closed Motor Racing Circuit, acted as not only the British Sprint Championships but also a Qualifying race for the European Sprint Championships to be held in Istanbul, Turkey, next year.
In the British Sprint Championships 3 athletes narrowly missed out on medals with Susie Freeman finishing 4th in her Age Group, Mark Weathersby 5th and Simon Hoppe 6th.
However, for the 2025 European Championships, athletes were in next year's Age Groups, and all three qualified for the race in Istanbul - as did another local Peterborough man, Don Hutchinson.
Simon came in off the bike in the lead group of three in this Draft-Legal race, with a further group of 4 athletes just 40-seconds behind. He eventually missed out on a podium spot by just 41-seconds. Susie was 3rd going into the run with the girl in front still within sight, and eventually finished just 1:11 minutes off of the Podium; whilst Mark was just 2:19 minutes short.
Results:
Mark Weathersby .... 13:01 .... 34:31 .... 17:19 ..= 64:51 AG 5th.
Simon Hoppe ........ 12:12 .... 34:11 .... 20:02 ..= 66:21 AG 6.
Graeme Kane ........ 12:49 .... 37:11 .... 20:07 ..= 70:07 AG 20.
Susie Freeman ...... 12:32 .... 39:47 .... 21:47 ..= 74:06 AG 4.
Steve Hope ......... 14:35 .... 39:57 .... 22:23 ..= 76:55 AG 19.
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With only 7 athletes in action at the weekend, PACTRAC had a 1,2,3 with Sam Pettitt winning the Super-Sprint Triathlon at St.Neots, Michael Shadwell coming 2nd in the St.Neots Standard Distance Triathlon and Adam Clark finishing 3rd overall in the English Triathlon Championships at Bedford to record a well-deserved overall BRONZE MEDAL and Age Group GOLD MEDAL.
Sam Pettitt came out of the Great Ouse at St.Neots in 4th place and after 5-minutes on the bike, proceeded to move into the lead with the 2nd fastest bike time of the day. He then put further distance into the rest of the field with a rapid run to win this Super-Sprint by 65-seconds.
Michael Shadwell came 2nd overall in the Standard-Distance Triathlon at St.Neots. Also 4th out of the water with a great swim, Michael moved into 2nd place early on the bike; and with the 2nd fastest run secured his place on the Podium.
Adam Clark won an overall BRONZE MEDAL and Age Group GOLD MEDAL at the English National Championships, held further downstream in the River Great Ouse at Bedford. Adam was 8th out of the water but moved up to 2nd on the bike section. He was then caught and lost 2nd place on the run, finishing just 4-seconds down on the Silver Medal place, due to not being aware of an athlete who started in a later wave. The event was won by the ex-Elite athlete Edward Castro, who also won the event at Milton Keynes last week.
Results:
Bedford Standard-Distance - English National Championships:
3. Adam Clark ...... 21:22 .... 62:45 .... 37:51 ..= 2:01:58 AG 1. GOLD / BRONZE MEDAL.
62. Steve Hope ...... 28:23 .... 73:24 .... 49:42 ..= 2:31:29 AG 6.
136. Rod Hall ........ 38:09 .... 93:28 .... 55:48 ..= 3:07:25 AG 14.
St.Neots Standard-Distance.
2. Michael Shadwell ...... 26:28 .... 76:22 .... 38:15 ..= 2:21:05 AG 1.
11. Nathan Keir ........... 27:30 .... 85:39 .... 46:13 ..= 2:39:22 AG 2.
St.Neots Sprint-Distance.
33. Sophie Robotham .... 14:05 .... 52:50 .... 25:34 ..= 1:32:29 AG 2.
St.Neots Super-Sprint.
1. Sam Pettitt .... 9:12 .... 16:37 .... 10:16 ..= 36:05 AG 1st.
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We had 7 athletes competing in the various triathlon's at Emberton Park, Olney nr Milton Keynes and a further 13 swimmers in the SwimRutland events at Rutland Water.
At Emberton Park, Paul Jephcott came first in his Age Group in the half-ironman distance triathlon; whilst Steve Small continued his comeback with an Age Group 2nd in the Standard Distance Aquabike: and Sophie Robotham raced to an Age Group 3rd in the Sprint Triathlon.
However, the main action took place in the Standard Distance Triathlon, known as the Calfman, which was a Qualifying event for the 2025 World Championships in Sydney, Australia.
Adam Clark finished in 2nd place overall in this big National event, with plenty of competition from around the country.
Adam was 7th out of the water, and had the quickest transition of all, which resulted in an epic battle on the first of two bike laps with the eventual 3rd placed athlete. Adam eventually pulled ahead early on the second lap and started the run in 3rd place. He managed to hold his ground on the run section whilst also gaining one place and finished 2nd overall to the ex Elite triathlete Edward Castro.
Adam and Sarah Haslam both qualified for the GB Age Group Team to compete in Sydney, Australia next year. However, Adam has already had to give his place up due to family commitments. Sarah had already qualified for the accompanying Aquabike in Sydney, along with husband Bill Haslam, and now has two events to make for a busy trip.
Results:
Cowman: (swim 1900m, bike 56 miles, run 13.1 miles).
63. Paul Jephcott .... 40:52 .... 3:29:47 .... 2:22:14 ..= 6:32:53 AG 1st.
Calfman: (swim 1500m, bike 25 miles, run 6.5 miles).
2. Adam Clark ........ 20:36 .... 63:14 .... 39:22 ..= 2:03:12 AG 1.
33. Graeme Kane ....... 23:58 .... 70:12 .... 46:24 ..= 2:20:34 AG 9.
76. Steve Hope ........ 26:13 .... 75:11 .... 52:16 ..= 2:33:40 AG 6.
155. Sarah Haslam ...... 25:52 .... 85:28 .... 63:40 ..= 2:55:00 AG 4.
Calfman Aquabike: (swim 1500m, bike 25 miles).
9. Steve Small .... 28:16 .... 87:42 ..= 1:55:58 AG 2.
Stampede: (swim 750m, bike 12.5 miles, run 3.25 miles).
21. Sophie Robotham .... 13:07 .... 40:57 .... 26:54 ..= 1:20:58 AG 3.
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13 swimmers joined nearly 700 others in Rutland Water for the 2k, 4k and 8k swims; with Laura Hardy and Dan Bassett choosing the tough 8km swim and winning their respective Age Groups.
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Adam Clark came 2nd in the Mallory Park Sprint Triathlon. Taking a slight advantage from the swim, Adam forged ahead with another competitor and made the tactical decision to ease off just 20-yards before the end of the bike section. This proved his undoing as he was never able to bridge the 3-second gap and had to settle for second place but first in his Age Group.
Meanwhile, at the same venue, Jaap Flikweert and his nephew Arco Flikweert finished 2nd and 4th respectively in the Super-Sprint Triathlon, whilst both winning their Age Group. Jaap was overtaken on the bike leg around the Motor-Circuit and lost out by just 36-seconds at the end.
Hugo Flikweert finished 14th in the TriStar 2 Junior race for 11-12 year old's in a rare outing into the open water lake.
Jaap also won the Fenland Clarion's evening 10-mile Time Trial outright last Tuesday, with Jesse Flikweert a close second and Arco 6th.
Results:
Sprint:
2. Adam Clark ........ 11:37 .... 34:31 .... 19:15 ..= 65:23 Age Group 1st.
Super-Sprint:
2. Jaap Flikweert ... 7:22 .... 18:42 .... 10:14 ..= 36:18 AG 1st.
4. Arco Flikweert ... 9:17 .... 18:26 .... 11:39 ..= 39:22 AG 1st.
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Chris Pithey competed in the Outlaw Full Triathlon held at Holme Pierrepont, Nottingham.
Now in its 14th year, the event covers the full Ironman distances of swim 2.4 miles in the rowing lake, bike 112 miles on a fast and flat 3-lapped course and run 26.2 miles around the lake and River Trent. Unfortunately, Blue-Green Algae was found in the Rowing Lake, and the swim was replaced by a 3-mile run around the lake in order to spread the athletes out before the start of the bike section. Chris performed well in the, now Duathlon event, and finished in the top half of the field in 11:35:02 hours.
Result:
227. Chris Pithey .... 26:43 .... 6:04:37 .... 5:03:42 ..= 11:35:02 Age Group 24.
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Claire Lera finished 3rd overall and 1st in her Age Group in the Sprint Aquathlon at Belvoir Castle. Claire was first out of the 750m lake swim and was caught both early and late on the 3.1 mile run, to hold on to a podium finish, 23-seconds ahead of the next challenger.
Result:
3. Claire Lera .... 11:22 .... 34:29 ..= 45:51 AG 1st.
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Amy Mellor and Graeme Abrahams competed in different distances at the National Masters Open-Water Swimming Championships held at Rother Valley; with Amy finishing 2nd in her Age Group in the 5k swim and Graeme 3rd in his Age Group in the 3k.
5km. 34th Amy Mellor .................. 88:14 AG 2.
3km. 51st Graeme Abrahams .... 52:54 AG 3.
=====================
Just the two races to report on from this weekend.
Mark Weathersby, Adam Clark and Rhys Wilkinson came second in the Bedford Team Relays, narrowly missing out in a tight contest by just 1:38 minutes.
Each athlete had to swim 750 metres in Box End Lake, one at a time, before handing over to the next team member. They repeated this on the 12.5 mile bike section and then each ran 3.1 miles in turn. Mark went first and handed the batten to Adam, with Rhys going third.
The team got off to a great start and were in 5th position after the 3-swim legs, dropping a further place in the transition to the bike leg, with several teams hot on their heels.
Mark then went full pelt on the bike and moved the team up to 3rd place, now just 9-seconds behind the leaders. Adam then had the 5th fastest bike of the day, which saw the top two teams creating a gap over third place, but saw the gap widen and they were 1:44 behind when Rhys took over.
A great bike leg from Rhys saw them start the run 36-seconds in front. However, the team from GreenlightPT had their top runners out and pulled back to take the honours by 1:38 minutes in a tightly fought contest; with the third team by now over 7-minutes behind.
Results:
Mark Weathersby / Adam Clark / Rhys Wilkinson 2nd overall.
Total swim: 40:46
Total Bike: 1:56:39
Total run: 1:02:55
Total time: 3:40:20
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Steve Hope won his Age Group in the Hathersage Hilly Triathlon - a sprint triathlon made up for by the very hilly nature of the course.
After a 420 metre swim in the outdoor Lido, the 13-mile bike section took in an 18-minute climb and several descents; before an even steeper 4-mile off-road fell run.
Results:
50. Steve Hope .... 8:56 .... 47:31 .... 37:20 ..= 93:47 Age Group 1st.
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Adam Clark won the 6th and final Mini-Series Triathlon of the year at Oundle on Wednesday by a 3-minute margin. Adam had already won the Club Championships this year and added the Mini-Series to his collection of silverware. He has now won 7 of the 9 club events to date.
Adam came out of the water with a clear advantage over Paul Davies (23 seconds) and Simon Guerin (31 seconds). Sophie Robotham then led Chris Elder, Susie Freeman and Rob Hammond out, in quick succession.
Simon moved into second place on the bike, and gained a few seconds back on Adam, before relinquishing his place on the run to the fast moving Rob and Phil Groves, with Phil moving into second, but unable to make any gains on the impressive Clark. Simon held onto 4th by just 5-seconds in a sprint finish with the rapidly approaching Chris.
Susie Freeman won the ladies event, ahead of Harriet Lomas and Claire Widdowson. Susie is the Ladies Champion this year and also adds the Ladies Mini-Series to her list of Trophies; having won 4 of the 6 races, with Harriet and Sarah Caskey winning the other two.
58 different competitors took part in the 6-race series, with the top 3-places each week being spread amongst just 6 athletes; including Rob Hammond with 1 second and 4 third places who currently lies 2nd in the Club Championships, with Simon Guerin in third, with just one more event to race in September.
Adam Clark ............ 5:22 .... 23:17 .... 19:16 ..= 47:55
Phil Groves ............. 7:19 .... 24:05 .... 19:33 ..= 50:57
Rob Hammond ..... 6:34 .... 24:05 .... 21:14 ..= 51:53
Simon Guerin ........ 5:53 .... 23:08 .... 23:20 ..= 52:21
Chris Elder .............. 6:28 .... 24:36 .... 21:22 ..= 52:26
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Steve Hope competed in the Odyssey Triathlon at St.Neots. The event took place over the Ironman distance of:
swim 2.4 miles in the Great Ouse. Out and back 4 times.
bike 112 miles. 2 laps each containing 4 dog-legs, with rain for the first 3-hours and then more rain on and off thereafter. Together with the wind, this made for a cold ride, which made eating difficult before 50-miles; on a tough day where 25% of the starters didn't finish.
run 26.2 miles. 7 laps of a 3.75 mile circuit mainly on tarmac paths or grass.
Georgina Jennings won her Age Group in the accompanying Sprint Triathlon at the same venue, whilst Paul Jephcot recorded a second place in his Age Group in the Standard Distance race.
Result:
18. Steve Hope .... 1:27:00 .... 6:49:12 .... 4:54:23 ..=13:10:35 AG 1st.
Standard:
64. Paul Jephcot .... 38:51 .... 1:40:10 .... 57:51 ..= 3:16:52 AG 2.
Sprint:
101. Georgina Jennings .... 29:27 .... 73:50 .... 52:24 ..= 2:35:41 AG 1st.
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Paul Lunn came 6th in his Age Group at the Ironman Distance Triathlon held at Roth in Germany. Paul had a solid 2.4 mile swim before completing the 112 mile bike section at an impressive 26.5mph. He was still 2nd in his Age Group half-way through the marathon run, but with only a slight drop in pace, finished 6th in his Age Group in a tightly contested race, in just over 9-hours.
106. Sam Chapman .. 1:03:21 .... 4:33:41 .... 3:00:33 ..= 8:41:26 AG 16.
205. Paul Lunn .... 1:02:44 .... 4:35:03 .... 3:23:13 ..= 9:01:00 AG 6.
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Becs Burge went to Thun, near Zurich in Switzerland to compete in her 4th Ironman Triathlon. After a consistent swim and bike, Becs started the run in the top half of the field, slipping slightly in the tough conditions.
1044. Becs Burge .... 1:20:51 .... 6:32:33 .... 6:07:21 ..= 14:00:45 AG 28.
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3 members took part in the Outlaw Holkham Half, held over the half-ironman distance at Holkham Hall.
Results:
436. Jessica Dove ......... 43:43 .... 3:16:27 .... 2:16:36 ..= 6:16:46 AG 14.
522. Andrew Taylor ........ 50:45 .... 3:08:21 .... 2:34:47 ..= 6:33:53 AG 39.
672. Ros Goatly ........... 40:48 .... 3:31:41 .... 2:56:45 ..= 7:09:14 AG 15.
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Paul Lunn showed that he is in fine form in the 5th Mini-Series at Oundle, whilst beating the previous Course Record, set by himself in 2021, by a whopping 52-seconds.
Paul produced his best swim time on the course by 4-seconds, to come out just 41-seconds behind Adam Clark, who himself produced a Personal Best time on the course, including breaking his own swim course record by 7-seconds.
Adam completed the 400m swim in 5:18, a new swim course record. Paul Davies who has been on Adam's feet all series, came out in 5:24 which would have beaten the record but for Adam's fine performance. Simon Guerin was just 16-seconds further back before Paul Lunn came out.
Paul then had an incredibly fast bike to come into T2 just over a minute ahead of Adam, and 2 1/2 minutes ahead of Simon.
On the 3.1 mile run, Paul produced a superfast 18:33 to Adam's 19:01, (which includes the transition time) and moved further ahead to take the win by 1:40 minutes. In doing so, he beat his own Course Record by 52-seconds whilst also pushing Adam to a new Personal Best time.
Paul now has the 5 fastest times on the course, 5 of the top 6 bike splits and the top 3 run times. His previous 3 best times were all within 10-seconds of each other, with tonight's showing suggesting that he is in fine form to attack the Ironman distance race at Challenge Roth this weekend in Germany - alongside PACTRAC's Sue Davys.
The racers tonight were all spread out with Rob Hammond moving up from 9th after the swim to 4th on the bike and 3rd on the run, exchanging places with Graeme Kane on the bike before holding off Graeme's advances on the run by 26-seconds.
9 PB's were recorded on the night, whilst 8 athletes went under the hour. Susie Freeman had some good competition amongst the ladies but came through 3:53 ahead of Claire Widdowson by the finish.
Paul Lunn ............... 5:59 .... 20:22 .... 18:33 ..= 44:54 PB and Course Record + swim PB
Adam Clark ........... 5:18 .... 22:15 .... 19:01 ..= 46:34 PB and SWIM Course Record.
Rob Hammond .... 6:41 .... 23:30 .... 21:30 ..= 51:41
Graeme Kane ........ 6:31 .... 24:23 .... 21:13 ..= 52:07
Simon Guerin ........ 5:40 .... 23:14 .... 23:36 ..= 52:30
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Antony Brown won a GOLD MEDAL in the European Aquabike Championships held in Coimbra, Portugal. Antony was 6th in his 65+ year Age Group and over 2-minutes down after the 1.2 mile swim, but quickly took the lead in his favoured 56-mile bike section to win convincingly by 11:06 minutes. This is Antony's first Podium finish in 7 attempts whilst representing Team GB.
Result:
1st. Antony Brown .... 35:17 .... 2:23:31 ..= 2:58:48. GOLD MEDAL.
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Susie Freeman finished 3rd overall in the Swim,Run event at Grafham Water. The event, organised by AsKeenAsMustard took in 8 runs and 7 swims over a 10km course. Competitor's are constantly having to change discipline and swim in their training shoes and run in their wetsuits.
With the leader slightly out-of-sight, Susie was in a good battle with two other athletes for second position and managed a Podium finish in 3rd place overall.
3. Susie Freeman .... 1:29:36
14. Richard Wright .. 1:48:52
15. Ady Pendred ....... 1:48:54.
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Laura Hardy and Amy Mellor competed in the Regional Open-Water 5km Swimming Championships, and in a close sprint finish won the GOLD and SILVER Medals in 1:27 hours. Both are now in training for the National Championships coming up.
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Adam Clark returned to winning ways in the 4th race of the Mini-Series Triathlon's at Oundle. With just two more events to go Adam just needs one more win to secure the Mini-Series Trophy. He cannot now be beaten in this year's Club Championships and has been crowned as the Club Champion for 2024, the trophies to be distributed at the Gala Dinner in December.
Susie Freeman is also looking for one more Mini-Series win to secure the Ladies Trophy, but did ensure that she retained her Ladies Club Championship status in the Ladies race. Susie attained the maximum points in Mini-Series 4 thus ensuring that she cannot be beaten with 3 Club Championship events still to take place.
Adam and Paul Davies came out of the swim section together, 50-seconds ahead of Graeme Kane, who had a 5-second advantage over Susie Freeman, Sophie Robotham and Simon Meade. It was another minute before Phil Groves led 9-swimmers out in the space of 30-seconds.
Phil made some inroads on the bike but Adam was still out in front by 1.42 at the start of the run. Phil had moved himself up to 2nd and was now 7-seconds in front of Graeme. Adam gained a further 13-seconds on the run to take the win by 1 minute and 55 seconds from Phil, with Graeme coming home in 3rd, a further 2:20 back.
Susie held on to the lead in the Ladies race, whilst Sarah Caskey moved into 2nd spot on the run, ahead of Sophie. It was a good evening for racing with 7 athletes recording Personal Best times and 9 going under the hour.
Results:
Adam Clark ............ 5:33 .... 23:23 .... 19:08 ..= 48:04
Phil Groves ............. 7:27 .... 23:11 .... 19:21 ..= 49:59
Graeme Kane ......... 6:22 .... 24:23 .... 21:34 ..= 52:19
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The Dambuster Standard Distance and Sprint Distance triathlons took place at Rutland Water at the weekend; with both Ellie Piccaver and Giles Cooper qualifying for the European Championships to be held in Istanbul next year. The events were both held on closed roads and attracted over 700 athletes.
Ellie qualified at her first attempt, and won her Age Group by a huge 17-minutes, whilst Giles qualified with a second place in his Age Group.
In the Sprint Distance race Fi Phillips came 3rd in her Age Group whilst Sophie Robotham was 5th but just 2-minutes from a Podium place.
Dambuster results:
Standard Distance (1,500m, 25m, 6.25m);
56. Jonny Hynes ............ 26:23 .... 1:08:51 .... 42:20 ..= 2:17:34 Age Group 6.
76. Giles Cooper ............ 26:08 .... 1:13:39 .... 41:05 ..= 2:20:52 AG 2.
155. Ellie Piccaver ........... 26:41 .... 1:21:05 .... 43:52 ..= 2:31:38 AG 1.
330. Gary Shoemake ..... 29:46 .... 1:27:46 .... 56:21 ..= 2:53:53 AG 26.
459. Rod Hall .................... 39:48 .... 1:44:50 .... 53:05 ..= 3:17:43 AG 37.
480. Lynn Smitheringale 37:08 .... 1:41:09 .... 64:39 ..= 3:22:56 AG 17.
Sprint Distance (750m, 12.5 miles, 3.1 miles):
33. Fi Phillips ..................... 16:36 .... 47:50 .... 23:34 ..= 1:28:00 AG 3.
45. Sophie Robotham .... 14:53 .... 49:16 .... 26:09 ..= 1:30:18 AG 5.
111. Nadine Duncan ........ 18:19 .... 54:30 .... 30:20 ..= 1:43:09 AG 11.
125. Paul North .................. 24:18 .... 51:57 .... 30:54 ..= 1:47:09 AG 6.
127. Maggie De Pree ....... 22:20 .... 53:16 .... 32:02 ..= 1:47:38 AG 13.
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24 athletes lined up for the 3rd of 6 Mini-Series Sprint Triathlons at Oundle on Wednesday night.
Adam Clark has had it all his own way so far, but current Course Record holder, Paul Lunn made his first appearance on the night.
Adam led the swimmers out, beating his previous swim Course Record, set only last week, by 1-second. He was again held up in the pool, suggesting that their is more to come.
For 1-second Adam held the best 10 swim times over this course, before Paul Davies came out right on his heels and equaled Adam's previous best time, recorded just last week.
Simon Guerin followed 30-seconds later, with another 30-seconds passing before Chris Elder led 4 others out, including top contenders Paul Lunn and Rob Hammond together with the first lady, Susie Freeman, who had Sophie Robotham hot on her heels.
Paul Lunn is one of the top cyclists in the country and turned a one-minute deficit on Adam into a one-minute advantage. Paul recorded his second fastest bike split on this course and now had a 3-minute gap ahead of third place Chris, with Rob just 15-seconds further back.
The added competition pushed Adam to perform at his best. As well as a new swim Course Record, Adam recorded a Personal Best time on the course as well as a PB for the run. He closed the gap on Paul to 43-seconds, but Paul was in top form and wasn't going to be caught over the 3.1 mile run.
Rob started the run 15-seconds behind Chris in the chase for third spot and moved ahead on the return into Oundle; but Chris hung on, before eventually having to concede 3rd place to Rob by just 10-seconds.
Susie gradually pulled away from Sophie, with Harriet Lomas moving between them on the bike, before Sophie re-took second place on the run; but Susie had the fastest run and wasn't going to be beaten.
Results:
Paul Lunn ............. 6:23 .... 20:55 .... 19:03 ..= 46:21 2nd fastest bike ever.
Adam Clark ............ 5:25 .... 22:54 .... 18:45 ..= 47:04 PB.swim CR again held up.run pb.
Rob Hammond ........... 6:30 .... 24:04 .... 20:48 ..= 51:22
Chris Elder ........... 6:21 .... 23:58 .... 21:13 ..= 51:32
Susie Freeman ......... 6:24 .... 29:38 .... 25:08 ..= 61:10
Sophie Robotham ....... 6:28 .... 31:38 .... 26:25 ..= 64:31
Harriet Lomas ......... 8:31 .... 29:00 .... 27:43 ..= 65:14
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In the Lakesman Half based at Derwent Water in Keswick; the constant rain leading up to the event eventually stopped and the half-Ironman distance triathlon took place on dry roads with little wind. The swim in Derwentwater was a cool 14.6C which led to 40 competitors either abandoning in the swim or on the bike. It was half way on the bike before athletes were warmed up, with the bike heading out and back on the main A66 and then finding some hills on the large loop at the far end.
Results:
183. Mark Bedford .... 36:25 .... 3:11:07 .... 1:48:08 ..= 5:35:40 AG 23.
290. Steve Hope ......... 39:09 .... 3:20:32 .... 2:00:52 ..= 6:00:33 AG 5.
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Tom Hughes competed in the European Duathlon Sprint Championships in the under 20 category, in Coimbra, Portugal. This was Tom's first time representing GB having qualified at the Darley Moor Duathlon in May last year. Tom is still only 15 but competed in the 15-19 year race and was only 30-seconds away from a podium position.
Tom was 7th after the initial 3.1 mile run in an impressive 17:03 and had the fastest bike split of the day as he caught the group in front in this draft legal format.
With one athlete out in front, Tom started the final 1.5 mile run in a group of 6 and soon pulled away from two athletes to finish in 5th place overall; just 8, 29 and 34 seconds behind the three in front; with the winner just over 2-minutes ahead.
Tom again qualified at this year's Darley Moor Duathlon for next year's World Championships in Pontevedra, Spain.
Results:
5. Tom Hughes .... 17:03 .... 32:35 .... 9:16 ..= 58:54.
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Jack Shipton ventured over to Karnten-Klagenfurt in Austria to participate in his first Ironman event. At just 21-years of age, Jack was one of the youngest competitor's, and he paced the event throughout to get to the finish line in 16 hours and 17 minutes. Jack had to swim 2.4 miles in the lake, before cycling 112 miles on an undulating course and then finish with a full 26.2 mile marathon run.
Results:
2375. Jack Shipton .... 1:32:11 .... 8:25:43 .... 6:19:30 ..= 16:17:24 AG 66th.
=======================
PACTRACers were involved in 3 races this weekend as well as last Wednesday's Mini-Series triathlon at Oundle.
Christian Richards flew the flag for PACTRAC in the National Championships held in the River Thames at Windsor. Christian finished 195th from 1,350 competitor's and 25th in his Age Group
195. Christian Richards .... 26:24 .... 81:43 .... 48:58 ..= 2:37:05 AG 25.
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PACTRAC had 5 Juniors racing in the Rob McLean Junior Triathlon's held at Cambridge.
Imogen Lazenby led Orla Caskey home in the TriStart race for 8-year olds, whilst Bentley Anthony led Hugo Flikweert and India Lazenby home in the TriStar 2 race for 11-12 year olds.
TriStart:
6. Imogen Lazenby .... 1:08 .... 8:10 .... 3:15 ..= 12:33
9. Orla Caskey .............. 1:41 .... 8:17 .... 3:53 ..= 13:51
TriStar 2:
26. Bentley Anthony .... 4:30 .... 15:20 .... 8:13 ..= 28:03
44. Hugo Flikweert ....... 3:47 .... 18:54 .... 8:48 ..= 31:29
52. India Lazenby .......... 4:35 .... 18:44 .. 10:45 ..= 34:04
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3 members competed locally at Stibbington in the AsKeenAsMustard swim,run races held in the River Nene.
Steph Fordham was the first female home in the 3-mile event which took in 5 runs and 4 swims. Competitor's had to run in their wetsuits and swim in their training shoes, whilst constantly changing disciplines, in and out of the river. Swim floats and hand paddles are allowed but everything that you start with, you have to carry the whole way round.
The top 3 ladies finished within 34 seconds of each other and Steph took the top spot by just 9-seconds to record a win in her first swim,run event.
Rod Hall chose to compete in the 13-mile race over 8 runs and 7 swims. The longest run section was 2.5 miles long. Overall 117 competitor's finished the various distance races, but all had to swim part of the river against the current at 17C.
Results:
3-miles:
7. Steph Fordham ........... 47:03 1st Lady.
22. Daniel Richardson .... 60:37
13-miles:
19. Rod Hall ..................... 3:39:19.
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The 2nd PACTRAC Mini-Series triathlon of the summer took place at Oundle School in the 25-metre pool. Athletes had to swim 400m, cycle 9-miles and run 3.1 miles on a windy but dry night.
Adam Clark took his 2nd win from the two races so far and beat the 50-minute barrier comfortably. Adam had the fastest splits in all 3 disciplines and in spite of being held up in the swim section, still managed to break the swim course record by 3-seconds, exiting the pool in 5:26 minutes. Rob Hammond then led Chris Elder out a minute later, whilst Sophie Robotham was the next out, 16-seconds ahead of Steve Skelhon.
Adam, Rob and Chris held onto the top 3 places, whilst 75-seconds further back the race was on for 4th. Steve Skelhon extended his lead after the bike section to 1:05 minutes over Chris Pike and 1:42 over Andy Corner. However, positions were reversed on the run. Andy caught Steve on the way back into Oundle and at the half-way stage caught Chris and moved into 4th spot. Chris eventually caught Steve and won the uphill sprint for 5th place.
Sarah Caskey took the lead in the ladies race, coming into T2 6-seconds ahead of Sophie whilst Claire Widdowson had a great bike section to close to just 19-seconds further back on the two in front. Sarah had a superb run to take the win whilst Sophie and Claire kept 19-seconds apart throughout the run.
Results:
Adam Clark ............ 5:26 .... 23:27 .... 18:59 ..= 47:52 New Swim Course record.
Rob Hammond ..... 6:23 .... 24:57 .... 21:10 ..= 52:30
Chris Elder ............... 6:29 .... 25:00 .... 23:16 ..= 54:45
Andy Corner ........... 7:27 .... 26:24 .... 22:08 ..= 55:59
Chris Pike ................. 7:43 .... 25:31 .... 23:17 ..= 56:31
Steve Skelhon ......... 7:03 .... 25:06 .... 24:29 ..= 56:38#
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Adam Clark won the first PACTRAC Mid-week Mini-Series Triathlon at Oundle Sports Centre. The popular triathlons continue over 6 Wednesday evenings until 3rd July over the distances of:
Swim 400m in Oundle’s 25m pool.
Bike 9 miles on the hilly Glapthorn, Upper Benefield course.
Run 3.1 miles out to Glapthorn and back.
Adam exited from the 400m pool swim nearly a minute ahead of Graeme Kane and Christian Richards, with Rob Hammond 23-seconds further back; but 48-seconds ahead of Phil Groves. Steph Fordham followed Phil out and took an early lead amongst the ladies.
With the fastest bike split and run split of the night Adam pressed on to win the event by just over 3-minutes and lay a solid foundation in this year’s Club Championships. Having missed out over the last two year’s due to other commitments, Adam had already put a marker down, winning the earlier Aquathlon in March and the Duathlon in April. He added the first Mini-Series Triathlon to his list of victories, and now has a lead that will be difficult to beat.
It was a close battle between the 3 athletes behind Adam. Graeme finished the swim 23-seconds ahead of Rob with Phil a further 48-seconds back.
Rob managed to catch Graeme on the bike, and after some to-ing and fro-ing, he came in 10-seconds ahead, whilst Phil was still over a minute behind.
The opposite happened on the run, with Graeme eventually gaining the 10-seconds back and pulling away to finish 2nd by another 10-seconds. Phil meanwhile had a super-fast run and nearly caught the other two, but ran out of road, finishing 10 and 20 seconds behind respectively.
Harriet Lomas was the first lady home by 46-seconds from a fast-approaching Eleanor Pike in her first triathlon. Eleanor started the run 3-minutes behind Julien Roth but couldn’t quite catch him in the sprint for the line.
8 athletes broke the hour barrier, with Adam Clark well under the 50-minute mark on a night that saw 8 athletes record Personal Best times.
Adam Clark ……. 5:30 …. 22:51 .…. 19:18 ..= 47:39
Graeme Kane …... 6:27 …. 23:59 …. 20:17 ..= 50:43
Rob Hammond …. 6:50 …. 23:26 …. 20:37 ..= 50:53
Phil Groves …...… 7:38 .... 23:54 …. 19:31 ....= 51:03
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Simon Guerin came 33rd in the Grafman Triathlon held over the Half-Ironman distance at Grafham Water. The 1,2 mile swim took in 2-laps with the temperature 14.5C in the middle of the lake, but much cooler at the edge. Simon exited the swim in 19th place overall and after a solid bike section and a good run, finished 10th in his Age Group.
The event also incorporated the Eastern Region Middle Distance Championships, which helped to bolster the standard of competition.
Results:
33. Simon Guerin …. 31:50 …. 2:40:58 …. 1:52:54 ..= 5:05:42 AG 10.
134. Steve Hope ……. 41:34 …. 3:12:03 …. 2:07:17 ..= 6:00:54 AG 6.
Sophie Robotham competed in her first open triathlon at Blenheim Palace on Saturday in the Sprint Triathlon. Sophie had to compete against 2,420 other competitors over the 750m lake swim, 12.5 mile bike section and 3.5 mile run; all taking place on a traffic free lapped course around the grounds, before which, Sophie put her excellent swimming ability to good use.
Results:
891. Sophie Robotham …. 13:47 …. 59:45 …. 31:04 ..= 1:44:36 AG 22.
Laura Hardy and Graeme Abrahams swam in The Big Bala Swim in Llyn Tegid, North Wales. Laura chose the 9km swim and was the 4th non-wetsuit competitor home; whilst Grame competed in the 4.5km swim and was the FIRST non-wetsuit swimmer home. Both won their respective Age Groups.
Results:
9km ……. 11. Laura Hardy ……………. 2:53:16 AG 1st. 4th non-wetsuit.
4.5km …. 10. Graeme Abrahams …. 1:22:08 AG 1. 1st non-wetsuit.
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Simon Guerin and Mark Bedford competed in the Outlaw Half Nottingham (swim 1.2 miles out and back in Holme Pierrepont; bike 56 mostly flat miles; run 13.1 miles around the lake); whilst Antony Brown came 8th overall and won his Age Group in the accompanying Aquabike (swim 1.2m, bike 56-miles).
275. Simon Guerin .... 30:38 .... 2:51:35 .... 1:45:42 ..= 5:07:55 AG 24.
569. Mark Bedford .... 45:51 .... 2:56:15 .... 1:55:21 ..= 5:37:27 AG 55.
Aquabike
8. Antony Brown .... 35:46 .... 2:27:58 ..= 3:03:44 AG 1st.
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Meanwhile, Steve Hope travelled to Samorin in Slovakia to compete over the half-Ironman distance in the Challenge Triathlon Championships. With Challenge becoming ever-more prominent in triathlon, these Challenge World Championships are held at the X-Bionic Sphere Olympic Training Facility each year and attract the best athletes in the world (with PACTRAC's Roger Canham winning his Age Group World Championships there in 2019).
The 1.2 mile swim in the River Danube, was followed by a flat 56-mile bike leg, with the wind picking up on the last leg, and a run in the increasing heat.
374. Steve Hope .... 37:17 .... 2:52:32 .... 2:12:16 ..= 5:42:05 AG 27.
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Stuart Neal came 2nd in his Age Group at the Sywell Country Park Sprint Triathlon near Northampton.
25. Stuart Neal .... 15:20 .... 37:39 .... 25:38 ..= 78:37 AG 2.
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Richard Jones continued his introduction into triathlon with a Standard Distance triathlon at Box End, Bedford, finishing 69th overall and 7th in his Age Group.
69. Richard Jones .... 42:34 .... 90:25 .... 60:08 ..= 3:13:07 AG 7.
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Bill and Sarah Haslam competed in the Aquabike (swim,bike) at St.Neots, finishing 8th and 9th in their respective Age Groups.
52. Bill Haslam .......... 35:10 .... 1:29:41 ..= 2:04:51 AG 8.
76. Sarah Haslam .... 37:31 .... 1:45:22 ..= 2:22:53 AG 9.
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In the Uppingham Sprint Triathlon Gill Bates and Tracy Rookyard both came 4th in their respective Age Groups; whilst 3 PACTRAC Juniors opened their account for the season.
108. Gill Bates ............... 15:12 .... 60:31 .... 35:14 ..= 1:50:57 AG 4.
117. Tracy Rookyard .... 13:09 .... 74:45 .... 33:46 ..= 2:01:40 AG 4.
Tri-Start
11. Imogen Lazenby .... 1:37 .... 4:11 = 5:48
Tri Star 2
12. Hugo Flikweert .... 5:06 .... 12:08 ..= 17:14
26. India Lazenby ....... 6:16 .... 14:09 ..= 20:25
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Nearly 1500 athletes took part in the inaugural Burghley Multi-Sport weekend at Stamford,
competing over various running, swimming and triathlon events; with PACTRAC athletes winning all 3 triathlon races: Simon Hoppe won the Sprint, Jonny Hynes won the Standard Distance and Sam Chapman won the 100km Triathlon.
PACTRAC had over 20 athletes racing in the triathlons and also helped out organising the feed stations for the running races.
Nearly 600 athletes finished in the 5k, 10k and half-marathon running races, with many competing for the first time or upping the distance, including young Annie Thorpe competing in her first half-marathon.
The swims took place in Burghley's lake, a venue not usually accessible, and offered distances of 1,500m, 3,000m and 5,000m. The temperature of the lake was still on the cold side with just one-week to go, but the good weather in the week leading up to the event helped to quickly increase the temperature to an acceptable level.
Sundays racing offered triathlons over 3 different distances, as well as 2 Aquabike (swim,bike) events: and they didn't disappoint, with PACTRAC winning all 3 of the triathlons, with the swim and run taking place in the grounds of Burghley Park and the bike held on closed roads around Barnack.
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Simon Hoppe won the Sprint triathlon by 1:23 minutes. After exiting the swim in 6th with Susie Freeman right on his heels, Simon had a quick transition and was away on the bike in 3rd spot. He had the quickest bike split and moved into the overall lead after 8-miles. He held his own with the second competitor on the run, to come home comfortably clear and add to his collection of triathlon wins over nearly 40-years.
Susie Freeman won her Age Group by 8-minutes, whilst Carol Smallman, in her first triathlon for many years, took 2nd in her Age Group. Richard Jones and Hannah Rushton competed in their first triathlons, whilst one of PACTRAC's original members from 1985, Steve Small, competed for the first time in over 30-years.
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Jonny Hynes won the Standard Distance Triathlon by 43 seconds. He came out of the water in 33rd place, 5-minutes down on the leader, but with the fastest transition and in a blistering display on the bike, Jonny overtook all in front of him and even led by 45-seconds from 3 chasers, coming in off the bike. Chris Northern and Rob Hammond were just over 2-minutes behind Jonny by now and putting in solid performances of their own. Jonny held on well in the 6.25 mile run to take a well deserved win.
Rob Hammond recorded a 3rd place in his Age Group, coming home ahead of Chris and Christian Richards who had a top-10 swim. Ellie Piccaver continued her improvement with an Age Group win. 2-minutes down in the swim, Ellie gradually closed the gap, taking the lead early on the run. Gill Bates rounded things off, recording a 3rd place Age Group Podium finish.
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In the new 100 format, so called because the distances off swim 1.25 miles, bike 50-miles and run 11.25 miles add up to 100 kilometers, Sam Chapman and Dan Wilson absolutely tore the field apart on the bike, moving through the field to come into the second transition in first and second places. Sam had the fastest bike and run splits of the day and extended his lead to finish 11:25 minutes clear in an emphatic display for the second weekend on the trot, that showed his early season fitness ready for some big events later in the year.
Dan was caught on the run, but held on well to finish 3rd overall, whilst both Becs Burge and Claire Willis took 3rd in their respective Age Groups.
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Rounding off the weekend, Simon Meade and Jeremy Storey came 1st and 2nd in their Age Groups in the Standard Distance Aquabike.
In a successful weekend, the club had 3 athletes winning outright, another 3 winning their Age Groups and another 8 also making the Podium.
Results:
100 Triathlon (swim 1.25miles, bike 50 miles, run 11.25 miles):
1.Sam Chapman .... 26.49 .... 2.05.03 .... 1.07.01 ..= 3.38.53 Age Group 1.
3. Dan Wilson ......... 26.59 .... 2.12.11 .... 1.18.32 ..= 3.57.42 AG 2.
29. Andy Martin ....... 36.42 .... 2.39.37 .... 1.21.21 ..= 4.37.40 AG 6.
58 Becs Burge ........ 41.32 .... 2.42.35 .... 1.38.22 ..= 5.02.29 AG 3.
86 Claire Willis ........ 38.50 .... 3.14.14 .... 1.58.02 ..= 5.51.06 AG 3.
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Standard Distance Triathlon (swim 1500m, bike 25-miles, run 6.25 miles):
1. Jonny Hynes ............ 28.39 .... 1.09.00 .... 42.23 ..= 2.20.02 AG 1.
10. Rob Hammond ........ 26.59 .... 1.14.34 .... 42.23 ..= 2.23.56 AG 3.
13. Chris Northern ......... 26.51 .... 1.15.19 .... 45.45 ..= 2.27.55 AG 6.
15. Christian Richards ... 25.28 ... 1.16.54 .... 46.26 ..= 2.28.48 AG 8.
21. Ellie Piccaver ........... 28.41 .... 1.19.56 .... 43.42 ..= 2.32.19 AG 1.
36. Jason English .......... 32.05 .... 1.22.05 .... 46.22 ..= 2.40.32 AG 8.
53. Martin Thorpe .......... 31.00 .... 1.21.51 .... 52.46 ..= 2.45.37 AG 12.
94 PACTRAC RELAY .... 30.26 .... 1.38.09 .... 51.43 ..= 3.00.18
119. Rod Hall ................. 40.35 .... 1.41.16 .... 53.18 ..= 3.15.09 AG 21.
123. Willow Worthington. 40.22 .... 1.40.20 .... 58.03 ..= 3.18.45 AG 10.
140. Gill Bates ............... 56.50 .... 1.58.56 .... 81.28 ..= 4.17.14 AG 3.
Sprint Triathlon (swim 750m, bike 12.5miles, run 3-miles):
1. Simon Hoppe .......... 7.41 .... 41.52 .... 21.09 ..= 1.10.42 Age Group 1st.
15. Susie Freeman ....... 7.48 .... 48.32 .... 23.45 ..= 1.20.05 AG 1.
58. Richard Jones ....... 10.44 .... 52.11 .... 27.45 ..= 1.30.40 AG 15.
93. Hannah Rushden .. 12.56 .... 58.48 .... 28.17 ..= 1.40.01 AG 10.
102. Carol Smallman ...... 9.53 .... 60.13 .... 32.31 ..= 1.42.37 AG 2.
122. Steve Small .......... 10.50 .... 69.38 .... 40.19 ..= 1.49.57 AG 12.
131. Tracy Rookyard .... 15.10 .... 67.01 .... 32.30 ..= 1.54.41 AG 12.
Aquabike (swim 1500m, bike 25-miles):
5. Simon Meade .... 25.45 .....1.19.21 ..= 1.45.06 AG 1.
9. Jeremy Storey ... 30.20 .... 1.20.26 ..= 1.50.46 AG 2.
3.1 mile swim:
6. Dan Bassett .... 77.32 AG 2.
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At the Burghley weekend, nearly 1,500 athletes competed over various running, swimming and triathlon events with PACTRAC athletes winning all 3 triathlon races: Simon Hoppe won the Sprint, Jonny Hynes won the Standard Distance and Sam Chapman won the 100km Triathlon.
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Sam Chapman finished 17th overall in the 70.3 half-ironman in Venice-Jesolo and was on the Podium with a third place in his Age Group.
Sam's time of 4.05.26 was less than 10-minutes from a podium spot overall out of 2,420 competitors and qualified him for the World 70.3 Championships in Taupo, New Zealand in December.
An impressive performance to start the season with, Sam will join up with Paul Lunn next at Challenge Roth in Germany.
Results:
17. Sam Chapman .... 30.05 .... 2.14.49 .... 1.20.32 ..= 4.05.26. Age Group 3rd.
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Dan Wilson completed the full Ironman triathlon in Texas over the distances of: swim 2.4 miles, bike 112 miles and run 26.2 miles. Dan finished 366th overall and gained many places in his favoured cycle section.
Result:
366. Dan Wilson .... 1.05.59 .... 5.15.50 .... 4.16.02 ..= 10.37.51 Age Group 56.
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Paul Lunn competed in the 70.3 Half-Ironman triathlon in Alcudia, Majorca at the weekend. This was Paul's 13th time competing in this race, and the current World Champion didn't disappoint.
The event was held over the distances of:
Swim 1.2 miles in the sea at Alcudia Bay – out and back in a rectangular loop.
Bike 56 miles - 1 lap taking in the climb up to Lluc.
Run 13.1 miles - 3 laps on a flat course around the coast line and bay.
Paul Lunn had a superb result, finishing 18th overall from a field of 2,854 Age Group athletes, and winning his Age Group by a massive 13.34 minutes.
After a great 1.2 mile swim where he was only 1.45 down on his Age Group leader, Paul had a fast transition and was away on the bike in 8th place. Before 10-miles had passed on the 56-mile bike section, Paul had moved into the lead in his Age Group and gradually extended it from there; to 4 minutes after 22-miles and over 7-minutes by the start of the run. Having averaged 23mph on the bike, Paul now ran a 1:20:50 half-marathon to extend his winning margin to 13:34 by the finish. Paul was a dominant force, showing why he has won the 70.3 Half-Ironman World Championships for the last two years. He beat a good quality field, in a surprisingly well contested race, with the next 6 athletes spread out by just over 3-minutes.
This was Paul’s 11th top-3 placing in this event in the 13 times that he has competed. It is also his 7th Age Group win in a race that he has finished in every year since 2011, although no event took place in 2020.
Paul has started the season in great shape. He is the current World Champion in his 50-54 year Age Group over the 70.3 distance and will be looking to retain his crown later in December in Taupo, New Zealand.
Results:
18. Paul Lunn .... 30.18 .... 2.34.11 .... 1.20.50 ..= 4.25.19 Age Group 1st.
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PART TWO will follow, probably tomorrow as we had around 20+ PACTRAC athletes registered to race over the weekend in the inaugural Burghley Multi-Sport weekend; where PACTRAC also helped out organising the feed stations for the running races.
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PACTRAC held their first triathlon of the season at Oundle on Sunday. This was the third event this year, following the earlier Aquathlon and Duathlon. The club have now been promoting multi-discipline sport in the Peterborough and Oundle area for 40 seasons. Adam Clark won the triathlon and has now won all 3 events so far this year, to take an early lead in the Club Championships; whilst Steve Hope finished 9th and has now competed in triathlons for 40 consecutive seasons since 1985.
Adam Clark took a convincing lead over the 800m swim in the 50-metre pool at Oundle, gaining 52-seconds over Simon Guerin with Susie Freeman a further 70-seconds behind. It was a further half-a-minute before Chris Elder then led 2nd lady Sophie Robotham and Christian Richards out; with Rob Hammond and Steve Skelhon another 25-seconds down.
Adam then extended his lead on the 18-mile bike section to come into T2 1:47 ahead of Simon. Chris Elder moved up to 3rd a further 3-minutes behind, just ahead of Rob.
Adam took a comfortable victory, with the fastest splits in all 3 disciplines, winning by over 8- minutes from Simon, who successfully held off a late charge from Rob by 39-seconds, with Chris Elder now a minute further back in 4th following the 4.7 mile run.
Susie led the ladies home with Claire Widdowson making inroads on the bike before Sophie regained 2nd spot on the final run in, back in Oundle.
Steve Skelhon led the over 60’s with Chris Pike closing the gap to just 40-seconds in the end and Steve Hope rounding off the top three.
Results (top 4):
Adam Clark ………… 11:36 …. 48:11 …. 29:15 ..= 1:29:02
Simon Guerin …….. 12:28 …. 49:06 …. 35:34 ..= 1:37:08
Rob Hammond …… 14:35 …. 50:35 …. 32:37 ..= 1:37:47
Chris Elder ………….. 14:04 …. 50:46 …. 34:11 ..= 1:39:01
The Wednesday night Mini-Series Triathlons start on 29th May and continue for 6-events over the distances of swim 400m, bike 9-miles, run 3.1 miles. Non members are welcome to come along, with bookings in advance is via Pactrac.clubpal.app These are perfect events to test your fitness or to try a triathlon for the first time.
The club will have a big presence at the inaugural Burghley Triathlons this weekend.
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Adam Clark continued his fine form, leading the club's Duathlon from start to finish. Having already won the Aquathlon (swim,run) 3-weeks ago, Adam extended his lead in the 10-event Club Championships over Rob Hammond, and Jack Shipton, with Susie Freeman leading the Ladies competition.
5 athletes formed a lead group early in the initial 3-mile run, with Adam and Phil Groves establishing a gap by the turnaround point. Adam tried to pull ahead, but Phil kept closing any gaps and the pair came in together, by now a minute and a half ahead of Scott Lloyd who had a 37-second cushion over Rob Hammond.
The 9-mile bike loop took in the hills around the Benefield's where Adam was able to pull ahead from Phil. Rob closed the gap on Scott and the pair came in together. Adam extended his lead on the final 3-mile run to come home 2:28 minutes ahead of Phil, whilst Scott pulled away from Rob for third. Susie Freeman was the first lady home in the defense of the trophy that she first won in 2017.
Top 4:
Adam Clark ........ 18:46 .... 24:05 .... 19:52 ..= 62:43.
Phil Groves ........ 18:46 .... 26:07 .... 20:18 ..= 65:11
Scott Lloyd ......... 20:19 .... 26:36 .... 20:42 ..= 67:37
Rob Hammond .. 20:56 .... 25:59 .... 22:14 ..= 69:09
Elsewhere, Sharon Asplin competed in the Harlech Duathlon over the sprint distances of run 3.1 miles, bike 13.5 miles and run 1.5 miles. Sharon finished 2nd in her Age Group in her debut Duathlon.
77. Sharon Asplin .... 33:24 .... 55:08 .... 16:23 ..= 1:44:55 Age Group 2nd.
The next club event will be the Mid-Distance Triathlon on 5th May.
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PACTRAC held their first event of this year's Club Championships at Oundle on Sunday, with the Aquathlon consisting of a 400m pool swim followed by a 3.1 mile run. 19 competitors lined up on a cool morning, with Adam Clark leading from the front. Adam came out of the water first, 7-seconds ahead of Paul Davies and 28 ahead of Simon Guerin. 21-seconds further back, Christian Richards led Susie Freeman out, ahead of Liam Higgins and Graeme Kane.
Adam had the fastest run of the day to extend his lead to 2:36 by the finish. Graeme Kane with the second fastest run moved up from 7th to 2nd with Christian catching Simon for 3rd. Susie finished 7th and first lady.
Results:
Adam Clark .............. 5:30 .... 19:08 ..= 24:38
Graeme Kane ........... 6:32 .... 20:42 ..= 27:14
Christian Richards .... 6:19 .... 21:59 ..= 28:18
Simon Guerin ............ 5:58 .... 22:38 ..= 28:36
Rob Hammond .......... 7:00 .... 21:58 ..= 28:58
Sam Pettitt ................. 8:01 .... 21:58 ..= 29:59
Susie Freeman .......... 6:21 .... 24:33 ..= 30:54
The next event in the Club Championships is the Duathlon from Oundle on 14th April.
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A roundup of the 2024 season so far:
Amy Mellor, Graeme Abrahams and Laura Hardy competed in the British Ice Swimming Championships in early January with Amy winning a BRONZE medal in the back stroke, a SILVER medal in the 100m freestyle and a GOLD medal in the 250 metre freestyle. Although Amy broke the Age Group record in the 250m with a Personal Best time, the temperature was just slightly too high for the record to be ratified.
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Amy and Graeme then competed in the PHISH (Parliament Hill Ice Swimming Hootenanny):
122m
Graeme Abrahams .... 8th 1:39 minutes.
Amy Mellor ................ 9th. 1:46 mins.
244m
Graeme Abrahams .... 4th. 3:32 mins.
Amy Mellor ................ 9th. 3:46 mins.
Relay 122m x2 .......... 7th.
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Amy Mellor and Graeme Abrahams were then selected to represent GB in the European Ice Swimming Championships in Oradea in Romania, where the 50m pool was at a temperature of 3.8C. Graeme competed in the 500m freestyle, recording a time of 7:22 and knocking 3-seconds off of his previous best time. He said "I started off about 6 seconds slower for the first 100m this time and finished 6 seconds quicker with a 3 second PB!". After just a 15-minute break, it was straight into the 50m fly, before competing the following day in the 250m freestyle.
Amy competed on all 3-days coming 5th in her Age Group in the 100m backstroke, whilst being one of 7 swimmers to break the old Age Group World Record. She also competed in the Relay event on day one, missed out again on a medal on day two, in spite of another PB, and on the final day recorded another PB by 1-second in the 250m freestyle.
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15 PACTRACers then competed in the local Folksworth 15. Paul Lunn came home in 6th position ahead of Sam Chapman in 15th and Harry Pitcher 32nd.
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PACTRAC's Nathan Keir finished 4,141st in the Zurich Marathon de Sevilla in a PB time of 3:30:55. Nathan had a very consistent run with the 3rd 10k slightly quicker to enable him to finish with negative splits (1:45:59 + 1:44:56).
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Simon Guerin competed in the Barcelona marathon finishing 9,136th in a time of 3:58:50, slowing just slightly in the second half but holding on to come in ahead of the 4-hour barrier.
BTF Courses.
The BTF have an array of courses for anybody looking to continue on their triathlon journey. See the current list here https://www.britishtriathlon.org/get-involved/education?course_name=®ion=&course_type=&dm_i=798H%2CJJC2%2C1NN5DP%2C2HTK2%2C1&page=1
Sara Pearce completes Marathon des Sables.
PACTRAC's Sara Pearce has just completed the Marathon des Sables Ultra run in Morocco's Sahara Desert.
The Marathon des Sables is the stuff of legends – a truly gruelling multi-stage adventure in one of the world’s most inhospitable environments, the Sahara Desert. It is one of the toughest footraces on Earth. Physically, it is six days’ running over 152 miles across endless sand dunes, rocky jebels and white-hot salt plains, carrying what you need to survive on your back. It is a mental as well as a physical challenge.
Finishing the Marathon des Sables — or simply running in it — is a tough challenge. Each year, race organisers deploy 120,000 litres of water, hundreds of support staff, and a wide array of vehicles, aircraft, and even camels to monitor the action and keep runners safe.
Brutal heat and challenging desert weather, with howling wind and plenty of steep terrain can wreak havoc at times throughout the week of racing, with the final day being a non-competitive stage.
Sara was running every day for 7 days over 6 stages, including stage 4 which took place on days 4 and 5 over a distance of 56 miles, all on sand. This was the 2nd ever longest stage, and was a monumental effort on its own, taking her 25 1/2 hours. The other stages themselves were around 20-27 miles in the searing heat, often over 50°C, with Sara on the go for 7-8 hours each time, in one of the hardest hottest editions of the race. The drop out rate this year was higher than usual at over 30%.
On top of it all, the 1,128 starters all had to be self-sufficient, with the organisers providing water rations and tents each night. 763 runners finished this 37th edition of the race, in south-west Morocco.
Sara initially entered the race in 2021, but the event was cancelled due to covid and rearranged for 2022. Unfortunately, Sara herself got covid just a couple of days before the 2022 race and had to again postpone. She decided to do her own Marathon des Sables at home, running the same distances as the official runners out in Morocco, including the 53 mile longest stage, and all done over a 4-mile circuit local to home.
Having to regain the motivation to want to train for it all again, Sara entered the New York Marathon last November (4:39 hours) followed by the Pilgrims 66-mile race along the North Downs Way.
Being self-sufficient in the Saharan Desert in the Marathon des Sables was the biggest challenge of her life, setting out to raise £500 for the MIND Charity but exceeding £3,000.
The race has been a long term goal. In the build up to the race Sara said "I have wanted to take part in this event since I started running properly and honestly cannot believe that I am actually going to do it!!! Eeeek! I am wayyyyyy out of my depth yet stupidly excited at the same time. Everything I need for that week I have to carry on my back, and I will eat dehydrated food all week. Whilst this has been my dream race and all self funded, it’s such a huge thing that I decided to try and raise a few £ for charity along the way".
Her focus has now switched to triathlon, with the half-Ironman race in Weymouth in September.
Results:
468. Sara Pearce .... Stage .. Distance .. Time .. position.
1 .... 22.3 miles .... 7:05:04 .... 625.
2 .... 19.8 miles .... 7:38:48 .... 537.
3 .... 21.5 miles .... 7:21:15 .... 486.
4 .... 56.0 miles ... 25:27:53 ... 502.
5 .... 27.0 miles .... 8:07:08 .... 383.
6 ..... 5.65 miles .... 2:34:58 .... 634.
Overall .. 152.25 miles .... 58:15:06 hours. 468th overall. 76th female. Age Group 22nd. 1,128 starters.
2023 Results and Race Reports to date.
Fresh off the back of a 36th place overall in the IronMaori Quarter Triathlon in Napier, NZ (2:55:59), Andy Rawlins doubled the distance to complete the 70.3 Half-Ironman in Taupo, NZ in 6:04:44. Andy had a good swim in the 17C lake before picking up 100 places on the undulating bike course and holding this with a consistent run. Andy now lives in New Zealand but regularly keeps in contact with his friends in PACTRAC and Werrington Joggers.
IronMaori Quarter:
swim 1,000m, bike 28-miles, run 6.5 miles.
36. Andy Rawlins .... 2:55:59 Age Group 7th.
70.3 Half-Ironman Taupo:
swim 1,900m, bike 56-miles, run 13.1 miles.
516. Andy Rawlins .... 41:21 .... 3:18:53 .... 2:04:30 ..= 6:04:44 Age Group 44.
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Steve Skelhon (on holiday) ran in the Fingal Bay park run in Australia on Saturday. Steve commented that the event was "very warm and humid, struggled with the heat and did 24.47 for 24th out of 97 runners".
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A team of 4 entered the LobsterSquadUK Cold Water Team Championships held in Lincoln.
Amy Mellor, Graeme Abrahams, Laura Hardy and Adam Boon had to each do two of 8 different distance swims and then compete together in the 4x 50m relay and the individual medley relay. Each swimmer swam 4 times in the lake at South Hykeham and with the points added up, the team finished 3rd overall.
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The next PACTRAC club event will be the Aquathlon on 24th March.
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The PACTRAC Junior Training Sessions take place fortnightly on Sunday's at Stanground. We have space for more juniors and currently these sessions are free to attend. Sign up via pactrac.clubpal.app or request further information via the contacts tab on www.pactrac.co.uk
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Rob Hammond travelled to Holdenby House just NW of Northampton to compete in the Standard Distance Duathlon; and finished 4th overall and 1st in his Age Group, just 66 seconds from a Podium finish.
Rob competed over the distances of:
Run 6.75 miles through the grounds and over surrounding farmland.
Bike 24 miles on undulating country roads.
Run 3.4 miles again through the estate grounds.
Result:
4. Rob Hammond .... 53:22 .... 75:56 .... 27:50 ..= 2:37:08 Age Group 1st.
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PACTRAC held their Annual AGM and Prize Presentation at Marholm Village Hall, where 20 Trophies were presented for 2023.
Rob Hammond received 5 awards, whilst Susie Freeman (Club Champion) and Adam Clark received 4 apiece.
Hugo Flikweert and India Lazenby were joint winners of the Junior Trophy.
The first ever presentation of the Lee Kilby Most Improved Swimmer award was presented by Lee's widow Deborah to the worthy recipient, Jeremy Storey.
Lifetime Achievement awards including Honorary Membership were awarded to Scott and Sue McLeod for their services to PACTRAC over 30-years. Sue also received this year's PACTRACer of the Year Trophy.
The Most Improved Trophy went to Steve Skelhon who has been competing in triathlons for many years but this year saw an improvement, especially in his Mini-Series and Standard Distance times and he narrowly missing out on Podium positions twice at Rutland Water.
The Novice Trophy for the best first-year triathlete went to George Dann who made constant improvements throughout the Mini-Series and competed in his first half-Ironman triathlon.
With 62 members having achieved the standard of at least a top 3 in their Age Group this year, their were a few nominations for the Outstanding Performance award. Some of the highlights were:
Sara Pearce's completing the Marathon des Sables;
Susie Freeman winning the Silver medal in the Triathlon England Sprint Championships;
Rob Hammond finishing 4th overall in his first Ironman distance triathlon;
Simon Hoppe representing GB for the 32nd time plus winning the Silver medal in the British Super-Sprint Championships.
Paul Lunn winning the 70.3 Half-Ironman World Championships for the second year in a row.
The Trophy was awarded to Adam Clark for his Bronze Medal in the World Standard Distance Championships at the first attempt; together with winning FOUR local triathlons outright (Duston, Box End, St.Neots and Oundle).
The club welcomed 2 new members onto the Committee and saw 3 members change roles including welcoming Terry Murphy to his role as Club Chairman in September.
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There was a late season Duathlon at Grafham Water today over the sprint distance of:
Run 3 miles
Bike 13 miles
Run 1.5 miles.
Chris Phillips (Werrington Joggers) and Daniel Richardson (PACTRAC) both competed in the same age category finishing 1st and 3rd respectively. Daniel said "It was a cold and miserable day, and certainly wasn't easy".
Results:
13. Chris Phillips ........... 22:37 .... 41:12 .... 12:25 ..= 76:14 Age Group 1st.
33. Daniel Richardson .. 26:28 .... 51:38 .... 14:04 ..= 92:10 Age Group 3rd.
PACTRAC hold their annual AGM at Marholm Village Hall at 3:00pm on Sunday 19th November. This will be followed by the Prize Presentation with 20 club Trophies being awarded.
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We had two athletes competing this weekend, in two big races, the opposite sides of the world - Hawaii and Majorca.
Becs Burge had qualified for the World Ironman Championships in Hawaii and in her first visit to the island, had a great race to finish 187th in her Age Group amongst the best athletes in the world. It is tough to qualify for the Ironman World Championships and even tougher once there, with the wind and heat sapping your energy throughout.
Becs swam the 2.4 mile non-wetsuit ocean swim in 1:27:46 and after a quick transition, had a solid bike section averaging 18.38 mph for the 112 miles. She then had to run a full 26.2 mile marathon in the heat, and finished in a superb time of 12:39:38 coming just over half way in the 2,000+ field.
Result:
1071. Becs Burge .... 1:27:46 .... 6:19:32 .... 4:52:20 ..= 12:39:38 Age Group 187.
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Steve Hope competed in Challenge Paguera in Majorca, an event that attracted some of the best athletes in the world, including Alistair Brownlee who finished in a very good third place after recent ankle surgery. Steve finished 6th in his Age Group, with the top 6 receiving a place in the Challenge World Championships to be held in Samorin, Slovakia next May. The last PACTRACer to compete in Samorin was Roger Canham who became an Age Group World Champion back in 2019.
Steve had to complete a 1,900m sea swim involving swimming out-and-back twice with an exit between to run around a cone on the beach.
The 56-mile bike involved 2 laps, riding up into the mountains with some fast sections later on, whilst the 13.1 mile run took in 4-laps of an undulating course through the town centre and along the beach front in 31C heat.
This is the 6th time that Steve has competed in Challenge Paguera, and as in previous years, the weather at home has held up just long enough to maintain full fitness.
Result:
328. Steve Hope .... 39:55 .... 3:05:11 .... 2:05:00 ..= 5:50:06 Age Group 6th.
Attached is one photo of Steve with Alistair Brownlee. The photo's from Hawaii are not yet available. Hopefully, they will be soon and I will forward one of Becs if I can.
We had the first Frostbite run at St.Neots on Sunday 8th October. Then on 15th October the Great Eastern Run.
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AsKeenAsMustard put on an extra Swim,Run event from Milton Ferry Bridge at Ferry Meadows on Sunday. The Survivor took on a different format, with 48 competitor's taking on 2-mile laps, each with 3 swim sections and 4 runs, in and along the River Nene with it's tracks, trails and meadows. The elimination time for each lap got ever-shorter, with athletes waiting at the start after each lap to all set off together again on the next lap.
The first few laps gave competitor's more time to complete them, but as the laps went on, the pressure built as the time allowed got shorter; the idea being to complete as many laps as you can before the time beats you, and the winner is the last man standing.
PACTRAC had 3 competitor's in this end of season race, taking on the 16 degree water's in their training shoes and running in wetsuits. Adam Clark and Rod Hall both completed 4-laps whilst Richard Wright completed 2.
How many laps can you do before the clock beats you? Adam said "Today was about having fun with mates. The Survivor format was absolutely brilliant".
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Andy Martin and Debbie Montague competed in the Paras' 10 mile off-road run at Catterick in North Yorkshire, with Andy opting for the 35lb bergen TAB (Tactical Advance to Battle) option, involving long trousers and hiking boots. The course is used for military training which has to stop for the event.
66. Debbie Montague ..... 1:38:57.
139. Andy Martin (TAB) ... 1:55:07.
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Three PACTRACers took part in the World Triathlon Championships at the weekend in Pontevedre, Spain, with all 3 making their mark. Jonathan Oakey moved up through the PACTRAC Junior ranks and is now a full time triathlete competing with the Elite in world events. In the World Under 23 Championships, Jonathan secured a fantastic 18th place overall. He came out of the 1500m swim in the lead group, in 15th place and only 14-seconds behind. A quick transition and Jonathan was able to join the lead group on the bike - a group which eventually numbered 24 and came in 2:20 minutes ahead of the 2nd bike group. Jonathan then had a superfast 10km run in 33:40 to finish 18th overall amongst the best under 23 triathletes in the world.
Adam Clark continues to make improvements and won the BRONZE MEDAL in the Standard Distance World Championships. Adam was 10th in the European Championships back in June and has improved further to record his first podium position whilst racing for the GB Age Group team.
Adam was 6th out of the water just 1:35 behind, before moving up to 5th place on the bike, with 5-athletes not far behind. The athlete just in front had a 17-second advantage coming in off the bike, but Adam had a superfast transition and exited transition ahead. One of the runners in front had a 2:16 advantage, but Adam reeled him in whilst keeping those behind at bay. He finished just over a minute behind 2nd place, whilst holding off an advancing athlete behind to take the BRONZE MEDAL by 17-seconds and avoid a close sprint finish.
Simon Hoppe competed in the Super-Sprint World Championships over the much shorter distances of: swim 300 metres, bike 5-miles and run 1-mile, finishing 13th in the World just 1:51 minutes behind the winner, with a very consistent and fast performance.
18. Jonathan Oakey .... 18:23 .... 55:55 .... 33:40 ..= 1:47:58
Standard Distance:
3. Adam Clark ............. 21:47 .... 70:02 .... 36:20 ..= 2:08:09 BRONZE MEDAL.
Super-Sprint:
13. Simon Hoppe ........... 4:45 .... 15:59 ..... 6:01 ...= 26:45.
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Stuart Neal competed in the Sywell Sprint Triathlon near Northampton, finishing 2nd in his Age Group.
28. Stuart Neal .... 83:56 Age Group 2.
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PACTRAC held their final Club Championship event of the year at Oundle over the distances of:
Swim 1500m in Oundle pool. 60-lengths.
Bike 27 miles - 3 laps of the Mini-Series course around Glapthorn and the Benefield's on damp but drying roads, with the wind picking up on each lap.
Run 5-miles all on tarmac around Glapthorn and Cotterstock.
Rob Hammond went into the race leading the Club Championships, just ahead of Adam Clark. With Adam away, on International duty, competing for GB in Spain (and securing a Bronze Medal in the World Championships), Rob was able to secure his place as Club Champion for this year.
Christian Richards led the swimmers out followed by Steve Skelhon 55-seconds later and Rob a further 1:23 behind. Steve caught Christian at the end of lap 1 of the 3-lap bike section, with Rob moving ahead of Christian half-way round lap 2. Rob then caught Steve at the end of lap 2 and pulled away, coming into transition after the third lap, 47 seconds ahead.
Rob then had the fastest run of the day to pull further away, finishing 4-minutes ahead of Christian, who regained 2nd spot on the run with Steve holding on to 3rd ahead of the rest of the field.
Rob is this year's Club Champion having last won the Trophy back in 2017, whilst Susie Freeman had already secured the Ladies Trophy.
Results:
1. Rob Hammond ......... 27:34 .... 1:17:17 .... 33:51 ..= 2:18:42.
2. Christian Richards .... 25:16 .... 1:22:08 .... 35:19 ..= 2:22:43.
3. Steve Skelhon .......... 26:11 .... 1:19:27 .... 38:32 ..= 2:24:10.
7 Novice triathletes competed in the accompanying Mini-Series race with Hal Whyatt dipping under the hour by 6-seconds.
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Andy Martin and Debbie Montague travelled to Italy to compete in the Emilia Romagna Ironman Triathlon in Cervia.
Debbie said "It was a long day, but went much better than expected.
I found the warm sea swim to be much quicker than I am in the lake, but I did get stung by a jellyfish.
The bike was pretty flat, apart from one hilly section with a really long, fast downhill afterwards; and my pace picked up on the motorway section.
The run went through the center of Cervia, with so much support that the laps went past really quickly.
Race day came and I hadn't slept and was tired before I started, and really worried about getting through the swim. I was one of the last competitors in the water and was so nervous, but I needn't have been. The swim went a lot better and quicker than expected. The only issue was getting a jelly fish in the face, which did sting a bit; but after a short stop to catch my breath, I carried on. Before I knew it the swim section was over and I was back on dry land and in good time. The extra buoyancy of being in salt water really helped and got me through the 2.4 miles.
It was a long run into Transition which seemed to take forever.
The bike was amazing and so quick. I was on the tri-bars for most of it. There were a few issues with masses of fruit flies to ride through; and then into the hilly part at about 37-miles, and again at 75-miles, but these weren't as bad as expected. By about 90-miles I'd had enough. The wind had got up on the way back which made it tough in places, but I just kept powering through until I was back in Cervia, with 112 miles done.
Transition 2 was a bit quicker, but still long. I took my helmet off and a load of the fruit flies fell out, they'd gone through the vents and got stuck in my hair.
I headed out on the run and felt very comfortable, apart from a few initial cramps. The run was through town and the support was amazing, with so many people clapping and cheering. The route was 4 laps and before I knew it, I was on the last lap. Out of all the marathons I've done this for some reason felt the most comfortable. I just got into a rhythm with the run/walk and managed to pace it perfectly.
I ran down the red carpet, rang the first timers bell and crossed the finish line where I heard those magical words "Debbie Montague, YOU ARE AN IRONMAN" !! "
This was Debbie's first (and last?) Ironman, whilst partner Andy Martin recorded a PB in under 12-hours.
"It was a good course, scenic, fast and mostly flat. Would I do it again though ... absolutely not. One full distance is enough for me, the training was at times brutal and my life became a cycle of sleep, work and train, with little time for anything else.…but I may come back to do the 70.3".
Next up for the pair is the Paras 10-mile run in just 2-weeks time.
Results:
1027. Andy Martin ............. 1:15:06 .... 6:13:18 .... 4:26:32 ..= 11:54:56 AG 142.
1764. Debbie Montague .... 1:38:53 .... 7:25:20 .... 4:52:39 ..= 14:27:44 AG 32.
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Roy Mayhew finished 2nd in the over 80's category in the Oslo Half-Marathon in a time of 2:41:22.
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Chris Northern and Sara Pearce travelled south to compete in the 70.3 Weymouth Half-Ironman Triathlon. Chris is coming back from a running injury and finished injury free in tough conditions; whilst Sara upped the distance to compete in her first Half-Ironman.
The morning started with some 4am Thunder and Lightening, and the swim section in the sea was cancelled due to some very high waves.
Chris had a good bike leg at over 20mph for the undulating 56-mile section and said " The half-marathon run was an easy pace just to finish injury free. I'm really happy my leg is okay again. They were tough conditions today".
Results:
557. Chris Northern .... 2:48:55 .... 2:00:24 ..= 4:49:19 AG 75.
1698. Sara Pearce ....... 3:48:57 .... 2:10:24 ..= 5:59:21 AG 36.
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Simon Hoppe finished 4th in the North Norfolk Standard Distance Triathlon at Wells-next-the-Sea. With the tide times once again being suitable in September, the event returned to its traditional weekend.
Swim 1,500 metres in the sea in Wells Harbour. Out and back.
Bike 25 miles on an undulating 1-lap course around the coastal villages.
Run 6.25 miles. 1-lap on the North Norfolk coastal path and out onto the beach.
Simon Hoppe was the 3rd swimmer out of the sea and had the 4th fastest bike overall, placing him 3rd going into the run. Still recovering to full fitness following a running injury, he missed out on a Podium place by just 1:42 minutes.
4. Simon Hoppe .... 21:16 .... 69:06 .... 43:12 ..= 2:13:34 AG 2.
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Nigel Hunt finished 6th in his Age Group in the Grafham sprint triathlon.
36. Nigel Hunt .... 17:11 .... 39:22 .... 25:44 ..= 82:17 AG 6.
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Having successfully defended his 70.3 Half-Ironman World Crown in Finland, Paul Lunn attempted to win his Age Group in the full Ironman World Championships in Nice on Sunday.
Paul got off to a good start in the sea swim and had the 6th fastest bike time in his Age Group on a tough, hilly course by the Mediterranean. He was lying in 5th position at the start of the run and made good progress in the first half of the marathon run, before the heat took it's toll and he endeavored to finish this grueling race, which ironically had moved from it's spiritual home in the heat and wind of Hawaii for only the second time in it's history. Paul's Age Group was won by Alexandre Vinokourov, the Olympic Cycling Road Race Champion from 2012.
Sam Chapman had a great race with a solid swim and fast bike section before consolidating on the marathon run to overtake his mentor for 38th in his Age Group and 166th overall from a field of over 2,000 of the best Ironman athletes in the world; all of whom had to go through a tough qualification process.
166. Sam Chapman .... 66:18 .... 5:52:10 .... 3:13:42 ..= 10:12:10 Age Group 38th.
850. Paul Lunn ............ 66:39 .... 5:36:46 .... 5:06:25 ..= 11:49:50 AG 75.
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4 big races took place on these shores at the weekend, including three World Championship qualifiers.
Simon Hoppe and Hannah Bassett ventured down to Bournemouth and qualified for the 2024 World Sprint Triathlon Championships. Simon had the fastest bike split in his Age Group and held on to pole position until close to the finish, where he was overtaken by 2 fast runners and settled for 3rd spot, with the top 4 qualifying.
Hannah had a great start with a fast swim in her come-back triathlon after 3-years away with various injuries. She finished in 5th position in her Age Group but with 2 of the girls already having qualified, was able to take one of the 4 places on offer.
Results:
34. Simon Hoppe ......... 13:54 .... 37:03 .... 20:53 ..= 71:50 AG 3.
140. Hannah Bassett .... 13:47 .... 43:21 .... 22:32 ..= 79:40 AG 5.
205. Steve Hope ........... 18:00 .... 43:04 .... 23:38 ..= 84:42 AG 19.
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The other 2 qualifying races were nearer to home at St.Neots. 3 PACTRACers narrowly missed out on qualification in the Standard Distance Triathlon and will go into the rolldown; whilst in the Aquabike, Susie Freeman qualified in 3rd place and Antony Brown won his Age Group but has already qualified through a previous race at Stewartby Lake. Both will be heading for Malaga for the World Championship showdown at the end of next year.
Results:
Standard Distance Triathlon.
71. Simon Guerin ........... 24:19 .... 69:25 .... 47:04 ..= 2:20:48 AG 14.
154. Christian Richards .... 26:52 .... 77:32 .... 51:26 ..= 2:35:50 AG 23.
186. Andrew Chapman ..... 27:24 .... 79:12 .... 55:01 ..= 2:41:37 AG 22.
Aquabike.
15. Antony Brown ........ 29:30 .... 64:10 ..= 1:33:40 AG 1st.
90. Susie Freeman ...... 24:00 .... 84:14 ..= 1:48:14 AG 3.
117. Verity Miles ........... 33:10 .... 82:44 ..= 1:55:54 AG 14.
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The other local races this weekend were at Rutland Water where Rachel Coe-O'Brien led a team of 7 home in the Half-Ironman distance Vitruvian race, whilst coming 2nd in her Age Group. Steve Skelhon came 3rd in his Age Group, whilst Roger Canham won his Age Group and was 5th overall in the accompanying Aquabike.
Results:
73. Rachel Coe-O'Brien .... 34:03 .... 2:43:42 .... 1:43:05 ..= 5:00:50 Age Group 2.
99. Jon Crowley ................ 37:52 .... 2:43:58 .... 1:51:14 ..= 5:13:04 AG 7.
112. Andy Corner ............... 41:10 .... 2:43:22 .... 1:51:44 ..= 5:16:16 AG 8.
166. Steve Skelhon ............ 35:13 .... 2:56:55 .... 2:03:33 ..= 5:35:41 AG 3.
209. Rebecca Burge .......... 41:05 .... 3:00:04 .... 2:08:07 ..= 5:49:16 AG 9.
304. George Dann ............. 39:31 .... 3:15:58 .... 2:36:26 ..= 6:31:55 AG 16.
344. Rod Hall ..................... 53:31 .... 3:56:24 .... 2:25:15 ..= 7:15:10 AG21.
Aquabike:
5. Roger Canham .... 35:00 .... 2:28:56 ..= 3:03:56 Age Group 1st.
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Steve Hope travelled to Bala in North Wales for the Standard Distance triathlon. However, the start was delayed due to mist covering the lake, and after an hour’s delay the event got underway as a shortened Duathlon, due to the timing of the road closures. After an undulating 1.5-mile run, the 24-mile out-and-back bike course was all on closed roads, followed by a 6-mile run on the same closed roads.
Results:
Steve Hope .... 12:52 .... 70:42 .... 43:42 ..= 2:07:16 Age Group 12.
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Mariska Niemeijer came 6th in her Age Group in the Letchworth Duck&Dash Aquathlon, whilst Hugo Flikweert finished 24th overall in the TriStart 1 Aquathlon.
TriStar 1:
Hugo Flikweert .... 2:08 .... 6:46 ..= 8:54. AG 24.
Senior Aquathlon:
Mariska Niemeijer .... 8:12 .... 31:14 ..= 39:26. Age Group 6th.
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Graeme Abrahams competed in the ChillSwim 11-mile end-to-end swim across Lake Windermere. Graeme has now completed the ChillSwim Triple of swimming Lakes Coniston, Ullswater and Windermere. The Windermere event was cancelled last year due to inclement weather and Graeme had to wait another 12-months to complete the swim. His time of 5 hours 34 minutes made him 85th overall and 11th out of those swimming without wetsuits in a tough event that saw 39 swimmers pull out of what is the longest swim in England and a unique chance to swim the full 11-mile length of Windermere, starting at Fell Foot Park at the Southern end of the Lake and finishing at Waterhead at the Northern end.
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Paul Lunn defended his Age Group World Championship crown in another amazing performance at the Half-Ironman 70.3 World Championships held in Lahti, Finland at the weekend.
Paul won the 70.3 world championships in St.George, USA, last year and retained the title of WORLD CHAMPION in Finland.
Paul was 65th out of the water in his 50-54 year Age Group and nearly 3-minutes down on his main adversaries. With the 2nd fastest time on the 56-mile bike section, Paul blasted past all bar one of his Age Group competitors and came in off the bike just 32-seconds down. At this point another 8 athletes were within 5-minutes of Paul with all to play for. Paul had a strong run and moved into the lead early on. Just two of the top ten athletes behind had faster run times, by just over a minute, but they had started the run 3-minutes behind and Paul came home to claim the GOLD MEDAL for the 2nd consecutive year in the 70.3 HALF-IRONMAN WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS. His victory margin was 1:48 minutes and 2:12 minutes over 3rd place.
Paul said: "It was such a great course for a world championship, a calm lake swim, rolling fast bike, and a lumpy run and throw in some freezing cold rain and you end up with a tough old day. I was pushing hard on the bike to find the front of the race, which I eventually did at about 20miles; but then the rain came and I started to get cold, very cold, but managed to stay with the lead cyclists. I eventually warmed up on the run, but had to run very conservatively on the uphills due to a strained calf but managed to just hang on for the win being pushed the whole way by some super strong guys."
Paul is competing in the full Ironman World Championships in Nice in 2-weeks time.
Louise Hathaway also had a good World Championship race, finishing 38th in a very competitive Age Group on a tough course.
Louise was 83rd in the swim, but on the fast, rolling 56-mile bike course picked off 52 competitor's at an average speed of over 21mph. She then improved her run time by 2-minutes to knock 6-minutes off of her previous best 70.3 time.
Louise said: "I'm super happy with my result and I know I can make more improvements".
Results:
Paul Lunn ............ 31:33 .... 2:20:52 .... 1:24:38 ..= 4:17:03
AGE GROUP 1st. WORLD CHAMPION.
Louise Hathaway .. 37:46 .... 2:48:41 .... 1:48:25 ..= 5:14:52 Age Group 38th.
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Sue Davys competed in the European Middle Distance Triathlon Championships in Menen, Belgium, over the half-Ironman distance; finishing 8th in her Age Group - an improvement of 7 places over the last time that she represented GB in 2016.
Results:
8. Sue Davys .... 51:37 .... 3:27:08 .... 2:40:48 ..= 6:59:33 Age Group 8th.
Antony Brown qualified for the European Aquabike Middle Distance Championships at the same venue and over the same 1.2 mile swim and 56-mile bike courses, but without the half-marathon run. Antony came 4th just over a minute off of a Podium spot, after exiting the water in 15th position. Antony had the 2nd fastest bike time to pull himself up to 4th overall, the same position that he finished the World Championships in 4-years ago; but this time he was one of the oldest in his Age Group.
Results:
4. Antony Brown .... 37:11 .... 2:23:30 ..= 3:00:41 Age Group 4th.
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The English Sprint Championships took place at Blithfield Reservoir, with Susie Freeman taking the SILVER MEDAL in the 40-44 year Age Group.
Susie had to swim 750 metres in the reservoir, followed by an undulating, but fast, 13-mile bike section with little traffic about; and finishing off with an out and back 3-mile run on a mixture of road and off road terrain.
Susie led out of the water, but the Age Group winner pulled away on the bike and in spite of matching one another on the run, Susie had to settle for a well earned SILVER MEDAL.
65. Susie Freeman .... 12:47 .... 44:34 .... 23:03 ..= 80:24 Age Group 2nd SILVER MEDAL.
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Sam Folks and Jenny Williams chose the Half-Ironman in Vichy, France, for their first Half-Ironman Triathlon. Both recorded times of just over 6-hours in very hot, testing conditions.
Jenny said "I am one happy little lady. It goes to show anything is possible if you put your mind to it."
668. Sam Folks ......... 46:04 .... 3:16:26 .... 2:00:09 ..= 6:02:39 Age Group 123.
782. Jenny Williams .. 42:07 .... 3:29:36 .... 2:04:43 ..= 6:16:26 AG 21.
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Over 400 competitors entered the various triathlons at Oundle Leisure Centre on Sunday, including nearly 300 in the children's event in the afternoon.
Sunday morning saw the adult competitions with PACTRAC entering members in all 3 events. Adam Clark won the Sprint Triathlon outright with Verity Miles winning the Aquabike and 7 members taking 1st in their various Age Groups, including Sara Pearce who took 3rd overall in the Super-Sprint.
Adam once again led the field from start to finish using his swimming prowess to establish a 9-second lead and 49-seconds over the 3rd placed swimmer; and extending his lead with a superfast transition and having the fastest bike split by nearly 2-minutes. This is Adam's 4th open triathlon win of the season and 5th in total, as he hones his fitness for the World Championships next month in Spain. It also continues PACTRAC's dominance of the Oundle Triathlon's which started back last year after 3 events in the 1980's which were all won by PACTRAC members (1985 Chris Boon, 1986 Steve Hope and 1987 Steve Hope).
Hugo Flikweert led the team home in the TriStar 1 race for 9-10 year olds and knocked 2-minutes off of his time from last year.
Results:
Sprint Distance Triathlon:
1. Adam Clark .............. 9:01 .... 30:00 .... 19:13 ..= 58:14 AG 1st.
13. Steve Hope .............13:14 .... 36:38 .... 23:49 ..= 73:41 AG 1.
23. Harriet Lomas ........ 14:52 .... 37:31 .... 26:00 ..= 78:23 AG 3.
38. Kate Armstrong ...... 13:28 .... 44:41 .... 26:41 ..= 84:50 AG 1.
51. George Shaw ......... 10:45 .... 45:02 .... 34:41 ..= 90:28 AG 16.
54. Daniel Richardson .. 20:46 .... 46:37 .... 24:44 ..= 92:07 AG 3.
Super-Sprint:
3. Sara Pearce ............ 8:43 .... 31:16 .... 13:33 ..= 53:32 AG 1.
9. Steph Fordham ....... 8:00 .... 38:55 .... 13:22 ..= 60:17 AG 3.
13. Tracy Rookyard .... 12:10 .... 39:41 .... 15:20 ..= 67:11 AG 1.
14. Jill Bates ............... 13:58 .... 36:57 .... 17:18 ..= 68:13 AG 1.
Aquabike:
1. Verity Miles .............. 12:57 .... 37:20 ..= 50:17 AG 1.
Tri-Star 1:
23. Hugo Flikweert ...... 3:23 ...... 9:36 .... 6:31 ..= 19:30
40. George Mansergh .. 3:46 .... 10:05 .... 7:41 ..= 21:32
56. India Lazenby ......... 4:34 .... 10:45 .... 7:21 ..= 22:40
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3 members went up to Worksop to compete in the Bassetlaw Sprint Triathlon.
The event consisted of a pool swim of 400 metres in the leisure centre, a rolling bike route of 14.7 miles taking in the surrounding villages and a two lap 3.1 mile run around the residential footpaths of Worksop.
Darren Smith led the team home, whilst Georgina Jennings won her Age Group.
Results:
26. Darren Smith ............. 7:09 .... 45:48 .... 24:41 ..= 1:17:38 AG 7.
62. Ros Goatly ................. 8:17 .... 51:30 .... 29:27 ..= 1:29:14 AG 5.
110. Georgina Jennings .. 10:49 .... 61:10 .... 41:00 ..= 1:52:59 AG 1.
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Rod Hall competed in the Bedford Triathlon, based around the Embankment near to the centre of the town.
swim 1500m - out and back in the River Great Ouse.
Bike 25 miles - 1 lap in the Bedfordshire countryside.
Run 6.25 miles - 3 laps around the river and Russell Park.
Results:
70. Rod Hall .... 38:50 .... 94:02 .... 53:50 ..= 3:06:42 AG 8.
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Chris Pike led the club home in the St.Neots Standard Distance Triathlon, winning his Age Group, whilst Sara Pearce chose the Super-Sprint distance and came 2nd in her Age Group in her first triathlon.
Results:
24. Chris Pike .......... 31:37 .... 86:44 .... 47:17 ..=2:45:38 AG 1.
26. Ellie Piccaver .... 28:17 .... 90:21 .... 48:00 ..= 2:46:38 AG 2.
27. Nathan Keir ....... 26:57 .... 93:25 .... 46:32 ..= 2:46:54 AG 15.
Super-Sprint:
14. Sara Pearce .... 10:28 .... 18:35 .... 12:59 ..= 42:02 AG 2.
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Christian Richards came 24th in his Age Group in the London Triathlon at the Excel Centre. After a swim in the dock, Christian had to cycle 25-miles all on closed roads before running 6.25 miles around the docklands area by the Excel.
318. Christian Richards .... 26:58 .... 76:08 .... 58:05 ..= 2:41:11 AG 24.
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There was a 1-2-3 at the Cowman events at Emberton lake nr Milton Keynes, with Antony Brown taking 1st in his Age Group in the Aquabike, Rob Hammond Age Group 2nd in the Cowman Triathlon and Sue Davys Age Group 3rd in the Calfman Triathlon.
Cowman (swim 1,900m, bike 56 miles, run 13.1 miles):
23. Rob Hammond .... 32:15 .... 2:51:20 .... 1:38:26 ..= 5:02:01 AG 2.
Cowman Aquabike (swim 1,900m, bike 56 miles):
4. Anthony Brown .... 37:11 .... 2:26:07 ..= 3:03:18 AG 1.
Calfman Triathlon (swim 950m, bike 28 miles, run 6.5 miles):
88. Sue Davys .... 24:50 .... 1:45:34 .... 70:10 ..= 3:20:34 AG 3.
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John Crowley ventured over to Sutton Park for the Birmingham Triathlon
swim 1,000m in the lake.
bike 25 miles on closed roads within the park.
run 6.25 miles around the park.
John finished 8th in his Age Group in very wet conditions.
59. John Crowley .... 19:09 .... 78:49 .... 52:37 ..= 2:30:35 AG 8.
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Andy Corner competed in the L'Alpe D'Huez Triathlon in the French Alps, one of triathlon's bucket list events that starts with a 2,250 metre swim in Lac du Verney - 1 rectangular lap in the 17 degree clear waters at the foot of the mountain.
The 74 mile bike route included 4 Cols, 3 of which lasted for 9-miles each, culminating in the 21 Hairpin bends of the Alpe d'Huez itself at an average gradient of 1 in 12.
To finish off, their was an arduous 12.5 mile run up to the Col de Sarenne and back 3 times; at an altitude of 1,850 metres. From 1,500 starters 129 failed to finish this grueling event, which tested Andy's stamina to the limit.
868. Andy Corner .... 47:14 .... 6:34:23 .... 2:26:46 ..= 9:48:23 Age Group 69th.
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Steve Hope and Sarah Haslam competed in Sunderland on a windy day, in the British National Championships; over the Standard Distance of swim 1,500m in the sea at 13.6 degrees, bike 23 miles (4 laps on closed roads) and run 6.25 miles (4-laps).
398. Steve Hope ........ 33:45 .... 87:30 .... 50:24 ..= 2:51:39 AG 30.
449. Sarah Haslam .... 33:17 .... 93:32 .... 58:49 ..= 3:05:38 AG 11.
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Paul Lunn opened his Mini-Series account with a win in the final PACTRAC Mini-Series of this summer.
Chris Pithey led the swimmers out after the 400m pool swim, 12-seconds ahead of Simon Guerin, with another 20-seconds to the trio of Simon Hoppe, Paul Lunn and leading lady Susie Freeman.
Paul then pulled away on the bike leg, which was shortened to 8.8 miles due to traffic lights on the usual course. Chris held onto 2nd coming in 1-minute adrift after the bike, whilst the two Simon's fought it out less than 30-seconds further back; Simon Hoppe moving into a clear 3rd spot, whilst Graeme Kane and Aaron Blumfield both moved up into the top 6..
Paul then ran away from the field with a blistering 18:52 for the 3.1 mile run, and came home over 3-minutes ahead of Simon Hoppe who had managed to catch Chris early on just going out of Oundle. Aaron had a storming run to gain 3 places and clinch the final Podium spot. Graeme almost caught Chris on the line, but just ran out of road in a desperate sprint finish. Susie held on to first lady, 3-minutes ahead of Harriet Lomas who had the consolation of beating her own female bike course record by 30-seconds.
The overall Mini-Series Trophies go to Graeme Kane (male) and Susie Freeman (female). Scott Lloyd came in 2nd with Adam Clark 3rd. Susie remains unbeaten in all competitions and also picks up the overall female Club Champion with one event still to come on 24th September. Currently Rob Hammond leads Adam Clark by 3-points with all to play for in the men's competition.
Results:
1. Paul Lunn ............ 6:38 .... 20:17 .... 18:52 ..= 45:47
2. Simon Hoppe ...... 6:36 .... 21:45 .... 20:48 ..= 49:09
3. Aaron Blumfield ... 7:23 .... 23:26 .... 20:15 ..= 51:04
4. Chris Pithey ......... 6:05 .... 21:50 .... 23:26 ..= 51:21
5. Graeme Kane ...... 6:50 .... 23:38 .... 20:54 ..= 51:22
6. Simon Guerin ...... 6:17 .... 22:15 .... 23:48 ..= 52:20
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Simon Hoppe achieved a landmark 30thappearance for the GB Age Group Triathlon Team at the World Triathlon Championships in Hamburg, competing in both the Sprint Distance and Mixed Team Relays. Simon finished 32nd out of 114 competitors in the 50-54 year Age Group and 8th out of 29 teams in the Mixed Team Relay, in a highly competitive, world class field. 35 nations were represented including over 300 athletes from GB.
Simon commented “Hamburg hosted one of the best ever World Triathlon Championships and there was a super competitive field befitting of the race. I was satisfied with my personal performance in both individual and team races, with the 4th fastest bike leg in my Age Group, but my recent run injuries have led to a lack of form on the run, which ultimately cost me a top-10 finish. I’ll now go back and work on my run speed in time for the World Super Sprint Triathlon Championships in Pontevedra, Spain, in September. I’m incredibly proud to have competed for the GB Age Group Triathlon Team for the 30th time over the last 33 years, at European and World Championships, and having won 7 medals and secured 14 top-10 finishes across these 30 appearances. I’ve had the opportunity to travel to some great places, to meet some amazing people, and to compete alongside the best triathletes in the world, which has been an incredible privilege and well worth all the dedication and training”.
32. Simon Hoppe .... 11:59 .... 36:39 .... 20:35 ..= 69:13.
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At the Leighton Buzzard Children's Triathlon
17. Hugo Flikweert .... 3:21 (100m) .... 8:25 .... 5:49 (800m) = 17:35.
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Adam Clark won the penultimate round of the PACTRAC Mini-Series, extending his lead in every discipline to come home 5:41 ahead of Chris Elder, with David Talbot 3rd, just holding off the fast approaching Scott Lloyd by 3-seconds. Scott had set off on the run with Wayne Stainsby, and managed to pull 15-seconds ahead, taking him towards David, but the pair eventually ran out of road. Susie Freeman was first lady in 6th place.
The final event in the series is on Wednesday 19th July.
Top 6.
1. Adam Clark ........ 5:34 .... 22:09 .... 20:16 ..= 47:59.
2. Chris Elder ......... 6:46 .... 24:07 .... 22:47 ..= 53:40.
3. David Talbot ....... 8:18 .... 23:55 .... 23:03 ..= 55:16.
4. Scott Lloyd ......... 8:44 .... 25:03 .... 21:32 ..= 55:19.
5. Wayne Stainsby . 7:18 .... 26:28 .... 21:48 ..= 55:34.
6. Susie Freeman ... 6:19 .... 27:25 .... 23:50 ..= 57:34.
-----------------------
Hugo Flikweert competed in the Chelmsford Junior Triathlon in the Tri-Star 9-10 year Age Category.
This comprised of an open water lake swim followed by a largely tarmac cycle circuit on closed roads and cycle paths; and an off road run course around the lake. It is one of the very rare opportunities for children to experience open water swimming accompanied by a cycling discipline on tarmac.
Hugo was towards the front in the swim, and raced on his new bike before holding off a fast approaching junior on the run, in a sprint finish.
Results: (swim 150m, bike 2,500m, run 1,200m)
21. Hugo Flikweert .... 5:06 .... 8:17 .... 8:45 = 22:08.
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On a very windy and wet Saturday in St.Neots, Rob Hammond and Steve Hope competed in the Odyssey Ironman-distance triathlon. With 40 mph+ winds forecast from 11:00am for the rest of the day, just staying upright on the bike was sufficient at times.
Competing in his first Ironman, Rob finished 4th overall, over 5-minutes ahead of the next placed finisher, on a windy, undulating, leg-sapping course and finished 2nd in his Age Group. Steve Hope was first in his Age Group and completed his 13th Ironman triathlon in less than ideal conditions. With the poor weather forecast, some chose not to start, and of those who did, over 25% didn't finish.
Sunday saw slightly better weather for the Standard and Sprint Distance events. Adam Clark won the Standard Distance outright, leading from the front in the swim, exiting over a minute clear. Some super-fast transitions and the 3rd best bike split saw him start the run 3:15 minutes ahead; a lead that he extended to 5-minutes by the finish. This is Adam's 5th race on the trot where he has led from start to finish.
Simon Guerin was 3rd out of the River Great Ouse and had a good bike leg before slipping back slightly on the run to 11th place overall; which together with Nathan Keir in 28th, helped PACTRAC win the team honours.
In the Standard-Distance Aquabike, Anthony Brown came from 10th out of the water to storm through the field on the bike and win the event by nearly 3-minutes; whilst Jo Chapman was 1st in her Age Group in the Sprint Triathlon.
Odyssey full Ironman-Distance (swim 2.4 miles, bike 112 miles, run 26.2 miles):
4. Rob Hammond ..... 1:11:34 .... 6:11:00 .... 4:26:45 ..= 11:49:19 Age Group 2nd.
29. Steve Hope ......... 1:25:28 .... 7:19:40 .... 4:49:54 ..= 13:35:02 AG 1st.
Standard Distance:
1.. Adam Clark ........ 23:13 .... 76:30 .... 37:01 ..= 2:16:44 AG 1.
11. Simon Guerin .... 24:54 .... 81:34 .... 46:15 ..= 2:32:43 AG 4.
28. Nathan Keir ....... 28:30 .... 97:50 .... 48:45 ..= 2:55:05 AG 14.
29. Ellie Piccaver ..... 29:30 .... 97:05 .... 48:54 ..= 2:55:29 AG 3.
Standard Aquabike:
1. Anthony Brown .... 30:16 .... 73:49 ..= 1:44:05 AG 1.
Sprint:
48. Jo Chapman ...... 16:35 .... 57:32 .... 24:14 ..= 1:38:21 AG 1.
===========================
Chris Northern is currently nursing a leg injury, so decided to switch from the Middle-Distance Eastbourne Triathlon to the Aquabike. This covered the same 1.9 mile swim in the sea and 56-mile bike but without the run. Competitor's started by jumping into the sea, from the end of Eastbourne's pier, to begin the swim; which was followed by a fast and mostly flat cycle course. Chris finished 5th overall.
5. Chris Northern .... 30:06 .... 2:44:15 ..= 3:14:21 AG 3.
-----------------------------
Rhys Wilkinson finished In 5th place overall at the Sywell Sprint Triathlon, near Northampton. He was in 8th place after the 750m swim and maintained this on the 12-mile bike, before having the 2nd fastest 3-mile run of the day to move up to 5th overall and just over 30-seconds from a podium place. It was an Age Group 1-2 with Rhys winning his Age Group and Stuart Neal improving to 2nd in his.
Results:
5. Rhys Wilkinson .... 12:11 .... 30:41 .... 17:05 ..= 59:57 AG 1st.
37. Stuart Neal .......... 14:37 .... 35:39 .... 25:03 ..= 75:19 AG 2.
---------------------------
Mark Bedford beat his time from last year by 11-minutes in the Holkham Half in Norfolk. Mark is looking to double the distance in the Nottingham Outlaw at the end of the month.
356. Mark Bedford ....... 42:25 .... 2:47:45 .... 1:52:59 ..= 5:23:09 AG 37.
975. Andrew Taylor .... 1:03:31 .... 3:04:33 .... 2:42:51 ..= 6:50:55 AG 85.
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Mini-Series 6
Adam Clark won his 2nd Mini-Series race of the season whilst again leading the race right from the start. His swims are very consistent and he exited the pool 18-seconds ahead of Simon Guerin, with Simon Hoppe and Graeme Kane a further 21 and 41 seconds behind. Due to roadworks, a neutral zone was put in place on the bike section; but it didn't spoil a great race, which saw some closely fought racing across the entire field. Jaap Flikweert had the fastest bike time moving up to 4th, whilst Adam held on to his 39-second advantage over Simon H and extended his lead over everybody else. Rob Hammond and Graeme Kane were 5th and 6th off of the bike, with both overtaking Simon G and Jaap on the run, to fight it out for 3rd spot. Starting the run together, Rob started to pull away slightly; only for Graeme to come back and take the final sprint by 2-seconds. Graeme maintained his Mini-Series form with a 9th top-3 placing in his 9 starts; whilst Adam has won all 4 club events that he has started in this year. In the closely-fought contest for 5th, Jaap started the run 58-seconds in arrears of Simon G and made that up, all bar 3-seconds, by the finish, as Simon realised that he was fast approaching.
Results:
1. Adam Clark ........ 5:37 .... 21:49 .... 19:51 ..= 47:17
2. Simon Hoppe ..... 6:16 .... 21:49 .... 21:03 ..= 49:08
3. Graeme Kane .... 6:36 .... 22:46 .... 20:40 ..= 50:02
4. Rob Hammond .. 6:52 .... 22:29 .... 20:43 ..= 50:04
5. Simon Guerin .... 5:55 .... 22:18 .... 22:35 ..= 50:48
6. Jaap Flikweert ... 7:33 .... 21:38 .... 21:40 ..= 50:51
=====================================
The 5th of the summer PACTRAC Mini-Series Triathlons took place on Wednesday night from Oundle School.
Adam Clark took control of the race right from the gun, gaining nearly a minute's advantage over Graeme Kane in the water, with a further minute to the next chasers, Martin Thorpe and Steve Hope. The top two then consolidated their positions on the bike leg, with Adam extending his lead to 2-minutes and adding a further 1/2 minute on the run.
Graeme has now come second to Adam 4 times in the last 2 season's Mini-Series. Scott Lloyd came through on the run to move up to 3rd overall.
1. Adam Clark ...... 5:36 .... 23:52 .... 21:03 ..= 50:31.
2. Graeme Kane .. 6:30 .... 24:56 .... 21:41 ..= 53:07.
3. Scott Lloyd ...... 8:45 .... 27:19 .... 22:42 ..= 58:46.
-------------------------------------
Adam Clark led from start to finish in the Box End Standard Distance Triathlon near Bedford. Adam took complete control in the water, swimming away from the opposition by nearly 2 1/2 minutes over the 1,500 metre swim. He then had the fastest bike leg of the day (25-miles) to extend his lead; and the 2nd fastest run (6.25 miles) to come home 3:24 minutes ahead to record an emphatic victory.
This is Adam's 3rd overall victory in open events in the last two season's and was also the 2nd race in 5-days that he has led from start to finish.
1st. Adam Clark .... 24:04 .... 64:22 .... 41:34 ..= 2:10:00.
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119 athletes took part in the various distances at the AsKeenAsMustard Swim,Run held at Grafham Water, with the PACTRAC athletes choosing the 14-mile option. The event involved 11 runs and 10 swims taking in the whole of Grafham Water, with competitor's constantly changing disciplines, whilst swimming in training shoes and running in their wetsuits. The 10 swims involved nearly 3-miles of swimming, all swum in the lake, whilst the 11 runs took in 11 miles of trails, through the woods and tracks around the reservoir, on mixed terrain, with the longest run being 3.75miles.
PACTRAC's Susie Freeman had a great race, staying strong until the end, in tough conditions, with the wind making the dam end really choppy, on a breezy day, although the water temperature was a warm 19 degrees. Susie came 4th and just missed out on a Podium spot by 1:40 minutes.
Roger Canham and Dylan Bogg teamed up over the same course, with team members on either end of a rope for the duration of the event. The pair finished 5th in their first attempt at the Swim,Run format.
Solo:
4. Susie Freeman .... 2:48:42.
Team:
5. Roger Canham / Dylan Bogg .... 3:23:48.
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John Crowley came 22nd overall and 4th in his Age Group at the Bananaman Triathlon held at Dorney Lake, Eton, over the Standard Distance of swim 1,500 metres, bike 26.5 miles and run 6.25 miles. John made up some places on the bike section with the traffic free laps around the lake.
22. John Crowley .... 28:22 .... 76:19 .... 47:25 ..= 2:32:06 Age Group 4.
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Gill Bates won her Age Group in the Hitchin Sprint Triathlon, which took place in the 50m outdoor pool, followed by a 12.5 mile bike around the local country lanes and a 3-mile run through the park and town centre.
156. Gill Bates .... 14:56 .... 54:16 .... 33:28 ..= 1:42:40 Age Group 1st.
====================
The PACTRAC Mini-Series took a one-week break last Wednesday, but will resume this week, on 28th June, for the final four races.
-----------------------
The Dambuster Triathlon’s consisted of both Standard and Sprint distance events at Rutland Water; with the Standard distance event being selected as the Triathlon England Standard Distance National Championships. Both events were on closed roads through the heart of Rutland, with the run heading out over the Dam.
In the English Championship event, Dave Thorold won a convincing SILVER MEDAL, whilst both Jonny Hynes and Steve Skelhon had to settle for 4th places in their respective Age Groups, narrowly missing out on a medal.
Jonny was leading a tough Age Group coming out onto the run and had just over a minute’s advantage over 3 chasers. In spite of a 42-minute 10k run he was caught by all three in a closely fought contest and missed out on bronze by 34 seconds.
Steve was 2nd going into the run and was caught just before the 2-mile marker. He had another 4-miles to hang onto that third spot and with the line getting ever closer and a fast approaching competitor behind, he was caught just before the line and lost out on an English Championship medal by just 6-seconds.
Results:
29. Jonny Hynes ............. 26:30 .... 66:34 .... 42:33 ..= 2:15:37 AG 4.
67. Dave Thorold ............ 31:44 .... 69:31 .... 44:01 ..= 2:25:16 AG 2. SILVER MEDAL.
108. Steve Skelhon .......... 28:39 .... 76:36 .... 50:52 ..= 2:36:07 AG 4.
226. George Dann ............ 33:59 .... 88:50 .... 52:06 ..= 2:54:55 AG 16.
308. Emma Brocklehurst .. 36:28 .... 84:06 .... 68:54 ..= 3:09:28 AG 12.
In the accompanying Sprint distance triathlon, Simon Hoppe finished in a fine second place, winning his Age Group by 64 seconds. Simon was leading the race by 58 seconds going into the run and in spite of a good run, was caught and had to settle for second place overall.
Stuart Neal was caught on the line and lost 2nd by just 5 seconds.
Results - Sprint Tri:
2. Simon Hoppe …... 13:00 .... 36:28 .... 21:30 ..= 70:58 AG 1st.
23. Gary Shoemake .. 16:21 .... 42:23 .... 25:18 ..= 84:02 AG 6
39. Stuart Neal .......... 16:33 .... 43:08 .... 27:00 ..= 86:41 AG 3.
56. Laura Johnson .... 19:14 .... 45:41 .... 26:43 ..= 91:38 AG 8.
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The Standard Distance Aquabike at Stewartby Lake in Bedford was a qualifying event for the World Championships to be held in Malaga next year, alongside the triathlon.
Anthony Brown qualified for Malaga, whilst Simon Meade and Verity Miles just missed out in close contests. All 3 had to swim 1,500 metres in the lake followed by a 23-mile fast, flat, lapped road bike. Anthony stormed through on his favoured bike section to take 14th place overall and 2nd in his Age Group.
Sue Davys chose to compete in the full triathlon which finished with a 6.25 mile run on paths alongside the lake into Marston Vale Country Park.
Results:
Standard Distance Triathlon.
Sue Davys ….. 45:50 .... 76:04 .... 69:29 ..= 3:11:23 AG 3rd.
Standard Aquabike.
14. Anthony Brown .... 32:19 .... 54:25 ..= 1:26:44 AG 2nd.
55. Simon Meade ...... 31:50 .... 63:24 ..= 1:35:14 AG 10.
99. Verity Miles .......... 35:52 .... 69:19 ..= 1:45:11 AG 5.
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Dave Patmore-Hill came 6th overall and won his Age Group in the half-ironman distance Cardiff Triathlon. He was happy with his performance over the 1,900m swim, 55-mile bike and 13.5 mile run, in tough conditions with plenty of wind in high temperatures.
1900m swim in Cardiff Bay, a freshwater lake around the former dockland area south of the City Centre.
The 55-mile bike route consisted of seven laps of a flat and fast course on entirely closed roads.
The out and back run route was completed five times.
---------------------------------
Steve Hope, together with Chester and Rowena Homan plus Kate Armstrong chose to swim the length of Lake Coniston, a total of 5.25miles in the Chillswim organised event which attracted over 1,000 entrants.
315. Chester Homan ….. 3:08:35
493. Steve Hope ………. 3:51:58
Kate Armstrong (non-wetsuit) .... 4:03:27
529. Rowena Homan ..… 4:10:31.
=========
PACTRAC held the 4th of 8 Wednesday night Mini-Series Triathlon's at Oundle before taking a one week break and resuming on 28th June.
The usual course and distances applied with a 400m pool swim, 9-mile bike and 3.1 mile run. The event incorporated a Novice section with competitor's able to choose a relay option or a 200 metre swim option as preferred. The 2nd Novice event takes place on 28th June.
In the main event, 3 of the 4 PB's overall were recorded by athletes in the top 4.
Christian Richards led the swimmers out, 12-seconds ahead of Rob Hammond, followed a few seconds later by Chris Elder and Wayne Stainsby, who had a 24-second advantage over Phil Groves at this point. On a good day for cycling, Rob overtook Christian and extended his lead, coming in 1-minute clear of the chasers; led by Phil who had an 8-second advantage over Chris, with Christian now a further 20-seconds behind in 4th.
Some fast run times were witnessed as Phil caught Rob on the way back into Oundle and took his 2nd ever Mini-Series win, by 24-seconds, recording a new Personal Best on the course by 1:50 minutes. Rob also posted a new PB as did Wayne in 4th place who was just caught and outsprinted by Scott Lloyd in a tight finish by 7-seconds.
Results:
1. Phil Groves ......... 7:12 .... 24:18 .... 19:25 ..= 50:55
2. Rob Hammond .... 6:36 .... 23:55 .... 20:48 ..= 51:19
3. Scott Lloyd .......... 8:27 .... 24:38 .... 19:41 ..= 52:48
4. Wayne Stainsby .. 6:48 .... 25:26 .... 20:39 ..= 52:53
---------------------
Louise Hathaway was delighted to attain a 3rd in her Age Group at the 70.3 Half-Ironman in Staffordshire - an International event over the distances of:
swim 1,900m in Chasewater Country Park.
bike 56 miles through the Staffordshire countryside.
run 13.1 miles finishing in Stafford Town Centre.
"Well I’ve finally made an Ironman 70.3 podium"
On a good day for competing, with warm conditions and perfectly still water, Louise started too far back and had a lot of people to swim past, for a good swim time.
On a tough bike course, Louise was stuck at the side of the road after 5-miles, with rear brake problems. With some big hills to come, Louise was calling it a day when a motorcycle mechanic came to her rescue. 7 minutes were lost and the chances of a podium now looked slim, having to overtake a lot of cyclists whilst also avoiding the usual potholes.
The run was always going to be hard on a hilly course with the temperature rising; and Louise was surprised and delighted with 3rd spot in equal measure, as she held off 2 rapidly advancing runners at the end and managed to avoid a tight sprint finish by just 30-seconds, with 5th place less than 2:30 minutes behind.
Next up is the 70.3 Half-Ironman World Championships in Lahti, Finland.
Results - Staffordshire:
345. Louise Hathaway .... 35:44 .... 3:07:52 .... 1:55:23 ..= 5:38:59 AG 3.
-----------------------------
Over 800 competitors finished in the 5th edition of the Lakesman triathlons held at Keswick; with over 80% of the athletes choosing the Half-Ironman distance. Mark Bedford competed in the Full Lakesman, for the 4th time in the 5 editions.
The distances were:
swim 2.4 miles in Derwentwater.
bike 112 miles - 2 out-and-back laps taking in a couple of nasty hills around the north west of the lake district, but largely on good flattish main roads.
run 26.2 miles - 6 laps around the immediate Keswick area.
On a warm day, the wind picked up on the way back into Keswick on lap one, which made for a tougher bike leg; whilst Mark was met with a torrential downpour on the final lap of the run, as he dug deep to finish.
Mark Bedford completed the 1,900m swim event 2-days before the big race, in 76th place in a time of 47:17.
Steve Hope competed in his 2nd Half-Ironman triathlon in consecutive weekends, recording an Age Group 5th to add to his 4th place last week.
Results:
Full (2.4miles, 112 miles, 26.2 miles)
115. Mark Bedford .... 1:29:53 .... 6:37:45 .... 5:35:24 ..= 13:43:02 AG 21.
Half (1.2 miles, 56 miles, 13.1 miles)
167. Barry Ryan .... 40:09 .... 2:58:54 .... 1:48:38 ..= 5:27:41 AG 22.
193. Steve Hope ... 37:57 .... 2:55:25 .... 2:00:07 ..= 5:33:29 AG 5th.
------------------------
A week after being brought down by a young child on a bike in the Derby half-marathon, Paul Jephcott recovered sufficiently to win his Age Group in the Staunton Harold Standard Distance Triathlon. Struggling to walk, during the week, Paul managed to complete his opening triathlon of the season and had a very consistent race.
Results:
22. Paul Jephcott .... 33:47 .... 89:28 .... 58:59 ..= 3:02:14 AG 1st.
--------------
Hugo Flikweert and India Lazenby competed in the Sandringham Schools Triathlon at St.Albans in the TriStart1 category.
Results:
Boys - 16. Hugo Fl;ikweert .... 3:01 .... 9:12 .... 5:41 ..= 17:54
Girls - 10. India Lazenby ....... 3:58 .... 9:34 .... 6:32 ..= 20:04
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In other races, Rob Head competed in the Army Sprint Triathlon Championships at Oxford, with the Standard Distance Championships being held at the same venue next week.
Andrea Robinett was 59th in the Bosworth Triathlon in a time of 1:33:22 for 3rd place in her Age Group.
================
The 3rd Mini-Series of the summer took place at Oundle on Wednesday with Graeme Kane making it 3 from 3, but he didn't have it all his own way.
Simon Guerin led the swimmers out, nearly 30-seconds ahead of Suzanne May. There was a short gap before Graeme Kane came out with Simon Hoppe hot on his heals.
Simon Hoppe and Graeme had a great battle on the bike, constantly changing lead and keeping to the prescribed 10-metres apart. Simon Guerin was caught and the 3 of them came in off the bike together. At this point Graeme kicked on to take his 4th ever Mini-Series win from 7 starts. Simon Guerin pulled ahead of Simon Hoppe, who held onto 3rd by just 18-seconds from a rapidly approaching Phil Groves.
Adam Clark, the only competitor to have beaten Graeme in a Mini-Series, was due to compete, but having competed in the European Sprint Championships in Madrid, his flight home was delayed by French Air Traffic Control, to Graeme's benefit.
Grace Rundle managed to catch Suzanne on the run to come home as first lady, on a night where 7 Personal Best times were recorded.
1. Graeme Kane .... 6:26 .... 23:45 .... 21:10 ..= 51:21
2. Simon Guerin ..... 5:51 .... 24:25 .... 21:52 ..= 52:08
3. Simon Hoppe ..... 6:28 .... 23:40 .... 22:19 ..= 52:27
--------------------------
Andy Martin took part in the Weekend Warrior Triathlon at Blenheim Palace. The main sprint triathlon consisted of a 750m lake swim followed by a 12.5 mile bike and a 3.5 mile run. The Weekend Warrior covered the same course and distances but as many times as you could achieve over the weekend. Andy Martin finished 61st overall completing 3 sprint triathlons and 1 super-sprint (400m, 9m, 2m). His times were 87:20, 90:44, 92:05 and 67:08 for a total of 5:37:17.
-----------------------
Richard Wright finished 167th in the Bristol Triathlon over the Standard Distance of; swim 1500m, bike 22 miles and run 6.25 miles. Richard gained a large number of places in his favoured run discipline to finish 21st in his Age Group.
Results:
167. Richard Wright .... 33:01 .... 72:19 .... 39:30 ..= 2:24:50 AG 21.
--------------------------------
Steve Hope competed in the Challenge Wales Triathlon at Fishguard over the Half-Ironman distance.
Swim 1,900 metres. 2-laps in the sea bay.
Bike 59 miles. Out-and-back to St.Davids twice, on a very undulating course, but with roads closed to traffic.
Run 13.1 miles. 4 tough laps with 2 big hills on each, in humid conditions.
Steve came 4th in his Age Group and qualified for the Challenge World Championships, which are held every May in Samorin, Slovakia, over the half-ironman distance. Challenge are a rival group to Ironman, using the same full and half distances and with events all over the world.
158. Steve Hope .... 42:30 .... 3:20:20 .... 2:18:43 ..= 4:21:33 AG 4th.
---------------------
155 competitors took part in the various AsKeenAsMustard Swim,Run events held at Ferry Meadows. This involved constantly changing disciplines from swimming to running and back again. Competitors, therefore, swam in their training shoes and ran in their wetsuits. 4 PACTRACers chose the 13.1 mile half-marathon distance which had 10 trail runs and 9 swims, in and out of the river Nene and the lakes at Ferry Meadows, with the longest single run being nearly 3-miles. Adam Clark finished 4th overall and just missed out on a Podium spot by 70-seconds. A further 3 PACTRACers competed in the 3.1 mile Swim,Run covering 5 runs and 4 swims.
13.1 miles:
4. Adam Clark ............. 2:32:49.
9. Susie Freeman ........ 2:43:28.
23. Rod Hall .................. 3:19:34.
28. Willow Worthington .. 3:32:34.
3.1 miles:
16. Sara Pearce ............ 59:15.
19. Daniel Richardson ... 66:38.
23. Gill Bates ................. 72:17.
================
Graeme Kane won the 2nd PACTRAC Mini-Series triathlon at Oundle on Wednesday, to make it two out of two for the rising star this year. Since his debut last year, Graeme has now won 3 Mini-Series and come second 3 times (all to Adam Clark) in his 6 outings.
Christian Richards led Susie Freeman out of the water, with Graeme in close attendance. Chris Northern was a further 24-seconds behind. Graeme took the lead on the bike, with Chris gaining a few seconds to come in off the bike just 15 seconds adrift, leaving Christian a further 30-seconds behind, on a windy night. There then followed an epic battle between the two leaders, but Chris could only eat into Graeme's lead by 9-seconds, leaving him just 6-seconds down at the finish. Christian held onto 3rd but only by 11-seconds from a rapidly advancing Andy Corner. Susie Freeman was the first lady in 6th position.
Chris Northern after his first triathlon of the season, said "That reminded me how hard I need to try. 2nd place and a great battle for 1st with Graeme, who deserved the win and pushed me all the way".
Mini-Series 2
Results:
1. Graeme Kane ......... 6:26 .... 24:58 .... 20:45 ..= 52:09
2. Chris Northern ........ 6:50 .... 24:49 .... 20:36 ..= 52:15
3. Christian Richards .. 6:15 .... 25:54 .... 22:33 ..= 54:42
4. Andy Corner ............ 716 .... 25:59 .... 21:38 ..= 54:53
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Adam Clark had a top 10 finish in the European Sprint Triathlon Championships in Madrid. Adam moved up from 12th at the start of the 2nd run and just missed out in a sprint for 9th on the line.
Heavy rainfall in Madrid overnight meant that Sunday's triathlon was changed into a Duathlon, the initial swim section being replaced by another run. The concern was the condition of the lake, from a safety perspective, with poor water quality from thunder storms flooding the area.
A short 1-mile run separated the athletes for the 13-mile bike, before Adam secured 10th spot with a 16:57 3-mile final run.
Result:
10. Adam Clark .... 5:49 .... 33:15 .... 16:57 ..= 56:01.
----------------------------
The Grafman triathlon took place at Grafham Water on Sunday over the half-ironman distance and incorporated the English National Middle-Distance Championships. Stuart Neal came home 4th in his Age group, missing out on a medal; whilst Mark Bedford fine-tuned his fitness for his 4th attempt at the Lakesman full Ironman distance triathlon in two weeks time. Anthony Brown competed in the accompanying non-championship Aquabike, picking off 80% of the field in front of him with the 4th fastest bike split overall to win his Age Group.
The distances were:
swim 1,900 metres in Grafham Water - 2 laps with a rolling start from the beach.
bike 56-miles with 4 different out-and-back legs on quiet country roads.
run 13.1 miles - 2 out-and-back laps on tarmac, footpaths and grass.
Results:
116. Mark Bedford .... 43:39 .... 2:55:47 .... 1:44:55 ..= 5:24:21 Age Group 20.
240. Stuart Neal ........ 38:21 .... 3:05:06 .... 2:54:36 ..= 6:38:03 AG 4th.
Aquabike (swim 1,900m, bike 56 miles) NON-CHAMPIONSHIP.
6. Anthony Brown ...... 38:16 .... 2:30:28 ..= 3:08:44 AG 1st.
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Hugo Flikweert continued his triathlon season with 20th place in the Rob McLean Junior Triathlon at Cambridge, whilst India Lazenby competing in her first triathlon, came 34th. Both PACTRAC Juniors were competing in the TriStar 1 category for 9-10 year olds. They had to cover a 150 metre swim (6-lengths), followed by a 1.25 mile bike (2-laps) and 3/4 mile run (2-laps) all on grass.
Results:
20. Hugo Flikweert .... 3:11 ..... 9:14 .... 5:57 ..= 18:22.
34. India Lazenby ...... 4:08 .... 10:42 .... 6:10 ..= 21:00.
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Sam Chapman smashed his previous best Ironman time at Ironman Hamburg on Sunday. This was his 5th Ironman race and he knocked 30 minutes off of his previous best time, recorded in Hamburg last year. Sam's 8:44:55 took him to 16th place overall out of 1,732 finishers in this prestigious event with a big International field. He had the strength to record an incredibly consistent run, with every mile between 6:56 and 7:13 minutes per mile.
Paul Lunn was not far behind in 27th place with a time of 8:54:10, which gave him yet another first place in the over 50 Age Group. Paul had the 2nd fastest bike split in his Age Group to start the run 6-minutes down, but soon took the lead and won his Age Group by 20-minutes. Paul started the run just 10-seconds behind Sam, but the younger man had the legs recording a 3:00:30 marathon whilst Paul showed that he still has it with a 3:09:55 marathon, after already having swam 2.4 miles and cycled 112 miles.
Both athletes qualified for the Ironman World Championships later in the year, which this year are being switched from Hawaii to Nice in France.
16. Sam Chapman .... 1:04:29 .... 4:39:56 .... 3:00:30 ..= 8:44:55 Age Group 4th.
27. Paul Lunn ............ 1:03:38 .... 4:40:37 .... 3:09:55 ..= 8:54:10 AG 1st.
779. Stuart Cleworth ... 1:11:50 .... 5:22:29 .... 4:23:21 ..= 10:57:40 AG 147.
1008. Dave Thorold .... 1:19:14 .... 6:03:08 .... 4:07:24 ..= 11:29:46 AG 41.
==========================
PACTRAC held their first of eight Wednesday night Mini-Series triathlon's at Oundle, with Graeme Kane establishing an early lead and holding off a late charge by Wayne Stainsby to come home ahead by just 17-seconds.
Graeme led out of the water, just ahead of Susie Freeman, whilst Wayne was third out, half-a-minute down. Graeme moved further ahead on the bike, and started the run 1:16 ahead of Wayne, whilst Scott Lloyd had the fastest bike split, propelling him up to 3rd after being 12th out of the water. Scott started the run 42 seconds behind Wayne, but the two had similar run splits, and although catching Graeme, they both ran out of road, leaving Graeme to hold on for overall victory by just 17 seconds.
Susie Freeman was the first lady home ahead of a late charge from debutant, Fiona Phillips, with Harriet Lomas just behind following a great bike section which was just 20-seconds behind her own female bike course record.
The Mini-Series continues each Wednesday with a break on 21st June, whilst those on 14th and 28th June are designated as Novice events including shorter swim and relay options.
Results:
1. Graeme Kane ....... 6:23 .... 25:26 .... 21:39 ..= 53:28
2. Wayne Stainsby .... 6:52 .... 26:13 .... 20:40 ..= 53:45
3. Scott Lloyd ............ 8:55 .... 24:52 .... 20:37 ..= 54:24
5. Susie Freeman ....... 6:27 .... 28:29 .... 24:18 ..= 59:14
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This week, Hugo Flikweert competed in the Stradbroke Aquathlon, for children aged 8-16. For Hugo, this consisted of a 120 metre pool swim and a 1,500 metre run around the playing fields next to the Leisure Centre; with Hugo finishing 7th overall in his Age Group.
Results:
TriStars 1. (Ages 9-10).
7. Hugo Flikweert .... 2:29 .... 7:22 ..= 9:51.
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6 PACTRACers competed at Box End, near Bedford. The triathlon took place over the Standard Distance of:
swim 1,500 metres - 2 laps in the main lake at 15.9 degrees.
bike 25 miles - 1 lap around the local roads, some fast main roads and other back roads with plenty of pot holes to look out for.
run 6.3 miles - 2 laps on freshly cut grass.
The event was a Qualifier for the World Standard Distance Championships to be held in Malaga next year; and for the 2nd weekend on the trot, Adam Clark came to the fore finishing 5th overall in the race and 2nd in his Age Group. Adam is improving with every race and to finish 5th overall in a major national race represents another step forward.
Adam said: "Malaga 2024 here we come! Finally a swim which showed my potential, coming out of the water in 6th.
On the bike, I worked hard but the super strong cyclists showed me I've still got work to do there, dropping down to 10th. I had a great and patient run on a tricky off-road course to pick off some guys in front to finish 5th overall."
Adam is now looking to recover ahead of the European Sprint Championships in Madrid in the first weekend of June.
Clubmate Bill Haslam competed in the Aquabike, an event over the same swim and bike course but with no run involved; finishing 2nd overall.
Box End Results:
5. Adam Clark ........ 24:11 .... 65:28 .... 40:34 = 2:10:13 Age Group 2nd
57. Simon Guerin .... 25:55 .... 67:42 .... 52:29 ..= 2:26:06 AG 13.
91. Christian Richards .. 29:02 .... 73:38 .... 50:29 ..= 2:33:09 AG 18.
141. Steve Hope ........... 32:09 .... 77:07 .... 53:11 ..= 2:42:27 AG 7.
235. Sarah Haslam ....... 31:12 .... 93:55 .... 67:28 ..= 3:12:35 AG 11.
Aquabike (swim 1500m, bike 25m)
2. Bill Haslam .... 32:39 .... 73:39 ..= 1:46:18 AG 1st.
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Andy Martin and Debbie Montague competed in the Outlaw Half Nottingham held at the National Watersports Centre, Holme Pierrepont, Nottingham, over the distances of:
swim 1.2 miles - 1 lap in the rowing lake.
bike 56 miles on a fast, flat course.
run 13.1 miles on a flat, multi-lap, mostly tarmac course.
This was Debbie's first half distance triathlon.
Debbie said: "Suffice to say I'm extremely chuffed with myself and when I saw the swim course yesterday I really thought I wasn't going to get round. It wasn't my best swim as I was so nervous and it took me a while to get going; and also the run to transition was longer than I would have liked, due to fingers playing up from the cold. But both the bike and run went much better than expected.
I was already really nervous about the swim in particular, so when I saw how far the first buoy was that we had to get to I very nearly said "I quit" there and then!! But I registered still and set myself the goal of just getting in and getting to the first smaller marker buoy. Anything else was going to be a bonus.
I haven't been in open water much this year and when I have been in, it hasn't gone particularly well. Plus it was a time trial start, off of a pontoon, so no easing yourself in gently off a ramp or getting in the water beforehand to get used to it. I struggled for a while to get settled and going, but before I knew it, I was past the first smaller marker buoy, in a rhythm and actually enjoying it. A few bumps from other people but all good. My hands started to get cold by the first large buoy, but I kept going and before I knew it, the exit ramp was there. To say I was happy to have done the swim was an understatement. I cheered so much you would have thought I'd won the whole race.
Next I had the long trek to my bike, over a quarter of a mile and wetsuit off, which was tricky due to my fingers being very numb. But I did it and was soon flying around the bike course . It was cold to start, but soon warmed up, and I saw and heard Andy shout out to me on his way to do the second loop.
Again I was nervous and worried about the one real hill. But I gritted my teeth and got on with it. The hill was steep and hard work. Some had got off and were pushing their bikes up. I felt so happy to have just got past it and I could then relax and enjoy it more. I almost came off at one point, but managed to save it.
Back into transition, running shoes on and Andy was just running past and at this point I knew I had it in the bag. Running is my strong point, even after the swim and bike. The course was around the rowing lake with a couple of extra bits added on, very hot and with the wind in your face on one side of the lake. But I felt amazingly strong and surprised myself by putting in a time that I would be happy with for just doing a half marathon on its own (2 hours 8 minutes). I finished it and in one piece.
I'd been so scared, nervous and anxious before race day and really felt like quitting before the start. Next up is the full Ironman, double the distance, in Italy in just 15 weeks time.
The swim went better than expected. I was so nervous that I almost didn't do it at all. Absolutely chuffed to bits with the bike. It was not only quicker than expected, but I also didn't walk up the hill, which I thought I might have to. I felt surprisingly comfortable out there on the run, and ended up being a lot quicker than expected."
Both Andy and Debbie had great races and picked up places on the run.
Results:
474. Andy Martin ........... 41:23 .... 3:02:16 .... 1:40:26 ..= 5:24:05 Age Group 59.
1416. Debbie Montague .. 60:15 .... 4:00:49 .... 2:09:14 ..= 7:10:18 AG 43.
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The first of the 3-series sprint triathlons took place at Sywell Country Park, near Northampton, on Sunday.
Swim 750m - 1 lap in the lake.
Bike 12.5 miles - 2 undulating laps on the surrounding country lanes.
Run 3 miles around the lake.
Rhys Wilkinson was amongst the leaders out of the water and won his Age Group with 7th place overall; whilst Rob Head competed in his first triathlon of the year, finishing 4th in his Age Group.
Results:
7. Rhys Wilkinson .... 14:54 .... 30:39 .... 17:52 ..= 63:25 AG 1st.
33. Rob Head ............ 18:49 .... 33:25 .... 24:44 ..= 1:16:58 AG 4.
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PAUL, LOUISE, ADAM and SUSIE ALL QUALIFY, WITH PAUL AND HUGO WINNING THEIR RACES.
Paul Lunn, Jon Crowley and Louise Hathaway competed in the 70.3 Half-Ironman triathlon in Alcudia, Majorca at the weekend. This was Paul's 12th time competing in this race, and his first race since winning the World 70.3 Championships in St.George, Utah, last October. After surgery on a torn cartilage,
Paul has been back training for 8-weeks.
The event was held over the distances of:
Swim 1.2 miles in the sea at Alcudia Bay – out and back in a rectangular loop.
Bike 56 miles - 1 lap taking in the climb up to Lluc.
Run 13.1 miles - 3 laps on a flat course around the coast line and bay.
Paul Lunn had a superb result, finishing 14th overall from a field of 2,509 Age Group athletes. Paul took the lead on the bike, coming into the second transition 2:11 clear of his nearest rival. He then stormed through the half-marathon run in 1:21:30 to win his Age Group by over 15 minutes. Paul's run time was less than 2-minutes away from last years split time in spite of his troubled start to the season.
This was Paul’s 10th top-3 placing in this event in the 12 times that he has competed. It is also his 6th Age Group win in a race that he has finished in every year since 2011, although no event took place in 2020.
In his first triathlon of the season, he has started in great shape. Paul is the current World AND European Champion in his 50-54 year Age Group over the 70.3 distance and will be looking to retain his crowns later in the year, in Finland and Estonia respectively.
Louise Hathaway had a great race in Alcudia, starting with a solid swim, gaining some places on the bike and consolidating on the run to also qualify for the 70.3 World Championships in Finland. Louise exceeded her time from last year by nearly 15-minutes, chipping away in all 3-disciplines. This will be her 2nd World 70.3 Championships after competing in St.George, Utah with Paul last October.
Jon Crowley was delighted to complete his 4th 70.3 Ironman Mallorca. After 18 months of injury and setbacks, he finally completed an event with no issues or pain, saying "It’s been a long road to recovery".
Conditions were testing, with a choppy sea and windy bike section; but the cooler
run played to Jon's strengths. Overall he had a quicker time than last year, largely down to bettering his half marathon time by 11:18.
Results:
14. Paul Lunn .............. 30:26 .... 2:34:10 .... 1:21:30 ..= 4:26:06 Age Group 1st.
812. Jon Crowley ......... 35:01 .... 3:15:35 .... 1:47:27 ..= 5:38:03 AG 86.
890. Louise Hathaway .. 35:20 .... 3:14:25 .... 1:52:22 ..= 5:42:07 AG 17.
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Adam Clark and Susie Freeman both qualified for next years European Sprint
Triathlon Championships with great performances at the Eton Sprint at Dorney
Lake. With 4 places up for grabs in each 5-year Age Group, in this first qualifying race, both PACTRAC
members qualified in 3rd place, competing against the best Age Group athletes in the country.
After a great swim, Adam moved up the field in each discipline, and moved up the field to qualify with the 16th fastest run overall.
Distances:
swim 750 metres - 1 lap in the 15 degree waters of Dorney Lake.
bike 13 miles - 4 laps around the lake perimetre.
run 3.2 miles - out and back along the tarmacked path.
Results:
22. Adam Clark ........... 11:44 .... 34:47 .... 17:56 ..= 64:27
140. Rhys Wilkinson .... 12:58 .... 40:11 .... 18:52 ..= 72:01
205. Susie Freeman ..... 12:37 .... 40:37 .... 23:02 ..= 76:16
248. Steve Hope ........... 14:47 .... 39:56 .... 24:05 ..= 78:48
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On Sunday over 1,000 7-13 year old's from local schools competed in teams of four completing relays of swimming, cycling and running whilst raising money for Restless Development and local charities.
The Oundle School Kight Frank Schools Triathlon was the second Annual event following on from the successful edition last year, with 259 school teams competing over age related distances, an increase of 52 teams from last year.
Schools were invited to submit teams of 4 with each competitor swimming in turn, then cycling in turn before running in turn. Athletes therefore got a rest between each discipline whilst their team members took over.
PACTRAC's Hugo Flikweert competed in the Ghostbusters team from Laxton Junior School, with 118 teams in the Year 3-4 race. Hugo's team finished 1st overall, bettering their 7th place last year, but more importantly came first from the 15 Laxton Junior School teams, to take the bragging rights by the same 21 seconds as last year. Each Year 3 and 4 team member had to complete a 50m swim, 1,000m bike and a 750m run.
The 4-man "Ninja Ghostbusters" Team also included George Manserg, another PACTRAC Junior who trains with the squad at Stanground. (The other boys were William Carlson and Henry Perkins). The team name is Ninja Ghostbusters. Now in the higher of the 2 ages, the pressure was on, but they performed.
They beat their Laxton classmates, Team Panthers (who came 2nd), despite Henry Perkins losing his shoe in the final straight, picking it up and finishing with one shoe and one sock.
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Jonathan Oakey competed for Ireland in the Africa Triathlon Cup in M'Diq, Morocco, finishing 13th in the Elite Mens race in 1:51:27. Jonathan was 25th out of the water 37 seconds down after the 1500m swim, but the athletes came together by the end of the 25 mile bike section in a large group at the front. Jonathan then held on to 13th place in a tightly fought race, with a rapid 31:55 for the 10km run.
Result:
13. Jonathan Oakey .... 21:13 .... 58:19 .... 31:55 = 1:51:27.
===============================================
PACTRAC held their annual Mid-Distance Triathlon at Oundle over the distances of:
swim 800 metres - 32 lengths of the 25m pool.
bike 20 miles - 2 laps around Glapthorn and the Benefields, with a couple of hills as well as some fast descents.
run 5 miles - around Glapthorn and Cotterstock.
12 athletes started together in the pool, with Adam Clark quickly establishing a lead. Adam was 30-seconds ahead of Simon Guerin after the half-mile swim, with first lady, Susie Freeman, just ahead of Christian Richards 1:45 minutes later. Rob Hammond was 6th at this point, another 45 seconds down. Adam, Simon and Rob came in off the bike in the top 3 positions, but the gap between them had widened, as Adam powered ahead in all 3 disciplines to win by 5:43 minutes. Simon had extended his advantage over Rob on the bike to nearly 5-minutes, but Rob pegged much of this back with a solid run to come home 3rd but by now only 1:35 behind Simon. Christian Richards held on to 4th whilst a storming run from Richard Wright pushed him up to 5th with leading lady, Susie Freeman in 7th.
PACTRAC's popular Wednesday night Mini-Series Triathlons start on Wednesday 24th May and are open to non-members. These are a great way to practice your skills ahead of any open events and take place on 8 consecutive Wednesday nights at Oundle pool with a 1-week break on 21st June. The events on 14th June and 19th July have also been designated as novice-specific races, with relay and 200m swim options. Entry is in advance via pactrac.clubpal.app
Top 3.
1. Adam Clark ...... 10:58 .... 48:46 .... 31:27 ..= 91:11
2. Simon Guerin .... 11:28 .... 50:03 .... 35:23 ..= 96:54
3. Rob Hammond .. 14:02 .... 52:20 .... 32:07 ..= 98:29
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St.Neots Triathlon
Jo Chapman and Chloe Moore competed over different distances at St.Neots on Sunday, with both coming home first in their respective Age Groups. Jo competed over the sprint distance triathlon (750m, 13m, 3m), while Chloe chose the Standard distance Aquathlon with twice the swim and bike distances but no run.
Sprint Triathlon:
39. Jo Chapman .... 19:13 .... 58:15 .... 24:18 ..= 1:41:46 Age Group 1st.
Aquathlon:
12. Chloe Moore .... 38:16 .... 1:55:42 ..= 2:33:58 Age Group 1st.
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Dave Patmore-Hill competed in the 70.3 Venice - Jesolo triathlon in Italy. This was the 28th time that Dave has competed over the half-Ironman distance, with the vast majority being abroad. Dave again produced a sub 5-hour time over the 1.2 mile sea swim, 56-mile flat bike course and 13.1 mile run. He said "That was a tough day for me and not enough training but at least I know where I’m at now".
Result:
703. Dave Patmore-Hill 30:36 .... 2:49:46 .... 1:39:12 ..= 4:59:34 Age Group 39th.
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London Marathon:
PACTRAC's Daniel Fitzjohn completed his 12th London Marathon and after taking a hard fall at mile 3, went on to record a PB of 2:58:51.
Roy Mayhew turned 80 in March, and celebrated with a 5th place male over 80 placing. He was probably the 16th oldest competitor in the race and finished 7th (male and female) from the 16 over 80-year old's competing.
Results:
2760. Daniel Fitzjohn .... 1:27:34 + 1:31:17 = 2:58:51
47239. Roy Mayhew ...... 2:47:46 + 3:50:08 = 6:37:54 Age Group 5th.
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St.Georges Ultra Run at Ferry Meadows:
Rod Hall, PACTRAC and first claim Werrington Joggers, finished the Ultra run at Ferry Meadows with 29.93 miles after completing 9x laps of the 5.3km circuit.
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Sara Pearce is currently in Morocco competing in the 6-stage Marathon des Sables. After the first stage of 22.6 miles on Sunday 23rd, Sara was in 626th position out of 1263 competitors. This gruelling race consists of 6 long stages, running over unrelenting Sahara desert, with heat and sand to contend with.
Stage 1. 626th Sara Pearce ..... 7:05:04.
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Adam Clark WON THE DUSTON TRIATHLON IN NORTHAMPTON OUTRIGHT on Sunday. The 400m swim was organised into groups of 4 every 2-minutes, with Adam starting in the first wave and leading throughout the race to finish first both on the road and overall. Team mate Rhys Wilkinson finished 7th overall, a further 6-minutes behind Adam in this sprint triathlon over the distances of:
swim 400m in the pool.
bike 12.5 miles on country lanes, largely flat and fast, but with one short, sharp climb.
run 3-miles on an undulating circuit with a flat finish.
Adam moved into second position on the bike and had a fast 17:38 minute run to propel himself into the lead.
Results:
1. Adam Clark .............. 56:40 Age Group 1st.
7. Rhys Wilkinson ........ 62:40 AG 3.
56. Wesley Wilkinson .... 81:04 AG 5.
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PACTRAC held their annual Duathlon at Oundle on Sunday with Rob Hammond taking the victory ahead of Tony Birch-James and Michael Samways with Susie Freeman not too far behind as first lady. Rob lead from the start to open his seasons account over the 3-mile run, 9-mile bike and further 3-mile run, in wet wintery conditions, with a chill wind about. {results are not yet in}.
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3 PACTRACers headed to East Leake near Loughborough on Sunday for the first triathlon of the season. This Sprint Distance event included a 400-metre pool swim followed by a 14-mile bike and a 3-mile run, both on tarmac on fast, flat courses. Over 400 competitors entered this season opener, which is now in it’s 20th year.
Adam Clark finished 8th overall and first in his Age Group, whilst Tracy Rookyard and Gill Bates were 18th and 8th respectively in theirs. Last year Adam was 12th overall. On Sunday he had some good Age Group competition which pushed him to 8th overall. Adam had a good swim and was 13th overall going into the bike section. 3 Age Group competitors made slight gains on him on the bike and he started the run 4th in his Age Group. However a fast 3-mile run in 17:48 saw him overtake all 3 ahead of him and he took the Age Group win by just 6-seconds.
Results:
8. Adam Clark .......... 6:30 …. 36:56 …. 17:48 ..= 1:01:14 AG 1st.
359. Tracy Rookyard .. 12:29 …. 65:15 …. 30:51 ..= 1:48:35 AG 18.
366. Gill Bates ……… 14:25 …. 61:29 …. 33:37 ..= 1:49:31 AG 8.
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PACTRAC members have been busy entering a number of early season running races, with Natasha Martin leading the team in 16th place overall in the Oundle 10k; Daniel Fitzjohn the first member home in the Stamford 30k in a time of 2 hours and 8 minutes; and Sara Pearce with a phenomenal effort recording a time of 9:31:56 in the Brecon to Cardiff 43mile Ultra run, followed less than 2-weeks later with a time of 3:36:00 in the Oundle 20 mile run, where Mark Weathersby finished 3rd overall in 2:02:41. Sara's next epic run will be towards the end of April in the Marathon des Sables, an arduous 7-day run across the desert in Morocco. The PACTRAC team finished in 14th place in the local Frostbite running league whilst the Juniors finished in 12th.
Two members, Amy Mellor and Laura Hardy, took part in the World Ice Swimming Championships, in Samoens, France, with Amy taking 2nd in her Age Group for the SILVER MEDAL in the 100m back stroke and just missing out in 4th place in the 250m front crawl. Graeme Abrahams, Jackie Brandon and Matthew Williams have also taken part in Ice swims this year; whilst at the GB Ice Swimming Championships in Cheltenham Amy Mellor took the SILVER MEDAL in her Age Group in the 500m front crawl and the GOLD MEDAL in the 250m front crawl to record PACTRAC's first National Champion of the season.
7 members have just returned from a training camp in Majorca, where Jon Crowley will return to compete in May and Steve Hope in October.
Last weekend PACTRAC held their first club race of the season, the Aquathlon from Oundle pool. 11 members competed for the trophy on a cold morning over the 400m swim and 3.1 mile run. Adam Clark led out of the 400 meter pool swim in 5:33, 33-seconds ahead of Simon Guerin. Nathan Keir and Susie Freeman were just over a minute behind Adam, with just a few seconds before Rob Hammond led Natalie Askew out. Rob moved up from 5th out of the swim to 2nd after the 3.1 mile run, but Adam was able to hold on to his lead, pulling a further 19 seconds away on the run to finish 1:35 ahead of Rob, with Simon in 3rd place, a further 44-seconds behind. Susie was the first lady, extending her lead slightly on the run to come home in 5th place overall, behind Nathan and ahead of Natalie.
Results:
1. Adam Clark ........ 5:33 .... 21:22 .... = 26:55
2. Rob Hammond .. 6:49 .... 21:41 .... = 28:30
3. Simon Guerin .... 6:06 .... 23:08 .... = 29:14
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This Sunday PACTRAC hold their Duathlon from Oundle pool over the distances of run 3.1 miles, bike 9-miles and run 3.1 miles.
3 members compete in the first triathlon of the season at East Leake - Adam Clark, Gill Bates and Tracy Rookyard.
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The next club event will be the Mid-Distance Club Championship Triathlon from Oundle on 7th May, whilst the ever popular Mini-Series will be over 8 Wednesday nights in the summer from 24th May until 19th July with a break on Wednesday 21st June and races 4 and 8 on 14th June and 19th July designated as Novice / Relay races for those looking to get into triathlon in a friendly environment.
The club also hold fortnightly Junior sessions at Stanground, which are currently free for the 2-hour sessions held between 11:00 and 13:00 on alternate Sundays.
Stephen Wedley - RIP
It is with great sadness that we hear that Stephen Wedley tragically passed away on Saturday 11th February. Stephen was a coach at PACTRAC's Monday night swims for many year's and was a regular swimmer in our Masters Lane.
Stephen's funeral will take place at Peterborough Crematorium on Tuesday 14th March 2023 @ 12:00.
The service will have a weblink for those who are unable to make the funeral. Details of this will be given nearer the time on request.
The wake will be held at The Talbot Inn, North Street, Stilton.
Stephen's sister has now set up a just giving page for anyone who wishes to make a donation in Steve's memory.
https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/stephenwedley?utm_term=rRqJADkRr
What's on at PACTRAC.
The Frostbite scheduled for Sunday 25th February at Hinchingbrooke Park has been CANCELLED.
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Simon Hoppe continues to run the fortnightly Junior Sessions from Stanground now assisted by Jaap.
Oundle School Sports Centre:
On Monday's at 7:30 pm, Adam is taking six special skill sessions in Lane 1, whilst Grace coaches the other lanes.
On Wednesday's at 7:30 pm, Rob and Ana oversee six lanes of coached swimming.
Christmas Drinks are on Wednesday 6th December, at 8.30pm, at the Tap and Kitchen in Oundle, straight after the swim.
On Sunday 10 December it's Leg 3 of this year's Frostbite League. The Juniors (1.5 miles) start at 9.45, the Seniors (5-miles) at 10.30. The race is in March (PE15 0LB).
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Nene Swims start this Thursday, 25th May, from Woodford.
See the Forum page here https://pactrac.co.uk/forums/topic/866/#new-posts
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The date of the next Junior Session is to be advised.
The club's ever popular Wednesday night Mini-Series Triathlons start again on 24th May.
Entry to all club events including swimming at Oundle and Stanground is in advance at pactrac.clubpal.app
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The next Junior session is at Stanground on Sunday 26th March. Bring a friend along. You just need to book thro pactrac.clubpal.app
Weekly running interval sessions will be posted here https://pactrac.co.uk/forums/topic/824/#new-posts and on Facebook.
Adam is holding a Thursday night Zwift session - see Facebook to join in each week.
Look out for further running and cycling sessions on Facebook.
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The latest Frostbite results are on the Forum, with the last race at Jubillee Park on 12th March.
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There is also a run from Folksworth Village Hall at 9:30am on Monday 2nd Jan around 1-lap of the local lanes organised by Yaxley Runners. All welcome.
Why not enter the same races as your clubmates in 2023. Please advise either on the Facebook page or on the Forum https://pactrac.co.uk/forums/topic/854/#new-posts and we can add your race to the list.
Lee Kilby - RIP.
Some of you may be aware that Lee Kilby had to have CPR at Oundle Pool last night. The Lifeguards brought him round and he spent the night in hospital as a precaution. Sadly, he made a turn for the worse in hospital overnight and passed away this morning.
This is deeply sad news and our condolences go to Lee's family at this time. Lee was a regular swimmer in our sessions at Oundle and was taken far too early at only 51 years old.
Ralph Stevens - RIP.
Sadly, a long time PACTRAC’er from the 1990’s onwards, Ralph Stevens, passed away peacefully in hospital on Friday 16th September. Ralph who was 87 and a member for many years with his wife Margaret, competed in the Almere Ironman in 1991, and went on to represent Great Britain in the 1993 World Championships held in Manchester.
We had a good group of cyclists who continued to meet up at his home in Helpston for a weekly ride, right up until his illness in June. He was a mentor for so many of us and will be sadly missed.
There is a wake on 16th October at 1pm at the 5 Horseshoes in Barholm for anyone who would like to join his family and friends.
Robin Brookes RIP.
It is with great sadness that we hear of the death of Robin Brookes, a PACTRAC member for many years and a sponsor of the PACTRAC kit through his company Storage Concepts.
Originally published in The Melton Times on 18 August 2022.
"Death Notice
Robin Cameron BROOKES
We as a family are deeply saddened to announce the passing of a very dear Dad, Son, Brother, Brother in law, Uncle and friend to many.
A celebration of Robin's life will take place at The Market Tavern, Scalford Road, Melton Mowbray LE13 1JY on Thursday 25th August at 11.30am.
Donations in Robins memory are for The Tomorrow Project, if so desired. Please wear a splash of colour.
All enquiries to Richard Barnes Funeral Directors Tel 01664 565311."
The 2022 Triathlon Season - Full Results and Reports.
Roger Canham competed in the World Championships in Abu Dhabi on Sunday, in 30 degree heat, over the Standard Distance of:
swim 1500 metres - a non-wetsuit sea swim.
bike 24.5 miles
run 6.25 miles
Roger finished 6th in his Age Group and was just 2:39 off of a podium place. This was Roger's first outing in a GB vest for 3-years, when he won the 2019 World Long Course Championships in Spain (World Champion). After having back problems followed by calf problems, Roger has made a steady comeback and qualified for these Championships at the Woodhorn triathlon last year. Steve Hope and Chris Shaw had previously withdrawn due to other commitments, leaving Roger as PACTRAC's sole representative.
Roger was 21st in his Age Group out of the water, but then being the 5th fastest on the bike moved him up to 6th place overall. He again had the 5th fastest run, to maintain his 6th place overall. He finished 2:39 minutes behind 3rd place, and was the first Briton home, whilst gaining ground on the 3 athletes immediately in front of him, before running out of road.
Roger had "buried himself" on the bike and still had a 6.25 mile run to do in the searing heat, overcoming his injuries and finishing above his expectations.
Results:
6th. Roger Canham .... 26:29 .... 65:10 .... 44:40 ..= 2:16:19.
======================
3 members competed near Northampton in the Salcey Forest Duathlons, all finishing in the top-2 in their respective Age Groups, over 2 different distances.
Run - 2 laps totalling 6.25 miles on trails through the woods.
Bike - Harriet Lomas then cycled 20 miles in the Standard Distance race, whilst Rob Hammond and Giles Cooper completed 40-miles in the Mid-Distance race around the country lanes nr Newport Pagnel.
Run - 6.25 miles for the Mid-Distance and 3 miles for the Standard Distance.
Salcey Forest Duathlon. Mid-Distance:
5. Rob Hammond .... 44:48 .... 1:58:10 .... 45:50 ..= 3:28:48 AG 1.
6. Giles Cooper ....... 47:11 .... 1:57:47 .... 47:19 ..= 3:32:17 AG 1.
Standard Distance:
7. Harriet Lomas ...... 52:59 .... 1:07:36 .... 26:56 ..= 2:27:31 AG 2.
=====================
PACTRAC held their AGM and Prize Presentation on Sunday, where 17 Trophies were awarded.
Club Champion - Steve Hope.
Vet Champion - Steve Hope.
SuperVet Champion - Steve Hope.
Female Champion - Susie Freeman.
Female Vet Champion - Susie Freeman.
Female SuperVet Champion - Sue Davys.
Mini-Series Champion - Adam Clark.
Female Mini-Series Champion - Susie Freeman.
Junior Champion - Ana Head.
Mid-Distance Triathlon - Adam Clark
Standard Distance Triathlon - Chris Pithey.
Duathlon - Steve Hope.
Aquathlon - Graeme Kane.
Novice - Harriet Lomas.
Pactracer of the Year - Rob Head.
Most Improved - Sam Chapman.
Outstanding Performance - Adam Clark.
====================
Paul Lunn won the GOLD MEDAL in the 50-54 year Age Group at the 70.3 Half-Ironman World Championships, held in St.George, Utah, USA at the weekend.
The name is derived from the overall distance of 70.3 miles comprising of a 1.2 mile swim, 56-mile bike and 13.1 mile run. Over 6,000 competitors qualified worldwide for this prestigious World Championships including 518 in Paul's Age Group.
Paul was 58th in his Age Group out of the water and very much in contention. From there he caught all in front of him as he powered his way through the bike course. Only a handful of cyclists could come within 10-minutes of his bike time, as he obliterated the field, leaving his nearest rivals to come into T2, 2, 5 and 9 minutes adrift. Paul moved into the lead ahead of Clive Kennedy-Burn (also GB) after 30-miles and pulled a further 2-minutes out of him by T2. With a fast transition and the 2nd fastest run of the day, Paul was on a mission to take his first World Championship title, ahead of Kennedy-Burn who dropped back a little to finish 5:35 minutes down; and Vladimir Figari from Hungary who had the fastest run to move up to 3rd, but still 8:03 minutes behind.
That was a convincing win to make use of his fitness from all of the solid training that Paul put in ahead of the Ironman World Championships in Hawaii 3-weeks ago.
With water temperatures of 62 degrees F and air temperatures of 40 degrees F, the theme of the day was managing the cold conditions of late autumn in southern Utah; but Paul pushed hard from the very start, setting out at a burning pace in the rolling hills. Then into Snow Canyon, he hammered up the steep gradients of the toughest climbs and descended with seemingly reckless abandon, driving the pace hard and pulling away from the rest of the field.
On the run, it was only in the final stretch to the finish line that he relaxed, offering high-fives to the crowd on his way to a run split of 1:23:28 and a final finishing time of 4:16:01. This was a satisfying conclusion, having put all of his focus into the race, and he is very happy with the result; but Paul already has his eyes on the full Ironman World Championships in Kona next October, where he has some unfinished business to conclude.
Other local athletes to compete in St.George were Louise Hathaway and Michael Stacey who both had good races, moving up the field and gaining many places on the bike in some tough competition.
Results:
131. Paul Lunn ............... 30:49 .... 2:21:44 .... 1:23:28 ..= 4:16:01 Age Group 1st. GOLD MEDAL and WORLD CHAMPION.
685. Louise Hathaway .... 37:43 .... 3:06:29 .... 1:58:36 ..= 5:42:48 AG 62.
other locals;
2737. Michael Stacey ....... 40:24 .... 2:57:45 .... 1:52:39 ..= 5:30:48 AG 45.
PACTRAC's previous World Champions:
2007 Georgina Jennings - Sprint Triathlon (Age Group 60-64) Hamburg.
2010 Georgina Jennings - Sprint Triathlon (Age 65-69) Budapest.
2010 Georgina Jennings - Aquathlon (Age 65-69) Budapest.
2017 Georgina Jennings - Sprint Triathlon (Age Group 70-74) Rotterdam.
2019 Roger Canham - Long Distance Triathlon (Age Group 55-59) Pontevedra.
2019 Roger Canham - Challenge Championships (Age Group 55-59) Samorin.
This compliments a number of European Championship wins from Georgina Jennings, Wendy Gooding and George Prodrick.
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Meanwhile, closer to home Rob Hammond and Harriet Lomas competed in the Grafham Water Duathlon over the Standard Distance of run 6.25 miles, bike 25-miles and run 3-miles.
69. Rob Hammond .... 41:13 .... 73:15 .... 20:42 ..= 2:15:10 Age Group 11th.
176. Harriet Lomas .... 47:47 .... 85:20 .... 26:07 ..= 2:39:14 AG 12.
We have our club AGM and Prize Presentation on Sunday 4th December.
===============
Dave Patmore-Hill made his long comeback from injury in the 70.3 Half-Ironman in Vouliagmeni, Greece.
Dave finished 22nd in his Age Group after moving up the ranks with a 1:42:18 half-marathon. This followed the 1.2 mile sea swim and 56-mile bike and was a strong finish - before moving up an Age Group next year.
228. Dave Patmore-Hill .... 32:29 .... 2:50:58 .... 1:42:18 ..= 5:05:45 Age Group 22nd.
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Paul Lunn and Louise Hathaway compete in the Half-Ironman 70.3 World Championships in St. George, Utah, this weekend with Paul looking for a good result, having not finished in the World Ironman Championships, held in Hawaii, 3-weeks prior.
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The last PACTRAC club race of the season, a Duathlon, was rained off on Sunday, and became a pure 5km run, won convincingly by Chris Northern.
=======================
PACTRAC had over 20 runners in the Great Eastern Half-Marathon in Peterborough.
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PACTRAC members have competed in 17 Ironman distance races this year, with 8 athletes recording one apiece; whilst Paul Lunn, Sam Chapman and Stuart Cleworth chose to compete in 3 each.
Austria - Paul Lunn 9:38:53.
Hamburg - Sam Chapman 9:15:23. Stuart Cleworth 10:24:04.
Copenhagen - Sam Chapman 9:24:14. Stuart Cleworth 10:47:42. Paul Lunn dnf.
Kona, Hawaii - Sam Chapman 9:48:09. Stuart Cleworth 12:02:00. Paul Lunn dnf.
The World Ironman Championships are traditionally held every October in Hawaii, but due to the interruptions from covid they were last held there in 2019. Back on the Big Island this year, they are the pinnacle of the Ironman calendar and qualification is not only hard but often elusive. Athletes have to qualify, often by being in the top 3 in their Age Group at an Ironman race in the previous 12-months. Not only is qualification very competitive but it also means doing more than one of these tough events in a calendar year.
The three PACTRACers qualified this year and competed over this last weekend. Sam Chapman and Stuart Cleworth were making their Hawaii debuts, with Sam recording his 3rd sub 10-hour Ironman of the year. Stuart has made improvements this year and both were out there with their coach Paul Lunn who, unfortunately, wasn't feeling great on the day and had to eventually pull out with just 5-miles to go.
The distances involved are a 2.4 mile swim, which in Hawaii is in the ocean. Their then follows a 112-mile bike section which is open to the wind and the elements along the coastal road, before finishing with a full 26.2 mile marathon run, all with the infamous Hawaiian winds and heat.
440. Sam Chapman ..... 1:07:03 .... 5:00:46 .... 3:40:20 = 9:48:09 Age Group 119.
1935. Stuart Cleworth .... 1:16:53 .... 6:11:48 .... 4:33:19 = 12:02:00 Age Group 458.
Paul Lunn ........................1:03:59 .... 5:15:45 .... did not finish the run.
Paul along with Louise Hathaway will now concentrate on the World 70.3 Half-Ironman Championships in St. George, USA, in 3-weeks time.
====================
Meanwhile Claire Willis competed in the Chicago marathon finishing 9,003rd out of a field of 39,429 finishers. Claire hit the half way mark in 1:43:51 on her way to completing the full marathon in 3:38:49.
Roy Mayhew competed in the Stockholm half-marathon - another event with a big field, and finished in 2:35:27. Roy is in training for the London Marathon next April, when he will be competing in the 80+ Age Category.
=================
3 PACTRACers have qualified for the Ironman World Championships which take place in Hawaii this coming weekend. Paul Lunn, Stuart Cleworth and Sam Chapman are all on the big island at the moment, acclimatising and preparing for their race of the season on Saturday.
The Frostbite winter running league starts this Sunday from Hinchingbrooke Park, with 16 local running clubs competing over a series of 6x 5-mile races from October through to March.
The PACTRAC club duathlon takes place from Oundle on Sunday 23rd October.
==================
An intrepid trio ventured down to Hever Castle in Kent to participate in their weekend of multisport. Jane Mason competed in the Aquabike over the Standard Distance of swim 1500m and bike 25 miles, whilst both Mark Mason and Sally Leech competed in the Aquathlon distances of swim 1500m and run 6.25 miles. This was Mark and Jane's first venture into multisport, whereas Sally has previously competed in two triathlon's. All 3 recorded top 3 positions in their respective Age Groups with Mark winning his category.
Aquabike:
37. Jane Mason .... 39:47 .... 2:26:24 ..= 3:06:11 Age Group 2.
Aquathlon:
12. Mark Mason .... 32:51 .... 60:59 ..= 1:33:50 Age Group 1st.
25. Sally Leech ..... 40:36 .... 77:57 ..= 1:58:33 Age Group 3.
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2 PACTRACers competed in the East Leake end of season triathlon, near Loughborough, on a fast, flat course.
Swim 400m - 25m pool.
Bike 14m -1 lap.
Run 3.1 miles -3 laps.
157. Sara Pearce .... 10:23 .... 55:47 .... 25:30 ..= 1:31:40 AG 17.
193. Clare King ....... 13:03 .... 60:27 .... 33:56 ..= 1:47:26 AG 14.
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PACTRAC held their Standard Distance Triathlon from Oundle pool on Sunday. Following the 1,500m swim, competitor's cycled 3-laps around Glapthorn and the Benefield's on a hilly 27-mile course with the wind picking up; before finishing with a 4.75 mile run. Competitor's travelled over from as far afield as Ely, Northampton and Derby.
Chris Pithey was first out of the water and had a good lead over Rob Hammond and Matt Barnes. Chris forged ahead on the bike, with Matt moving into 2nd, only to see Rob reclaim that spot on the run. Not far behind were Andy Martin and Steve Skelhon with the former moving up to 3rd on the run; with Chris holding onto his lead and coming home a comfortable winner.
Chris went one better than his previous best club result; a 2nd place in the 4th of this year's Mini-Series events in June.
First lady was Debbie Montague in this, her 4th triathlon of a debut season; whilst the first team was Team 201 of Sean Whittaker, Georgina Jennings and Liz Whittaker - so named because of their combined ages.
1. Chris Pithey ........ 2:13:42.
2. Rob Hammond ... 2:22:59.
3. Andy Martin ......... 2:26:30.
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Dave Thorold competed in the Grafham Water Standard Distance Triathlon;
Swim 1500m in Grafham Water reservoir - two laps.
Bike 24 miles on a flat, out-and-back course.
Run 6.25 miles - 2 laps on footpaths around the lake.
9. Dave Thorold .... 33:15 .... 67:52 .... 43:31 ..= 2:24:38 AG 2.
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Stuat Neal competed in the Sywell Sprint Duathlon near Northampton. The event was changed from a triathlon at the last moment, with a 3-mile run replacing the planned swim, followed by a 12-mile bike and a final 2.5-mile run. Stuart has competed in all 3 Sywell events this year, the other two being triathlon's as planned.
39. Stuart Neal .... 28:15 .... 35:59 .... 23:30 ..= 87:44 AG 3.
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PACTRAC recorded 10 top 2 Age Group placings at the weekend, which included 2 outright victories at 2 separate venues.
Paul Lunn had a great race at the Vitruvian half-Ironman distance triathlon at Rutland Water. Paul was 33rd after the 1.2 mile lake swim, but after storming through the fastest bike ride (47 miles) of the day, he came in to start the run, just 26 seconds in arears. Paul then had the 6th fastest run split, with a 1:16 half marathon, which saw him move into the lead and forge ahead to win the event overall by 45 seconds.
This is the second time that Paul has won the Vitruvian, which is proving to be a favourite race of his. He put in a sensational performance, beating athletes much younger than him, ahead of his return to the big island in Hawaii for the World Ironman Championships next month, where he will be joined by colleagues Sam Chapman and Stuart Cleworth, both making their championship debuts.
Paul's time of 3:42:37 was made even more impressive, with only 14 athletes coming home in under 4 hours. Jonny Hynes was the next member home in 24th place, with Giles Cooper and Dave Thorold fighting it out for one-two in the over 55 category. In the accompanying swim,bike Aquabike event Roger Canham and Simon Guerin both had solid races to come home 2nd and 5th respectively.
1. Paul Lunn .................. 33:15 .... 1:52:27 .... 1:16:55 ..= 3:42:37 AG 1.
24. Jonny Hynes .............. 34:11 .... 2:04:18 .... 1:30:30 ..= 4:08:59 AG 2.
42. Giles Cooper .............. 35:40 .... 2:13:57 .... 1:32:13 ..= 4:21:50 AG 1.
58. Dave Thorold .............. 41:53 .... 2:10:18 .... 1:35:50 ..= 4:28:01 AG 2.
77. Rachael Coe-O'brien .. 36:36 .... 2:18:31 .... 1:41:01 ..= 4:36:08 AG 2.
123. Barry Ryan ............... 43:10 .... 2:29:08 .... 1:39:13 ..= 4:51:31 AG 8.
126. Louise Hathaway ..... 41:33 .... 2:25:15 .... 1:45:32 ..= 4:52:20 AG 2.
190. Steve Hope .............. 39:15 .... 2:35:57 .... 1:57:43 ..= 5:12:55 AG 2.
293. Rod Hall ................... 49:38 .... 3:12:41 .... 2:10:24 ..= 6:12:43 AG 19.
Aquabike:
2. Roger Canham ........... 33:41 .... 2:04:07 ..= 2:37:48 AG 1.
5. Simon Guerin ............. 33:20 .... 2:10:08 ..= 2:43:28 AG 3.
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3 members competed at St. Neots with Henry Morton winning the sprint distance triathlon by 94 seconds. Henry was 2nd out of the river as the top 3 came out together and went clear from the rest of the field. Henry then moved into the lead on the bike to give himself a healthy 47-second advantage at the start of the run. He then moved further ahead with the fastest run of the day.
Jon Crowley placed 11th overall and first in his Age Group, whilst Libby Mellor also won her Age Group in the Super-Sprint race.
1. Henry Morton .... 12:09 .... 43:18 .... 17:17 ..= 72:44 AG 1.
11. Jon Crowley ..... 15:21 .... 45:43 .... 21:57 ..= 83:01 AG 1.
Super-Sprint:
12. Libby Mellor ..... 11:06 .... 23:59 .... 13:46 ..= 48:51 AG 1.
--------------------------------
Rebecca Burge ventured over to Tenby in South Wales to compete in Ironman Wales. Following her Ironman debut in Nottingham last year, Rebecca recorded her 2nd 12-hour Ironman, but this time involving a sea swim and a hillier bike and run course. She had a consistent bike split which saw her move up in her Age Group and after some hard running, she was able to finish 9th in her Age Group.
1,098. Rebecca Burge .... 1:17:43 .... 6:50:08 .... 4:48:33 ..= 12:56:24 AG 9.
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Jonathan Oakey travelled to Maceio in Brasil to compete in the World University Triathlon Championships. Jonathan got into the second group on the bike and eventually ran home to 20th place in this prestigious event.
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PACTRAC hold their last club triathlon of the season at Oundle on Sunday, over the Standard Distance. The event is open to non club members and entries are via pactrac.clubpal.app
================
Jonathan Oakey competed for Ireland in his first senior Elite race, finishing 46th overall in the European Triathlon Cup in Alhandra, Portugal. Jonathan came home just 107 seconds behind the winner in a sprint distance race where athletes were streaming in, in a line, one after the other.
The 750 metre swim failed to split the athletes sufficiently and after 12.5 miles, 57 competitors came in off the bike in the lead bunch in this draft-legal elite race - 75 seconds ahead of their chasers. The athletes then strung out in a line for the 3.1 mile run with Jonathan finishing 46th overall and pleased with his first event at Senior Elite level.
46. Jonathan Oakey .... 10:59 .... 25:52 .... 15:53 ..= 52:44.
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6 PACTRACers competed in the Box End (Bedford) Sprint Triathlon which was a qualifier for the World Sprint Championships to be held in Hamburg next year. Adam Clark, Mark Weathersby and Georgina Jennings all qualified to represent GB and join Simon Hoppe who has already qualified due to a top-10 performance at this year's Championships in Montreal. Mark has achieved his qualification and will now concentrate on training for the London Marathon in October.
Adam said: "The final triathlon for this year ... and I qualified!! Hamburg World Champs 2023 here we come. I have achieved what I set out to do, and have lots of racing abroad next year in both European and World Championships for Sprint and Olympic distances.
The swim at Box End was chaotic. Everybody was fighting, dunking and kicking with a little bit of swimming. A busy but decent bike brought me back inside the top 10 before the difficult cross country run. I have to be happy with 9th place overall and 2nd Age Group."
9. Adam Clark .............. 12:13 .... 35:18 .... 19:52 ..= 1:07:23 Age Group 2.
15. Mark Weathersby ..... 13:25 .... 34:41 .... 20:12 ..= 1:08:18 AG 2.
220. Steve Hope ............. 15:11 .... 43:00 .... 24:34 ..= 1:22:45 AG 14.
409. Lynn Smitheringale .. 19:46 .... 53:01 .... 35:18 ..= 1:48:05 AG 19.
439. Terry Murphy ............ 27:00 .... 52:34 .... 41:19 ..= 2:00:53 AG 3.
441. Georgina Jennings .. 21:49 .... 54:59 .... 48:33 ..= 2:05:21 AG 1.
----------------------
Rob Hammond and Sue Davys chose the longer Challenge Distance at Box End, with both winning their Age Groups.
Box End has "crystal-clear blue water, a unique swim course through the wakeboarding jumps, fast bike course and traffic-free off-road run round the grounds".
Swim 1500m swim. 2-laps.
Bike 37.5miles 2-laps relatively flat.
Run 6.25 miles 2 laps traffic-free on footpaths surrounding the lake.
Rob had the 2nd fastest swim, came in off the bike in 6th and held that position on the 6.25 mile run.
6. Rob Hammond .... 26:49 .... 2:00:25 .... 46:32 ..= 3:13:46 AG 1.
13. Sue Davys .......... 37:44 .... 2:21:56 .... 75:33 ..= 4:15:13 AG 1.
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Chris Pithey competed in the Outlaw Half at Bowood House over the distances of swim 1.2 miles, bike 56 miles and run 13.1 miles. Chris got off to a great start coming out of the water in 22nd place overall, and consolidated on the bike, but paid for his efforts and had to drop back on the run.
230. Chris Pithey .... 28:55 .... 2:53:22 .... 2:37:44 ..= 6:00:01 AG 32.
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The Shropshire Triathlon took place at the weekend attracting athletes from all over the country to compete in this well-established race. The event has been held within the grounds of the Mere at Ellesmere since 1992.
Having completed her first triathlon at Blenheim earlier this year, Debbie Montague moved up to the Standard Distance at Ellesmere.
Swim 1500m in the lake at the Mere.
Bike 24 miles around the Shropshire & Welsh countryside.
Run 6.25 miles on fully closed roads, traffic free, but hilly.
Debbie said: "My goals going into it were to finish and not come last and I achieved both. The bike ride was my main concern as I knew the course wasn't exactly going to be flat, but it was nowhere near as bad as I thought and I flew round the course. We had torrential rain about half way round, which made visibility and bike handling tricky."
127. Andy Martin ............. 32:36 .... 74:37 .... 45:14 ..= 2:32:27 Age Group 16.
169. Debbie Montague .... 42:30 .... 98:29 .... 66:06 ..= 3:27:05 AG 3.
============
The Oundle Triathlon took place on Sunday in the 25 metre pool over the distances of: swim 600m, bike 15.5 miles, run 3.25 miles.
This inaugural event was organised by ATW with Lauren Steadman as their Ambassador. Lauren raced to 7th spot overall, whilst local man Mark Botteley from Bourne took the overall honours.
PACTRAC had 10 competitors, 4 of whom won their Age Group with another 3 coming 2nd. Rob Hammond finished 3rd for the second time this year, with Phil Groves 4th. Rob was holding on to 2nd place overall coming out onto the run, but was caught and had to settle for a very encouraging 3rd place at the finish.
Mark Botteley had the fastest bike of the day by 2-minutes from PACTRAC's Chris Shaw. Mark moved into the lead on the 2-lap bike course and with a fast run held on to win the event outright by 47-seconds from James Calvert with Rob another 78-seconds behind.
Results:
3. Rob Hammond ........ 10:29 .... 46:48 .... 21:15 ..= 1:18:32 Age Group 1.
4. Phil Groves .............. 12:05 .... 47:22 .... 19:48 ..= 1:19:17 AG 1.
8. John Crowley ........... 12:08 .... 47:14 .... 24:09 ..= 1:23:31 AG 2.
14. Chris Shaw ............. 15:13 .... 45:40 .... 26:44 ..= 1:27:37 AG 4.
20. Harriet Lomas ......... 14:48 .... 50:56 .... 25:30 ..= 1:31:14 AG 2.
31. Laetitia Brighton ...... 14:04 .... 57:14 .... 25:13 ..= 1:36:31 AG 3.
34. Kate Armstrong ....... 13:25 .... 58:30 .... 26:17 ..= 1:38:12 AG 1.
41. Debbie Montague ... 16:53 .... 60:44 .... 26:12 ..= 1:43:49 AG 2.
53. Terry Murphy ........... 18:58 .... 62:18 .... 39:36 ..= 2:00:52 AG 1.
54. Claire King .............. 16:26 .... 68:20 .... 38:34 ..= 2:03:20 AG 3.
Others:
1. Mark Botteley .......... 11:51 .... 43:35 .... 21:01 ..= 1:16:27 AG 1.
7. Lauren Steadman ...... 9:23 .... 48:35 .... 24:53 ..+ 1:22:51 AG 1.
In the accompanying Junior event Hugo Flikweert took part in the TriStar1 section for ages 9-10 over the distances of 150 metres, 1.25miles and 3/4 mile run.
30. Hugo Flikweert ........ 4:06 .... 10:30 .... 6:52 ..= 21:28.
=================
2 PACTRACers competed in the Bedford Triathlon held in the River Great Ouse in the centre of Bedford. Both came home first in their respective Age Groups, with Rob Hammond finishing as the 3rd male overall, with a good run to consolidate his early efforts and propel him up the field.
3. Rob Hammond .... 28:42 .... 74:25 .... 44:42 ..= 2:27:49 AG 1st.
11. Steve Hope ......... 28:41 .... 75:54 .... 48:23 ..=2:32:58 AG 1st.
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Chris Northern ventured over to Cork in Ireland to compete in his first Ironman triathlon. After putting in the hours of training, Chris started the day well with a good 2.4 mile sea swim. He then consolidated with consistent 112 mile bike and 26.2 mile run legs.
Chris said: "That was amazing. The support of the Irish was incredible - hosing us down on the hottest run I have ever done. I wanted a sub 12 and got 11hours 47. I am finally an Ironman after 2 years of grit."
168. Chris Northern .... 1:04:05 .... 6:11:19 .... 4:31:44 ..= 11:47:08 Age Group 31.
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The European Triathlon Sprint Championships were held in Munich last weekend as part of the European Games; with 3 PACTRACers competing in the Age Group Triathlon Championships. Competing against some of the best athletes in Europe, all 3 gave a good account of themselves, in closely fought races. Mark Weathersby finished 17th in his Age Group but was only 3-minutes off of a top-3 Podium spot. Susie Freeman finished 21st in her Age Group after a good swim put her in early contention; whilst Simon Hoppe finished 22nd in his Age Group and was similarly only 3-minutes away from a top-3 result. Simon was the 3rd Brit home and was looking to add to his collection of medals this year, having already finished in the 3rd team home at the World Sprint Relay Championships in Montreal, before picking up a bronze medal in the National Championships two weeks ago, after starting 5-minutes behind everybody else due to an incident with a deer on the way to the event (He chased down the pack to record the best time by 1:40 minutes but came home 3rd "on the road"). A third Championship medal of the campaign proved just a little too elusive, although his rapid swim and bike times put him in early contention.
Swim 750 metres, Bike 13-miles. Run 3.1 miles.
17. Mark Weathersby .... 12:29 .... 35:28 .... 18:35 ..= 66:32
22. Simon Hoppe .......... 12:25 .... 34:45 .... 21:22 ..= 68:32
21. Susie Freeman ....... 12:50 .... 41:16 .... 24:49 ..= 78:55
There are only 20 places per 5-year Age Group for the whole of the UK, so qualifying for GB is an achievement in itself. Simon and Mark were both only 3-minutes from a top-3 spot.
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Sam Chapman and Stuart Cleworth were amongst over 1,700 competitor's who completed the Ironman Copenhagen triathlon over the full distances of 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike and 26.2 mile marathon run. Solid races saw both come close to their previous best times, recorded at IM Hamburg earlier this year. In 2021 Sam competed in Ironman Majorca and made an impressive debut, and has followed up with two more Ironman races this year. Sam recorded an average speed over the 112 miles of 23mph to ride for just 4:50 hours and put himself in a great position for the marathon run which he then reeled off at a consistent pace in 3:32 hours. Stuart completed his 4th Ironman.
84. Sam Chapman ...... 1:01:26 .... 4:50:17 .... 3:32:31 ..= 9:24:14 Age Group 24.
583. Stuart Cleworth .. 1:08:00 .... 5:13:30 .... 4:26:12 ..= 10:47:42 Age Group 86.
===============
Adam Clark had a great event at the London Triathlon, coming home 7th overall and 2nd in his Age Group, to qualify for next year's Age Group European Championships. The venue has yet to be announced.
Swim 1500m in London's Docklands.
Bike 25 miles on closed London roads.
Run 6.25 miles along the Thames, all in the 27 degree heat..
Adam came up against a super-strong swimmer who was out of the water 4-minutes ahead, but he managed to claw a minute back on the bike and another 2-minutes on the run, to finish in 2nd place and qualify for that coveted GB place.
Adam said: "What a weekend! I've been looking forward to this one, as it's such an iconic and popular event in the London Docklands and Excel Centre. I needed a top 4 in my Age Group to get a European Championship Age Group Qualification and I got 2nd!!!!
It was great to have the family there supporting and to put in a great performance in front of them".
7. Adam Clark .... 21:59 .... 61:35 .... 39:37 ..= 2:03:11 Age Group 2nd.
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At the St.Neots triathlon's Libby Mellor was the first Junior in the Super-Sprint event, whilst Rob Hammond and Mark Botteley competed in the Sprint Triathlon, both finishing 2nd in their respective Age Groups.
Rob Hammond had competed the previous weekend in the Box End Sprint Triathlon, where both he and Ros Goatly finished first in their Age Groups.
Super-Sprint:
9. Libby Mellor .... 10:03 .... 24:50 .... 13:33 ..= 48:26 Age Group 1st.
Sprint:
11. Rob Hammond .... 13:03 .... 44:26 .... 19:36 ..= 77:05 AG 2.
15. Mark Botteley ...... 15:38 .... 43:08 .... 19:58 ..= 78:44 AG 2.
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Box End.
4. Rob Hammond .... 13:12 .... 36:43 .... 22:24 ..= 72:19 AG 1.
47. Ros Goatly .......... 15:20 .... 47:38 .... 36:02 ..= 99:00 AG 1.
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Graeme Kane competed in Ironman Bolton over the distances of:
swim 2.4 miles. 2-laps in the lake at Pennington Flash.
bike 112 miles. 11-miles to Bolton followed by 3 laps over hilly terrain, each circling around Bolton.
run 26.2 miles. Out and back 4-times.
268. Graeme Kane .... 1:09:30 .... 7:31:56 .... 4:06:10 ..= 12:47:36 Age Group 52.
======================
The 8th and last PACTRAC Wednesday night Mini-Series Triathlon took place for this year at Oundle, with Phil Groves winning in his fourth attempt at the distance this year.
Suzanne May led out of the water, followed a minute later by Steve Hope and Phil Groves. Phil took the lead on the bike only to relinquish it to Scott Lloyd, who had quickly made up the swim deficit. Scott came in off the bike just 8-seconds ahead of Phil, with Steve another 30-seconds behind. Scott then improved on his recent running time with a 19:45 for the 5-kilometres; only to see Phil go past him on the way back from Glapthorn. Phil is improving his run times each week and recorded a superfast run time of 19:04 (including transition) to pull ahead and take the win by 33-seconds.
4 ladies came in off the bike within 90-seconds of each other, with Helen Etherington taking the lead early on the run and pulling away. Sue Davys took her own over 60's course record down to 69:40 including a new best swim time of 8:46 and bike time of 30:39; whilst Georgina Jennings took the over 75's swim time down to 8:52.
Top 3:
1. Phil Groves .... 7:40 .... 26:13 .... 19:04 ..= 52:57.
2. Scott Lloyd ..... 8:30 .... 25:15 .... 19:45 ..= 53:30.
3. Steve Hope .... 7:36 .... 26:47 .... 23:00 ..= 57:23.
In the series of 8 races plus a Novice specific race, 6 individuals took a first place, including Adam Clark with 4 wins; whilst Paul Lunn's overall Course Record of 45:46 set last year, still remains the best time on the course. Paul came just 10-seconds shy of his own record this year, whilst Adam Clark and Graeme Kane were the only two other athletes to dip under 50-minutes.
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Paul Jephcott competed in the half-ironman distance event at Compton Verney nr Stratford upon Avon in Warwickshire.
The 1900m swim took place in the Capability Brown designed lake, with competitor's completing 3-laps.
The 56-mile bike course featured climbs and descents along the Edge Hill, on mostly minor roads.
The 13.1 mile run was undulating on the local roads, tracks, trails and some grass.
Paul finished 35th in a time of 6:37:15, moving up to 2nd in his Age Group on the bike.
35. Paul Jephcott .... 44:38 .... 3:29:25 .... 2:23:12 ..= 6:37:15 Age Group 2nd.
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Correction to the report below: Simon Hoppe missed out on the Gold Medal in the English Championships. Unfortunately, whilst driving to the event at Mallory Park in the early hours, Simon hit a deer on the road and disabled his car. He phoned his friend, Adam Clark, who then drove through Leicester to pick him up. On the way to rescue Simon, Adam had a puncture, only to find that his jack didn't work. The RAC arrived soon after, and Adam was able to pick Simon up; the two of them arriving at Mallory Park just 10 minutes before the race start.
Simon and Adam were eventually ready to start their race together, 20-minutes after everybody else. Unfortunately these championships were draft-legal, meaning that competitors were able to take pace off of other cyclists around them. Without this added competition, the pair decided to ride together, to limit the damage and then had solo runs after the rest of the field had finished.
They were both given 5-minute penalties for a late start, which fortunately meant that Simon was still in the medals, only a BRONZE MEDAL instead of the Gold that it so nearly could have been. Adam missed out on the opportunity to contend for a podium spot, and showed that he would have been in the mix for the medal places.
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The 7th of PACTRAC's 8 evening Mini-Series Triathlon's saw Paul Lunn storm to victory in a valiant attempt at breaking his own Course Record. He missed that by a mere 10-seconds, but had the consolation of breaking every record in his new over 50's Age Group. His split times of 6:09, 21:24 and 18:23 totaling 45:56 were incredibly close to his previous assault in 2021.
Although 6-seconds slower in the swim, he managed to shave just 1-second off of Simon Hoppe's over 50's record. Previously Paul had recorded 21:25 on the new bike course, only to see Jonny Hynes take it down to 21:23. This time, Paul recorded 21:24 for his best bike split but still 1-second outside of the overall record. He will be consoled with a new best over 50's time, both on the bike and run sections, although his run split was just 5-seconds down on his own over 40's record.
Adam Clark chose not to race, preferring to save his efforts for the English National Championships on Sunday. This left Simon Guerin to exit the swim in second place just 7-seconds behind Paul, who flew off out of sight. Simon started the run 3:20 ahead of Scott Lloyd, who almost reeled him in, eventually running out of road and finishing just 18-seconds behind, whilst Phil Groves started the run 37-seconds behind Scott and finished just 10-seconds behind, in another closely fought contest.
1. Paul Lunn ........ 6:09 .... 21:24 .... 18:23 ..= 45:56.
2. Simon Guerin .. 6:16 .... 24:18 .... 23:09 ..= 53:43.
3. Scott Lloyd ...... 8:14 .... 25:40 .... 20:07 ..= 54:01.
4. Phil Groves ..... 7:38 .... 26:53 .... 19:40 ..= 54:11.
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3 PACTRACers competed in the Outlaw Full Distance Triathlon at Holme-Pierrepont, Nottingham, over the distances of:
swim 2.4 miles in the lake.
bike 112 miles, relatively flat.
run 26.2 miles, a flat, multi-lapped course on tarmac.
462. Michael Samways .... 1:33:34 .... 7:02:25 .... 5:02:02 ..= 13:38:01 Age Group 67th.
562. Dan Walter ............... 1:27:55 .... 7:28:28 .... 5:43:24 ..= 14:39:47 AG 99.
687. Marc Hatfield ............ 1:35:52 .... 8:04:09 ..= 6:48:06 ..= 16:28:07 AG 110.
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Adam Clark and Simon Hoppe competed at Mallory Park in the Triathlon England National Championships, in a draft-legal format, where cyclists are allowed to race directly with their fellow competitors.
Simon won his Age Group and with it the GOLD MEDAL by nearly 2-minutes. He had a rapid bike split that suited his talents, allowing him to pull away from the competition and hold his form on the run. Adam missed out on a Podium spot, finishing 4th in his Age Group but less than 90-seconds from the gold medal, in a hard fought race.
The distances were:
swim 750 metres in the lake in the centre of the legendary racing circuit.
bike 11.25 miles. 5-laps on the closed-road, traffic free circuit. A technical course with a short incline and long descent on each lap.
run 3.1 miles. 4-laps of a flat run on the circuit with very smooth tarmac.
16. Adam Clark ....... 12:21 .... 33:53 .... 17:43 ..= 63:57 Age Group 4.
22. Simon Hoppe .... 12:42 .... 33:37 .... 19:20 ..= 65:39 Age Group 1st. GOLD MEDAL. TE Champion.
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Adam Clark recorded his 4th win of this year’s PACTRAC Mini-Series in emphatic style. In spite of some fast individual splits from his competitor’s, Adam was able to record the fastest times in all 3 disciplines to take the win by 3-minutes from Rob Hammond, whilst the race for 3rd was taken by the improving Scott Lloyd just 3-seconds ahead of Phil Groves.
Adam exited the swim section 10-seconds ahead of Simon Guerin, with leading lady, Susie Freeman a further 10-seconds behind. Another 20-seconds passed before Rob came out of the pool, 30-seconds ahead of Graham Honey who led the main bunch out.
Adam extended his lead on the bike section to 1-minute over Simon, with a further 40-seconds to Rob in third. There was a further gap before Chris Pike led 4 riders in within 20-seconds of each other.
Adam had the fastest run of the night to come home 3-minutes ahead of Rob, whilst the battle for 3rd was unrelenting between Scott and Phil. Phil set off on the run just 9-seconds in areas and in spite of a sub 20-minute 5k was only able to close the gap by 6-seconds to finally run out of road only 3-seconds behind Scott; both athletes recording Personal Best times on the night, and catching Simon just before the final turn.
Susie Freeman held off Harriet Lomas for first lady, whilst 11 competitors broke the hour and 7 recorded Personal Best times on the course. Susie managed to equal her own over-40’s ladies Course Records for both the swim and then on the bike, whilst Harriet Lomas took the overall ladies bike record down by over a minute to 27:18.
Results:
Adam Clark ………. 48:45.
Rob Hammond …. 51:46.
Scott Lloyd ………… 52:30.
Phil Groves ….……. 52:33.
Simon Guerin ….… 52:51.
Only 2 events remain before the night’s start to draw in:
Wednesday 20th July in the 25-metre pool.
Monday 25th July in the 50-metre pool.
Both are open to non-members and can be entered via Pactrac.clubpal.app
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The 5th PACTRAC Wednesday night Mini-Series Triathlon attracted a few more non-members to this popular short-distance event held at Oundle.
Simon Guerin led the swimmers out, closely followed by Simon Hoppe 9-seconds behind. There was then a gap to Liam Higgins and Rob Hammond before Martin Thorpe led the main field out.
Simon Hoppe soon took the lead on the bike and came into T2, 45-seconds ahead with Rob moving up to 3rd and Jaap Flikweert into 4th.
Rob and Jaap had similar run times and both moved up 1 place at Simon Guerin's expense, with both Scott Lloyd and newcomer Phil Groves having super-fast run times to move up into 5th and 6th respectively.
All of this left Simon Hoppe to maintain his lead on the run, to take the win from Rob by 44-seconds. Simon won his first ever Mini-Series triathlon at Oundle back in 1987 and his win this week came 35-years later. He last beat the 50-minute barrier on the old course back in 2011 and has 3 more events left this year to see if he can "go under" on the new, amended course, utilising the new pool at Oundle.
1. Simon Hoppe ...... 51:01.
2. Rob Hammond .... 51:45.
3. Jaap Flikweert ..... 52:46.
The remaining dates in the series are:
Wed 13th July.
Wed 20th July.
Mon 25th July.
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2 PACTRACers competed in the Woodhorn Museum Triathlons at the QE2 Country Park in Northumbria.
The swim took place in the warm, shallow waters of the park lake, before the bike section followed a coastal route, and the run was on footpaths through woods and on grassland around the lake.
Adam Clark came 13th overall in the Standard Distance event (swim 1500m, bike 29-miles, run 6-miles). This was a World Championship qualifying race for 2023, and although 13th overall, most of those ahead of him were in his own 5-year Age Group, so he just missed out this time. Adam will try again in the London triathlon next month. He has already qualified for the European Sprint Championships by virtue of his performance at the Eastbourne Triathlon last month.
Georgina Jennings competed in the Sprint Distance Triathlon (swim 750m, bike 15-miles, run 3.75 miles), and won her Age Group, qualifying for next year's European Sprint Championships at a venue yet to be announced. Georgina is a previous European Champion and will be on the circuit again next year.
Standard Distance:
13. Adam Clark .... 17:22 .... 74:28 .... 36:45 ..= 2:08:35 Age Group 8.
Sprint Distance:
267. Georgina Jennings .... 23:39 .... 64:03 .... 57:59 ..= 2:25:41 AG 1.
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Hugo Flikweert competed in the Leighton Buzzard Children's Triathlon. Hugo competed in the TriStar 1 event for ages 9-10 years and finished 14th over the standard distances of swim 150 metres, bike 1-mile and run 3/4 mile.
14. Hugo Flikweert .... 3:42 .... 8:04 .... 6:27 ..= 18:13.
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Willow Worthington competed in the Swim,Run organised by AsKeenAsMustard at Manvers Lake, Rotherham. Willow had to constantly change disciplines from running to swimming and back again, involving 8 runs in her wetsuit and 7 swims in training shoes over a 10km course. She finished 26th overall and 9th female in a time of 1:43:17.
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The Dambuster Triathlon's took place at Rutland Water over both the Sprint and Standard distances; with the bike section taking place on closed roads. In the Sprint event, Marcus Widdess moved up one place on the run into 2nd overall, whilst Chris Pithey started the run in 4th and held onto it. Both won their respective Age Groups, whilst Laetitia Brighton was 3rd in hers. Dave Thorold recorded a convincing win in his Age Group in the Standard race.
Standard (swim 1500m, bike 25 miles, run 6.25 miles).
27. Dave Thorold .... 30:28 .... 70:15 .... 43:36 ..= 2:24:19 AG 1st.
196. Clare Willis ....... 32:19 .... 94:11 .... 49:32 ..= 2:56:02 AG 5.
283. Rod Hall ........... 39:00 .... 99:20 .... 52:54 ..= 3:11:14 AG 22.
Sprint (swim 750 meters, bike 12.5 miles, run 3 miles).
2. Marcus Widdess .... 12:43 .... 36:47 .... 17:43 ..= 67:13 AG 1st.
4. Chris Pithey ........... 13:08 .... 36:46 .... 71:16 ..= 71:16 AG 1st.
40. Laetitia Brighton .. 21:46 .... 50:55 .... 21:19 ..= 94:00 AG 3.
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The Outlaw Holkham triathlon covered the half-ironman distances of swim 1.2 miles, bike 56 miles and run 13.1 miles. Sam Chapman completed the full Ironman in Hamburg just 4-weeks ago and was back on the trail with this half-distance event, finishing in a top 10 position. Sam moved up from 39th place to 11th on the bike, with the 8th fastest bike split of the day.
Chris Northern said: "Outlaw Holkham 70.3 you were amazing. I felt super strong today and almost got my dream time of sub 5hrs but unfortunately just over and wasn’t meant to be this time. Still a 25 minute PB from last year and happy with 16th in age category. 6 weeks now to build for my A race, Ironman Ireland".
Mark Bedford also recorded a Personal Best time by 7-minutes over the distance.
10. Sam Chapman ... 33:28 .... 2:23:37 .... 1:28:13 ..= 4:25:18 AG 5.
79. Chris Northern .... 34:16 .... 2:43:31 .... 1:45:19 ..= 5:03:06 AG 16.
244. Mark Bedford ..... 46:18 .... 2:57:45 .... 1:50:16 ..= 5:34:19 AG 27.
376. Iain Cushion ....... 36:52 .... 3:13:11 .... 2:04:42 ..= 5:54:45 AG 45.
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Paul Lunn and Adam Neal competed in lronman Austria in Karnten-Klagenfurt. Paul won his Age Group for the 2nd weekend on the trot and in doing so, he qualified for the Ironman World Championships to be held in Hawaii in October. Last weekend he qualified for the Half-Ironman Championships and this weekend for the full Ironman. Paul had the 15th fastest bike split of the day to take the lead in his Age Group and paid for it on the run; but held on to take the win by just under 2-minutes, with 3rd place over 22-minutes behind.
Adam was competing in his first Ironman Triathlon and after a great swim and recording just under 20mpm for the 112-mile bike section, he suffered on the run in the 32 degree C heat, but finished in a great time.
29. Paul Lunn ........ 1:06:41 .... 4:57:40 .... 3:34:32 ..= 9:38:53 Age Group 1st.
1015. Adam Neal .... 1:04:24 .... 5:56:43 .... 5:45:18 ..= 12:46:25 AG 146.
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2 PACTRACers competed in a local triathlon at Sywell Country Park over the Sprint Distance. Steve Hope won his Age Group, whilst Stuart Neal was leading his until the final discipline.
17. Steve Hope .... 14:17 .... 39:30 .... 20:42 ..= 74:29 Age Group 1st.
38. Stuart Neal ..... 15:33 .... 40:17 .... 26:10 ..= 82:00 AG 4.
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Various options were available for PACTRAC's Novice Mini-Series Triathlon last week. A few of the regulars took part, with Rob Hammond leading from start to finish, and Scott Lloyd moving ahead of Wayne Stainsby on the run to take second place.
In the Team competition, Adam Clark and Chris Northern attempted to beat Paul Lunn's individual record of 45:46 and came 59-seconds short in a gallant effort that recorded a run split quicker than the current record.
In the Novice race for athletes in their first season in triathlon, Laetitia Brighton took the honours, chasing Dave Rutherford down on the run once back in Oundle, nearing the finish.
Their was also a shorter version with the swim being halved to 200m before continuing on the normal course. Harriet Lomas took the honours, coming in, well under the hour mark.
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Paul Lunn and Louise Hathaway competed in the 70.3 Half-Ironman European Championships held in Elsinore, Denmark. Paul collected the GOLD MEDAL in his Age Group, finishing 9th overall. Paul was lying 15th in his Age Group after the swim, but had the fastest bike leg to bring him into T2 in pole position. He then consolidated on the run, taking GOLD by nearly 9 minutes.
Louise had a great race to finish 9th in her Age Group after moving up the field well on the bike. She recorded a PB for the distance by 15 minutes; and both she and Paul have now qualified for the 70.3 World Championships in St.George, Utah at the end of October.
9. Paul Lunn .................. 29:49 .... 2:18:51 .... 1:22:57 ..= 4:11:37 Age Group 1st.
678. Louise Hathaway .... 36:31 .... 2:53:48 .... 1:50:04 ..= 5:20:23 AG 9.
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PACTRAC had 3 members competing in the World Sprint Championships in Montreal at the weekend, over the distances of: swim 750 metres, bike 12 miles and run 3.1 miles.
Both Simon Hoppe and Mark Weathersby finished 8th in their respective Age Groups. This was Mark's best placing in the 4 times that he has worn a GB vest - and he was only 53-seconds shy of a podium spot.
Mark said: "I started the swim too fast, then I got hit in the face which dislodged my goggles. The Bike was fun, as I gained quite a few places. My shoe then got caught under the pedal at the bike dismount. I went 3 inches over the line and got an on the spot wait penalty, before reeling in a few more places on the run. More than happy with 8th."
Simon has previously finished 3rd in both 2005 and 2010 and this time received a BRONZE MEDAL in the 4-man Relay Triathlon that accompanied the main event, the following day. Each athlete had to complete a short triathlon before handing over to the next teammate. Simon did the first leg and got his team off to a great start. Meanwhile Susie Freeman completed the 4th leg for her team which came 11th overall. This was Susie's best position in a GB vest, also from 4 events.
By finishing in the top 10, both Mark and Simon have qualified for next year's World Championships, at a venue yet to be decided.
8. Mark Weathersby .... 12:03 .... 35:25 .... 19:17 ..= 66:45 Age Group 8th.
8. Simon Hoppe .......... 11:24 .... 35:56 .... 20:28 ..= 67:48 Age Group 8th.
Mixed Relay - Teams of 4:
3. Simon Hoppe ........... 25:48.
11. Susie Freeman ....... 27:48.
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Chloe Moore competed in the Super-Sprint Triathlon at Stewartby, finishing first overall. Chloe chose the shorter distance race of swim 400m in Stewartby Lake, bike 7.5 miles on flat roads and run 1.5 miles on lakeside paths. Chloe was first out of the lake and held the lead on the bike. She then held on, on the run, with the gap getting ever smaller, and finished first by just 5-seconds, to record her first win at senior level.
1. Chloe Moore .... 7:37 .... 28:53 .... 18:32 ..= 55:02 First overall.
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Two PACTRACers ventured down to Eastbourne for the European Championship Qualifier on 12th June (results late in).
The Sprint Triathlon consisted of:
Swim 750m. A triangular shaped sea swim - out against the current with the next two sections cutting across the flow from behind.
Bike 11.5 miles out and back, climbing 153m up to Beachy Head, then continuing down to sea level again before turning and cycling the same route back in reverse. A hilly course and one for the road bike.
Run 3-miles, out and back twice along the sea front with a sharp hill at the far turn.
With just 4 places at stake in each 5-year Age Group, Adam Clark finished 3rd and qualified, with the venue for next year's championships yet to be announced. Adam had a good swim and bike, setting off on the run, neck and neck, in joint second place. He had a great 17:47 5k run but still lost 26 seconds to finish 3rd in his Age Group.
Meanwhile Simon Hoppe finished 4th in his Age Group on the day, but in 5th qualifying spot, as an athlete in the Age Group below moves up an Age Group in the year of the Championships, 2023. Simon was particularly unfortunate, as he started the run 56-seconds ahead of the athlete behind him, but was caught on the line and missed out in a sprint finish. He will try again at the Woodhorn Triathlon in July.
20. Adam Clark ...... 12:26 .... 37:32 .... 17:47 ..= 67:45 Age Group 3rd.
44. Simon Hoppe ... 12:28 .... 37:43 .... 20:42 ..= 70:53 Age Group 4th.
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The 4th PACTRAC evening Mini-Series triathlon took place in the 50-metre pool for the first time. Previously only the 25-metre pool has been used at Oundle. In the first 3 events, Graeme Kane has come 2nd to Adam Clark each time, but in event 4 he took full advantage of Adam's absence to record his first win of the series. Graeme recorded his fastest bike split so far, which helped him to beat the magic 50-minute barrier by just 2-seconds.
Chris Pithey was first out of the water 32-seconds ahead of Graeme, whilst Tony Daniels was a further 8-seconds down in 3rd. Graeme managed to turn this around on the bike, coming into T2 5-seconds ahead of Chris, with Tony hanging onto 3rd by just 9-seconds from the advancing Rob Hammond.
Graeme then increased his lead in the final 3.1 mile run, while Chris held off Rob who moved into 3rd ahead of Scott Lloyd who had the fastest run on the night; with Laetitia Brighton having a great run to finish as the first lady.
Top 4.
1. Graeme Kane ..... 6:28 .... 22:50 .... 20:40 ..= 49:58
2. Chris Pithey ........ 5:56 .... 23:27 .... 22:39 ..= 52:02
3. Rob Hammond ... 7:09 .... 24:31 .... 20:48 ..= 52:28
4. Scott Lloyd ......... 9:06 .... 25:21 .... 19:56 ..= 54:23
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Mark Bedford competed in the Lakesman, an Ironman Distance race in Keswick.
The distances were: swim 2.4 miles in Derwentwater, bike 112 miles in a loop around the north west of the lake district and run 26.2 miles around the Keswick area. Mark took 38 minutes off of his best time, having previously competed in both 2018 and 2019. He moved up the field on the bike and then gained another 30 places on the run.
74. Mark Bedford .... 1:25:53 .... 6:27:47 .... 3:54:52 ..= 11:48:32 Age Group 14.
Mark said "The Lakesman is a very special event. Yesterday was a long day but very rewarding. I did a PB in the swim, had a few issues on the bike and the run was hard. I got cramp with 5 miles to go but still achieved a 38 minute PB overall. There's more to come. I'll be back next year."
On the previous day Mark also participated in the 1.2 mile swim in Derwentwater, recording a time of 45:25.
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2 PACTRACers competed in the North Norfolk Triathlon at Wells Next Sea, over the distances of:
swim 1500m in the sea.
bike 25 miles.
run 6.25 miles.
Both Simon Hoppe and Chris Northern finished in the top 10 overall whilst Simon also won his Age Group. Simon moved up from 12th in the swim to 3rd by the end of the bike. For the 2nd week on the trot, he was caught and overtaken in the finishing straight, just losing out in the final sprint.
Chris moved up from 18th in the swim to 12th off of the bike and then 11th after the run. He even punctured near to the end, and was able to manoeuvre the bike in on a flat tyre.
6. Simon Hoppe .... 24:56 .... 66:27 .... 42:53 ..= 2:14:16 Age Group 1.
9. Chris Northern ... 26:16 .... 69:05 .... 40:36 ..= 2:15:57 AG 6.
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128 competitors took part in the various AsKeenAsMustard swim,run events held at Ferry Meadows. This involved constantly changing disciplines from swimming to running and back again. Competitors, therefore, swam in their training shoes and ran in their wetsuits. Willow Worthington chose the 13.1 mile half-marathon distance which had 13 runs and 12 swims, in and out of the river Nene and the lakes at Ferry Meadows. Willow finished 16th overall and 3rd lady in a time of 3 hours and 17 minutes.
The largest field was in the 6.25 mile event which had 7 runs interspersed by 6 swims. Adam Clark continued his good form from last year and came 3rd overall, holding onto the last podium position by 2-minutes.
13.1 mile swim,run
16. Willow Worthington .... 3:17:00 3rd lady.
6.25 mile swim,run
3. Adam Clark ......... 1:13:32
9. Ady Pendred ....... 1:24:51
12. Richard Wright ... 1:27:29
38. Carol Smallman .. 1:46:39
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In the Rob Mclean Junior Triathlon held at Impington, Cambridge, Hugo Flikeert finished 12th in the TriStar 1 category (9-10 year olds).
This started with a 150 metre pool swim followed by a 1.25m bike and 0.75m run, both on the fast, flat, grassed sports field.
12. Hugo Flikweert .... 3:34 .... 10:38 .... 5:24 ..= 19:36
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Sam Chapman and Stuart Cleworth competed in the Ironman Triathlon in Hamburg. This was Sam's 2nd Ironman and Stuart's 3rd with both recording Personal Best times over the 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike and 26.2 mile run.
60. Sam Chapman .... 68:13 .... 4:52:25 .... 3:14:45 ..= 9:15:23 AG 13.
410. Stuart Cleworth .. 70:30 .... 5:18:27 .... 3:55:07 ..= 10:24:04 AG 51.
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Simon Guerin competed with 700 athletes in the Cotswold Triathlon over the half-Ironman distances of:
swim 1.2 miles, bike 56-miles and run 13.1 miles.
104. Simon Guerin .... 32:20 .... 2:52:29 .... 1:50:15 ..= 5:15:04 Age Group 21.
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Jo Chapman competed in the Windsor Sprint Distance Triathlon and had a great 750 meter swim in the Thames to put herself in a good position, ready to complete the event with a 12.5 mile bike and 3.1 mile run.
88. Jo Chapman .... 12:40 .... 55:09 .... 25:08 ..= 92:57 Age Group 41.
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Georgina Jennings won her Age Group in the Culford Sprint Triathlon near Ipswich.
119. Georgina Jennings .... 7:36 .... 51:28 .... 27:46 ..= 86:50 Age Group 1st.
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The 3rd Mini-Series Triathlon of the season took place at Oundle on Wednesday night; and it went the same way as the previous two, with Adam Clark taking the honours ahead of Graeme Kane. However the deficit between the two is gradually reducing, from 3:26 and 2:51 to just 1:11 minutes this time.
Adam was first out of the pool, 25-seconds ahead of Simon Guerin, and 33 ahead of Graeme. Another 4 swimmers emerged in the next 35 seconds. Adam and Graeme then produced the two fastest bike splits this season, with Adam needing to record a personal best time of 23:04 just to pull a further 7 seconds ahead. Adam once again had the fastest run of the night to increase his lead, but the overall gap is getting closer; as Graeme produced yet another Personal Best time overall.
Simon Guerin held onto 3rd place on the bike, but had to relinquish that spot on the run, when Rob Hammond caught him just before the half-way point. Susie Freeman had her usual consistent swim to exit in 4th place and squeezed in, in under an hour, for 7th place overall and first lady.
The Mini-Series on Wednesday 24th June is for novices and relay teams. Entries are invited via pactrac.clubpal.app with the bike and run courses following the usual route and a swim option of either 200m or 400m.
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The PACTRAC evening Mini-Series triathlons are underway with Adam Clark taking the honours in both races to date. Last year’s Mini-Series Champion, Mark Weathersby, is yet to open his account; but female champion, Susie Freeman, has competed in both events to date, coming home first lady each time. Having missed out on a PB by just 1-second in her final event last year, Susie then beat her own course record by 1-second in the first race of this season.
Event one took place on a windy night, leading to an unforgiving bike section. Adam Clark lowered his own 400m swim course record from 5:53 to 5:40 as he exited the water 39-seconds ahead of Susie with Graeme Kane a further 6-seconds behind. Andy Corner was the next out, already 1:36 behind Adam. Adam then had the fastest bike and run splits of the night to pull further ahead, with Graeme and Andy moving into 2nd and 3rd.
Susie Freeman broke her own ladies course record and, in the process, took the run split record down to 23:54.
Top results:
Adam Clark …… 5:40 …. 23:24 …. 19:11 ..= 48:15 PB
Graeme Kane …. 6:25 …. 24:08 …. 21:08 ..= 51:41
Andy Corner …... 7:16 …. 26:28 …. 21:36 ..= 55:20
Susie Freeman …. 6:19 …. 29:19 …. 23:54 ..= 59:32
The second event saw a calmer evening, with good conditions for racing. Adam again took the overall honours, whilst knocking a further 11 seconds off of the swim course record. Graeme Kane followed 41-seconds later with Susie another 8-seconds behind. As with the first race, Adam once again had the fastest bike and run splits on the evening, to pull further ahead; with Graeme holding onto 2nd place, 2:51 minutes behind whilst narrowing the gap slightly in all 3-disciplines. Jaap Flikweert moved up to 3rd place on the bike and held that position to the end; whilst Steve Hope took 2-seconds off of his own over 60’s swim course record, and Susie came home first lady in 7th place overall.
Top results:
Adam Clark …….… 5:29 …. 23:13 …. 19:02 ..= 47:44 PB
Graeme Kane ……. 6:10 …. 23:43 …. 20:42 ..= 50:35
Jaap Flikweert …… 7:22 …. 24:07 …. 21:06 ..= 52:35
7. Susie Freeman …….... 6:18 …. 29:29 …. 26:37 ..= 62:24
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2 Sprint Triathlons took place on the same day at Mallory Park. In the draft-legal triathlon where cyclists are allowed to ride together, Marcus Widdess took the lead on the bike, and came into T2, 22 seconds ahead of 2nd place and 30 seconds ahead of 3rd place.
In the 3.1 mile run, Marcus was caught on the line in a sprint finish that saw him lose out by just 1-second. Both of Marcus’s transitions were slower than the eventual winners, which just goes to show the value of the “fourth discipline”. Mark Weathersby was not too far behind in 8th place with similarly impressive bike and run splits.
Susie Freeman chose to race in the earlier non-drafting event and came home first in her Age Group and 2nd lady overall.
Both sprint triathlons covered the same course of:
Swim 750m in the lake; bike 12.5 miles – 9.5 laps of the Motor-Racing circuit: run 3.1 miles on an inner circuit.
Marcus Widdess .... 11:25 .... 33:22 .... 16:11 ..= 60:58 AG 2.
8. Mark Weathersby ......... 13:05 .... 33:55 .... 16:55 ..= 63:55 AG 2.
In the non-drafting sprint triathlon:
Susie Freeman .... 12:40 .... 42:30 .... 23:23 ..= 78:33 AG 1. 2nd female.
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Tristan Matthews represented Great Britain for the first time, in the European Standard Distance Triathlon Championships in Olsztyn, Poland. Tristan had a good race, finishing 20th in his Age Group, in a Championship where the Great Britain Age-Group Team returned home with 39 medals.
20. Tristan Matthews …. 24:19 …. 69:54 …. 46:50 ..= 2:21:03.
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Chris Northern and Mark Bedford competed in the Grafman at Grafham Water on Sunday over the Half-Ironman distance. Chris swam his fastest 1.2 miles to date, before jumping on his bike for the shortened 29-mile course. It was supposed to be 56-miles but the rain kept coming down and with the spray and large puddles, the course was shortened for safety reasons.
Chris said: “Considering that’s the longest I’ve run this year due to recovering from injury, I’m chuffed with my time and had no issues with the ankle. The torrential rain on the bike leg was horrible, cold and there was flooding everywhere.”
Chris Northern … 35:07 …. 1:35:05 …. 1:42:35 ..= 3:52:47 AG 11.
Mark Bedford ….. 47:25 …. 1:53:26 …. 1:45:56 ..= 4:26:47 AG 27.
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Steve Hope and Michael Berry competed in the Sywell Sprint Triathlon near Northampton.
The distances were: Swim 750m in the lake, starting on the bank.
Bike 12.5 miles – 2 laps on country roads
Run 3 miles around the lake.
Steve Hope ………. 13:50 …. 39:05 …. 21:31 ..= 74:26 AG 1st.
Michael Berry …..… 21:06 …. 42:38 …. 26:03 ..= 89:47 AG 7.
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Claire Maxted competed in the Keswick Mountain Festival Sprint Triathlon over the distances of:
Swim 400m in Derwent Water. Bike 11.25 miles. Run 3.1 miles.
Claire was one of only two competitors’ not using a wetsuit and described the event as "lovely and warm and a fun race".
Claire Maxted .... 11:20 .... 48:39 .... 27:23 ..= 87:22 AG 26.
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The Herts Sprint Triathlon took place over the distances of: Swim 750m, Bike 12.5 miles. Run 3.1 miles.
Laura Johnston .... 20:45 .... 48:30 .... 27:21 ..= 96:36 AG 7.
Chloe Moore chose to do the Sprint Aquabike over the same swim and bike distances but without the run. Chloe finished 2nd overall and first in her Age Group.
Chloe Moore .... 16:02 .... 48:34 ..= 64:36 AG 1st.
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Two PACTRACers competed in the Blenheim Sprint Triathlon, an event that regularly attracts well over 2,000 competitors. Debbie Montague competed in her first ever triathlon, whilst Daniel Richardson opened his account for the season.
1408 Debbie Montague .... 18:38 .... 62:16 .... 30:11 ..= 1:51:05 AG 33.
1838 Daniel Richardson ... 30:22 .... 64:38 .... 30:14 ..= 2:05:14 AG 127.
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3 PACTRACers competed in the Eton Triathlon at Dorney Lake on Sunday.
The distances were:
swim 750 metres in Dorney Lake.
bike 13 miles - 4 laps around the lake on a draft legal bike course, which meant that Age Group athletes were allowed to race directly and take pace from other cyclists - a form of racing that is normally reserved only for Professional Triathletes.
run 3-miles along the rowing lake and back.
26. Adam Clark .......... 12:53 .... 33:51 .... 18:22 ..= 65:06 Age Group 7th.
31. Mark Weathersby .. 12:32 .... 34:32 .... 18:31 ..= 65:35 AG 7.
247. Steve Hope ........... 15:08 .... 38:43 .../. 23:42 ..= 77:33 AG 17.
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Daniel O'Sullivan was PACTRAC's only representative in the Ely Duathlon; with an out-and-back, flat and windy 3-mile run, 15.5 mile bike on fen roads and another 3-mile run.
30. Daniel O'Sullivan .... 23:28 .... 49:42 .... 24:53 ..= 98:03
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2 members competed in the Outlaw Half Triathlon at Nottingham over the half-ironman distances of:
swim 1.2 miles, bike 56 miles and run 13.1 miles.
229. Graeme Kane .... 31:56 .... 2:49:50 .... 1:39:33 ..= 5:01:19 Age Group 31.
1161. Sue Davys ........ 44:59 .... 3:29:31 .... 2:37:00 ..= 6:51:30 AG 5.
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3 PACTRACers competed in different races at St.Neots on Sunday, with the junior girls taking pride of place, both winning their respective Age Groups. Libby Mellor came 6th overall in the Super-Sprint Triathlon, whilst Chloe Moore finished 16th overall in the Aquabike (swim,bike).
Standard:
42. Michael Samways .... 36:07 .... 88:05 .... 45:53 ..= 2:50:05 Age Group 13.
Super-Sprint:
6. Libby Mellor .... 9:38 .... 25:03 .... 14:31 ..= 49:12 AG 1st.
Aquabike:
16. Chloe Moore .... 28:20 .... 1:52:27 ..= 2:20:47 AG 1st.
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The first Flight Centre Schools Triathlon took place at Oundle on Sunday, with 207 teams entered. Schools were invited to submit teams of 4 with each competitor swimming in turn, then cycling in turn before running in turn. Athletes therefore got a rest between each discipline whilst their team members took over.
PACTRAC's Hugo Flikweert competed in a team from Laxton Junior School, with 101 teams in the Year 3-4 race. Hugo's team finished 7th overall, but more importantly came first from the 13 Laxton Junior School teams, to take the bragging rights by just 21 seconds.
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PACTRAC had 12 athletes competing in the 70.3 Half-Ironman Triathlon in Alcudia, Majorca at the weekend. The event was held over the distances of:
Swim 1.2 miles in the sea at Alcudia Bay – out and back in a rectangular loop.
Bike 56 miles - 1 lap taking in the climb up to Lluc.
Run 13.1 miles - 3 laps on a flat course around the coast line and bay.
Paul Lunn had a superb result, finishing 14th overall from a field of 2,628 Age Group athletes. There was also a separate race for the professional triathletes, and had they been in the same event, Paul would have beaten the 2012 Olympic Women’s Champion, Nicola Spirig by 1-second. Given Nicola’s ability in a tight sprint finish, that would have been an interesting head-to-head race.
Paul was 12th in his Age Group after the initial swim, and took the lead on the bike before half-way, coming into the second transition 4:29 clear of his nearest rival. He then stormed through the half-marathon run in 1:19:36 to win his Age Group by over 15 minutes.
This was Paul’s 9th top-3 placing in this event in the 11 times that he has competed. It is also his 5th Age Group win in a race that he has finished in every year since 2011, although no event took place in 2020.
In his first triathlon of the season, he has started in great shape. Next up will be two more Ironman branded events in his quest to qualify once again for the World Ironman Championships in Hawaii in October.
Paul Lunn …….….... 29:14 …. 2:38:58 …. 1:19:36 ..= 4:27:48 Age Group 1st.
Sam Chapman …... 30:22 …. 2:51:15 …. 1:26:21 ..= 4:47:58 AG 29.
Jonny Hynes …..….. 29:17 …. 2:50:59 …. 1:47:13 ..= 5:07:29 AG 40.
Dave Thorold …..…. 35:59 …. 3:01:59 …. 1:41:51.. = 5:19:49 AG 8.
Simon Guerin ….….. 29:37 …. 3:06:48 …. 1:58:19 ..= 5:34:44 AG 120.
Chris Pike …….…... 34:23 …. 3:10:10 …. 1:54:46 ..= 5:39:19 AG 34.
John Crowley ….….. 32:34 …. 3:10:05 …. 1:58:45 ..= 5:41:24 AG 83.
Louise Hathaway .... 37:16 …. 3:22:15 …. 1:57:20 ..= 5:56:51 AG 22.
Barry Ryan ……....... 37:30 ..... 3:29:24 ... 1:51:39 .. = 5:58:33 AG 141
Richard Pike …....…. 34:31 …. 3:24:06 …. 2:06:08 ..= 6:04:45 AG 89.
Bill Haslam ….......... 33:31 …. 3:32:41 …. 2:14:57 ..= 6:21:09 AG 39.
Sarah Haslam ….... 36:44 …. 4:26:06 …. 2:21:11 ..= 7:24:01 AG 19.
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PACTRAC held their Mid-Distance club triathlon on Sunday at Oundle. 11 competitor's competed in this first club triathlon of the year.
Distances were:
Swim 800 metres in the 25-metre pool.
Cycle 18 miles - 2 laps of a course around Glapthorn and the Benefield's.
Run 4.7 miles around Glapthorn and Cotterstock.
Adam Clark set the standard on this new course, which has been amended slightly due to the building of the new swimming pool. Adam was first out of the water by over a minute from Tony Daniels, who led 3 more swimmers out in the next 13-seconds.
Adam was the fastest in all three disciplines, which enabled him to extend his lead on the bike, as he came into the second transition nearly two minutes ahead of Simon Hoppe in second, and over 3-minutes ahead of the next chasers, Simon Guerin and Sam Chapman.
Adam extended his lead on the run, whilst Sam moved up to 2nd, catching and passing Simon Hoppe, who held onto 3rd. Susie Freeman was 3rd out of the pool and had a consistent race to finish 6th overall and first lady.
This is Adam's 2nd triathlon win of the new season, having won the Grantham triathlon 3-weeks earlier.
Results:
1. Adam Clark ............. 11:17 .... 46:48 .... 28:12 .. = 1:26:17
2. Sam Chapman ........ 14:01 .... 47:15 .... 28:26 .. = 1:29:42
3. Simon Hoppe .......... 12:39 .... 47:17 .... 31:46 .. = 1:31:42
4. Simon Guerin .......... 12:29 .... 48:44 .... 34:23 .. = 1:35:36
5. Rob Hammond ........ 13:31 .... 52:33 .... 32:20 .. = 1:38:24
6. Susie Freeman ........ 12:28 .... 58:49 .... 38:18 .. = 1:49:35
7. Steve Hope .............. 14:58 .... 59:54 .... 38:39 .. = 1:53:31
8. Willow Worthington .. 17:33 .... 66:34 .... 40:44 .. = 2:04:51
9. Marc Hatfield ............ 20:09 .... 62:22 .... 43:40 .. = 2:06:11
10. Michael Berry .......... 24:20 .... 59:49 .... 42:37 .. =2:06:46
11. Tony Daniels ........... 12:26 .... 53:05 .... dnf
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Paul Lunn competed in the Clumber Park Duathlon on Sunday, over the distances of:
run 6.25 miles.
bike 25 miles.
run 3-miles.
The run sections took place on fully closed tarmac roads and featured steady climbs at the beginning.
The bike course was along tree-lined routes, including some closed roads within Clumber Park.
Paul was well in contention after the first run; and followed this with the 2nd fastest bike split of the day to push himself up into 5th place. He held onto 5th on the final 3-mile run and won his Age Group in convincing style, by over 8-minutes.
This race was a qualifying race for the Great Britain Age Group team in the World Duathlon Championships next year and Paul has qualified at the first attempt.
Results:
5. Paul Lunn .... 35:28 .... 58:26 .... 18:07 .. = 1:52:01 Age Group 1st.
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PACTRAC's Adam Clark won the Grantham Sprint Triathlon outright on Sunday 3rd April. With the top-3 all in the 30-39 Age Category, Adam had to take the overall honours just to win his Age Group - and he did it in some style.
The 400-metre pool swim saw Adam 2nd out of the water, trailing by just 6-seconds. He soon took the lead on the bike and with the 2nd fastest bike split of the day, came into the bike/run transition 1:43 minutes ahead. Only 6 athletes were now within 4-minutes of Adam, who continued the pressure with a tremendous 18:13 minute 5k run to record the fastest run of the day and take the overall victory by 2:09 minutes, with 3rd place 3:43 behind. Adam's comment: "That was a tough day in cold conditions."
This was Adam's first triathlon victory and follows the previous weekend's 12th place at the East Leake triathlon.
Georgina Jennings competed well in this early season event and recorded an Age Group win; whilst Kate Armstrong, in her first triathlon for 4-years, finished 2nd in her Age Group.
Distances:
swim 400m in Grantham swimming pool.
bike - 11.5 miles. 2 laps on local roads.
run - 3.1 miles. 2.5 laps on tarmac paths.
Results:
1. Adam Clark ................. 6:13 .... 28:46 .... 18:13 .. = 53:12 Age Group 1st.
114. Kate Armstrong ......... 9:08 .... 43:11 .... 25:40 .. = 77:59 Age Group 2nd.
198. Georgina Jennings ... 10:19 ... 49:52 .... 38:58 .. = 99:09 Age Group 1st.
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Adam Clark competed in the East Leake Triathlon near Loughborough, the previous weekend, over the distances of:
swim 400m in the pool.
bike 14 miles - out and back on undulating roads.
run 3.1 miles - 3 laps on pavement and trail.
12. Adam Clark .... 6:55 .... 36:01 .... 17:33 .. = 60:29 Age Group 3.
Adam moved up from 35th to 14th on the bike and then to 12th on the run, from 315 competitor's in this first triathlon of 2022.
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The first PACTRAC club triathlon this year takes place at Oundle Pool on Sunday 24th April, with the 8-race Triathlon Mini-Series starting on Wednesday 25th May.
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PACTRAC held the first of 14 club events for 2022 at Oundle on Sunday 23rd January. The Aquathlon was re-introduced into the race calendar after a 6-year absence. All 14 events are included in the 2022 Club Championships and new member, Graeme Kane, took an early lead, winning the event by 2:55 minutes from Christian Richards, with Steve Hope a further 35 seconds behind in 3rd. Willow Worthington was the first lady home ahead of Lynda Lock and Nikki Higgins.
First home on the day was the team of Amy and Rob Mellor. Amy was first out of the water in 6:06 with Graeme just 9-seconds behind. Rob then took over and recorded a fast 19:06 for the 5km run, pulling further ahead of Graeme, who came in to record his first individual win and take an early lead in the club championships.
The next Aquathlon takes place on 20th February over the same course and distances.
Swim 400m in Oundle's 25m pool.
Run 5km straight out to Glapthorn and back, with a detour around Milton Road in Oundle to finish.
1st Amy Mellor and Rob 0:06:06 0:19:06 0:25:12
2nd Graeme Kane 0:06:15 0:20:46 0:27:01
3rd Christian Richards 0:06:26 0:23:30 0:29:56
4th Steve Hope 0:07:15 0:23:16 0:30:31
5th Willow Worthington 0:08:02 0:26:51 0:34:53
6th Lynda Lock 0:07:04 0:30:01 0:37:05
7th Nikki Higgins 0:10:28 0:28:39 0:39:07
River Swims Risk Assessment.
For any river swims or open water swims, please see below for the risks involved:
It is important that everyone is aware that there are some risks associated to river swimming; that everyone is primarily responsible for their own safety (not Pactrac or any other individual); but that we also look out for each other. The key risk is getting hit by boats - this is why it is important to stay in groups, wear colourful caps and look up/wait to regroup, regularly. Other risks are stomach upsets (so don't swallow the water!) and trips&slips around the structures. And of course encounters with wildlife, especially swans and turtles... We've not had any serious incidents, but need to raise awareness again so that we can keep it that way.
Please find below copies of the Risk Assessment, Normal Operating Procedure and Emergency Action Plan.
Here's a swim safety poster from sh2out https://events.britishtriathlon.org/uploads/content/SH2OUT%20Safe%20Open%20Water%20Swimming%20Advice%20Poster.pdf
Risk Assessment:
https://pactrac.co.uk/media/files/PACTRAC_Nene_River_Swim_RA_1_rULQymR.xlsx
Emergency Action Plan:
https://pactrac.co.uk/media/files/PACTRAC_Nene_Swim_EAP.docx
Normal Operating Procedure:
https://pactrac.co.uk/media/files/PACTRAC_Nene_Swim_NOP.docx
Junior Training at Stanground starts 20th Feb.
Junior Training @ Stanground.
Sunday 20 February 2022 at 11:00am.
Simon Hoppe will be running a Junior training session at Stanground on Sunday the 20th of February.
Format is outside from 11 AM - 12 PM and then in the pool from 12 PM - 1 PM.
Activities will be bike, run & transition fun(!) and then a swim session in the pool.
Please bring your bike, helmet, bike kit, run kit and swim kit – including warm clothing and a drink and snack for post session.
To book your place visit https://pactrac.clubpal.app/sessions/details/11prthwy3z7kuk0h/2022-02-20
2021 The season continues ...
PACTRAC held the first of 14 club events for 2022 at Oundle on Sunday 23rd January. The Aquathlon was re-introduced into the race calendar after a 6-year absence. All 14 events are included in the 2022 Club Championships and new member, Graeme Kane, took an early lead, winning the event by 2:55 minutes from Christian Richards, with Steve Hope a further 35 seconds behind in 3rd. Willow Worthington was the first lady home ahead of Lynda Lock and Nikki Higgins.
First home on the day was the team of Amy and Rob Mellor. Amy was first out of the water in 6:06 with Graeme just 9-seconds behind. Rob then took over and recorded a fast 19:06 for the 5km run, pulling further ahead of Graeme, who came in to record his first individual win and take an early lead in the club championships.
The next Aquathlon takes place on 20th February over the same course and distances.
Swim 400m in Oundle's 25m pool.
Run 5km straight out to Glapthorn and back, with a detour around Milton Road in Oundle to finish.
1st Amy Mellor and Rob 0:06:06 0:19:06 0:25:12
2nd Graeme Kane 0:06:15 0:20:46 0:27:01
3rd Christian Richards 0:06:26 0:23:30 0:29:56
4th Steve Hope 0:07:15 0:23:16 0:30:31
5th Willow Worthington 0:08:02 0:26:51 0:34:53
6th Lynda Lock 0:07:04 0:30:01 0:37:05
7th Nikki Higgins 0:10:28 0:28:39 0:39:07
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No PACTRAC report as such, but Lauren Steadman received an MBE in the New Year Honours List. The article on the British Triathlon website is here https://www.britishtriathlon.org/news/tokyo-gold-medallists-recognised-in-new-year-honours_16309
Lauren is originally from Peterborough, but is now a member of the Portsmouth based UK Sport Lottery Funded British Paratriathlon Squad. More information from the BTF website is here https://www.britishtriathlon.org/gb-teams/elite-team/athletes/lauren-steadman_4360
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Were PACTRAC the first local team in the Hereward Relays?
PACTRAC put in a solid performance at the Hereward Relays, finishing 12th overall from a field of 90 teams. This 39-mile, 4-man relay event from Peterborough to Ely cut across mud, grass and ice on a very cold November day.
PACTRAC's Hereward Relay team was a man down with less than a day to go, when Christian Richards, despite not having run all week with a nagging calf, stepped in to take the opening leg. Christian went on to run a 10k PB in freezing conditions to give the team the best start possible.
Chris Northern then smashed leg 2 with a 10km and 10 mile PB!
Richard Wright nailed the longest leg of the course with the 17th best time, before Adam Clark finished Leg 4 in fine style.
Time 4:31:44.
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PACTRAC held their annual AGM and Prize Presentation at the Black Horse in Elton on Sunday 21st November.
Many of the Club Championship Trophies were not competed for again this year, but we were able to award 6 Trophies.
The Mini-Series resumed in the summer with 5 mid-week events taking place at the brand new pool in Oundle. Mark Weathersby and Susie Freeman took the male and female honours over their best 3-events.
The other 4 Trophies were awarded by the Committee.
PACTRACer OF THE YEAR went to Louise Hathaway for her boundless enthusiasm as Head Coach, including organising virtual sessions during the Lockdowns and establishing a second swimming venue at Stanground.
Their were a number of potential winners of the OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE Trophy, and this was shared between Paul Lunn and Georgina Jennings. The two are regular winners of this Trophy having won it 4 times between them in the last 6 year's.
Paul competed in 5 half-ironman distance triathlon's, winning 2 outright and taking all 5 Age Group wins. His win at the Vitruvian at Rutland Water in September was sub-4 hours in 3:58:47. He also set the Mini-Series Course Record on the new course.
Georgina Jennings won the GOLD medal at the Triathlon England Sprint Championships at Box End.
Their were a number of candidates for the MOST IMPROVED Trophy, with Daniel Richardson winning it for his running improvement together with his first place in the AsKeenAsMustard Swim,Run 5k Series sponsored by Fenland Runner, which took in events from Rotherham to Tunbridge Wells.
The NOVICE Trophy went to Sam Chapman who has supported the club's swim program at Stanground, as well as competing in the full Ironman in Majorca and Outlaw X half-Ironman in his first year.
The club are looking forward to next year with Sarah Haslam taking over as Head Coach and a full program of club events taking place at Oundle including 10 Mini-Series evening triathlon's in the summer, 2 weekend triathlon's and 2 swim,run Aquathons over the winter.
Before then, PACTRAC have two teams and one solo runner in the Hereward Relays this weekend.
Last weekend 3 PACTRACers podiumed in Park Runs, with Adam Clark and Chris Northern finishing 1st and 3rd at Manor Park, Whittlesey, whilst Mark Weathersby finished 1st at Kettering. Together with Paul Lunn's 1st place at the Leazes Park Run in October that makes 3 different club member's who have now won Park Run's.
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Daniel Richardson competed in the Knebworth half-marathon, finishing in a time of 2:07:57 on an undulating circuit on closed roads. This represented a Personal Best time by 1:30 minutes - his second PB at the distance inside a month.
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Eric Winstone competed in the World Duathlon Sprint Championships in Aviles, Spain. Eric finished 7th in his 70-74 Age Group, which bettered his 15th position from Penticton, Canada in 2017.
Also competing in Aviles was Don Hutchinson in the 75-79 Age Group. Don is a long-time member of Cambridge Triathlon Club and recently moved to Waternewton PE8. Don also finished 7th in his Age Group, having previously WON GOLD in the European Triathlon Championships in Valencia in June.
Results:
Eric Winstone ...... 21:48 .... 55:32 .....14:01 ..= 1:31:21 Age Group 70-74 = 7th.
Don Hutchinson ..... 31:07 .... 54:39 .... 22:29 ..= 1:48:15 Age Group 75-79 = 7th.
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Rob Hammond finished 7th overall and first in his Age Group in the Grafham Water Duathlon at the weekend. The distances were: run 6.25 miles, bike 26 miles and run 3 miles. Rob moved up into 7th place on the bike and held it on the final 3-mile run.
7. Rob Hammond .... 42:34 .... 77:13 .... 21:59 ..= 2:21:46 Age Group 1.
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Mark Weathersby finished 17th overall in the Newport Marathon in a great time of 2:40:03.
Mark started well and was in a group of 5 after 5km with just 4 runners out ahead. He kept the pace high and was in the same group after 10km with one other having joined them and one slightly ahead. At the half-way mark, Mark was still in a group of 5 but with 9 runners now out ahead. He held on to finish 5th in his Age Group and 17th overall.
His 1/2 marathon split of 1:18:20 was just 2 minutes shy of his PB and 39 seconds slower than his London Marathon split 3-weeks earlier. However, he was able to hold the pace for longer and come in 47-seconds ahead of his London time. A great end to the season with two 2:40 marathons in 22 days.
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In the Rock ‘n’ Roll half marathon in Liverpool, ex-PACTRACer, Colin Benn, continued his comeback into racing with a time of 1:44:43 - good enough for 2nd in his Age Group. The route was full of live rock bands, cheerleaders and themed water stations, to keep the runners going.
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Paul 11th in Alcudia. Daniel takes the swim,run series.
PACTRAC had 8 competitors racing in Majorca on Saturday, in 3 different events.
In Alcudia in the North of the island, 5 competed in the Majorca 70.3 half-ironman triathlon, whilst another 1 completed the full ironman. 2 others competed in the Challenge Paguera half-ironman distance triathlon in the south.
The distances of the two half-ironman's were:
swim 1900m in the sea.
bike 56 miles up into the mountains.
run 13.1 miles - 4 laps each including some coastal paths.
Sam Chapman competed in the full Ironman from Alcudia, covering twice the distance. Sam had a consistently good race including covering the 112 mile bike section at just over 20mph.
However, it was Paul Lunn who secured PACTRAC's only podium place of the weekend, finishing 11th overall in a strong field and winning his Age Group. This was Paul's 10th consecutive time, racing in the Alcudia 70.3, stretching back to 2011, and in that time he has won his Age Group 4 times and podiumed 8 times. Paul took charge of his Age Group on the bike, having the 3rd fastest bike split in the whole field. He had the fastest bike and run splits in his Age Group and easily held onto his lead to finish in 11th place overall. Paul's last event before flying out was at the Leazes Park Run in which he took the overall victory in 17:26, a time that equaled his Park Run best from 3-year's ago.
Dan Wilson was next in 39th, with a consistent race that saw him take 7th in his Age Group.
Jon Crowley recorded a PB for the distance, after a frustrating season with injury; whilst Louise Hathaway also recorded a PB finishing 8th in her Age Group.
Results:
11. Paul Lunn ................ 30:31 .... 2:24:42 .... 1:26:10 .. = 4:21:23 Age Group 1st.
39. Dan Wilson .............. 29:38 .... 2:34:14 .... 1:30:47 .. = 4:34:39 AG 7.
188. Stuart Cleworth ...... 30:40 .... 2:59:47 .... 1:37:07 .. = 5:07:34 AG 20.
264. Jon Crowley ........... 33:30 .... 2:52:41 .... 1:54:18 .. = 5:20:29 AG 34.
342. Louise Hathaway .... 34:51 .... 3:05:42 .... 1:54:54 .. = 5:35:27 AG 8.
Full Ironman.
192. Sam Chapman .... 1:05:46 .... 5:42:04 .... 3:43:52 .. = 10:31:42 AG 27.
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Due to Covid Re-Scheduling, Challenge Paguera also took place on the same day, on the south of the island, and also involved a sea swim, a bike ride that went up into the mountains and a run around the sea front.
Results:
353. Steve Hope .... 37:23 .... 3:29:58 .... 2:00:17 .. = 6:07:38 AG 9.
385. Chris Shaw .... 45:40 .... 3:12:22 .... 2:23:38 .. = 6:21:40 AG 17.
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In the recently finished AsKeenAsMustard series of swim,runs Daniel Richardson has been confirmed as the men's champion in the 5km series. These swim,runs constantly change disciplines from swimming to running and back to swimming etc, so that you are swimming in your training shoes and running in your wet suit. 6 events took place over the summer and autumn, ranging from Ferry Meadows to Rotherham in the north and Tunbridge Wells in the south. The 5km Fenland Runner series sponsored by local Peterborough firm, Fenland Runner, saw PACTRAC's Daniel Richardson take the overall honours in the men's competition. Daniel scored points in 4 of the races and won the competition by 4-points.
In the Head Grass-Roots 10km Series, Adam Clark took a great 2nd place, having also competed in 4 of the races; whilst Steve Hope was not too far behind in 5th place.
In the Head Grass-Roots 21km Series, Willow Worthington came 6th in the ladies competition, her best result being a great 2nd place in the race at Long Eaton.
Next year's events are still being added to the calendar, but the AsKeenAsMustard swim,runs will take place at Ferry Meadows over the weekend of 18/19 June. Next year will include, for the first time, both a junior competition and a whopping 24-mile option. That will probably include 19-miles of off-road running and another 5-miles of lake and river swimming. Not for the feint hearted. Further details are on www.akamustard.events
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Manchester Marathon:
372. Jonny Hynes ........ 2:57:11
1884. Ali Brightey .......... 3:26:15
8861. Sarah Haslam ..... 4:36:42
13,849 runners.
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Silverstone Half-Marathon:
44. Adam Clark .............. 1:23:56 a PB by nearly 2 minutes.
1076. Daniel Richardson .... 2:09:36 a PB by 48 minutes !!! Daniel's only other half marathon was at Silverstone in 2019 where he recorded 2:57 hours.
Nearly 1,300 competitor's.
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PACTRAC had 3 runners in the VLM:
425. Mark Weathersby .... 2:40:50 Mark's build up included the Vitality Big Half in August where he recorded a new PB in 1:16. He hit that mark in 1:17:41 on Sunday. Mark was 96th in the Age Group World Championships.
848. Ady Pendred ....... 2:48:22
3028. Aaron Godden .... 3:09:08
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Paul 2nd overall. Simon 8th.
In possibly the last big domestic racing weekend of the season, PACTRAC had 3 competitor's in the Outlaw X, a half-ironman distance triathlon near Newark.
Swim 1.2 miles
Bike 57 miles
Run 13.2 miles.
Having come out of the water in 39th place, Paul Lunn moved up the field with the 3rd fastest bike split of the day and came into T2 in 4th position. A quick transition saw him quickly gain 2 places to move up into 2nd overall, which he comfortably held on to.
2 of PACTRAC's rising stars completed their step up to the half ironman distance, with Adam Clark moving up the field with an impressive 1:33 half-marathon, and Chris Northern having a solid race throughout. All 3 were happy with their results, with Adam saying "I've nearly emotionally recovered from my first Middle Distance Triathlon .... what an experience. It all started with the pre-race swim on Saturday morning to try and settle those nerves. The 1.2 mile swim had a lot of thick weeds, followed by a 57 mile bike - my longest cycle to date, followed by a 13.1 mile half marathon run. I haven't been training for any long distanced events, so I had no real expectations, so to finish in a time of 5:06 wasn't too shabby!!".
Results:
2. Paul Lunn ................ 31:01 .... 2:20:00 .... 1:22:04 .. = 4:13:05 AG 1st.
109. Adam Clark .......... 35:15 .... 2:57:26 .... 1:33:54 .. = 5:06:35 AG 21.
193. Chris Northern ..... 36:17 .... 3:05:31 .... 1:45:55 .. = 5:27:43 AG 22.
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Simon Hoppe won his Age Group, coming 8th overall, in the Celebration Cup Sprint Triathlon at Mallory Park. This was a triathlon put on by the British Triathlon Federation to celebrate and acknowledge the lack of international racing over the last 18 months for athletes who had qualified to represent GB but seen their events cancelled.
Mallory Park in Leicestershire was the chosen venue for this sprint distance triathlon, covering:
swim 750 metres in the lake.
bike 12 miles - 4 laps clockwise on the racing circuit. This was draft legal, so cyclists were able to compete directly working together with each other, on traffic free tarmac.
run 3 miles - 3 laps anti-clockwise on the racing circuit.
Simon finished in a time of 63 minutes.
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Jake and Louise 1st in Age Group.
We had 3 members competing in the Grafham Water Triathlon on Sunday over the Olympic distance of;
Swim 1500m in the lake.
Bike 23 miles.
Run 6.25 miles.
Both Jake Daniels (5th overall) and Louise Hathaway (13th overall and 1st lady) won their respective Age Groups. Jake was competing in his first Olympic distance triathlon, whilst Louise was back competing in triathlon after a 3-year sabbatical. Louise had the fastest bike and run amongst the female competitor’s; whilst both had top 10 bike splits.
Louise will be competing next month in Majorca, alongside clubmates Paul Lunn, Jon Crowley and Steve Hope.
Results:
5. Jake Daniels ……....... 23:46 …. 69:48 …. 43:31 .. = 2:17:05 Age Group 1st
13. Louise Hathaway .... 27:28 .... 70:08 .... 51:21 .. = 2:28:57 AG 1st.
23. Gary Shoemake ...... 26:44 .... 74:57 .... 57:42 .. = 2:39:23 AG 8.
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Richard Wright competed in the Sandman Triathlon on Anglesey over a multi-terrain course.
Swim 1500m in the sea. Out and back with a beach start.
Bike 37-miles. 1-lap.
Run 6.25 miles. 1-lap through forest trails and back over sand dunes.
Richard described it as “A top event, in a fantastic and beautiful location”. He had the 8th fastest run overall, to pull quite a few places back.
Richard Wright …. 25:01 …. 2:08:52 …. 43:04 .. = 3:16:57. AG 13 ----------------------------------------
Richard Rollings came 112th in the Exmouth Open-Water Triathlon in a time of 3:24:41.
Richard Rollings …. 25:45 …. 1:42:06 …. 1:16:50 .. = 3:24:41 AG 6th. -------------------------------------
At Blenheim, Robert Head competed in the Weekend Warrier Triathlon. Where most people completed a Sprint Triathlon over the distances of swim 750m, bike 16 miles and run 3 miles; the Weekend Warrior saw athletes complete as many Sprint Triathlons as they could in 11-hours. Robert completed in nearly 7-events, which involved getting back into the water after each run.
77th Robert Head …. 146.35 miles AG 14th. -------------------------------------------------
Willow Worthington competed in the Wild Wye 4.4-mile Swim. This was Willow’s longest ever swim, but fortunately it was all downstream, and she finished in 2:09 hours. --------------------------------------------
Laura Hardy swam the Solent Strait, a 3-mile swim from Stokes Bay across to Ryde Sands on the Isle of Wight - a swim complicated by the tides and busy shipping lanes. The swim is organised by Aspire with an Escort Boat and no wetsuits allowed.
On Saturday, Daniel Richardson ran in two 10km running races at Belvoir Castle, as part of the Equinox 24. The Day 10k started at noon, whilst the Night 10k was at 8:00pm.
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PACTRAC take 10 Podium spots over 5 races including Paul Lunn's overall win.
PACTRAC had 19 competitor's (and 1 relay team of 3), competing in 5 different events at the weekend, with 10 members (plus the relay team) finishing in the top 3 in their respective Age Groups.
Best performance came from Paul Lunn who won the Vitruvian Triathlon at Rutland Water. Their were also Age Group wins elsewhere for Jonny Hynes, Roger Canham and Olivia Corner.
Saturday's Dambuster Triathlon at Rutland Water was over the distances of:
Swim 1500 metres in the lake, starting on the bank with a run across rough stones to enter the water.
Bike 26 miles including the triple hills of the Rutland Ripple between Oakham and Uppingham, as well as climbing the Rookeries at Ketton.
Run 6.25 miles around the water's edge.
Jonny Hynes went into the run in 4th position and inspite of a 39:00 minute run, finished one place lower for a great 5th place overall.
5. Jonny Hynes ............. 24:29 .... 66:53 .... 39:00 ..= 2:10:22 Age Group 1st.
11. Roger Canham ......... 25:51 .... 69:46 .... 39:30 ..= 2:15:07 AG 1st.
31. Simon Guerin ........... 25:03 .... 74:25 .... 45:00 ..= 2:24:28 AG 7.
43. Chris Northern .......... 29:20 .... 80:51 .... 41:49 ..= 2:32:00 AG 3rd.
44. Jon Crowley ............. 28:33 .... 77:25 .... 46:10 ..= 2:32:08 AG 10.
56. Christian Richards .... 26:51 ....81:42 .... 47:33 ..= 2:36:06 AG 9.
115. Rebecca Burge ....... 33:01 .... 88:03 .... 48:26 ..= 2:49:30 AG 3.
232. Lynn Smitheringale.. 42:21 ... 105:31 ... 70:12 ..= 3:38:04 AG 3rd.
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Saturday also saw the Vitruvian Triathlon at Rutland Water over the half-ironman distance of:
Swim 1.2 miles in Rutland Water.
Bike 56 miles - two laps of the Dambuster Course including the hills around Oakham and Ketton.
Run 13.1 miles around the shores of the lake.
Paul Lunn won the Vitruvian Triathlon at Rutland Water on Saturday. Paul had to be on his best form, and with a top performance, won this half-ironman distance race by 64 seconds.
Paul was 2:30 minutes down on his nearest rival after the 1,900 metre swim, but had the fastest bike split of the day to start the run with 3:22 to spare. The top 3 finishers all recorded under 1:20 hours for the half-marathon run, with Paul's 1:19:14 good enough to hang on for the win by 64 seconds at the finish, with third place 7:30 minutes down.
Paul said "After 11 years and 7 attempts my stars finally aligned today at the Vitruvian middle distance triathlon to get my illusive sub 4 hours (3:58) and the overall win."
1. Paul Lunn .......... 33:01 .. 2:06:32 .... 1:19:14 ..= 3:58:47 AG 1st.
46. Aaron Godden .. 38:55 ....2:27:22 .... 1:41:06 ..= 4:47:23 AG 9.
82. Rhys Wilkinson .. 34:53 .... 2:47:17 .... 1:50:06 ..= 5:12:16 AG 10.
99. Mark Bedford ..... 46:56 .... 2:49:07 .... 1:45:26 ..= 5:21:29 AG 19.
109. David Naylor .... 36:37 .... 2:47:21 ....2:02:07 ..= 5:26:05 AG 21.
122. Ali Brightey ....... 44:31 .... 2:55:57 .... 1:51:49 ..= 5:32:17 AG 22.
In the Relay event with one athlete competing in each discipline, PACTRAC's team of Annette, Stuart and David finished 2nd from 11 teams.
2. Annette Wyld, Stuart Cleworth, David .... 43:41 .... 2:18:52 .... 1:30:37 ..= 4:33:10
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Steve Hope chose to race in the Helvelyn Triathlon, where 500 competitors swam 1500 metres in Ullswater, rode up Kirkstone Pass and "ran" up Helvellyn. 26 competitors failed to finish this grueling event, whilst Steve finished 2nd in his Age Group and 206th overall.
The water temperature was only slightly lower than the local Nene, whilst the bike section was constantly undulating, with 3 big hills thrown in, including the 2.5 mile "Struggle" up Kirkstone Pass, a 1 in 5 ascent that kept going up, up and up some more. It would have been easy to stop, but you would never have got started again. The "run" was straight up Helvellyn via Swirrel Edge. Soon after the start, you looked up and for the next mile their was a constant stream of athletes, all in a line and well spread out, all walking up the boulders and shale. Towards the top the path runs out, and the runners scrambled over large boulders to find the path again on the other side. The views at the top were stunning, but their was no time to stop and admire, as the descent although not quite as steep, was nonetheless over boulders and shale; this time, tired legs having to slow the runners down on the steep descent.
Steve was 28 seconds behind his Age Group winner at the start of the run, but lost a further 6 minutes from there, mainly on the tricky descent.
206. Steve Hope .... 21:52 .... 2:20:07 .... 2:07:35 ..= 4:49:34 AG 2nd.
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Adam Clark had an awesome race, coming 17th overall and 4th in his Age Group in the Blenheim Palace Sprint triathlon in a field of 3,836 competitor's. After starting at the back in his swim wave, Adam overtook most of the swimmers ahead of him to come out near the front, and took the bull by the horns , moving up the field further on both bike and run legs.
Adam had to swim 750 metres, bike 12.5 miles and run 3.5 miles, all around the estate.
17. Adam Clark .... 12:13 .... 40:31 .... 21:31 ..= 74:15 Age Group 4th
Rob Head, meanwhile, competed in Blenheim's Weekend Warrior Challenge. Warriors had to complete as many triathlons as possible, during racing hours, across both days of the event weekend. The winner is the Warrior who completes the most. The current record is 9 Sprint triathlons, but the results are NOT YET available.
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In the St.Neots Sprint Triathlon
Sprint:
Swim 750 metres in the River Great Ouze.
Bike 12.5 miles - 1 lap.
Run 3 miles - in the park.
6. Rob Hammond .... 13:00 .... 44:05 .... 19:41 ..= 76:46 Age Group 2nd.
12. Andy Corner ...... 15:13 .... 44:25 .... 20:23 ..= 80:01 AG 2nd.
Super Sprint:
4. Olivia Corner .... 7:50 .... 17:39 .... 10:40 ..= 36:09 AG 1st.
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Georgina wins GOLD and Marcus BRONZE whist Steve Qualifies for European Championships.
Two Triathlon events took place at Box End, Bedford at the weekend.
Saturday's Sprint Triathlon hosted the English National Championships, with PACTRAC's long-serving Georgina Jennings winning Gold in the over 75 category, whilst Marcus Widdess took Bronze in the over 20 category.
Georgina had a good start, coming out of the water nearly 2-minutes ahead of her nearest rival. She then extended the gap, on the bike, to over 5-minutes; before holding onto the lead on the run to finish 2:33 minutes clear, and take the Gold Medal.
Marcus had a solid race and remained in contention, going into the run in 4th place, just 20-seconds out of the podium spots. He then powered into 3rd place on the run to take the bronze medal with 2:32 minutes in hand.
Rob Hammond had a very respectable race, finishing in 51st place in his first triathlon for over 2-years.
Results:
11. Marcus Widdess .... 11:20 .... 34:35 .... 19:07 .. = 1:05:02 Age Group 3.
51. Rob Hammond ...... 13:29 .... 37:41 .... 22:05 .. = 1:13:15 AG 9.
201. Georgina Jennings ..18:44 ... 54:00 .... 41:50 .. = 1:54:34 AG 1st.
On Sunday the Standard Distance Triathlon was a qualifying race for next year's European Championships in Munich, with the first 4 automatically qualifying. Steve Hope finished 5th in his Age Group, but qualified as the fastest runner up over the 3 qualifying races. He joins clubmate Bill Haslam who had already qualified via the Southport event back in May.
Results:
83. Simon Guerin .... 24:49 .... 76:23 .... 53:19 .. = 2:34:31 Age Group 17.
159. Steve Hope ......30:45 .... 85:33 .... 51:55 .. = 2:48:13 Age Group 5th.
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Paul Jephcott competed in his first triathlon for 2-years at the Bosworth Water Trust, Market Bosworth on Sunday.
Swim 1500 metres in Bosworth lake - 2 laps around both islands in the main lake.
Bike 25 miles - 2 laps around the country lanes.
Run 6.25 miles - out and back twice.
24) Paul Jephcott 39:15 .... 90:43 .... 55:05 .. = 3:05:03 Age Group 7th.
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Lynn Smitheringale competed in the Louth triathlon. This was based at the Leisure Centre on a sunny morning, and included;
a 400m pool swim over 16 lengths.
a 14-mile bike. Out, a short 4-mile loop and back.
a 3.25 mile run. 2 laps, mainly on tarmac paths.
108. Lynn Smitheringale .... 97:42 .... Age Group 3rd.
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Steve 8th in National Championships. 3 runners all with PB's and Amy swims from Jersey to France.
Steve Hope competed in the British National Mid-Distance Championships in Aberfeldy, Scotland on Sunday, finishing 8th in his Age Group. Due to a re-arranged schedule from the fall out of 2020, Steve was also supposed to be competing in the World Championships in Edmonton, Canada, on the same day, alongside other PACTRACers, but with Edmonton now cancelled for a second year, the decision was made for him. After a 9 hour trip, Steve joined the 523 starters for this tough, wet, half-ironman distance triathlon, where 27 starters failed to finish.
Swim 1,900 metres in Loch Tay. 1 loop in the clear, cool waters at 16 degrees - 3 degrees below the current temperature in the River Nene.
Bike 56 miles. Including 2 big inclines and 2 descents, with the rest all undulating - and wet.
Run 13.1 miles straight out and back, past J.K.Rowlings house and again all undulating on a quiet road with about 10 cars on throughout.
Result:
260. Steve Hope 38:58 .... 3:15:40 .... 1:50:03 .. = 5:44:41 Age Group 8th.
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Other PACTRACers racing at the weekend took part in single sport events, with 3 runners competing in 3 different running races and all recording PB's.
Adam Clark recorded a PB of 37:52 in the King's Lynn GEAR 10km run, which included a strong first 5km which equalled his 5km PB. Adam finished 26th overall.
Chris Northern recorded a PB by 18-minutes with a time of 2:27:52 in the Oundle 20-mile running race, finishing strongly.
Mark Weathersby recorded his new PB of 76:14 in the Vitality Big Half Marathon in London. Mark is preparing for the full London Marathon in October over some of the same course.
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Meanwhile, on Friday, Amy Mellor swam from jersey to France in 7 hours 33 minutes. That's a long time to be swimming in the sea, but Amy has already swam the English Channel, so knew what to expect.
Amy missed a lot of pool swimming over the winter due to Lockdowns, but has been training as best as she could for this Jersey to France swim, for the last 18 months. Her window with the Pilot Boat was from Wednesday to Saturday, and with the weather being kind to her, she was able to set off on Friday.
The swim is 14 miles in a straight line but long distance swimming in a straight line is difficult, and taking tidal movement into account, a swimmer is more likely to cover a distance of between 15 and 18 miles; with swimmers wading ashore at Saint-Germain-sur-Ay Plage on the Normandy coast.
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Graeme Abrahams completed the second of his big three swims this summer, raising money for Addenbrookes Charitable Trust.
Graeme went down to Marlow to compete in the 6.25 mile Thames Marathon, and completed it in a time of 2:15:28. He always swims without a wetsuit and was 4th Male and 1st in his Age Group for the non-wetsuit swimmers.
Graeme has already completed the Ullswater Swim and is now looking forward to swimming the 5.25 miles end-to-end at Lake Coniston in 3-weeks time.
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Mark Qualifies. Roger and Olivia first in Age Group.
3 PACTRACers competed in the London Triathlon, held at the Excel Stadium; with Mark Weathersby finishing 3rd in his Age Group and qualifying for the World Championships to be held in Abu Dhabi next year.
Swim: 1,500 metres in London's Docklands - 1 lap with athletes setting off at 2-second intervals.
Bike: 25 miles on closed London roads, to Westminster and back plus a second shorter loop.
Run: Out and back along the river 3 times.
The rain kept coming down, but that didn't dampen the enthusiasm of the thousands of athletes that took part.
Results:
31. Mark Weathersby .... 26:05 .... 64:34 .... 38:01 .. = 2:08:40 AG 3.
166. Christian Richards .. 26:02 .... 71:58 .... 46:50 .. = 2:24:50 AG 20.
233. Steve Hope ............. 28:33 .... 74:31 .... 47:17 .. = 2:30:21 AG 10.
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5 PACTRACers competed over 3 different distances at St.Neots on Sunday.
Roger Canham made a rare appearance at the shorter Standard distance, and with the 5th fastest bike split of the day, he moved up into 8th place overall, which he held on the run. Roger won his Age Group, as did Olivia Corner in the Super-Sprint race. Olivia moved into top spot in the first transition and held it, to finish 6th overall. Rob Hammond had a fast run to move up to 2nd place in his Age Group in the Sprint Distance event.
Standard:
8. Roger Canham .... 27:42 .... 73:38 .... 39:51 .. = 2:21:11 AG 1st.
26. Jon Crowley ........ 29:40 .... 82:53 .... 44:45 .. = 2:37:18 AG 6.
31. Chris Pike ............ 31:22 .... 84:15 .... 45:03 .. = 2:40:40 AG 8.
Sprint:
11. Rob Hammond ...... 14:42 .... 42:51 .... 19:35 .. = 77:08 AG 2.
Super-Sprint:
6. Olivia Corner ........ 9:27 .... 19:18 .... 11:33 .. = 40:18 AG 1st.
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Phil Jones competed on the bike, in the National 12 hour Time Trial Championships, held at Attleborough near Norwich. This was the second time that Phil has raced over 12-hours and he recorded 253.42 miles at an average speed of 21.14mph to finish 37th Nationally, on a rain-hit day with heavy drizzle at times. This was nearly 17 miles quicker than his previous time recorded in 2019.
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Rob 4th and Mark 5th; whilst Mark Weathersby wins the Mini-Series Trophy.
PACTRAC held the 5th of 5 Wednesday night Mini-Series triathlon's at Oundle in windy conditions with a sudden downpour an hour before the start ensuring wet roads to negotiate. This hampered the cyclists but allowed for some fast run splits.
13 athletes took to the start line, with 6 recording PB's but none of the top 5 did, in these conditions. 10 beat the hour, whilst 6 new course records were set in the men's over 60's category and ladies over 50's and over 70's.
Simon Guerin led the swimmers out in 5:57 with another 4 swimmers following him out in the next 23 seconds. Mark Weathersby took over the lead on the bike and came into T2 37-seconds ahead of Simon Hoppe whilst Simon Guerin was another 49 seconds behind. Mark had both the fastest bike and run of the night and pulled ahead to win by nearly 3-minutes from Simon Hoppe in 2nd whilst Adam Clark just managed to catch Simon G in the sprint finish for the line.
That was Mark's 3rd win from 4 events, the other 2 being taken by Paul Lunn and Jonny Hynes. Mark, therefore, wins the Mini-Series Trophy with a maximum 30 points. Susie Freeman had already secured the Ladies Mini-Series Trophy the previous week, again with the maximum 30-points. Louise Banerjee took full advantage of Susie's absence in this final week to come home first lady ahead of Sue Davys and Georgina Jennings.
Results:
1. Mark Weathersby ...... 6.12....23.00....19.09....= 48.20
2. Simon Hoppe ............. 6.17....23.32....21.25....=51.14
3. Adam Clark ................ 6.06....26.29....19.34....=52.09
4. Simon Guerin ............. 5.57....24.41....21.33....=52.11
5. Aaron Godden ............ 7.17....24.56....21.07....=53.20
6. Josh Daniels ............... 7.01....26.53....20.28....=54.22
7. Scott Lloyd .................. 8.37....26.03....19.48....=54.28
8. Steve Hope ................. 7.12....26.49....22.26....=56.27
9. Jason English ............. 7.28....29.03....21.31....=58.02
10. Tony Daniels .............. 6.20....26.16....26.56....=59.32
11. Louise Banerjee ......... 9.11....32.45....27.23....=69.19
12. Sue Davys .................. 8.45....31.48....30.18....=70.51
13. Georgina Jennings ..... 8.57....34.10....34.09....=77.16
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Mark Botteley finished 5th overall in the Calfman Triathlon held at Emberton Park, Olny, nr Milton Keynes. The distances were:
swim 950m in the lake.
bike 29 miles. 2-laps on local country roads.
run 6.5 miles off-road around the lake.
Mark had the fastest bike split of the day, moving up to 3rd overall, before dropping back just 2 places on the run to 5th overall and winning his Age Group.
Results:
5. Mark Botteley ........ 19:12 .... 72:50 .... 44:47 .... = 2:16:49. Age Group 1st.
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In the Sprint Distance Triathlon held at Box End, Bedford, Rob Hammond had the 2nd fastest bike of the day to haul himself up into 4th place, which he held onto on the run.
Swim 750 metres in Box End Lake.
bike 13-miles.
run 3 miles.
Results:
4. Rob Hammond ...... 13:27 .... 37:09 .... 22:44 .... = 73:20. Age Group 1st.
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Mark wins Mini-Series 4 to take the overall lead; whilst Susie wins the Ladies Trophy. Steve qualifies at Redcar.
PACTRAC's 4th Mini-Series event took place on a very warm Wednesday evening over the distances of:
swim 400 metres - 16 lengths of the new pool.
bike 9-miles around Glapthorn and the Benefield's.
run 3.1 miles out to Glapthorn and back.
3 new course records were set this week. Due to the staggered start Simon Guerin (5:54) took Adam Clark's overall swim record (5:56) with Adam following him out of the pool in 5:53 to re-take the record just seconds later. Paul Lunn's over 40's swim record (6:03) was taken by Simon Guerin in 5:54 and this time Simon got to keep the record.
Mark Weathersby was the next out in 6:04 followed by first female Susie Freeman in 6:23. Mark went to the front on the bike early on and increased his lead coming into T2 1:48 ahead of Simon, whilst Rob Hammond and Adam Clark were a further 3/4 minute behind.
Mark then had the fastest run of the night to pull further ahead and finish nearly 3-minutes ahead of Adam who had a great run to pull ahead of Rob in 3rd and Simon 4th. Susie came home first lady, in under an hour, just 1-second slower than her PB of 2-weeks ago.
Susie Freeman has now won the Female Mini-Series Trophy with a maximum score of 30. In the men's event Simon Hoppe was in the lead but took a well earned break to do his marshalling stint tonight, which allowed Adam to join him on 24 points, with Rob just 1 behind on 23. Mark moved ahead on 28 points from his two wins and a third. Jonny stays on 19 but has only competed in 2 events, so all of his points from next week will count. Mark could also be joined on 28 points by Simon Hoppe, but only if the latter wins next week outright. A Jonny-Mark 1-2 would see them tie for first.
Results:
1. Mark Weathersby ...... 6.04 .... 22.02 .... 19.33 .... = 47.39.
2. Adam Clark ................. 5.53 .... 24.46 .... 19.54 .... = 50.33
3. Rob Hammond ............ 6.41 .... 23.57 .... 20.48 .... = 51.26
4. Simon Guerin .............. 5.54 .... 24.00 .... 22.14 .... = 52.08
5. Chris Pike .................... 7.43 .... 24.13 .... 22.31 .... = 54.27
6. Jon Crowley ................. 7.00 .... 24.17 .... 23.31 .... = 54.48
7. Scott Lloyd ................... 8.34 .... 25.22 .... 20.59 .... = 54.55
8. Steve Hope .................. 7.22 .... 26.13 .... 23.05 .... = 56.40
9. Susie Freeman ............ 6.23 .... 28.29 .... 24.42 .... = 59.34
10. Willow Worthington ..... 8.41 .... 29.58 .... 26.12 .... = 64.51
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The only PACTRAC athlete competing in multi-sport at the weekend was Steve Hope who ventured up to Redcar to compete in the Sprint Distance Triathlon. Due to de-restrictions, this event was able to revert to it's original billing of being draft legal. Unlike most Age Group racing, drafting on the bike is allowed in a few qualifying races for the World and European Sprint Championships, because these Championships themselves are draft legal. Steve was, therefore, able to battle it out with groups of cyclists on a closed road course. Before this though, there was a 950 metre swim in the sea, which involved a hard slog against large waves to reach the first turn. Once out at sea the waves weren't as big, but concentration was still required before finally reaching the swim exit for the long beach run to Transition. Steve finished 7th in his Age Group and qualified for one of 20 UK wide slots that were up for grabs in each 5-year Age Group, for next year's European Sprint Championships. The venue has yet to be announced, but 3 other PACTRACers, Georgina Jennings, Simon Hoppe and Mark Weathersby qualified at Mallory Park last week, whilst Susie Freeman had a near miss, but after the race at Redcar, even though she didn't compete, has confirmed her place too. These 5 PACTRACers will be representing GB in the European Sprint Championships next year.
Swim 950-metres in the sea.
bike 13-miles - 4 laps on closed roads.
run 3.25 miles - 3 laps along the seafront.
Result:
127. Steve Hope .... 18:12 .... 38:43 .... 23:44 ..= 80:39 Age Group 7.
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In the half-marathon held at Bedford Autodrome, Adam Clark recorded a PB in a time of 1:25:18 for 25th place overall.
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3 Qualify for European Sprint Championships.
6 PACTRACers competed in the Sprint Triathlon at Mallory Park on Sunday. The event comprised of a 750 metre lake swim, 12-mile bike (6-laps) and 3-mile run (3 laps) and was a qualifying race for the European Sprint Triathlon Championships next year. 3 members qualified outright whilst 2 others were close enough to have a good chance in the Rolldown for the 20-places in each Age Group for the whole of Great Britain. The next event is in Redcar next weekend when final places will be allocated.
Georgina Jennings won her Age Group, Simon Hoppe was 2nd in his and Mark Weathersby 4th, with the top 4 in each Age Group qualifying for the European Sprint Championships. Steve Hope and Susie Freeman go into the Rolldown and will have to wait and see. Simon had the 15th fastest bike split out of everybody on the day, whilst Mark had the 16th fastest run, to move them up in the placings, on a hot day for racing where 12 competitor's failed to finish.
Results:
27. Mark Weathersby .... 12.33 .... 33.06 .... 15.58 ..= 61.37 Age Group 4.
44. Simon Hoppe .......... 12.13 .... 32.50 .... 18.30 ..= 63.13 Age Group 2.
113. Chris Northern ....... 14.00 .... 35.35 .... 17.46 ..= 67.21 AG 14.
211. Susie Freeman ...... 12.29 .... 38.49 .... 20.50 ..= 72.08 AG 9.
225. Steve Hope ........... 14.49 .... 37.29 .... 20.17 ..= 72.35 AG 8.
392. Georgina Jennings .. 17.57 .... 47.04 .... 31.58 ..= 96.59 AG 1st.
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Daniel O'Sullivan finally got to compete in the 70.3 Half-Ironman Triathlon in Staffordshire, after a 2-year wait, as so many races were cancelled last year. Daniel covered the distances of: swim 1.2 miles in the reservoir, bike 56-miles and run 13.1 miles.
605. Daniel O'Sullivan .... 6:37:47 .. Age Group 61.
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2 PACTRACers completed the Swim,Run at Long Eaton as part of the AsKeenAsMustard Series.
Willow Worthington competed in the 13.5 mile race race involving 13 off-road trail runs and 12 lake swims, seamlessly changing disciplines. This was the 5th event in the 6-event series, where you run in your wetsuit and swim in your training shoes. Willow had to run a total of 11-miles and swim 2.5 miles, finishing 6th in 3:06:58 hours and 2nd in her Age Group.
Daniel Richardson has raced in all 5 events and again opted for the 3.5 mile race involving 7 runs and 6 swims. Daniel finished 3rd in his Age Group.
Results:
3.5 miles:
24. Daniel Richardson .... 1:47:25 Age Group 3.
13.5 miles:
6. Willow Worthington .... 3:06:58 Age Group 2.
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Graeme Abrahams completed the first of his 3 swims to raise money for Addenbrookes Hospital. He swam the length of Lake Ullswater (7-miles) in 4 hours 6 mins and came 133 out of 645 swimmers. The majority wore wetsuits, but Graeme went in without one.
Graeme said "Beautiful scenery. It felt harder than swimming in the river. My next big swim is in the Thames in 4 weeks time."
In August, Graeme will be swimming in the Thames marathon (9-miles) followed by swimming the length of Lake Coniston (5.25-miles) at the start of September.
Mini-Series resumes ...
Mini-Series 3.
PACTRAC held the 3rd of their 5-race Wednesday night triathlon's at Oundle; with Jonny Hynes taking the spoils by 3-minutes from Simon Hoppe in 2nd and Adam Clark 3rd. The athletes set off at intervals as per covid-regulations.
Willow Worthington made her first appearance and came home as first lady; whilst Georgina Jennings recorded her first time on the new course, setting records for the over 75 females including in all disciplines. Other records were set by Adam Clark who broke his own swim record, taking it from 6:01 down to 5:56; whilst Simon Hoppe took the over 50's course record down to 50:34 including a new swim time of 6:10. With the new Oundle Pool being 50-metres away from the old pool, the opportunity was taken to adjust the course for all 3 disciplines, so new records are being established weekly.
After exiting the pool 24-seconds behind Adam and just 10-seconds behind Simon, Jonny had the fastest bike split of the night and came in to Transition 2, 90-seconds ahead of Simon, with Adam 3rd. Jonny was just 18-seconds down on his fastest bike time for the course, on what turned out to be an unexpectedly windy but warm night. Jonny also had the fastest run of the night, whilst the battle for 2nd involved Adam's improved running seeing him reeling Simon in, with Simon holding on by just 17-seconds.
With 3 events from the 5 to count towards the Mini-Series Trophy, Simon Hoppe has taken the lead with 24 points from 3 events. His closest rivals are Jonny Hynes with 19 points and Mark Weathersby with 18, but they have only raced twice each so far. Susie Freeman leads the Ladies Trophy with 2 wins from 2 giving 20 points, with Willow Worthington on 10 points from this week's win.
Results:
1. Jonny Hynes ........... 6.20 .... 21.41 .... 19.33 ..= 47.34
2. Simon Hoppe .......... 6.10 .... 23.20 .... 21.04 ..= 50.34
3. Adam Clark ............. 5.56 .... 24.58 .... 19.57 ..= 50.51
4. Rob Hammond ........ 6.42 .... 24.25 .... 20.51 ..= 51.58
5. Andy Corner ............ 7.13 .... 24.19 .... 21.45 ..= 53.17
6. Jake Daniels ............ 6.45 .... 24.35 .... 23.08 ..= 54.28
7. Chris Pike ................ 7.45 .... 25.02 .... 22.18 ..= 55.05
8. Steve Hope .............. 7.27 .... 26.33 .... 23.01 ..= 57.01
9. Willow Worthington .. 8.27 .... 29.48 .... 26.10 ..= 64.25
10. Scott Lloyd .............. 8.40 .... 27.15 .... 28.36 ..= 64.31
11. Georgina Jennings .. 9.03 .... 33.51 .... 35.33 ..= 78.27
-----------------------
A further report from this coming weekend will include;
Sprint Triathlon at Mallory Park.
Half-Ironman triathlon in Staffordshire.
Swim,Run at Long Eaton.
Ullswater 7-mile swim.
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9 athletes competed in the 2nd PACTRAC Mini-Series Triathlon last Wednesday night. The event clashed with England playing in the Euro's, but nonetheless attracted a competitive field over the distances of:
swim 400 metres in Oundle's new pool - 16 lengths.
bike 9-miles around Glapthorn and the Benefield's.
run 3.1 miles out to Glapthorn and back.
Mark Weathersby had the fastest swim, bike and run individual times, leading out of the water by 6-seconds from Simon Hoppe with Susie Freeman another 4-seconds behind. Mark increased his lead over Simon by a further 50-seconds on the bike, and with a superfast run extended his overall lead to 3:23 minutes by the finish. Simon held on to 2nd place whilst Rob Hammond came in 3rd and Chris Northern making his debut finished 4th. Mark, Rob and Susie (1st lady) all beat their times from the previous week as 7 athletes went under the hour.
In only the 2nd event on this brand new course, 2 new course records were set. Susie Freeman set a new Female Course Record, beating her time from last week by 45-seconds; and Jaap Flikweert and Mariska Niemeijer established a new Team Record.
Results:
1. Mark Weathersby .... 6:08 .... 22:56 .... 19:04 ..= 48:08
2. Simon Hoppe ........... 6:14 .... 23:46 .... 21:31 ..= 51:31
3. Rob Hammond ......... 6:47 .... 24:52 .... 20:48 ..= 52:27
4. Chris Northern .......... 7:22 .... 26:02 .... 20:14 ..= 53:38
5. Dave Allsop ............... 6:54 .... 25:02 .... 21:59 ..= 53:55
6. Steve Hope ............... 7:07 .... 27:35 .... 23:08 ..= 57:50
7. Susie Freeman .......... 6:18 .... 28:36 .... 24:39 ..= 59:33
8. Team Jaap/Mariska ... 7:25 .... 24:31 .... 28:25 ..= 60:21
9. Sue Davys ................. 8:50 .... 31:26 .... 30:07 ..= 70:23
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Husband and wife, Bill and Sarah Haslam, competed in the Woodhorn Museum Standard Distance Triathlon in Northumberland. This covered the distances of swim 1500 metres in the lake, bike 25-miles and run 6.25 miles.
This event incorporated the English National Championships and Sarah was 4th in her Age group, just missing out on a national medal.
It was also a qualifying race for the World Triathlon Championships to be held in Abu Dhabi next year. The top 4 in each Age Group qualify and Sarah achieved her ambition here. However, husband Bill was 8th in his Age Group and will have to try again in the London Triathlon in the Docklands on 8th July.
106. Bill Haslam ........ 24:51 .... 84:59 .... 48:03 ..= 2:37:53 AG 8.
188. Sarah Haslam .... 25:33 .... 97:17 .... 58:01 ..= 3:00:51 AG 4.
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Andy Corner competed in the Stewartby Lake Triathlon at Bedford over the Standard Distance of swim 1500m in the lake, bike 23-miles (out-and-back 4 times) and run 6.25 miles (out and back 2 times). Andy finished 5th in his Age Group, whilst Chloe Moore chose to compete in the Sprint Aquabike covering 750 metres in the lake and 12 miles on the bike. Chloe finished 1st overall in a time of 62:01 to continue her move up in distances this year. She had a fast swim and put minutes into her competition, holding on, on the bike to take the win by 1:24 minutes.
Standard Distance Triathlon:
20. Andy Corner .... 23:49 .... 64:29 .... 46:10 ..= 2:14:28 AG 5.
Aquabike Sprint:
1st Chloe Moore .... 12:58 .... 49:03 ..= 62:01 AG 1st.
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3 PACTRACers ventured over to Manvers Lake at Rotherham for Sunday's Swim,Run organised by AsKeenAsMustard.
Adam Clark (2nd overall, 1st in Age Group) and Steve Hope (2nd in Age Group) competed in the 10km event, whilst Daniel Richardson took on the 5km version.
The 10km event comprised of 13 short trail runs and 12 lake swims with competitors seamlessly switching from one discipline to the other. You swam in your training shoes and ran in your wetsuit in a continuous event, with no transitions between disciplines. Adam set off first, with a long line of athletes starting at 2 second intervals behind him. He was involved in a two-way fight at the front and held onto the lead throughout the race, right up until being overtaken on the penultimate swim, with just over 1 km to go. Adam eventually came in a minute down after leading for so long. 2nd place is his best yet in the series, which resumes in Long Eaton this weekend.
Results:
10km;
2. Adam Clark .... 1:25:37 Age Group 1st.
7. Steve Hope .... 1:32:46 Age Group 2nd.
5km;
22. Daniel Richardson .... 1:10:28 AG 6.
--------------------
The first PACTRAC Mini-Series Triathlon took place since 2019 last Wednesday. In the intervening period, Oundle have demolished the old pool and built a brand new facility which has the flexibility of being either a 50m pool or, with the boom in place, a 25m pool. PACTRAC are using the 25m option on Wednesday night's and operating a number of Covid secure procedures, including setting the swimmers off at 10-second intervals.
New Course Records were, therefore, up-for-grabs as 20 athletes took to the start line (19 finished) for the inaugural race on the new course, which not only included an increased swim distance from 400 yards to 400 metres, but a new exit from the pool was in operation on both the bike and run disciplines. This reduced the cycle section to 9-miles and the run was adjusted to 3.1 miles (i.e., 5km).
Swim 400 metres - 16 lengths of the 25m pool.
Bike 9-miles around Glapthorn and the Benefield's taking in 2 good inclines and the long windy decent between the Benefield's and the fast section downhill around Oundle Golf Course.
Run out and back to a dead turn at Glapthorn, running back into the School by a different entry point.
Taking full advantage of the 10-second seedings, Steve Hope set off nr.2 and was first out of the water, thereby setting the first ever record on the new course with a swim time of 7:07. It didn't last for long, however, as Adam Clark who set off 1:10 minutes behind Steve recorded 6:01 and was out into Transition just 4-seconds behind him. As it happened, Adam had the fastest swim of the night, and retained the record.
Paul Lunn recorded 6:03 for the swim, Mark Weathersby 6:14 and first lady Susie Freeman 6:16 as 8 swimmers went under 7-minutes; with a further 9 swimmers following in under 8-minutes.
Paul recorded a superfast bike split of 21:25 which included the first transition, and came back first into T2, 1:10 minutes ahead of Jonny Hynes to take the new bike split record. However, Jonny then came in with the fastest bike of the day in 21:23 to take the new record by just 2-seconds. Mark came in off of the bike in third spot another 34 seconds down, but ahead of 4th placed Simon Hoppe by almost 2-minutes, with Simon being the first of 10 cyclists to appear in the space of 2:45 minutes.
Paul had a 20-second advantage over Jonny going into the run, where 5 athletes dipped under 20-minutes for the newly measured 5k. Paul had the fastest run of the day in 18:18. Mark recorded 18:48 and made inroads into Jonny who held on to 2nd place with a 19:03 run split to come home 65 seconds behind Paul and 19 seconds ahead of Mark. Paul having just lost his bike split record, did take both the run record and the new overall Course Record as well as the Over-45 Course Record. Simon Hoppe in 5th was the first Over-50, whilst Susie Freeman established a clean sweep of the ladies records including all of the individual disciplines and the overall and over-40's records.
1. Paul Lunn .............,.,... 6:03 .... 21:25 .... 18:18 .. = 45:46
2. Jonny Hines ................ 6:25 .... 21:23 .... 19:03 .. = 46:51
3. Mark Weathersby ........ 6:14 .... 22:08 .... 18:48 .. = 47:10
4. Adam Clark .................. 6:01 .... 25:07 .... 19:38 .. = 50:46
5. Simon Hoppe ............... 7:04 .... 23:09 .... 21:17 .. = 51:30
6. Jaap Flikweert .............. 7:38 .... 24:04 .... 20:13 .. = 51:55
7. Aaron Godden .............. 7:25 .... 23:57 .... 21:09 .. = 52:31
8. Wayne Stainsby ............ 6:56 .... 26:15 .... 19:59 .. = 53:10
9. Dave Allsop ................... 6:45 .... 24:34 .... 22:06 .. = 53:25
10. Rob Hammond ............ 7:56 .... 24:45 .... 20:48 .. = 53:29
11. Andy Corner ................. 7:24 .... 25:08 .... 21:41 .. = 54:13
12. Scott Lloyd ................... 8:51 .... 25:34 .... 20:08 .. = 54:33
13. Chris Pike .................... 7:57 .... 25:10 .... 22:12 .. = 55:19
14. Christian Richards ....... 7:09 .... 25:21 .... 22:57 .. = 55:27
15. Steve Hope .................. 7:07 .... 25:51 .... 23:35 .. = 56:33
16. Tom Moorhouse ........... 8:20 .... 26:18 .... 25:08 .. = 59:46
17. Susie Freeman ............ 6:16 .... 28:36 .... 25:26 .. = 60:18
18. Martin Thorpe .............. 7:30 .... 28:22 .... 24:45 .. = 60:37
19. Louise Banerjee .......... 9:24 .... 31:33 .... 27:18 .. = 68:15
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3 PACTRACers competed in the Sywell Sprint Triathlon near Northampton, held within the Sywell Country Park.
swim 750 metres in the lake.
bike 12.5 miles on country lanes.
run 3 miles around the lake.
Results:
19 Christian Richards .... 11:33 .... 32:37 .... 20:52 .. = 65:02 Age Group 5th.
26. Richard Wright ......... 13:55 .... 35:06 .... 18:39 .. = 67:40 AG 5.
58. Paul Frampton ......... 18:38 .... 34:41 .... 22:28 .. = 75:47 AG 10.
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5 PACTRACers were amongst over 1,400 competitor's at the Outlaw Half Holkham Triathlon held at Holkham Hall in Norfolk.
The distances were:
swim 1.2 miles - 1 lap of the lake.
bike 56 miles - 1 large loop skirting around Sandringham and Fakenham.
run 13.1 miles - 3 laps around the park.
Sam Chapman was the first PACTRACer home, whilst Aaron Godden dipped under 5 hrs for the first time in a half-Ironman distance race.
132. Sam Chapman .... 33:53 .... 2:38:33 .... 1:43:54 .. = 4:56:20 AG 15.
146. Aaron Godden ..... 36:50 .... 2:39:04 .... 1:43:13 .. = 4:59:07 AG 17.
218. Simon Guerin ...... 32:15 .... 2:44:02 .... 1:55:06 .. = 5:11:23 AG 20.
302. Jon Crowley ........ 35:09 .... 2:49:34 .... 1:56:35 .. = 5:21:18 AG 31.
494. Mark Bedford ...... 43:08 .... 3:08:09 .../. 1:51:24 .. = 5:42:41 AG 57.
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Meanwhile, Charlie Brookes chose the Gauntlet half-ironman distance triathlon held at Hever Castle nr. Tonbridge. The distances of swim 1.2 miles, bike 56 miles and run 13.1 miles took Charlie 6:29:57 hours for 146th place overall.
146. Charlie Brookes .... 36:25 .... 3:42:42 .... 2:10:50 .. = 6:29:57 Age Group 19.
---------------------------------
Daniel Richardson competed in the GoTri event at Jesus Green Lido over the Super-Sprint distance of a 100 yard swim followed by a 2.5 mile bike and 1.1 mile run, both on grass. The event was to encourage participants who are new to triathlon and Daniel finished in 26 minutes.
2021. The season so far ...
5 PACTRACers competed in the Swim,Run event at Grafham Water organised by AsKeenAsMustard. 4 had competed the week before at Ferry Meadows, and were joined by Charlie Brookes who chose the longer 13.9 mile event. These events involve swimming in training shoes and running in your wetsuit. Athletes constantly change disciplines seamlessly from run to swim to run to swim to run etc. You can take any swim buoyancy aids with you, but they slow you down on the runs, and what you start with, you must finish with.
The 3.6 mile event involved 5 runs (total 2.7 miles) and 4 swims (total 0.9 miles) all in or around Grafham Water's clear lake. The trails were lumpy and uneven with trip hazards, but all dry.
25. Daniel Richardson .... 1:31:32 Age Group 5th.
The 6.35 mile race involved 8 runs (total 4.65 miles) and 7 swims (total 1.7 miles) and reached the top of Grafham Water before heading back over a different route. Steve Hope (by 1:19 minutes) and Carol Smallman (by 2:45 minutes) both won their respective Age Groups, with Adam Clark 2nd in his.
7. Steve Hope .......... 1:28:59 AG 1st.
8. Adam Clark .......... 1:30:05 AG 2.
22. Carol Smallman .. 1:50:26 AG 1st.
Charlie Brookes chose the longer 13.9 mile route finishing 2nd in his Age Group after 12 runs (total 11.55 miles) and 11 swims (total 2.35 miles).
10. Charlie Brookes .... 3:11:00 AG 2.
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Chloe Moore competed in the Cotswolds Super Sprint Triathlon and did well against more senior opposition. Chloe was 3rd after the 400 metre swim, but lost places to more senior athletes on the bike, before holding her own on the run.
Swim – 400m Bike - 12.5 miles Run – 1.5 miles.
13th Chloe Moore .... 7:26 .... 45:15 .... 13:08 .. = 65:49.
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Lynn Smitheringale came 2nd in her Age Group at the Birmingham Sprint Triathlon at Alderford Lakes nr Whitchurch.
The distances were:
Swim 750 metres in the lake.
Bike 12.5 miles.
Run 3.1 miles.
12. Lynn Smitheringale .... 19:27 .... 50:10 .... 29:52 .. = 1:39:29 Age Group 2.
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Mark Wethersby has qualified for the World Sprint Triathlon Championships in Montreal in 2022. Mark had a great race in Dorney Lake, Eton, last month, and has now just had his place confirmed.
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The PACTRAC midweek Mini-Series finally gets under way this Wednesday 30th June and will run for 5-Wednesday evenings from Oundle's new pool in Milton Road, over a slightly re-designed course; with the distances of Swim 400 metres, bike 9-miles, run 3.1 miles.
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PACTRAC had their big guns out at the A Day In The Lakes Triathlon held at Pooley Bridge, Ullswater on Sunday.
Paul Lunn won the event outright, with Dan Wilson 6th and Jonny Hynes 11th. All 3 came out of the swim in the top 10, before taking 3 of the top 6 fastest bike splits. Paul had the fastest bike split of the day and set off on the run 1-minute ahead of his nearest challenger. He had the 3rd fastest run, but the 2 quickest runners were already over 20-minutes down, and Paul came home to win the event outright by a 10-minute margin.
After 2nd place at the Grafman two weeks ago, Paul took the win at "A Day in the Lakes". He will be tackling the half-ironman distance for the third time in 5-weeks, in two weeks time at the Outlaw Triathlon in Holkham.
Dan had the 12th fastest run and held on to a great 6th place overall, with Jonny not far behind in 11th.
Swim 1.25 miles - 2 laps within Ullswater.
Bike 56 miles. 2 large laps and 1 smaller lap.
Run 13.1 miles. On trail and fell, coming back on the road.
1. Paul Lunn ........ 33:35 .... 2:24:57 .... 1:33:52 .. = 4:32:24. AG 1st.
6. Dan Wilson ....... 34:00 .... 2:37:19 .... 1:42:20 ..= 4:53:39 AG 4th.
11. Jonny Hynes .... 32:59 .... 2:34:56 .... 1:56:07 ..= 5:04:02 AG 5th.
-----------------------------------------
Meanwhile, Barry Ryan was competing in a separate half-ironman distance triathlon, The Lakesman Half, from Keswick:
Swim 1.2 miles in Derwent Water.
Bike 58-miles on undulating but good road surfaces.
Run 13.1 miles. 3-laps, flat, along the Cumbrian Way.
177. Barry Ryan .... 40:30 .... 3:05:28 .... 1:53:20 .. = 5:39:18. AG 16.
----------------------------------------
Sue Davys took part in the Outlaw Half at Nottingham on Sunday - the 3rd event of that distance over the weekend that PACTRACers were involved in. The distances were:
swim 1.2 miles in Holme Pierrepont lake.
bike 56 miles
run 13.1 miles.
1155. Sue Davys .... 46:38 .... 3:44:37 .... 2:27:29 ..=6:58:44 AG 6th.
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Locally 7 PACTRACers completed the AsKeenAsMustard swim,run events at Ferry Meadows. Swim,Run is the new sport in town and covers the format of run,swim,run,swim,run etc so athletes get to run in their wetsuits and swim in their training shoes, constantly changing disciplines, over a set course of either 3-miles, 6.75 miles or 13.1 miles. Both Adam Clark and Carol Smallman won their respective Age Groups with Adam the highest placed in 5th overall.
3-mile swim,run. (5 runs and 4 swims):
22. Catherine Burbage .... 60:20. AG 6.
35. Georgina Jennings .... 69:31. AG 10.
6.75 mile swim,run. (7 runs and 6 swims):
5. Adam Clark .... 71:53 AG 1st.
17. Martin Thorpe .... 82:23 AG 5.
32. Carol Smallman .... 91:33 AG 1.
43. Pedro Polson .... 98:49 AG 11.
13.1 mile swim,run. (13 runs and 12 swims):
10. Phil Atkinson .... 3:05:40 Phil chose the longest distance for his first multi-discipline race of any kind, and finished in the top 10 and 4th in his Age Group.
--------------------
Josh Moore and Theo Wan competed in the Mallory Park Junior Triathlon on Saturday, as part of the East Midlands Junior Championships. The event took place on flat closed roads.
Tristart (age 8) - 75m swim, 1 mile cycle (1 lap), 0.3 mile run.
6. Josh Moore .... 5:58 .... 11:38 .... 3:52 ..= 21:28.
Tristar 2 (age 11-12) - 200m swim, 3.75 mile cycle (4 laps), 0.75 mile run (1 lap)
7. Theo Wan .... 5:11 .... 13:38 .... 5:40 ..= 24:29.
-----------------------------------------
Rhys Wilkinson came 26th in the Olympic Distance Triathlon at Box End, Bedford, pulling places back in the final run discipline.
26. Rhys Wilkinson .... 28:53 .... 79:50 .... 45:12 ..= 2:33:55 AG 5.
-----------------
The big race locally was the Sublime Midsummer 10km run on Sunday, which had 892 finishers in Ferry Meadows.
We had 2 competitors:
215. Tony Birch-James 47:28.
553. Daniel Richardson 58:41.
======================
Further afield, Adam Clark competed in the John West Great North 3-mile Swim, finishing in 65th position in a time of 1:36:29. The event took place in Lake Windermere.
----------------------
PACTRAC had 18 athletes competing in multi-discipline sport this weekend, with 8 of them finishing in the top 3 in their respective Age Groups. In the overall competitions we had Paul Lunn finishing 2nd overall at the Grafman half-ironman distance triathlon held at Grafham Water; whilst Simon Hoppe finished 2nd overall at the Tallington Lakes Sprint distance triathlon.
Paul Lunn lead the PACTRAC charge at the Grafman half-ironman distance triathlon, held at Grafham Water on Sunday. Paul not only came second overall in the event, but saw a number of his coached athletes performing well too. Paul said "It was great to be racing again yesterday at the Grafman middle distance, and super happy to take second place. Plenty of life left in the old dog yet". Paul is as motivated as ever and still keeps improving. He was 2nd overall and first in his Age Group in a time of 4:08:45. Dan Wilson was very pleased with his 7th overall and 2nd in his Age Group saying "well that went well!"
Willow Worthington was excited to be competing in her first middle-distance triathlon, finishing 9th in her Age Group.
Swim 1900 metres - 2 laps in Grafham Water.
Bike 56-miles. Out and back in four different directions towards St.Neots and Bedford, on a fast rolling course.
Run 13.1-miles. 2 laps out and back around the edge of the lake.
Results:
2. Paul Lunn ...................... 28:20 ... 2:16:28 .... 1:23:57 .. = 4:08:45 Age Group 1st.
7. Dan Wilson .................. 27:26 .... 2:27:39 .... 1:30:47 .. = 4:25:52 Age Group 2nd.
25. Jonny Hynes ............... 27:00 .... 2:26:18 .... 1:45:25 .. = 4:38:43 AG 6.
38. Dave Thorold .............. 32:32 .... 2:34:20 .... 1:38:35 .. = 4:45:27 AG 3.
62. Stuart Cleworth ........... 29:29 .... 2:41:54 .... 1:48:16 .. = 4:59:39 AG 11.
74. Ricky Dear .................. 34:51 .... 2:48:29 .... 1:41:55 .. = 5:05:15 AG 12.
123. Steve Skelhon .......... 29:06 .... 2:52:32 .... 2:00:27 .. = 5:22:05 AG 6.
209. Willow Worthington ... 40:29 .... 3:20:32 .... 2:17:25 .. = 6:18:26 AG 9.
=============
Steve Hope competed in the Eastbourne Triathlon over the Olympic Distance of:
swim 1500 metres in a choppy sea.
bike 23 miles - out and back over Beachy Head twice; constantly up or down hill with no flat sections, so more suited to a road bike than a TT bike.
run 6.25 miles out and back along the shoreline twice.
This was a qualifying race for next year's European Championships, so a big National race, with the uk's top athletes present. Steve came 12th in his Age Group and will try again later in the year.
227. Steve Hope .... 31:01 .... 88:54 .... 50:22 = 2:50:17 Age Group 12th.
=============
4 PACTRACers competed in the British National Championships on Sunday at Roundhay Park in Leeds. Mark Weathersby had the fastest time of the four finishing in 102nd place whilst Bill Haslam was 8th in his Age Group amoungst some of the best athletes in the country.
Distances:
swim 1500m in the lake.
bike 23-miles.
run 6.25-miles.
Results:
102. Mark Weathersby .... 26:34 .... 68:18 .... 40:35 .. = 2:15:27 Age Group 14.
205. Simon Guerin .......... 24:00 .... 72:40 .... 46:29 ..= 2:23:09 AG 27.
389. Bill Haslam .............. 29:57 .... 75:56 .... 48:20 ..= 2:34:13 AG 8.
513. Christian Richards .. 26:46 .... 80:38 .... 53:19 ..= 2:40:43 AG 62.
=============
2 PACTRACers competed in the AsKeenAsMustard Swim,Run at Box End Country Park, Bedford. This was the first in a series of seven Swim,Runs at different uk venues this year. There is a choice of distances being 3-miles, 6.25-miles and 13-miles and each event starts with a run, followed by a swim, followed by a run, followed by a swim etc. You, therefore, run in your wetsuit and swim in your running shoes.
Daniel Richardson competed in the 3-mile event which involved 4 runs all on grass and 3 swims all in Box End Lake.
Adam Clark chose the 6.25 mile distance which involved 7 runs and 6 lake swims.
Both PACTRAC athletes finished 1st in their respective Age Groups.
Results:
(6.25-mile event) 5th. Adam Clark .......... 82:33 Age Group 1st.
(3-mile event) 23rd. Daniel Richardson ... 67:06 Age Group 1st.
The next Swim,Run event is at Ferry Meadows on 20th June.
=============
Sunday saw 275 multisport athletes competing at Tallington Lakes in various triathlon disciplines.
In the Sprint Distance Triathlon, PACTRAC's Simon Hoppe was involved in a 3-way duel at the head of affairs and had to settle for 2nd place overall, just 35-seconds behind the winner, Neil Smith from Bingham Tri Cub; with Mark Botteley of Bourne Wheelers only 10-seconds further behind in third.
Distances were:
swim 750 metres - 1 rectangular lap.
bike 17 miles - 1 lap in a figure-of-eight on country roads out to Swallow Hill in Thurlby.
run 3 miles - out and back around the lake perimeter, all within the park.
Results: Sprint Triathlon.
2. Simon Hoppe .............. 1:22:17 Age Group 2nd.
64. Lynn Smitheringale .... 1:54:53 Age Group 1st.
Olympic Aquabike (swim 1500 meters, bike 30-miles).
12. Annette Wyld .... 34:19 .... 1:39:37 .... = 2:13:56 Age Group 2nd.
Annette is currently only swimming and biking due to an ongoing knee injury, and was really pleased with how it went. It was her birthday and she said "My day was spent with the alarm going off at 4.45am and racing. There will be more celebrations tomorrow when life is a little less busy!"
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3 PACTRACers took part in different races on Sunday at the Bedfordshire Triathlon at Priory Country Park in Bedford - with a lake swim, biking on country roads and a traffic-free run through the park.
Andy Corner took part in the Sprint Distance Triathlon covering a 750 metre swim, 14-mile bike and 3-mile run; finishing 1st in his Age Group.
18. Andy Corner 16:32 .... 42:44 .... 21:45 = 81:01 Age Group 1st.
Katie Tasker took on the Standard Distance Triathlon covering a 1,500 metre swim, 28-mile bike and 6.25 mile run; finishing 2nd in her Age Group. Katie was 2nd out of the water in her Age Group and moved into the lead on the bike before being outrun to finish 2nd.
61. Katie Tasker .... 25:35 .... 86:19 .... 52:44 .. = 2:44:38 Age Group 2nd.
Chloe Moore finished 4th in the Aquabike Sprint at Bedford, covering a 750-metre swim and a 14-mile bike followed by a 40-metre dash to the finish line. She was 3rd out of the water, dropping one place on the bike to 4th in her longest race to date.
4th. Chloe Moore .... 15:42 .... 63:53 .. = 79:35.
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Daniel Richardson took part in the Milton Country Park GO TRI event at Cambridge. This is a monthly opportunity for new and aspiring triathletes to come and give triathlon a go on a fully off road course enclosed within Milton Country Park.
The distances are swim 100m,
bike 2.65 miles - 5 laps.
run 0.65 miles - 2 laps.
Daniel finished in 26:26.
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Last weekend's sprint distance triathlon at Dorney Lake, Eton, was a World Championship Qualifying race. This weekend saw another sprint triathlon at Eton, but without qualification status and organised by different organisers.
The distances were the same, being:
swim 750m in Dorney Lake, the Olympic Rowing venue.
bike 13.25 miles - 4-laps of the lake perimeter.
run 3-miles - out and back along the lakeside.
This week saw two more PACTRACers complete the course with Debs Wright coming 2nd in her Age Group. Christian Richards was 6th in his Age Group in his preparations for the National Championships in Leeds in two weeks time.
30. Christian Richards .... 13:17 .... 36:57 .... 22:19 .. = 72:33 Age Group 6.
56. Debs Wright .............. 12:33 .... 42:48 .... 22:14 ..= 77:35 Age Group 2.
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Other PACTRACers were competing in single discipline events this weekend:
Peterborough Marathon;
159. Chris Northern .... 3:29:19 on his marathon debut.
339. Steve Hope ......... 4:09:30.
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In the EASTERN COUNTIES CYCLING ASSOCIATION - 50-mile Time Trial Championships, 3-members competed for their first-claim cycling clubs;
7. Paul Lunn (Fenland Clarion CC)......... 1:47:04.
18. Jonny Hynes (Fenland Clarion CC).... 1:49:41
50. Phil Jones (Peterborough CC) ........... 2:06:35
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There were two big triathlon's at the weekend, with qualification status for the World and European Championships in 2022.
Both were held under strict covid compliance, with the Southport Triathlon being selected as a qualifier for the GB team in the Standard Distance European Championships, to be held in Munich next August. Southport has become one of the biggest events in the North West, reaching maximum capacity every year.
Swim 1500 metres in Southport Marine Lake.
Bike 25-miles on an out-and-back course, all on closed-roads.
Run 6-miles all based around the Marine Lake on tarmac paths.
PACTRAC's Bill and Sarah Haslam both competed with Bill qualifying outright for Munich, and Sarah having to wait and see in a rolldown position at the moment, with 2-more qualifying races still to come. Bill came 2nd in his Age Group, moving into 2nd in the final sprint to the finish, by just a 2-second margin.
174. Bill Haslam ......... 26:58 .... 76:17 .... 39:46 ..= 2:23:01 Age Group 2nd.
462. Sarah Haslam .... 28:19 .... 87:36 .... 50:55 ..= 2:46:50 Age Group 8th.
======================
A number of procedures were put in place to ensure a safe race could go ahead at Dorney Lake, Eton on Sunday for the Sprint Distance Triathlon. Measures introduced included socially distanced starts with competitors starting within their respective waves at 8-second intervals, crossing a Timing Mat before heading straight into the 13.9 degree water for the 750-metre swim in the London 2012 Olympic venue.
Distances were:
swim 750-metres in Dorney Lake.
bike 13.25 miles. 4-laps around the lake perimeter.
run 3-miles out-and-back along the lake.
This race was selected as a World Championship qualifier, so the best competition was guaranteed. 3 PACTRACers tried to qualify with Mark Weathersby coming closest with 9th place in his tough 40-44 year Age Group, against the best athletes in the country. There are two more qualifying races to go and all 3 will be racing again. The expected rain held off, but swirling high winds were evident on the bike section.
74. Mark Weathersby .... 13:54 .... 36:11 .... 19:39 .... = 69:44 Age Group 9th.
352. Susie Freeman ....... 13:14 .... 44:39 .... 24:26 .... = 82:19 AG 18.
392. Steve Hope ............. 15:01 .... 45:35 .... 23:36 .... = 84:12 AG 21.
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In the Oundle 10k and 5k on Sunday, PACTRAC had 6 runners including Jim Fell who was running for his First-Claim club, Werrington Joggers. Jim turned 75 in January and is now on a mission to sweep up all of the Werrington Joggers club over-75 records.
Two weeks ago Jim competed at the first opportunity in the St.Albans 10k. He finished first in the over-70 Age Group in a time of 51:59, and in the process, beat George Prodrick's club record of 58:32 by an astounding 6:33 minutes.
At Oundle on Sunday, Jim decided to drop down a distance and attack the club's 5k record. This was held by Ken Popple in a time of 29:38. Jim finished 27th overall, and again won the over-70 race. More importantly, his time of 24:42 knocked a wopping 4:56 minutes off of Ken's record.
5-years ago, when he turned 70, Jim competed in "The Dopey Challenge" in Florida - a series of 4-races in 4-days covering 5km, 10km, 1/2 marathon and full marathon. Jim had signed up for this year's event in January to celebrate turning 75. Unfortunately, the race didn't go ahead, but Jim is determined to attack the club records in his new Age Group at the earliest opportunity.
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Andy Rawlins, now living in New Zealand and competing with the Olympic Harriers of Wellington, completed a 7.5 mile Xterra trail run in a time of 1:17:52 finishing 32nd overall. Andy was competing in the West Wind trail run, an event that he also competed in, in November.
The area has "one of the most unique pieces of trail running in New Zealand, maybe even the world. Over 15-miles of trails amongst one of the most advanced wind farms in the world. High quality trails with more variety than you could ever expect, from pine needle tracks through forest, to coastal trails with the Cook Straight crashing on the rocks beside you, to ridge lines with the South Island only 15-miles away. Uniquely, you’ll be running amongst 110 meter wind turbines."
32nd. Andy Rawlins 7.5 mile trail run 1:17:52.
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Since moving to New Zealand last year, Andy has joined the Olympic Harriers in Wellington.
His previous Xterra Trail Run Results this winter (albeit summer in NZ):
Red Rocks 11.25 miles ....................98th. 2:35:56.
Woolshed 7.5 miles ........................ 31st. 1:25:40.
McKerrow's Revenge 7.6 miles....... 9th. 1:40:36.
West Wind 7.5 miles...................... 22nd. 1:16:49.
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Andy also competed in the Xterra Festival Bivouac Coastal Trail Triathlon, in Wellington in February in a time of 4:12:08.
1-mile sea swim off the rugged west coast.
20-miles of mountain biking with 800 meters of climbing, on a mix of gravel and single track.
6.25 mile trail run to finish.
Results:
38th. Andy Rawlins .... 28:04 .... 2:34:55 .... 1:09:09 = 4:12:08.
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Christian Richards and Angela Wallis represented PACTRAC in the Bedford Autodrome Duathlon on Sunday. The event, held at Thurleigh Airfield, covered the sprint distance of -
Run 3.4 miles - 2 laps.
Bike 14.4 miles - 5 laps on a separate part of the airfield to the run.
Run 1.6 miles - 1 lap in the reverse direction.
The event all took place on smooth tarmac with sweeping bends, all flat, fast and traffic free.
Results:
157. Christian Richards .... 23:23 .... 44:00 .... 12:10 .. = 1:19:33. Age Group 15th.
265. Angela Wallis ........... 30:29 .... 54:47 .... 14:59 .. = 1:40:15. Age Group 6th.
Angela said: "it was a bit windy but I’ve raced in much worse, It was a bit of a 'spur of the moment' entry. Not my normal distance, but the sun shone, unlike the previous 2 races I’ve done at Bedford where the rain-water was over the rims of the bike and it was freezing!"
Christian said: "it was chilly with a stiff breeze and even stiffer competition! I thoroughly enjoyed the course though and it was a fun race."
Steve Mould RIP.
We are saddened to learn of the passing of Steve Mould, who was a prominent and well respected member of PACTRAC back in the 1990's and beyond. In recent year's Steve was keen to get back into the sport he loved and could regularly be seen marshalling at the gate in our Mini-Series.
Back in the day, Steve was a top runner and regularly scored for the PACTRAC team that won the local Frostbite Running League 2-year's in succession in 1996-97 and 1997-98.
He was very proud to have represented GB in the Quadrathlon World Championships; and was a keen kayaker, offering his services as a rescue kayak for our regular Nene Swims. Steve co-promoted the Quadrathlon's at Bluebell Lakes, Tansor; and was often seen out-and-about with his kayak on his car roof.
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The following is from Mould's Butchers in Nassington:
"We are normally full of laughter and jokes here at Mould Family Butchers but today, 26th April, is very different as we are so sorry to announce that Simon and his family have lost a dear family member Steve Mould much loved brother and father who was taken from us too soon.
As you know the Mould's have been in Nassington for over 130 years, and Steve was very proud of his family and of the Mould family heritage that is the butchers shop. Simon talks about many memories they had in and around Nassington as they all grew up. From his late 20’s onwards he was representing Britain in the Quadrathlon in Spain, he ran various marathons across the country, running in the elite runners 2 years in a row at the London Marathon and entered Ironman competitions and if that wasn’t enough canoed from Northampton to Hunstanton all of these times raising money for different charities.
In his latter years he faced some difficult times and his family and friends tried to help him along the way, but unfortunately his body wasn’t strong enough to fight this anymore, we must remember him for all he did and as a lovely brother and father and will all miss him dearly.
RIP Steve Mould ❤️ "
Order your PACTRAC Kit. Current window closes Friday 16th April.
The current window for ordering the new style PACTRAC kit from Raceskin's closes on Friday 16th April.
Order here: https://www.raceskin.co.uk/team-club-shops/pactrac/
Trisuits (shoulder strap or short sleeve), bike kit, running tops, hoodies and more.
Order before the current window closes. The next window will be in a few months time.
Results Roundup 2020.
Daniel wins the GoTri Duathlon.
PACTRAC's Daniel Richardson won the GoTri Duathlon at Milton Country Park, Milton, Cambridge on Sunday. The GoTri's are for people looking to take their first steps in multisport, and are over short distances. This event was all off-road and took place within the park, over the distances of:
Run 1-mile.
Bike 2.67 miles.
Run 0.65 mile.
Time: 29 minutes and 9 seconds.
Daniel said "I came 1st. That's never happened to me before, so I was very pleased with my performance today".
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Jaap Flikweert, meanwhile, took part in the Thoresby Park Duathlon near Worksop. The distances were:
Run 4-miles on mixed terrain paths within the park, with some rolling hills.
Bike 22.5 miles on local undulating roads with the park section on closed roads.
Run 4-miles as before.
Result:
56. Jaap Flikweert 27:31 .... 68:33 .... 30:21 .... = 2:06:25 Age Group 9th.
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The final Swim,Run event of 2020 took place at Box End Country Park near Bedford on Sunday. Their were 3 events of 5km, 10km and 21km, with over 70 athletes constantly changing discipline from swimming to running and back.
The course inspection on the day confirmed that the river levels were too high with a fast flow, so the courses were changed to use the lake only for the swims, at a low 13 degrees.
Adam Clark competed in the 10km race, swimming in his running shoes and running in his wetsuit, for a total of 7 runs and 6 swims.
Adam finished 3rd overall, just missing out on 2nd by 16-seconds after a constant battle. He finished over 2 1/2 minutes ahead of the next placed competitor and won his Age Group.
Willow Worthington chose the 21km race, which involved a constant change of discipline, taking in 15 runs and 14 swims. On a cold October morning, with the water temperature in the lake just 13 degrees, Willow had to get into the lake and swim 14 times, between runs. 3 competitor's failed to finish the 21km event, in which Willow was out there, taking in the elements for 3 hours and 50 minutes.
Results:
10km Swim,Run:
3rd. Adam Clark .... 1:26:04 Age Group 1st.
21km Swim,Run:
11th Willow Worthington .... 3:50:24 Age Group 2nd.
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5 PACTRACers competed in the AsKeenAsMustard Swim,Run event at Ferry Meadows on Sunday. Due to the pandemic, all of the SwimRuns in the series have been put back to September and October, with the lakes at Ferry Meadows a cool 13 degrees. This is the 3rd year that the series has taken place and the events attract a loyal following from across the country.
The disciplines constantly change from run to swim and back to running, so competitor's swim in their training shoes and run in their wetsuits.
The 10km race involved 7 runs and 6 swims including a total of 1,840 metres of swimming, both in Gunwade Lake and the River Nene.
The 21km race involved 13 runs and 12 swims including a total of 3,915 metres of swimming, with 4 swims in Gunwade Lake, 4 up-stream and 4 down-stream in the River Nene.
It was a cold morning with rain and a temperature of 13 degrees in the river. The recent rains led to a faster flowing, colder river, and the 4 up-stream sections made it particularly challenging.
PACTRAC's Charlie Brookes took on the 21km challenge, fresh from his half-ironman distance triathlon at Thoresby Hall only the week before. He battled to 6th place in 3:05:57 hours in very challenging conditions.
The other 4 PACTRACers took part in the 10km race, which involved 8,200 metres of running between the swims. Adam Clark finished 5th in his first attempt at the sport, having competed in the Sywell Triathlon last weekend. Susie Freeman was 7th overall and 2nd lady, whilst Jaap Flikweert finished 9th and Sue Davys 29th.
The final event in the series takes place at Box End, Bedford, this coming weekend.
Results:
21km
6th. Charlie Brookes 3:05:57.
10km
5. Adam Clark 1:14:16.
7. Susie Freeman 1:17:07. 2nd lady.
9. Jaap Flikweert 1:18:36.
29. Sue Davys 1:44:41
Other local clubs:
10km. 19th Rod Hall (Werrington Joggers) 1:31:31.
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I don't know if you or Barry Warne are doing a roundup of runners in the Virtual Virgin London Marathon, but their were runners all over the country/county running their own 26.2 mile courses on Sunday. Local athletes included Josh Lunn who ran in the real event in London, recording 2:17:59. 2 PACTRACers ran their own courses - Ady Pendred recorded 3:00:37 and Aaron Godden 3:08:08, both recording Good-for-age times, which gives them entry into next years event. Their were also 15 Werrington Joggers who finished their own personal marathons and, I think, a dozen Eye Runners.
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Two PACTRACers took part in the Sywell Sprint Triathlon, near Northampton, on a very cold and windy morning. With the water temperature dropping quickly over the preceding days, the lake swim was reduced from 750 metres to 500 metres, followed by 12.5 miles of cycling and a 3-mile run.
Both Adam Clark and Christian Richards came 3rd in their respective Age Groups. Adam had the 9th fastest run overall, which moved him up 5 places to finish in 14th place overall.
Adam said: "After not having a strong swim, the bike leg went well before following up with a great run. I was a little disappointed as I was hoping for a top 5 placing, but I've learnt a lot ready for next year.
The transitions were a struggle for most of us, with cold hands and feet making taking the wetsuit off even more difficult.
This was my first Individual Open Water Triathlon, and I've taken a lot of positives from it, especially in the tough conditions."
Results:
14. Adam Clark .............. 10:15 .... 41:44 .... 18:20 .. = 70:19 Age Group 3rd.
28. Christian Richards ..... 9:44 ..... 43:25 .... 21:27 .. = 74:36 Age Group 3rd.
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7 PACTRACers opened their triathlon account this year at the Outlaw X at Thoresby Hall, near Worksop. The swim was reduced from 1900m down to 750m due to the sudden drop in the water temperature last week, taking it down to 13 degrees; but the bike and run distances remained the same at 56-miles and 13.1 miles. The air temperature was lower still and all of the PACTRAC athletes donned an extra top and full gloves for the bike section, although somehow Charlie Brookes only had one glove! It warmed up later on, for the run, so the extra tops were all dispensed with.
Paul Lunn came home 22nd overall in a top field including many professionals. He won his Age Group by the massive margin of 19:23 minutes. Paul was constantly moving up through the field and had a very consistent run, all between 6:01 and 6:09 minutes per mile. Paul said "It was great to finally get a race in for 2020 at the Outlaw X Triathlon, and show the form I’ve been carrying all year."
Jo Chapman said: "It was like jumping into a freezer then swimming in the freezer for 15+ minutes. The bike was pretty brutal! It seemed to be head wind followed by more head wind, followed by more head wind and then an extra mile added on at the end. The run felt hillier than last year, but it was definitely the best discipline out of the 3 for me.
My goal was to smash last years time but what with the swim distance being reduced the bike distance being increased and the weather conditions today, there wasn’t a lot of smashing going on. That wasn’t the race my training deserved!"
Results:
22. Paul Lunn ................ 13:10 .... 2:30:19 .... 1:20:00 = 4:03:29 Age Group 1st.
70. Dan Wilson ............... 13:23 .... 2:43:54 .... 1:30:00 = 4:27:17 AG 11.
350. Simon Guerin ........... 13:00 .... 2:57:50 .... 1:58:29 = 5:09:19 AG 54.
401. Andrew Chapman .... 15:32 .... 2:58:45 .... 2:01:09 = 5:15:26 AG 63.
428. Charlie Brookes ....... 15:01 .... 3:13:38 .... 1:49:58 = 5:18:37 AG 31.
782. Jo Chapman ............ 16:30 .... 3:38:47 .... 2:00:07 = 5:55:24 AG 23.
1095. Sue Davys ............. 18:35 .... 3:59:15 .... 2:36:06 = 6:53:56 AG 6.
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Half-Ironman distance triathlon in Windermere plus Swim,Run at St.Ives.
3 members competed in multi-sport last weekend.
Steve Hope ventured up to Windermere for the Epic Windermere Half-Ironman distance triathlon. It was more Adventure Sport than Triathlon. They do things differently up there.
There were 3 separate distances on offer, attracting 460 starters, a few of whom wouldn't finish.
223 opted for the main event, over the half-ironman distance.
Swim: 1900 metres in Lake Windermere. 1 large lap in 14 degrees, setting off in a line to enter the water and go.
Bike: 56-miles of hilly roads, some quite narrow, with 5 big hills to negotiate.
Run: 13.1 miles. 4 laps which meandered all over the place, on mud-based trails, with rocks, boulders and tree roots everywhere; then along a furrowed track and onto bumpy, grassy fields and jumping over logs. It was more Adventure Sport than Triathlon, and nothing like a normal run route.
Result:
142. Steve Hope .... 38:55 .... 3:47:25 .... 2:16:40 .. = 6:43:00 Age Group 21st.
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Charlie Brookes and Pedro Polson finished 14th and 27th respectively in the AsKeenAsMustard Swim,Run at Needingworth, St. Ives (Cambs) on Sunday. The 10km course involved constantly changing disciplines from running (in your wetsuit) to swimming (in your running shoes), around the RSPB Reserve at Fen Drayton Lakes. The 7 runs totaled 8,160m and ranged from 600m to 2,030m with a 250m sprint to the finish. The 6 swims totaled 2,130m and ranged from 400m to 640m with 2 short river crossings.
14. Charlie Brookes 1:33:03.
27. Pedro Polson 1:55:12.
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Rob Hammond won the Duathlon Trophy for this year - probably the only racing Trophy that will be awarded this year.
PACTRAC promoted a club Duathlon from Marholm on Saturday, with 12 members competing under Covid Guidance.
The event consisted of:
Run 3-miles - out-and-back, all on road, and flat.
Bike 17-miles around Bainton, Barnack and Southorpe.
Run 3-miles, the same as run 1.
The event started within a 30-minute window, with entrants setting off in batches, and at 30-second gaps within each batch.
Wayne Stainsby took an early lead on the first run, and came in 51-seconds ahead of Rob Hammond, with last years' Most Improved athlete, Jake Daniels a further 46-seconds back.
However, both Rob and Jake had storming bike sections and Rob took a lead of 1:33 minutes over Jake into the final run, with Wayne a further 20-seconds down. Wayne managed to pull time back on the final run, catching Jake and pulling 90-seconds ahead of him. He also pulled 45-seconds back on Rob, but he was unable to make the catch, leaving Rob a worthy winner by a margin of 68-seconds.
Hannah Bassett took an early lead in the ladies race, and pulled further ahead with each discipline, to come home in 6th place overall.
Results are on www.pactrac.co.uk/events/4232
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Two PACTRACers entered their first triathlons of the season last weekend. Jaap Flikweert and Steve Hope took the short trip to Box End, near Bedford for the Standard Distance Triathlon.
Athletes entered the lake in start number order, and swam the 40 metres to the start, in a line, arriving just in time to start at 20-second intervals. Entrants were seeded, with the fastest swimmers setting off first, so that competitors broadly spread out as the event progressed. The swim was reduced to 750 metres, ensuring that swimmers only had to swim 1-lap of Box End Lake, thereby reducing contact.
The 23.5 mile bike was a reasonably flat 2-lap course taking in the local villages, although some of the road surfaces were in need of repair.
The 6.25 mile run was all on grass taking in 2-laps around the park.
With the swimming pools having only just re-opened, most of the swim training this summer has been in the local rivers and lakes.
Their are few opportunities to compete in triathlon this year, so it was good to get one "under the belt". The sun came out and the course was dry, although their was a swirly wind for most of the bike section. This now makes it 36 consecutive seasons of competing in triathlons for me; with the next triathlon in a fortnight's time in Lake Windermere.
Results:
28. Jaap Flikweert 13:30 71:25 44:43 = 2:09:38 Age Group 8.
93. Steve Hope 13:08 80:43 53:40 = 2:27:31 Age Group 13.
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This Saturday, PACTRAC have a club Duathlon based in Marholm with a 3-mile run, 16-mile bike and 3-mile run; and a Bristows Cycles voucher up for grabs.
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The first of this season's re-arranged AsKeenAsMustard swim,run events was due to take place last weekend at Grafham Water. Unfortunately, having found a way to compete around Covid19, the organiser's befell another hazard - BlueGreen Algae; and the event had to be cancelled.
6 events were planned with the most local being at Nene Park on 4th October. Their are 5k, 10k and 21k options with each distance involving a constant change of discipline from run to swim to run etc. For instance the 10k event involves 7 runs and 6 swims and you run in your wetsuit and swim in your running shoes. Details of the Nene Park event are here https://www.akamustard.events/nene-park-peterborough-swimrun-2019 Two PACTRACers, Nicky and Chelsey Bailey, independently organise the swim,runs under their AKAM brand.
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A PACTRAC Team of Christian Richards, Richard Wright and Adam Clark came 16th in the Bedford Team Relays on Sunday, finishing in 4:07:28. The event took place at Box End Water Sports Park, and was the first triathlon to return in the area in 2020.
Each team member consecutively swam 750 metres in Box End lake, before each cycled 1-lap of 14 miles, before finishing with a 3.1-mile run. You had a rest between disciplines whilst your colleagues took over.
Christian swam first, followed by Richard, before Adam took over. This sequence was then repeated for the bike, and finally for the run.
Swim .... 13:31 .... 15:27 .... 12:58
Bike ...... 44:26 .... 46:41 .... 42:24
Run ...... 25:02 .... 22:28 .... 21:26
Total time 4:07:28 (including transitions).
Box End hosts an individual triathlon on 5th September, whilst PACTRAC have a club duathlon on 12th September. Their are also a number of swim,run events hosted by AsKeenAsMustard throughout September and October with the Ferry Meadows race scheduled for 4th October.
Review of 2019.
PACTRAC held their AGM and Prize Presentation on Saturday 14th November, with the following 16 Trophies being awarded:
Club Champion – ANDY CORNER.
Club Champion Ladies – SUSIE FREEMAN.
Vet Club Champion – ANDY CORNER.
Ladies Vet Club Champion – WILLOW WORTHINGTON.
SuperVet Club Champion – STEVE HOPE.
Ladies SuperVet Club Champion – SUE DAVYS.
Mini-Series – AARON GODDEN.
Ladies Mini-Series – SUSIE FREEMAN.
Junior – JONATHAN ARNOLD.
Mid-Distance – ANDY CORNER.
Standard-Distance – TONY DANIELS.
Duathlon – JONNY HYNES.
Outstanding Performance – JONATHAN OAKEY.
PACTRACer of the Year – TERRY MURPHY.
Most Improved – ROGER CANHAM.
Best Novice – JAKE DANIELS.
The latter four Trophies were decided by the Committee. We had some particularly outstanding performances this year, with;
OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE: [Jonathan Oakey]
We had many outstanding results, but some of them are here. Jonathan Oakey was awarded the Trophy for winning the National Junior Super Series outright. He has forced his way to the very top of the UK Junior rankings.
Roger Canham – 2 World Championship GOLD MEDALS in the World Long Course and Challenge Championships.
Susie Freeman --AsKeenAsMustard swim run, Grafham Water. 1st lady. 2nd overall by 14 seconds and just lost out on the final run.
Paul Lunn. 3X Ironman. Twice in the top 10 Mini-Series all time best results. Twice broke the Mini-Series bike split record.
Terry Murphy. Ironman PB at Copenhagen. Age Group 1st. Qualified for the Ironman World Championships in Hawaii.
Jonathan Oakey – only went and won the National Junior Super Series!!!
Jonathan Ratcliffe – has now swam all 7 swims that make up the Ocean Challenge. This year he swam the last three - the Tsugarustrait in Japan, the Catalina Channel in California, and in a final dash for the line, Jonathan swam the 14-mile Cook Strait in New Zealand, in early December, to complete the challenge.
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BEST NOVICE: [Jake Daniels]
Jake Daniels competed in 5 Mini-Series races and recorded 5 PB's, taking his time down from 64:25 to 56:33.
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MOST IMPROVED: [Roger Canham]
Roger Canham had a good claim on this, having won 2 World Championships. It is easier to improve quickly when you first come into a sport, but Roger has been around for many years and has still managed to improve.
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PACTRACer of the YEAR: [Terry Murphy]
Terry Murphy has guided the club races this year as Race Director, and had a major part in promoting the first Peterborough Schools Triathlon in June.
5-week progressive run technique session.
COACHED RUN TECHNIQUE TRAINING BEGINS THIS SATURDAY - 10th OCTOBER. 10am prompt at Ferry Meadows WaterSports Centre.
Our fantastic coaches are holding running sessions for the next five Saturday mornings at Ferry Meadows. Sessions will start at 10am and be run in accordance with the BTF guidelines so registration & answers to a health questionnaire are required before you can participate. Registration is via http://supersaas.com/schedule/PACTRAC/PACTRAC
Meet up by the overflow car park in the field next to the Watersports Centre. We need to keep away from busy areas so that we can maintain social distancing.
This is for all members. It's a progressive 5-week program of run technique, and it's free. You could pay a lot of money for this elsewhere. 10:00am for the next 5-Saturday's. This Saturday we have Sam and Rob Head. Next week Paul Lunn and Louise Hathaway. Then it's Simon, Sarah and finally Sam again.
This weeks session involves drills to improve your running efficiency and aid with injury prevention. It's designed to get you thinking about your running action. Their will be some harder efforts to put it all into practice.
A lot of extra work is involved in putting these sessions on during a pandemic; and we need members to sign up to this initiative to make it worth the coaches time. All abilities can benefit from it. Sign up via the link above. You know you want to.
Your new Committee.
Your new Committee is made up of the following:
Chairman: Scott McLeod.
Treasurer: Graeme Abrahams.
Membership Secretary: Mark Wethersby.
Minutes Secretary: Willow Worthington.
Swim Contact / Committee Member: Sue McLeod.
Head Coach: Simon Hoppe.
Race Director: Terry Murphy.
Press Officer: Steve Hope.
Welfare: Emma Walker.
Social: Nicholas Partridge.
Junior: Sam Fielding.
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The committee currently has the following vacancies to fill. We potentially have people to fill all of the roles, which will be ratified at the next Committee Meeting, unless anybody else puts their name forward. Their is still time to volunteer.
Chairman: Scott McLeod.
Treasurer: Graeme Abrahams.
Membership Secretary: Mark Wethersby.
Minutes Secretary: vacant with an expression of interest from Willow Worthington.
Swim Contact / Committee Member: Sue McLeod.
This will complement the current Committee of:
Head Coach: Simon Hoppe.
Race Director: Terry Murphy.
Press Officer: Steve Hope.
Welfare: Emma Walker.
Social: Nicholas Partridge.
Junior: Sam Fielding.
No Duathlon in 2020.
PACTRAC Peterborough Duathlon. There are no plans for a Duathlon in 2020. Although still sustainable, the event is getting more difficult to organise and after 5-good years, will take a break in 2020. Look out for the Mini-Series Triathlons this summer at Oundle and for a possible open triathlon in 2021. Thank you to all who made the Duathlon a success over the last 5-years.
Stanground Saturday Swim / Bike,Run,S&C Coached Sessions.
Saturday 14th March 2020 was the last of our 10 sessions at Stanground for this winter/spring. We had a great group of people and will look to do the same again next year.
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This is open to all members, even if you haven't been to any before. Only two left now. Still time to see some new faces :)
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As last year, the PACTRAC coaching team are offering adult members a new 10 week series of coaching sessions to help prepare you for the new season. Some of our best coaches and world class age group athletes will be leading the sessions from 11th January to 14th March, with details as follows:
Dates: Every Saturday morning from 11th Jan – 14th March inclusive, 09.30 -11.30.
Place: Stanground Academy (school), Peterborough Road, Stanground, PE7 3BY.
Directions: From the Stanground Fire Station RAB, head in the direction of Farcet / Yaxley. It is the 3rd minor turning on the left. (The 2nd is the exit). We are in the new Sports Building.
Session plan:
09.30 – 10.30 – bike, run or strength & conditioning (vary by week and depending on weather conditions) – see schedule below.
10.30 – 11.30 - Swimming.
Coaches (alternating weeks): Simon Hoppe, Sarah Haslam, Paul Lunn, Louis Alexander, Jonathan Whittaker.
What do you need to bring: swim, bike, outdoor and indoor bike and running kit, £5 + a smile & plenty of enthusiasm!
Cost per session: £5
These sessions are designed to help YOU and provide YOU with low cost access to some top class PACTRAC coaches and triathletes.
Please come and support these sessions.
Simon Hoppe
PACTRAC Head Coach
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Date.... Coach(s).... Session:
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11th Jan.... Sarah Haslam/Louise Alexander
09.30 – 10.30 Bleep test & strength & conditioning
10.30 – 11.30 – swim session, incl. time trial.
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18th Jan.... Simon Hoppe/Jonathan Whittaker (specialist swim coach & author) Swim planning discussion (1st hour) with guest speaker + Swim session (2nd hour).
.
25th Jan.... Sarah Haslam/Louise Alexander
09.30 – 10.30 Run
10.30 – 11.30 – swim session.
.
1st Feb.... Paul Lunn
09.30 – 10.30 Run
10.30 – 11.30 – swim session.
.
8th Feb.... Sarah Haslam/Louise Alexander
09.30 – 10.30 Bleep test & strength & conditioning
10.30 – 11.30 – swim session, incl. time trial.
.
15th Feb.... Simon Hoppe
09.30 – 10.30 Run
10.30 – 11.30 – swim session.
.
22nd Feb.... Sarah Haslam
09.30 – 10.30 Bike/transition skills
10.30 – 11.30 – swim session.
.
29th Feb.... Paul Lunn
09.30 – 10.30 Bike/transition skills
10.30 – 11.30 – swim session.
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7th March.... Louise Alexander
09.30 – 10.30 Bike/transition skills
10.30 – 11.30 – swim session.
.
14th March.... Simon Hoppe/Louise Alexander
09.30 – 10.30 Bleep test & strength & conditioning
10.30 – 11.30 – swim session, incl. time trial.
Lionel who? Paul 11th in Kona.
Aaron Godden competed in the 70.3 Half-Ironman at Cascais (west of Lisbon), in Portugal on Sunday. This was his debut at 70.3 racing, finishing in a very respectable time of 5hrs 8mins. A great way to finish the season. Aaron finished 370th from a field of 2,183 and came 57th in his Age Group on a hilly bike course and finishing with a rapid half-marathon time of 1:38:01.
This was a big international race with Olympian and ex-World Champion Javier Gomez winning overall.
Aaron said:
"Now that the dust has settled, I’ve had time to reflect on the race and I wouldn't change a single thing. There are no what if’s.
I will never forget the emotions I felt as the sun was rising over the Atlantic Ocean and the announcer asking everyone to shake hands and wish the athletes standing next to them the very best of luck. Overwhelmed with emotion from start to finish and so appreciative that my body allowed me to do it."
The distances were:
swim 1.2 Miles in the sea
Bike 56 hilly miles.
Run 13.1 miles
370. Aaron Godden 35:28 2:54:49 1:38:01 = 5:08:18 AG 57th.
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The fifth of five SwimRun events took place on Sunday. Organised by AsKeenAsMustard, each has had a different venue, but the format has been the same. This final event was based at Manvers Lake at St. Ives and covered a distance of 6.25 miles split over 6 runs and 5 swims. The discipline constantly changed from run to swim to run etc so athletes were swimming in their training shoes and running in wetsuits. The wet weather wasn’t what had been hoped for but Pedro Polson put his swimming prowess to good use, finishing 18th overall and first over 60 year old.
18. Pedro Polson 1:43:33 AG 1.
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Dave Patmore-Hill competed in the 70.3 Half-Ironman triathlon in the southern part of Lanzarote.
The swim was cancelled. The race was supposed to start with a 1.2 mile sea swim, but due to adverse sea conditions, the Canary Islands Government cancelled all activities at sea on Saturday, including the swim section of the 70.3 Half-Ironman Lanzarote.
The 56-mile bike course went up into the mountains, challenging athletes with the strong island winds on a 1-lap course, closed to traffic. It was a sunny day, with the strong winds adding to an already tough bike course.
The 13.1 mile run course consisted of 4-laps.
306. Dave Patmore-Hill 3:26:16 1:59:42 = 5:25:58 AG 29.
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16 local running teams compete in the annual Frostbite Friendly League. The first event was held on Sunday at St.Neots with distances of 1-mile for Juniors and 5-miles for Seniors. PACTRAC's Paul Vernon has switched to run for Thorney Running Club this year, and won the event outright by a whopping 80-seconds.
This coming Saturday, Paul Lunn competes in the World Ironman Championships in Hawaii for the 3rd consecutive year.
Paul Lunn is out in Hawaii preparing for the World Ironman Championships, competing against some of the very best triathletes in the world, next Saturday.
As part of the build up, last Sunday saw a 10k running race, with many of the top athletes competing, as part of their final preparation. Paul didn't compete, but his son, Josh Lunn, is out there supporting and won this 10km run by 45 seconds from Lionel Sanders, (the Ironman silver medalist in 2017). Josh's winning time was 32:08.
Full results are here http://www.jtltiming.com/results/path-10.html?fbclid=IwAR0IoIg5WILEePUCZK53oGqxxyJH37Kd3ked_gqjvhFSEO_SlkLsLY-Vo8E
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The Ironman World Championships took place in Hawaii on Saturday (swim 2.4 miles in the Pacific Ocean. Bike 112 miles in the heat of the lava fields. Run 26.2 miles). The event once again delivered the kind of conditions it’s known for, with high winds and humidity.
Pre-race interview with Paul Lunn: https://www.tri247.com/triathlon-features/interviews/gb-kona-2019-paul-lunn-pre-race
Distances:
swim 2.4 miles in the ocean.
bike 112 miles in the heat of the lava fields.
run 26.2 miles again in the same heat.
It is very difficult to qualify for this, as most long distance
athletes in the world covet one of only 2,200 places. Even if you do
qualify, you have to contend with the soaring heat and wind in the
barren lava fields.
2017....9:25:02 AG 5th.
2018....9:08:27 AG 3rd.
2019....9:33:48 AG 11th.
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Paul Lunn competed for the 3rd consecutive year, having previously finished 5th and 3rd in his Age Group. Paul was competing against the top athletes from around the world who had all qualified in their own right.
After a good swim, Paul moved through the field on the bike, before being overtaken on the run by some seriously fast athletes.
Paul said "Kona never disappoints, it’s hot, it’s windy, it’s humid and the best of the best are racing. I had my best ever swim here and in some pretty tough conditions, a very solid bike to get me in contention, 6th in my Age Group, but then I forgot to pack my running legs, absolute sufferfest on the run and dropped down to finish 11th in the Age Group. Not what I came here for and back to the drawing board for my running."
Paul was up against some stiff opposition, with Alexander Vinokourov winning Paul's 45-49 year Age Group. Vinokourov won the men's Olympic cycling road race in 2012 beating the likes of Sir Bradley Wiggins and Mark Cavendish. He is currently the manager of the Astana professional cycling team.
Results:
203. Paul Lunn 1:03:09 4:50:07 3:40:32 = 9:33:48 AG 11th.
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Chicago marathon.
4011. Giles Cooper 1:37:57 + 1:36:50 = 3:14:47 AG 227. negative splits.
45,962 finishers.
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Tristan Matthews and Steve Hope took part in the Challenge Pageura Triathlon in Majorca. Challenge are a rival company to Ironman and use the same distances, mainly the half-ironman distance as used in Majorca.
swim: 1.2 miles in the sea. An out and back sea swim that was pretty choppy, particularly nearer to the beach but also at the far turn.
bike 56 miles up into the lower reaches of the mountain area, and including some 180 degree switch-backs.
run 13.1 miles. 4-laps with some undulations that were pretty strength-sapping after the hilly bike. The sun was out and became more intense on the run.
Tristan had a great race and was pushing hard consistently. This is a good end-of-season race, and you are always hoping that the English weather will hold, long enough to keep your form. Tristan performed 4-minutes quicker than 2-years ago here, which was all down to the bike split.
Results:
136. Tristan Matthews 35:43 2:42:56 1:40:12 = 4:58:51 Age Group 15th.
469. Steve Hope 38:07 3:15:42 2:00:48 = 5:54:37 Age Group 20th.
Jonathan WINS Junior SUPER SERIES overall !!! Terry wins IM Copenhagen. Amy swims the Channel. Georgina 2nd in TE Champs. Paul 3rd overall at Vitruvian. Simon Qu's for Edmonton.
Terry Murphy competed in the Ironman Copenhagen triathlon for the second consecutive year. He beat all of his split times from last year and finished in 14:06:31 for 1st place in his 70-74 year Age Group. Their was 1 Age Group place available for the World Ironman Championships in Hawaii in October, but Terry felt that another IM in October was too soon, so declined. Terry had a great race and finished having given his all and left nothing out there.
The distances were:
swim 2.4 miles - 1 loop in the sea, in the salt water lagoon.
bike 112 miles - 2 laps with a mix of city centre, coastline and countryside.
run 26.2 miles - 4 laps taking in the Cruise Terminal and the Little Mermaid.
Terry had a consistent swim, conserving enough energy for the bike, where he expedited every one of the 112 miles at between 16 and 20mph. Terry had a solid first half on the marathon run, before gritting down to finish with an overall time of 14:06:31.
Terry said "That was one of the hardest physical and mental challenges that I have had to face for a long time, but that's what becoming an Ironman is all about, especially at the higher Age Group levels. It's back to normal biking and running for the next 3 months, before training begins on another assault next year." Terry only came into the sport of triathlon in his late 60's, and is already showing the youngsters how to do it.
2374. Terry Murphy 1:33:26 6:42:41 5:50:24 = 14:06:31 Age Group 2nd.
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The English National Sprint Championships took place at Box End, Bedford on Sunday. Originally scheduled for Welwyn Garden City, a case of blue-green algae in the water, forced the organisers to change the venue with little over a week to go. As a regular venue for the organisers, Box End proved to be a popular replacement.
The distances were:
swim 750 metres. 1-lap in the lake.
bike 12 miles. 1-lap on country roads.
run 3 miles - out, a loop, and back, all on grass.
PACTRAC's Georgina Jennings won the SILVER MEDAL in these National Championships in the 70-74 year Age Group.
96. Marcus Widdess 13:09 36:79 19:25 = 1:09:33 Age Group 16.
254. Steve Hope 14:37 39:26 23:14 = 1:17:17 AG 20.
263. Debs Wright 13:20 39:56 24:17 = 1:17:33 AG 9.
279. Bill Haslam 15:27 38:19 24:37 = 1:18:23 AG 6.
571. Georgina Jennings 27:19 54:12 40:02 = 2:01:33 AG 2nd.
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Dave Patmore-Hill (2 photo's attached) finished 20th in his Age Group in the Half-Ironman 70.3 Triathlon, in Vichy, France. It was a hot day for it, but Dave managed to achieve his target of a top 20 finish. His Age Group was won by the ex-Tour de France rider, Laurent Jalabert, who overtook Dave and most of the field on the bike.
Dave has had some ongoing achilles problems, which held up, but meant that he was unable to run at his best.
Dave said "I'm pleased with the race despite losing 5-10 mins, when I lost my chain - twice!"
His next race is the Half-Ironman 70.3 in Lanzarote, based around Club La Santa on 5th October.
The distances were;
swim 1.2 miles - 1 lap in the lake.
bike 58 miles - covering 2 separate laps, on a hilly course with good road surfaces and some closed roads.
run 13.1 miles - 2 laps around the lake, on a flat and fast course.
345. Dave Patmore-Hill 32:26 3:13:08 1:37:03 = 5:22:37 AG 20.
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Congratulations to Amy Mellor on completing her Channel Swim. A great achievement. As far as I'm aware, Amy is the 5th PACTRACer to complete this gruelling task. Well done Amy. Amy's JustGiving Page is here https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/amy-mellorswims
Amy Mellor, in honour of her dad, SUCCESSFULLY SWAM ACROSS THE ENGLISH CHANNEL ( England to France, approx. 21 miles ) in 14 Hours 19 minutes on Friday night / Saturday morning - swimming overnight across one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world, to raise money for The Christie Hospital who looked after her dad, Kevin, who tragically lost his life to Cancer in 2017.
This is an astonishing achievement, which has taken years of dedication and determination, battling through hours of pain, emotional challenges and months and months of hard work.
Amy said "I always wanted to swim the channel, but always felt I couldn't commit the time and money etc. When my dad battled cancer I tried to support him as much as possible and watching his struggle taught me that you shouldn't make excuses but should live your life and do the things you want.
I booked my channel swim as soon as dad got the all clear and we talked about how he would be in Dover to cheer me on.
Then in May 2017 dads cancer came back and he died in July that year. This is the biggest sporting challenge of my life.
He cycled with me when I used to run, and was part of my support crew for both my one way and two way Windermere swims, as well as being the loudest parent cheering me on at hundreds of swimming gala's I did as I was growing up.
So my channel swim will be for dad and to support the Christie Hospital, where he was treated."
Amy swam through the night on Friday to realise her dream after a 14 hour 19 minute swim.
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The Ely Triathlon took place on Sunday from Kings School in Ely.
The distances were:
swim 300m in the outdoor heated pool.
bike 12.5 miles - 1 lap on country roads.
run 3 miles - 2 laps on grass around the school playing field.
19. Adam Clark 6:34 42:18 23:48 = 72:40
39. Louise Bannerjee 7:17 44:02 28:35 = 79:54
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Adam Clark won his Age Group in the Harborough Triathlon over the distances of:
swim 600m in the pool.
bike 22 miles - 1 lap.
run 4.75m - 3 laps, flat.
10. Adam Clark 12:20 74:33 30:55 = 1:57:48 AG 1st.
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12 PACTRACers competed at St.Neots on Sunday with 5 racing in the Sprint Triathlon (750m, 14m, 3m) and 7 in the Standard Distance Triathlon (1500m, 26m, 6.25m). 3 came 1st in their Age Group whilst 7 came in the top 3. The best placed were Debs Wright who had a great swim and held on to win her Age Group in the Sprint; whilst Andy Chapman was the best placed in the Standard Distance and 2nd in his Age Group.
Jo Chapman competed in her first triathlon, and already has another one lined up.
Sprint:
34. Debs Wright 12:34 48:04 20:17 = 80:55 AG 1st.
51. Christian Richards 14:24 48:59 21:57 = 85:20 AG 8.
83. Pedro Polson 12:35 52:16 26:25 = 91:16 AG 3.
97. Jo Chapman 15:50 53:58 23:28 = 93:16 AG 6.
160. Georgina Jennings 19:23 59:13 31:42 = 1:50:18 AG 1st.
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Standard:
11. Andy Chapman 25:28 79:58 39:36 = 2:25:02 AG 2.
17. Simon Guerin 23:59 81:17 42:36 = 2:27:52 AG 3.
18. Jon Crowley 26:22 81:23 40:27 = 2:28:12 AG 1st.
28. Steve Skelhon 26:04 82:12 44:50 = 2:33:06 AG 4.
31. Robert Spooner 27:57 81:49 43:55 = 2:33:41 AG 5.
67. Simon Pauffley 29:00 90:38 46:36 = 2:46:14 AG 10.
116. Angela Wallis 36:10 97:40 49:29 = 3:03:19 AG 2.
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Jonathan Oakey won the season long Junior Super Series League. He was second at Mallory Park with Nathan Tweedie also competing.
Jonathan Oakey came 4th in the Junior Triathlon at Mallory Park and claimed the overall male Junior Super Series Win. He has moved up from 70th overall last year to become the top Junior in the country. The male race was split into two tiers, with some aggressive racing from the start and attacks made on the bike and run in both waves.
Jonathan Oakey and Nathan Tweedie competed at Mallory Park in British Triathlon's Big Weekend - "a celebration of the performance of athletes of all ages. This pinnacle event at the end of the season, traditionally a key milestone in the development of future triathlon stars, previously known as the British Triathlon U20's Festival, now also includes racing opportunities for Elite Senior athletes." The event was run over 2 days. This was the final race in the Junior Super series, and Jonathan Oakey came 4th moving up 1 place in the overall rankings to take FIRST PLACE overall.
From 96 competitors spread over two start waves, Jonathan Oakey finished 4th Junior overall, with Nathan Tweedie 37th.
Jonathan went into this final race of the 7-race series in 2nd position, on 6604 points compared to the leaders 6619. Third place had 5950 points in the Series, but had a slower race at Mallory Park dropping back in the rankings.
In 2018 Jonathan competed in 3 of the 6 races, finishing 70th overall with individual race positions of 36th, 25th and 46th. What a difference a year makes!
Jonathan came out of the water 20-seconds behind the leader in 17th place. He quickly caught the lead bikers and established himself in the lead group of 3. These 3 pulled clear of a big chase group and had a near 30-second advantage going into the run. Jonathan's cycling has improved and he had the 2nd fastest bike split, whilst doing a lot of the work to keep away. He had a quick run too, and was able to come in just 36 seconds down on the leader in 6th place overall. Two of those ahead were seniors, leaving Jonathan 4th in the junior category (the seniors and juniors raced together).
He moved up one place to gain FIRST PLACE in the NATIONAL JUNIOR SUPER SERIES. This is a fantastic achievement. This puts Jonathan the number one junior triathlete in the country. Athletes have to achieve a very high standard to even get on the start line. At 19-years of age, Jonathan will move up to senior elite racing next year, competing against the likes of the Brownlees and others.
swim 750 metres - out, 2 loops and back: in the lake in the centre of the track.
bike 12.5 miles - 6 laps with lots of twists and turns.
run 3 miles - 4 anti-clockwise loops. A flat course, around the lakeside.
4. Jonathan Oakey 9:39 31:33 15:36 = 56:48
37. Nathan Tweedie 9:18 34:32 16:47 = 60:37
Jonathan's Super Series results:
8. Nottingham.
7. Llanelli.
2. Blenheim.
2. Leeds.
4. Eton.
dns Hetton Lyons.
4. Mallory Park.
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Roger Canham was due to compete in the Half-Ironman 70.3 World Championships in Nice, but a bad back has curtailed his season.
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Steve Hope completed the Ypres marathon in Belgium in a time of 3:55:57.
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The 17th annual Vitruvian Triathlon, a leading half-ironman distance event in the UK, took place at Rutland Water on Saturday.
The course was 2 laps of the equally well thought of Dambuster Triathlon, held in June.
The 1900 metre swim involved two laps from Whitwell, with a beach start, running into the water on large stones / boulders, with an exit and back into the water after one lap. The sun was still rising over the misty water as athletes started the swim.
The 53 mile bike started out in deceptively cool conditions. This involved 2 laps around Oakham, Uppingham, Morcott and Ketton, with 4 hills on each lap.
It did warm up during the two lap half-marathon 13.1 mile run, which went over the Dam to Normanton Church and back - twice.
PACTRAC's Paul Lunn came 3rd overall, just 13 seconds behind second place. Paul was 36th in the swim. He then had the 5th fastest bike to move up to 9th and the 4th fastest run to move up to 3rd overall. He won his Age Group, whilst Dave Thorold came 3rd in his, just pipping Giles Cooper into 4th. Paul is in good shape, heading for the Ironman World Championships in Hawaii in October.
3. Paul Lunn 32:16 1:33 2:09:16 1:13 1:18:26 = 4:02:44 AG 1st.
43. Dan Wilson 34:35 1:45 2:22:44 1:51 1:32:28 = 4:33:23 AG 7.
56. Dave Thorold 39:42 1:39 2:23:18 1:07 1:34:02 = 4:39:48 AG 3.
58. Giles Cooper 36:27 3:02 2:26:27 1:37 1:33:24 = 4:40:57 AG 4.
163 Steve Hope 38:43 3:03 2:41:27 1:08 1:50:59 = 5:15:20 AG 5.
211. Liam McClean 46:07 4:23 2:52:35 2:00 1:45:08 = 5:30:13 AG 34.
384 Laura Johnson 42:36 5:32 3:48:07 3:40 2:09:11 = 6:49:06 AG 18
399. Sue Davys 46:36 4:16 3:38:45 3:01 2:36:04 = 7:08:42 AG 4.
416. Reuben Williams 66:35 4:07 3:43:15 7:27 2:42:11 = 7:43:35 AG 52.
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Brighton held two triathlon's on Sunday. Simon Guerin and Graham Ribbons competed in the Standard Distance Triathlon (swim 1500m, bike 25 miles, run 6.25 miles) and came 20th and 13th respectively in their Age Groups. This was a qualifying event for the European Standard Distance Championships next year, and Simon will have to wait to see if he has a Rolldown Place. This was Graham's first Olympic Distance Triathlon in 20-years.
Brighton
95. Simon Guerin 29:14 68:35 49:12 = 2:27:01 AG 20.
360. Graham Ribbons 38:45 83:28 56:22 = 2:58:35 AG 13.
The Sprint Triathlon (swim 750m, bike 12.5 miles, run 3 miles), was a qualifying race for the World Championships in Edmonton, Canada, next year, and the other Simon, Simon Hoppe came 5th in his Age Group and qualified.
Sprint:
45. Simon Hoppe 12:04 38:24 20:25 = 70:53 AG 5.
Top 5 Qualifying Slots:
1. Robin Harris 13:32 36:47 19:51 = 70:10
2. Will Harding 13:34 37:18 19:29 = 70:21
3. Paul Blackmore 12:01 38:27 19:54 = 70:22
4. Alexander Whisker 12:05 38:31 20:16 = 70:52
5. Simon Hoppe 12:04 38:24 20:25 = 70:53
The racing was fierce and very close. Their were 4 automatic places available with the top 5 all finishing just 43-seconds apart. Simon was 5th, beaten by A Whisker for 1-second.
Their were 91-seconds separating all 5 in the swim, with Simon 2nd just 3-seconds down.
The 2 slowest swimmers had the fastest bike legs and all 5 came in 23-seconds apart, with Simon still in 2nd place but right on the leader's heals.
All 5 had good run splits with less than a minute between them. However the pack was shuffled as 2 runners passed Simon, leaving just 1 behind. Alexander Whisker started the run 8-seconds behind Simon and chased after him. The two had a sprint finish and Simon was just beaten by A Whisker, with only 1-second separating them at the finish.
Their are 3 qualifying races, each with 4 automatic slots. The remaining 8 slots are then allocated to the athletes with the best percentage time compare to that race's Age Group winner. Simon is on 101% and has qualified for the World Sprint Championships in Edmonton next August.
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Aaron Godden finished 15th overall in the North Norfolk Triathlon held in Wells-next-the-Sea.
The event was based on the quayside at Wells. The 1500 metre open water swim was held in the sea in Wells Harbour, followed by a 25-mile bike route around North Norfolk coastal villages in a loop returning to the quay. The 6.25 mile run course went along the North Norfolk coastal path and out onto the beach.
15. Aaron Godden 26:14 70:55 41:50 = 2:18:59 AG 6.
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Willow Worthington completed her longest triathlon to date at Woburn Abbey.
swim 1500 metres in the lake.
bike 27.5 miles - on closed roads surrounding Woburn Abbey.
run 6.5 miles in the Abbey grounds.
175. Willow Worthington 30:45 95:15 62:56 = 3:08:56 AG 6.
Jonathan 2nd at Leeds / 10th in Riga. Jonny RAF Champion. Paul qu's for Kona. Andy and Georgina qu for ETU Champs. Andy Corner is the new Club Champion.
Paul Lunn took part in Ironman Cairns in Queensland, Australia, and qualified for the Ironman World Championships in Kona, Hawaii in October. The event was over the full Ironman distance of:
swim 2.4 miles.
bike 112 miles.
run 26.2 miles.
It was a long day and Paul had to use all of his mental strength and dedication to "tough it out" and finish. He put himself under pressure to do well again, and the pressure to perform this time was immense; but he earned his trip to Kona.
Paul said: "It was not the race I wanted but I got the job done. My day didn’t quiet go to plan to say the least. I survived the swim which was pretty choppy but luckily not as bad as it had been over the previous days (and I didn’t get eaten by a crocodile, which is always a bonus). As I exited the water, I hit the lap button on my watch and it just froze, oh dear, well I have 5 hours to get it fixed, I guess.
Got on the bike and was making good progress, the riding was very honest, no groups and everyone respecting the 12-meter rule. The ride was tougher that I was expecting due to the poor road surfaces, lots of chip seal which just saps your power. Got to the final turn at the north end of the course and then it was a 40mile slog back to T2 into a block headwind. All was going well until I hit 100 miles when I felt ill and had to nurse the bike home, and very nearly called it a day, you can’t run a marathon on empty!
I had no idea where I was in the race but thought I must be about 3rd or 4th in my Age Group and knowing there could be around 10 Kona slots, I decided to just try and run. I started running super easy knowing I wouldn’t be able to take any nutrition on, still feeling ill, but I wasn’t being passed by many, so I just had to keep moving. My watch was still not working which was probably a good thing.
Anyway, after a lot of soul searching I managed some how to cross the finish line in 9:40 and 6th place in my Age Group, job done, Kona slot secured and my sub 10 Ironman record stays intact, just. Now for some down time before rebuilding for the big dance in October."
Over 1,000 athletes lined up for the Ironman Triathlon in Cairns, Queensland, Australia. Paul Lunn was 113th after the swim and then had the 17th fastest bike split, before dropping back a bit with the 100th fastest run split. Although he was overtaken on the run by athletes in his Age Group, he held on for 6th place in his 45-49 year Age Group, and managed to qualify for the World Championships in Kona, Hawaii, in October, for the 3rd consecutive time.
42. Paul Lunn 1:03:06 5:01:05 3:36:13 = 9:40:24 AG 6th.
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The 3rd PACTRAC Mini-Series Triathlon of the summer took place from Oundle pool last Wednesday. We had our third different winner, with Scott Lloyd winning his first Mini-Series event.
Susie Freeman and Dan Bassett led the swim, over a minute ahead of Dan Whiter in third. Susie led the cyclists home ahead of Scott Lloyd and David Talbot, with Dan now in 4th.
Scott soon took the lead, early on the run, and inspite of still recovering from a cold, he had the fastest run of the night to secure victory by 3 1/2 minutes from David Edis who moved up to 2nd, just pipping David on the run-in, with Susie holding onto 4th place.
Results are on https://pactrac.co.uk/events/4220/
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PACTRAC had 3 competitor's in the British Championships at Leeds, plus another, Jonathan Oakey in the Junior Super-Series race.
Jonathan had another good day out at Leeds, coming 2nd in the Elite Junior race. This follows on from his 2nd place last week in the Junior Elite Triathlon at Blenheim. Another week, another Podium. This represents yet further improvement for Jonathan.
Aaron Godden said "Previous races have not gone to plan so I wanted to ensure this was a clean race with no blunders, ensuring I had left nothing out on the course which really took priority. To come away with my fastest swim, a strong bike on a lumpy course and a 40 minute run was my best performance yet this season."
71. Dan Wilson 24:39 1:10:01 40.35 = 2:15:15 AG 11.
140. Aaron Godden 27:10 1:13:24 40.39 = 2.21.13 AG 22.
192. Simon Guerin 23:38 1:15:38 47:09 = 2:26:25 AG 25.
In the Elite Junior Super-Sprint Triathlon, Jonathan Oakey recorded his second 2nd place in two weeks, amongst top opposition.
The distances were very short and sharp making for some close competition, with Jonathan coming in off of the bike in a group of 2, just taking 5 seconds longer in transition, and having to chase hard on the run, finishing just 8-seconds down in 2nd place.
The distances were:
swim 400 metres in the lake.
bike 6.25 miles
run 1.5 miles.
2. Jonathan Oakey 5:08 19:57 8:23 = 33:28
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Susie Freeman, Carol Smallman and the team of Sarah Haslam and Willow Worthington, all won their various categories in the AsKeenAsMustard swim run events at Ferry Meadows on Sunday.
The format was either a 10km race involving 6 runs and 5 swims or a 21km race with 13 runs and 12 swims. Competitor's were constantly changing discipline from run to swim and back, and had to run in their wetsuits and swim in their training shoes. Hand paddles and pull buoys are allowed in this format of racing, but everything that you start with, you have to finish with. The swims were all around Ferry Meadows using both the river and lakes in one big loop.
Willow said "The As Keen As Mustard swimruns are very well organised and marshaled. The course was great fun and challenging, with tricky water entries (easy when you slip in!), scrambling down muddy banks, clambering out of water under bridges, sunshine and a great team event."
10km event:
4. Susie Freeman 1:19:08 First female.
8. Andrea Robinett 1:24:36 Third female.
16. Heather Watts 1:34:32
18. Carol Smallman 1:36:17
19. Pedro Polson 1:37:17
39. Georgina Jennings 2:12:24
21km Team event:
5. Sarah Haslam & Willow Worthington - 1st Female Team. 3:47:39
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Dick Rollings competed in his first triathlon for a fair few years, in the Dartmouth Triathlon.
Distances were:
swim 750 meters in the sea.
bike 12.5 miles on wet roads.
run 3 miles
112. Dick Rollings 15:28 59:01 33:54 = 1:48:23 AG 4th
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The British Sprint Triathlon Championships took place at Nottingham on Saturday, with the best talent from around the country battling it out on the draft-legal course for Age Group medals. Unfortunately, due to the persistent rainfall during the week prior to the event, the Trent suffered with strong flows and poor water quality. The swim was, therefore, replaced with a 1-mile run to start the event, which became a Duathlon.
Distances were:
run: 1-mile. 1 lap around the River Trent.
bike 11.5 miles on closed roads. 5 laps.
run 3-miles. 3-laps.
126. Steve Hope 5:54 32:45 20:08 = 58:47 AG 10th.
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The 4th PACTRAC Mini-Series Triathlon of this "summer" was cancelled last Wednesday, due to heavy rain, causing too many puddles on the bike course. We will add a 9th event on, at the end, on Wednesday 17th July. The next Mini-Series race is tonight from Oundle at 7:30pm.
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The PACTRAC Peterborough Schools Triathlon takes place on Saturday 29th June from Stanground Academy for children aged 7-16. Entries are still open with competitors already representing many of the local schools. This is the first time that a Schools Triathlon has taken place, and it is hoped that it will become an annual event. The distances vary according to age. More details are here https://pactrac.co.uk/media/files/peterborough-schools-triathlon.pdf Entries close at 6pm on Friday 21st June with a medal and goodie bag for all competitors.
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9 PACTRACers took part in the Dambuster Triathlon from Whitwell, on the shores of Rutland Water, at the weekend.
Distances were:
swim 1500m - 2 laps of 750m with swimmers exiting after 1-lap and re-entering the water 5-yards later for the second lap. Rutland Water is very stony at the edges, so swimmers had to contend with this at both the start (beach start) and also half-way through the swim. The water was a comfortable 16 degrees and clear.
bike 26 miles. 1-lap around Oakham, Uppingham, Morcott, Ketton and Empingham. Their were 4 big hills including the triple hills of the "Rutland Ripple" between Oakham and Uppingham, as well as the Rookeries hill by Ketton Cement. At least it was dry and warm.
run 6.25 miles across the Dam to Normanton Church and back.
This is a good local event that has previously been the National Championships. The RAF were using it as their National Championships again this year, and Jonny Hines won the RAF Championships, was first PACTRACer home and 1st in his Age Group. Jonny put in a good all round performance, and averaged nearly 25mph on the bike section.
PACTRAC had 4 members finishing 1st in their respective Age Groups: Jonny Hines, Giles Cooper, Bill Haslam and Terry Murphy. Jon Crowley missed out on a podium spot with mechanical trouble, but finished strongly.
Jonny Hynes won the RAF Championships, with a great swim where he was 19th overall, and moving up to 6th on the bike.
7. Jonny Hynes 24:09 65:34 38:51 = 2:08:34 AG 1st and RAF Champion.
34. Giles Cooper 28:48 71:38 40:55 = 2:21:21 AG 1st.
50. Wayne Stainsby 27:48 74:49 42:46 = 2:25:23 AG 10.
62. Jon Crowley 27:04 74:46 44:50 = 2:26:40 AG 5.
95. Bill Haslam 27:57 79:26 47:40 = 2:35:03 AG 1st
96. Tom Moorhouse 29:23 77:18 48:34 = 2:35:15 AG 18
103. Steve Hope 29:30 80:04 46:16 = 2:35:50 AG 4
277. Willow Worthington 37:34 98:22 53:06 = 3:09:02 AG 12
282. Terry Murphy 39:12 89:23 61:27 = 3:10:02 AG 1st
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Carol Smallman competed in the swim,run event at Box End, organised by AsKeenAsMustard. Competitor's constantly changed from swimming to running, with 6 runs and 5 swim stages, over a total distance of 10km. This followed on from the opening event of the series in Ferry Meadows 2-weeks earlier, where Carol won her Age Group. At Box End she was pipped by just 82 seconds into second place. This was the 2nd in a series of 5 swim,run events taking place at various venues throughout the summer, the next one being at Grafham Water on 14th July.
24. Carol Smallman 1:44:03.
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PACTRAC held their fifth Mini-Series of the summer at Oundle last Wednesday, with Aaron Godden winning for the second time (Aaron also won Mini-1 back in May).
Katie Tasker stormed out of the water first in 4:47 with Susie Freeman leading Tony Daniels out 45-seconds later. Tony moved ahead on the bike, coming in 70-seconds ahead of Aaron with Mick Stacey in 3rd. Katie pulled more time out of Susie on the bike, but Susie came back strongly on the run to take first female and 6th overall. Scott Lloyd had the fastest run of the night, to move up to 3rd overall, whilst Aaron ran Tony down and came home first by a minute and a half. Aaron was one of 4 athletes recording PB's on the night, being just 1-second quicker than when he won Mini-Series 1 four weeks earlier.
Full results are on https://pactrac.co.uk/events/4222/
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Mark Wethersby came 13th overall from 614 finishers in the Cardiff Triathlon, over the Sprint Distance of:
swim 750 metres.
bike 12.5 miles.
run 3-milers.
13. Mark Weathersby 13:33 30:39 16:54 = 63:01 AG 8.
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Evander Holyfield took First place in the London Fields Duathlon. He got a good start on his 0.75 mile run, coming in to transition in third place, then caught the leader after 1/2 a lap of cycling. He took the lead for the 2-mile cycle and held first place in the final 600m run.
He was super chuffed as this is his first win this season.
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145 local school pupils from 40 different schools have entered the PACTRAC Peterborough Schools Triathlon. The event is for children aged 7-16 and takes place from Stanground Academy from 2:00pm on Saturday.
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113 "stars of tomorrow" finished the PACTRAC Peterborough Schools Triathlon, held at Stanground Academy on Saturday.
The top 3 boys and girls in each of the 5 Age Groups are here.
https://my3.raceresult.com/119562/results?lang=en#0_6A2BBC
The full list of results is here https://my3.raceresult.com/119562/results?lang=en#0_41A14F
Their was only 1 male youth finisher, so their were 28 top-3 winners in all, over the 5 categories. Their is a photo of each winner here, receiving their prize from top PACTRAC Junior, Jonathan Oakey https://pactrac.co.uk/events/4228/ Jonathan is currently studying and training at the BTF Academy in Leeds and is doing well in the National Junior Super-Series. He has recently finished 2nd in both the Blenheim Palace and Leeds Triathlons. On Saturday he finished 4th in a big Junior Triathlon at Eton, before dashing over to Stanground to present the prizes.
The event went off very smoothly, and was a huge success. Junior Coaches, Simon Hoppe and Sam Fielding had the vision over 18 months ago and with the support of the rest of the club, saw it come to fruition.
Club Chairman Roger Canham said "I was at the finish line and to see those kids coming over the line full of smiles was a joy, it’s why we do the sport. Over a hundred kids did their first triathlon, amazing. What we have given those kids is priceless. Well done all."
Simon Hoppe said "So many people played such important roles in delivering such a successful event, but two people are worthy of extra special praise: Sam Fielding and Terry Murphy did most of the "heavy lifting" and were amazing throughout - without their expertise, work rate and commitment, it would not have been the same event for sure - so thanks to all, and extra special thanks to Sam and Terry - take a bow! Thanks to all for making yesterday such a resounding success. It was a really great team effort, with everybody pulling together to provide the best possible experience for the kids."
"All the planning and preparation came together on the day and the effort, smiles and post-race satisfaction of all the kids that took part made it more than worth all the effort. The aim is to continue the event for many years to come – and to create a real legacy for the sport in this area. We all know as triathletes, what a positive effect the sport has had on our lives, in terms of health, fun, discipline, integrity and instilling the value of hard work, which all translate very well into other areas of our lives."
Richard Mellor, a volunteer helper and parent echoed many when he said "It was an excellent event, very professionally run. Let's hope this event continues for many years to come. It was great to see so many kids with happy, smiling faces, with a sense of achievement, especially those who had not taken part in a triathlon before."
The weather was in the high 80's to 90 degrees, so plenty of water was provided for the athletes, but the First Aiders weren't required.
(The photo's from the bottom-right upwards are of:
1 Tri Start Girl 3rd
2 Tri Start Girl 2nd
3 Tri Start Girl 1st
4 Tri Start Boy 3rd
5 Tri Start Boy 2nd
6 Tri Start Boy 1st
7 Tri Star 3 Girl 3rd
8 Tri Star 3 Girl 2nd
9 Tri Star 3 Girl 1st
10 Tri Star 3 Boy 3rd
11 Tri Star 3 Boy 2nd
12 Tri Star 3 Boy 1st
13 Youth Girl 3rd
14 Youth Girl 2nd
15 Youth Girl 1st
16 Youth Boy 1st
17 Tri Star 1 Girl 3rd
18 Tri Star 1 Girl 2nd
19 Tri Star 1 Girl 1st
20 Tri Star 1 Boy 3rd
21 Tri Star 1 Boy 2nd
22 Tri Star 1 Boy 1st
23 Tri Star 2 Girl 3rd
24 Tri Star 2 Girl 2nd
25 Tri Star 2 Girl 1st
26 Tri Star 2 Boy 3rd
27 Tri Star 2 Boy 2nd
28 Tri Star 2 Boy 1st
In all 10 races the leader out on the run first, held on to take the overall win; which in many cases, belied the close competition.
In all four of the Tri Start and TriStar 1 races, the top 3 competitor's were all within a minute of one another.
In the Tri Star 2 races, PACTRAC's Calleigh Coull and Evander Wishart both made good progress on the bike and came home in top spot.
In both Tri Star 3 races, 3rd place was only just over 2-minutes behind the winner, with again, PACTRAC's Elizabeth Eames and Safford Hewitt-White taking the honours.
In the Youth race Jude Hinch had it all to himself, but nevertheless, put in a great performance, which amongst the girls, Georgia Pluke was over a minute down in the swim, but rallied back to take the lead on the bike.
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PACTRAC held the 6th Mini-Series of the summer on Wednesday over the usual course and distances. 9 swimmers exited in under 6-minutes, with Mark Weathersby leading in 5:13 minutes, ahead of Paul Lunn in 5:20. Paul soon took the lead on the bike, having announced that Simon Hoppe's 2009 bike split record of 22:28 was within his grasp. Paul proceeded to knock 25-seconds off of the Bike Course record with a 22:03 split.
After a fast swim, he still had plenty left on the bike, and was able to come into Transition a minute ahead of Mark in 2nd, with Tony Daniels a further 1 3/4 minutes down in 3rd. The top 5 bike splits before the night had been:
2009 Simon Hoppe 22:28
2013 Paul Vernon 22:32
2015 Paul Vernon 22:32
2013 PAUL LUNN 22:33
2009 Matt Gunby 22:40
Paul also recorded the fastest run of the night, to pull a further 1/2 minute out of Mark, with Wayne Stainsby having a consistent race to move up to finish in 3rd place. Paul Lunn's last 4 Mini-Series races have all been in the 49-minute bracket, with his previous best time of 49:15 recorded just 4-weeks earlier.
Their were just 4 Personal Best times recorded including Mark Weathersby in 50:01, a PB by 7-seconds, Aaron Godden who is improving continually and young Jake Daniels. Susie Freeman was the first lady again on a night where 13 competitor's beat the hour.
Results are on https://pactrac.co.uk/events/4223/
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Sue Davys competed in the Nokian Tyres 70.3 Half-Ironman Triathlon in Lahti, Finland. This was the inaugural event and covered the usual 70.3 distances of:
swim 1.2 miles in Lake Vesijarvi. A beach start with 1-lap.
bike 56 miles - 1 lap with rolling hills on quiet roads.
run 13.1 miles - 2 laps, flat, along the lakeside on asphalt and gravel.
1453.Sue Davys 56:42 3:49:38 2:35:04 = 7:21:24 AG 11.
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Eton
Jonathan Oakey came 4th in the big national Junior Super-Series Triathlon at Eton Dorney.
The distances were:
swim 750 metres in the lake.
bike 13.25 miles - 4 laps around the lake, with drafting allowed, and racing directly with the competition.
run 3 miles out and back.
Jonathan is one of the better swimmers on the circuit now, and came out in the first group with 3 other athletes. The 4 worked together on the bike, with one being dropped later on, leaving Jonathan and 2 others to battle it out on the run. The chasing pack of cyclists came in a minute and a half down and were unable to make up the distance on the run. However, the dropped cyclist then had the fastest run of the day, leaving Jonathan in 4th place overall; just 43 seconds behind the winner and 18 seconds from a Podium spot.
4. Jonathan Oakey 9:03 30:47 18:11 = 58:01
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A couple of PACTRACers ventured over to Maidstone in Kent for the Leeds Castle Triathlon.
This was over the Standard Distance of:
swim 1500 metres in the lake. 2-laps including swimming between the two sides of the Castle on each lap. The water was 25.5 degrees, so no wetsuits were allowed.
bike 25-miles on an undulating out and back course.
run 6.25 miles. 2-laps of a hilly circuit, mainly on grass.
Aaron Godden continued his improvement and after an improved swim, he powered away on the bike to set himself up for a good time.
This was the 3rd and final qualifying race for next year's World Championships in Canada. Both PACTRACers are in contention, having performed well, but are just outside the top 20 places nationally and are waiting to see if that is good enough. The Fenland Clarion's Chris Shaw is in the same boat. (PACTRAC's Mark Weathersby competed in the 2nd qualifier at Leeds in June, and is also waiting to hear).
94. Aaron Godden 30:58 74:19 44:22 = 2:29:39 AG 14.
196. Steve Hope 34:01 80:35 46:47 = 2:41:25 AG 14.
others;
204. Chris Shaw 37:57 73:49 50:40 = 2:42:26 AG 15.
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We have 5 members training hard for long distance open water swims this year:
Amy Hayes is due to swim the Tsugarustrait later this month (July).TheTsugaru Channel is between Honshu on the main island of Japan, and Hokkaido, a 12 mile strait of fast-moving currents and one of the Big-7 Ocean swims. Many challenges have to be overcome, including strong currents, tidal flows, unpredictable eddies, unswimmable waters when the winds come up, jellyfish, squid, large ocean swells, and large oil tankers and cargo ships running the channel. The temperature should be above 16 degrees. Fellow PACTRACer, Phil Norman, will also go out there as part of her support, on the Pilot Boat.
Jonathan Ratcliffe is also in training for the Tsugarustrait. The swim is part of The Ocean Challenge - a series of 7 swims around the globe that also takes in the 14-mile Cook Strait in New Zealand, the Catalina Channel in California, the Strait of Gibraltar, the North Channel between Scotland and Ireland, the Molokai Channel in Hawaii and the English Channel. Jonathan has completed the latter four and is waiting for Pilot Boats for the first three.
Amy Mellor has a Pilot Boat booked for her Chanel Swim in August. She will be following in the wake of Amy Hayes and Jonathan Ratcliffe, both of whom have swam the Chanel in the last three years. Amy Mellor had to postpone the attempt last year due to a repetitive injury, but has been swimming lots of 6-hour swims in Dover Harbour and more locally at Wadenhoe, to prepare for the event.
Laura Hardy is attempting to swim around Jersey on 31st August. In 2018, over 200 people took part in The Jersey Round Island Challenge - an adventure challenge that can be completed by either Swimming, Canoe/Kayaking, Rowing, SUP’ing or Running around the Island of Jersey. Laura is doing it the hard way, swimming 44-miles in the open sea. Only a handful of people take on the challenge by swimming, but those that do, will be swimming on their own, with a support boat that they are not allowed to touch (food is handed to them) and neither are wetsuits allowed.
Graeme Abrahams is swimming the 9-mile Henley to Marlow swim in the Thames on 4th August. The Thames Marathon, is now in its 9th year, and is a 9-mile long-distance swimming challenge from Henley-on-Thames to Marlow. It has become one of open water swimming’s most prestigious marathon swims. Swimmers are required to exit the water at the 3 locks (Hambledon, Hurley and Temple) where food and energy snacks will be available.
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The big triathlon at the weekend took place at Holkham Hall over the Half-Ironman distance.
The distances were:
swim 1.2 miles. The swim took place in the lake on Holkham Estate against the backdrop of Holkham Hall. A single out and back course, making it easy to navigate, followed by a short run to transition.
bike 56 miles. An undulating, 1-lap course, through the countryside and coastal roads of North Norfolk.
run 13.1 miles. 3-laps around the Holkham Estate.
1290 athletes finished the "Outlaw Half Holkham triathlon", with another 30 pulling out early. Terry Murphy was the oldest competitor in the race. He was using the race as part of his build up to the full Ironman in Copenhagen in August, and not only came first in his Age Group but would have been 3rd in the Age Group below.
Terry is 71 so is in the 70-74 Age Category. He completed Ironman Copenhagen in 2018 and is back to do it again on 18th August. He was the oldest competitor at Holkham Hall but still finished in the top 75%.
Matt Hall tore his cartilage, this time last year, and was pleased to have finally made a full recovery. He said "I had my doubts this would ever happen in 2019 but there it is: Half IronMan distance completed. Fitness journey still on track."
Liam McClean knocked 14 minutes off of his bike time, making up 120 places on the bike; and another 130 on the run.
Andy Rawlins said "Holkham Half-Ironman completed. Mission accomplished."
387. Liam McClean 41:39 3:04:28 1:50:48 = 5:36:55 AG 50.
582. Rob Head 36:41 3:03:46 2:16:10 = 5:56:37 AG 101.
790. Andy Rawlins 44:20 3:21:27 2:10:02 = 6:15:49 AG 136.
944. Terry Murphy 45:19 3:18:55 2:30:11 = 6:34:25 AG 1st.
952. Matt Hall 46:55 3:25:55 2:22:21 = 6:35:11 AG 150.
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5 PACTRACers raced in the local NiceTri Triathlon's over at St.Neots - 3 in the Sprint Triathlon (750m, 12.5m, 3m) and 2 in the Standard Distance (1500m, 25m, 6.25m). Pedro Polson won his Age Group in the Sprint, whilst Andy Chapman was 3rd in his Age Group in the Standard Distance.
39. Gary Shoemake 14:44 51:25 24:05 = 90:14 AG 4.
49. Pedro Polson 12:50 51:35 27:45 = 92:10 AG 1st.
54. Richard Rodriguez 18:38 52:18 23:04 = 94:00 AG 5.
-
7. Andy Chapman 25:53 77:49 39:57 = 2:23:41 AG 3rd.
12 Simon Guerin 24:43 78:54 45:37 = 2:29:15 AG 6.
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A new bike course record has been set in both the 6th and 7th Mini-Series triathlon's from Oundle Pool this summer. In Mini-Series 6 Paul Lunn knocked 25 seconds off of Simon Hoppe's long-standing record, with a superfast time of 22:03.
In Mini-Series 7 Paul again took the bike time down to 22:01. However, in his first ever Mini-Series race, Johnny Hynes recorded 21:57 to take the record below 22-minutes. Had it been a normal Mini-Series, Paul would have held the record for just 14-seconds, before Johnny took it from him. However, this race was run under a handicap system, whereby athletes started at different times, with a prediction that they would all cross the finish line together (it never works in practice!). On the night Paul was the last athlete to start, with Johnny 60-seconds in front of him. Although Johnny came in off the bike 14 seconds down, he was actually still 46 seconds ahead on the road; so to rub salt in the wound, Paul's new record never stood in real time, with Johnny taking the new record by 6-seconds.
Paul Lunn was 1st out of the water, 10-seconds ahead of Tony Daniels, with Robin Laukaitis and Johnny Hynes just behind. Paul and Johnny then came in, off the bike, over 2-minutes clear of Tony, with Chris Brennan now moving up to 4th.
Some fast run times were recorded as Scott Lloyd move up to 4th, with Tony dropping to 5th. Dave Allsop in his first Mini for 3-years was 6th, whilst further down Jake Daniels beat the hour for the first time as one of only 5 athletes to record PB's on the night; including Paul Lunn who not only recorded a PB by 42-seconds but also recorded his fastest times in all 3 disciplines. Paul's time was the 7th fastest over the course of all time, with only 3 of PACTRAC's GB Elite athletes ahead of him. Nathan Tweedie (45:55), Matt Gunby (46:34) and Josh Daniels (47:23) all represented GB at Elite level.
Full results (without the handicap) are on https://pactrac.co.uk/events/4224/
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The Woodhorn Museum Triathlon in Northumberland was a qualifying race for the European STANDARD Distance Championships in Russia next year. Andrew Chapman (3 photo's attached) won his Age Group and has, therefore, qualified. He had a very consistent race, hovering in around 29-30th place throughout on a warm afternoon.
The distances were:
swim 1500 metres.
bike 25.5 miles.
run 6.5 miles
30. Andrew Chapman 27:48 1:19:27 42:24 = 2:29:39 AG 1st.
66. Aaron Godden 33:29 1:22:01 44:04 = 2:39:34
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2 PACTRACers ventured up to Dundee for the Monifieth Sprint Triathlon on Sunday. This was over the distances of:
swim 750 metres in the lake.
bike 13.4 miles - 1 lap on undulating, country roads.
run 3 miles - 2 laps of the lakes, offroad.
This was a qualifying race for the European SPRINT Triathlon Championships to be held in Malmo, Sweden next year. Georgina Jennings won her Age Group and qualified. With the top 4 qualifying, Steve Hope will try again at Welwyn Garden City next month.
87. Steve Hope........14:08 41:13 22:52 = 1:18:13 AG 7th.
250. Georgina Jennings....18:07 52:23 35:48 = 1:46:18 AG 1st.
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The 8th PACTRAC Mini-Series Triathlon of the summer took place at Oundle last Wednesday (the last one is tonight).
The distances and course were the same as usual:
swim 400 yards - 8 lengths in Oundle Pool.
bike 10 miles - 1 lap around Glapthorn and the Benefields.
run 3.5 miles - out to Glapthorn and back.
In Mini-Series 6, Paul Lunn broke the bike course record. In Mini-Series 7 he again reduced it, but Johnny Hines took it from him in 21:57 minutes. In Mini-Series 8 Paul took the bike split back by 8-seconds, with a cracking 21:49 on his new bike. His run time was 35 seconds down, but he was out on his own and had nobody to chase. His overall time was 34-seconds down on his Personal Best, recorded last week. Even so, this was the 10th fastest time ever recorded on the course.
"The Three Cayones" Team had the first swimmer out of the water, with Paul Lunn next out, 70-seconds behind and just ahead of Tony Daniels, Susie Freeman and Jake Daniels. Paul took the lead on the bike and never looked back, coming in 2 1/2 minutes ahead of Tony before extending the lead on the run to finish nearly 5-minutes up on the Relay Team and 6 1/4 minutes ahead of Chris Brennan who was 7th out of the water and moved up on the bike. (Next was Rob Hammond who was doing a Duathlon) and then to take 3rd spot Scott Lloyd moved up with a fast run to catch Steve Giles in a sprint finish. Tony Daniels held on to 5th, just holding off the fast approaching Aaron Godden who moved ahead of Jake Daniels in the final 400m. Jake has now recorded 3 PB's consecutively and was the only athlete to PB tonight. Susie Freeman came home as the first lady to win the overall Mini-Series Trophy.
This is the state of play for the Mini-Series Trophies to date with one event to go https://pactrac.co.uk/forums/topic/804/#new-posts
Results for Mini-Series 8 are here https://pactrac.co.uk/events/4225/
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The 3rd of 5 SwimRun events organised by AsKeenAsMustard took place on Sunday. This one took place at Grafham Water with competitor's swimming in their shoes and running in wetsuits to complete either the 10k (6 runs and 5 swims) or the 21k (12 runs and 11 swims), so you run/swim/run/swim/run/swim lots of times, depending on your distance chosen.
You could see almost the entire course in one go, and see that nit was a very long distance to go. The runs were of varying distances from 3.5 miles to just 250m and swims from 600m to 200m.
"You take all of your kit with you, so you are swimming in your shoes and running in your wetsuit. It’s tough, but it’s an awesome new way to see the world! You can explore new places and see the same places from new angles."
10k
2. Susie Freeman ........1:14:00 AG 1st. 1st Lady. 2nd overall by just 14 seconds and overtaken on the last run-in.
19. Heather Watts............1:28:01 AG 3.
24. Pedro Polson.............1:29:45 AG 3.
25. Carol Smallman.........1:30:19 AG 2.
33. Kate Armstrong..........1:36:08 AG 3.
39. Catherine Burbage.....1:47:36 AG 7.
43. Daniel Richardson......1:50:50 AG 9.
21k
16. Andrea Robinett........3:01:42 AG 2.
17. Sue Davys.................3:03:00 AG 1.
19. Willow Worthington...3:23:06 AG 3.
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The final PACTRAC Mini-Series triathlon of this summer season took place at Oundle pool last Wednesday. Mini-Series nr.4 was postponed due to heavy rain, so this event was tacked onto the end, to bring the total back up to 8 for the series.
The distances and course were the same as usual:
swim 400 yards - 8 lengths in Oundle Pool.
bike 10 miles - 1 lap around Glapthorn and the Benefields.
run 3.5 miles - out to Glapthorn and back.
Mark Weathersby led out of the pool, with Tony Daniels hot on his heels. It was a further 16-seconds before Susie Freeman led Robin Laukaitis, Johnny Hynes and Jake Daniels out. Aaron Godden was 15th out 1:34 minutes behind Mark, whilst Scott Lloyd was another 1:18 behind him.
Going into this final event, the situation at the top was very tight. Each race gives 10 points for a win, 9 points for 2nd place going down to 1 point for 10th place. With your best 5 events from the 8 to count, the standings were:
Scott Lloyd.............. 42.....9...10.....8....7....8.
Aaron Godden........ 41....10....9....10....7....5.
Paul Lunn............... 40....10...10...10...10.
With both Scott and Aaron having the full 5 races under their belts, this was going to be a good head to head. Aaron has been leading, but Scott turned the tables in Mini 8. Scott had to come at least 3rd to better his worst points tally of 7, whilst Aaron had to come at least 5th to increase his total score.
And then their was always Paul Lunn, who if he finished in the top 4, would take top spot overall. Unfortunately, Paul had other engagements and was unable to complete a 5th event, so his 4 wins in the series gave him 40 points.
It was all to play for between Aaron and Scott.
In Mini-Series 6, Paul Lunn broke the bike course record. In Mini-Series 7 he again reduced it, but Johnny Hines took it from him in 21:57 minutes. In Mini-Series 8 Paul took the bike split back by 8-seconds. Tonight Johnny gave it a good go, to try to win it back, but his 22:21, although the fastest bike split on the night, was 32 seconds short. Mark had the 2nd fastest bike split tonight, to come into T2 32 seconds behind Johnny. Tony Daniels was another minute behind, but still nearly 2-minutes ahead of Dave Allsop in 4th. Next came Jake Daniels, an up-and-coming Junior who was the only athlete to record a PB tonight. Aaron was next, 5-places and 3:09 minutes ahead of Scott, who was having a rare off-day, which was compounded on the run.
Mark Weathersby had the fastest run of the night to finish in 50:04, 1:10 minutes ahead of Johnny. Tony held onto 3rd whilst Aaron was 4th and Jake 5th; Scott finishing in 8th overall. In his last 3 Mini-Series races Mark has recorded 50:08, 50:01 and now 50:04. With the new 50 metre pool at Oundle due to open next February, this may be the last time that this exact course is used, so Mark was left to reflect ruefully on a valiant effort and brilliant win. Johnny has recorded 2 second places from his 2 events.
Aaron finished 4th overall giving him 7 points to replace his current worse score of 5. He, therefore, increased his points tally by 2 to 43 and jump over Scott who remained on 42 points.
Mini-Series Trophy - Overall Trophy points:
1) AARON GODDEN.......10....9....10....7....7..=..43
2) SCOTT LLOYD.............9....10....8....7....8..=..42
3) PAUL LUNN..................10....10....10....10..=..40
4. Tony Daniels..........9....2....6....6....8..=..31
5. Susie Freeman......4....7....7....5....1..=..24
6. Mark Weathersby...9....10..=..19
7. David Talbot...........8....4....3....3..=..18
8. Johnny Hynes........9....9..=..18
9. Chris Brennan........8....9..=..17
... and for the Ladies:
SUSIE FREEMAN......10....10....10....10....10..=..50
LOUISE BANNERJEE..............7....9....10....9..=..35
3) GEORGINA JENNINGS.............7....7....6....9..=..29
4) Jenny Williams...............9....9....9..=..27
5) Emma Brocklehurst.......8....9..=..17
6) Willow Worthington........8....8..=..16
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In Mini-Series 6, Paul Lunn broke the bike course record. In Mini-Series 7 he again reduced it, but Johnny Hines took it from him in 21:57 minutes. In Mini-Series 8 Paul took the bike split back by 8-seconds, with a cracking 21:49 on his new bike. His run time was 35 seconds down, but he was out on his own and had nobody to chase. His Personal Best, recorded in Mini-Series 7, of 47:43 was the 7th fastest time ever recorded on the course; and his time of 48:17 the following week, was the 10th fastest ever. Only 6 athletes have ever gone sub-49 minutes.
Susie Freeman won the Ladies Mini-Series Trophy with a maximum 50-points having won all 7 events (from 8) that she entered. Susie knocked her PB down to 59:08. The overall ladies record is still 54:35 recorded by Christina Cork in 2013. Next year will see a (slightly) new course, and new records.
Their were 8 races this year, with the average attendance of just over 22. 13 athletes finished the series with new PB's, including 1st Junior Jake Daniels, who recorded a new PB in each of his 5 races, bringing his best time down from 64:25 to 56:33. Aaron Godden and Paul Lunn recorded 3 PB's apiece. Paul Lunn was the only athlete to break the 50-minute barrier (4 times), whilst Mark Weathersby (50:01 and 50:04) came close.
Paul Lunn won 4 events, Aaron Godden 2, Scott Lloyd 1 and Mark Weathersby 1. The lowest winning margin was 21 seconds with the highest being 6:35 by Paul Lunn. 9 athletes did between 5 and 7 events, with Susie Freeman, Scott Lloyd, Richard Hough and Reuben Williams all doing 7. 38 competitor's recorded points in the top 10 each night. Overall their were 44 female results from 21 competitor's.
Results for Mini-Series 9 are on https://pactrac.co.uk/events/results/?race=4229&course=3&competitor=0
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Richard Wright took part in the Standard distance triathlon at Box End. He said "I was in the hurt locker and I loved it".
Swim 1500 metres in the lake.
Bike 23.5 miles.
Run 6.5 miles.
57. Richard Wright 28:34 87:11 47:59 = 2:43:44 AG 11.
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The final PACTRAC Club Championship event of this season took place at Oundle on Sunday.
The Club Championships are your best 3 results from the following 4-events: The Mid-Distance in May, The Standard-Distance in July and your best 2 Mini-Series results. You get a percentage for each race against the winners time. Going into this last race, the Championships were wide-open.
Swim: 1800 yards in Oundle Pool - 36 lengths.
Bike: 27 miles - 3 laps of the Mini-Series course.
Run 6 miles around Glapthorn and Cotterstock, including some off-road.
Going into this last race, 7 athletes could still win the Trophy, with numerous others in with a shout of the top 3.
Steve Hope........... 288.5
Andy Corner.......... 282.0
Aaron Godden...... 200.0
Paul Lunn............. 200.0
Scott Lloyd........... 199.4
Mark Weathersby.. 196.8
Johnny Hynes....... 192.7
With Paul Lunn competing in Hamburg, others training hard for different events, and others put off by the horrible weather conditions; it was left to Steve Hope and Andy Corner to battle it out, with Tony Daniels able to claim a top 3 spot. It was raining from early in the morning and a drive around the bike course was necessary to confirm that the roads, although their were plenty of puddles at the sides, were still safe to ride on. It was still raining when the event started and continued until the end of the 27-mile bike leg, starting again during the run. Had the event been in the afternoon, the roads may well have been deemed unsafe.
Tony led out of the water and had an advantage of over 3-minutes on Steve Hope. Tony was not seen again, as he extended his lead on the bike, and although he was being reeled in on the run, he had a huge lead and came home 12-minutes ahead of 2nd placed Andy Corner. Andy was 3rd out of the water, but caught Steve on the bike and came into T2 45-seconds ahead. He was able to take a few more seconds on the run to consolidate 2nd place. In the Club Championships, his 3rd counting event was a relatively low score, so he was able to add to his tally, with enough points to jump ahead of Steve and win the Trophy by 1.8 points.
Andy Corner 290.3
Steve Hope 288.5
Tony Daniels 287.2
This was Tony's 2nd win in a club race, having won Mini-Series 1 in 2018.
The attached photo's are of Andy Corner (1) and Tony Daniels (2&3).
SUSIE FREEMAN had already won the Ladies Trophy with one event to go, as well as winning the Ladies Mini-Series Trophy this year. Jenny Williams came second, whilst Willow Worthington increased her score slightly to consolidate in third place.
Susie Freeman......... 280.3
Jenny Williams......... 253.9
Willow Worthington.. 228.4
Jonathan Arnold retained his Junior Trophy from last year, with 88 points.
Results from Sunday. Top 3:
1. Tony Daniels 26:50 77:32 47:19 = 2:31:41
2. Andy Corner 34:51 85:06 43:38 = 2:43:35
3. Steve Hope 30:01 90:49 44:23 = 2:45:13
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Paul Lunn finished Ironman Hamburg in 9:25:03.
The water temperature was 24.1°C, and the air temperature 18°C with a light breeze. Paul had a consistently fast bike split to move himself up the field, but eventually paid for this on the 2nd half of the run. He started out on the run at a high tempo, but held in there to finish 3rd in his Age Group. Paul has already qualified for the Ironman World Championships in Hawaii in October, and was using the Hamburg race to hone his skills ready for the big one. Charlie Brookes recorded a good time with a consistent performance to finish in the top half of the field.
The distances were:
swim 2.4 miles.
bike 112 miles.
run 26.2 miles.
45. Paul Lunn 61:48 4:55:47 3:27:28 = 9:25:03 AG 3.
950. Charlie Brookes 71:48 5:53:25 4:48:04 = 11:53:17 AG 136.
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Darren Kelly completed the Bedford Triathlon from Robinsons Pool in Bedford, coming 6th overall and 1st in his Age Group.
The distances were:
swim 400 metres in the pool.
bike 15 miles on country roads.
run 3 miles around the park.
6. Darren Kelly 7:22 41:04 22:22 = 70:48 AG 1st.
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The British Triathlon Federation sent a 17-strong team of promising juniors to compete in the Latvian capital of Riga, in the Junior European Cup.
PACTRAC's Jonathan Oakey was amounst them, fresh from his silver medals at both Blenheim and Leeds Triathlons. Jonathan finished in a great 10th place overall, a huge achievement, marking some good progress in the last 12 months showing that the dedication and hard miles are paying off.
swim 750m, cycle 11.5 miles, run 3 miles.
Competing against some of the best Junior triathletes in Europe, Jonathan was 17th out of the water, just 22 seconds behind the leader. His rapid 750m swim time of 10:44 put him in the 2nd group on the bike, as 3 athletes got away and worked together to stay ahead. Jonathan got into a good group of 7 chasing athletes, and did a lot of work on the front, as they finished the bike leg just 35 seconds behind. On the run, he was able to drop 2 of those in his group and catch one of the 3 leaders, but was in turn caught by 3 runners from behind, to finish 10th overall. He was the second British Junior to finish and just 71 seconds from a Podium spot.
Matt Divall, Triathlon England Pathway Manager, commented on the weekend: “All of the athletes racing will leave Riga with some valuable experiences and learning to take into training and future races".
From the BTF website:
"The men’s race saw the Brits perform strongly in the swim to exit the water in the main pack, with Finnian Hutchinson leading out of the water from a British perspective. A strong group of cyclists in the British contingent saw Hamish Reilly, who posted the fastest cycle leg on the race, and Jonathan Oakey driving from the front as the lead pack splintered.
Fighting hard on the run, Reilly finished third behind Morgan from New Zealand and Carlsson of Sweden in a time of 00:53:05. Jonathan Oakey (00:54:16), competing in his first European Cup, came home in tenth.
Jonathan Oakey, reacting on his first European Cup, said: “I knew I needed to put a lot of work in on the bike to try and make the other guys hurt. It looked like it worked, it felt like it worked, but I’m really pleased with it and a first European Cup with a top ten finish.”
10. Jonathan Oakey 10:44 26:35 16:57 = 54:16
(In the photo Jonathan is in the middle of the back row, 6th from the left, 8th from the right, with "...ean cup" above his head).
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Aaron Godden and Mick Stacey joined forces as a team of two, for the Breca SwimRun around Crummock Water and Buttermere in the Lake District. This was to involve 13 runs (in your wetsuit) and 12 swims (in your training shoes), with constant changing from one discipline to the next, whilst staying with your partner. Their should have been 25 miles of running and 3.75 miles of swimming in total with the longest straight run being 9-miles.
However, the weather was poor and the organisers were forced to cut two swims and one of the climbs. The duo still covered approximately 2.5 miles of swimming in the fresh lakes and 20 miles of running (hilly and off-road). Aaron and Mick put in a gritty performance and smashed a very impressive time of 04:58:22.
Aaron said "our SwimRun journey will continue, after a very respectable 43rd out of 111 teams for our first outing".
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The Bedford Triathlon took place from the Embankment in Bedford Town Centre on Sunday, over the Olympic Distance.
swim 1,500 metres in the river Great Ouse - out and back, so out against the current and back with it.
bike 26 miles - 1 lap on country roads.
run 6.25 miles - 3 laps around the riverside and park.
All 4 PACTRACers managed a top 4 in their respective Age Groups, with Marcuss Widdess winning his.
9. Marcus Widdess 24:01 73:45 37:04 = 2:14:50 AG 1st.
23. Andrew Chapman 25:01 74:41 45:53 = 2:25:35 AG 4.
24. Jon Crowley 26:51 75:41 45:08 = 2:27:40 AG 2.
111. Angela Wallis 36:02 90:50 57:16 = 3:04:08 AG 2.
Roger wins World Long Distance GOLD and Challenge Championships GOLD. Paul SILVER in Majorca. Jonathan SILVER in Elite Juniors. Tim BRONZE in TE Champs.
The NiceTri Triathlon at Grafham Water on Sunday was a qualifying race for the World Championships in 2020 to be held in Edmonton, Canada.
The lake at Grafham was 12.5 degrees and as a result, the swim was shortened to 1,000m from the advertised 1,500m. Even so 35 competitors failed to finish due to either getting too cold in the water, or later on, too cold on the bike. The beginning of May sees the earliest open water swim events with the water always still cold.
The distances were:
swim 1,000m.
bike 25 miles.
run 6.25 miles.
3 PACTRACers competed, and with only 4 places available in each Age Group from this race, the 3 missed out this time, and will try again later in the season in Leeds and Kent.
Aaron said: " I really missed racing. Their are lots of positives to take into the season; just a little time wasted in transition, messing about with warmer clothing for the bike.".
110. Aaron Godden 18:08 68:59 41:09 = 2:08:17 AG 21.
238. Tom Moorhouse 18:32 73:59 48:20 = 2:20:53 AG 36.
410. Angela Wallis 25:14 88:37 54:32 = 2:48:25 AG 10.
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PACTRAC held the first of their Club Championship Triathlons at Oundle on Monday with 17 competitors competing a chilly and windy morning.
The distances were:
swim 900 yards - 18 lengths of Oundle Pool.
bike 20 miles - 2 laps around Glapthorn and the Benefields including 2-climbs per lap and 2 fast decents.
run 5 miles - one lap around Glapthorn and Cotterstock.
Susie Freeman led out of the water in 13:03 with Charlie Brookes 68 seconds behind, and Steve Hope another 45 seconds behind. At this point Andy Corner was 9th out of the water; but Andy was to have both the fastest bike and run of the day. He took the lead on the bike, after a bit of tooing-and-frowing, getting stronger as the event went on. He then ran well off the bike and soon pulled a 90-second gap on Steve, who held the gap in the second half of the run to come home 94 seconds adrift. Charlie followed in 41 seconds later for a comfortable 3rd. Susie held on to 4th and took an early lead in the ladies club championships.
Results are on https://pactrac.co.uk/events/4226/
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Roger Canham and Giles Cooper competed in the World Long Distance Triathlon Championships, with Roger winning the 55-59 Age Group to become PACTRAC's latest WORLD CHAMPION. Roger follows in the footsteps of Georgina Jennings, whilst both George Prodrick and Wendy Gooding have won European Duathlon titles. Roger finished 56th overall and is the WORLD CHAMPION. He won the European Long Distance Championships in Spain in 2010, but now has a world title to add to his impressive cv which includes qualifying for and competing in 10 Ironman world championships.
He was disappointed to finish 2nd in his Age Group in China, just 3-weeks ago. Roger has a busy season ahead, with no less than 8 big races schedule, all abroad.
The distances were:
swim 1900 metres.
bike 67.5 miles
run 19 miles.
Results:
1. Roger Canham 32:31 3:33:42 2:13:10 = 6:19:23
14. Giles Cooper 35:13 3:51:45 2:37:33 = 7:04:31
In the accompanying World Aquabike Championships (swim 1,900m bike 67.5m) Robin Brookes finished 21st.
21. Robin Brookes 33:14 4:03:40 = 4:36:54
Roger's report is here:
"2019 is the year of 4 championships for me and the campaign starts here, in Pontevedra. The ITU is the world governing body for triathlon and they have a week of world championships across various disciplines culminating in the long distance triathlon at a unique distance. The last time I had competed in this final was 2007 and I had come 26th so there was some room for improvement! There were two changes to the standard long course distance, with water and air temperatures below 14oC the rules mandated the swim distance was cut from 3,000m to 1,900m and in addition, the bike course was cut from 75 miles to 67.5 miles to eliminate some of the technical descents.
The swim was a deep water mass start - great, lots of contact and a real race to the turn buoy and back out the water. Throughout the race I would be toe to toe with my peers, when being passed I would have to dig deeper to remain in contention or when passing I could surge to create a gap and move up through the field. This was going to be way more fun than the rolling start format and the prize was a world crown.
The swim to the turn was up stream and so it was critical to find some fast feet to sit behind and conserve energy. I quickly found myself at the pointy end of the swim and it seemed like I was in the front pack through to the turn but on the way back I seemed to get gapped and lose valuable time on the lead guys. I exited the water and sprinted the 500m to the change tent at T1, ripped off the wetsuit and jumped on the bike. I had finished the swim in 8th spot and had made up a place in transition to now be in 7th but I didn’t know that at the time, it’s just full gas from gun to tape.
The bike course was three laps of a 22.5 mile course that was either up or down, totaling 1500m of climbing with some hairy descents and dead turns. The fastest bike splits would be down to who had the best descending skills and had the nerve to drive the bike hard into every corner, inevitably there were a fair number who lack one or both and ended up on the deck with nasty road rash. I worked hard to keep the power on up the hills and used any aero advantage I could on the long downhill sections, passing a number of my age group to complete the first lap in the top three. I was now in a race, exchanging places with the leaders by burying myself on the uphill sections and on the rivet descending, reaching speeds in excess of 43mph. By the end of the second lap I felt I had created a gap sufficient for them not to see me anymore and therefore I could focus on fueling for the run and getting to the dismount line safely. I was desperate to know my placing, and whether I could be conservative with my run pace, or needed to red line it to catch anyone in front of me.
Quickly through T2, I just locked into a pace that felt comfortable so I could compose myself and keep a strong rhythm. I hadn’t run 19 miles for over 6 months so it was a bit of an unknown quantity pace and endurance wise, but I resolved to focus on the now and just run at or below my target pace of 4:30 minutes/km. At the end of the first lap I saw my wife, but the athlete tracker wasn’t helping with figuring out my race standing. The pace was comfortably ahead of my target so I was less stressed about my position as I knew my run split would probably be the fastest on the day. I kept the fuel going in and maintained my rhythm and by the end of the second lap I was in the lead by five minutes or more. Simply by staying on my pace would be good enough for the win, my mind started to drift to the finish line and the prospect of my first world title. I seemed to float through the next two laps and I before I knew it I was running down the finish chute to take the tape.
It still hasn’t sunk in really, winning gold and being crowned world champion was never in my contemplation when I started out in this sport 17 years ago. I had a plan to try and win a title this year and I was giving it everything but that’s still more of a wish list than a certainty. I couldn’t be more proud and so grateful for all the support I get from family and friends. Chuffed."
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PACTRAC are promoting the first Peterborough Schools Triathlon over various age-related distances on 29th June.
PACTRAC (in partnership with British Triathlon/GO Tri), are organising the inaugural Peterborough Area Schools Triathlon on 29th June 2019 at Stanground Academy – aimed at introducing local school children (ages 7 – 16) to the sport of triathlon, as a means to encourage healthy lifestyles, participation, fun and competition for young people – we’re committed to giving local children the chance to participate in triathlon, in a safe and friendly environment.
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6 PACTRACers ventured over to Alcudia in Majorca for the 70.3 Half-Ironman Triathlon on Saturday.
The distances were:
swim 1.2 miles in the sea.
bike 56 miles - up into the mountains.
run 13.1 miles - laps along the coast.
Paul Lunn, raced in this early season opener for the 9th time and won the SILVER MEDAL in his Age Group. Paul finished in a time of 4:21:14 to take 12th place overall and 2nd in the 45-49 Age Group. He moved up from 3rd to 2nd in the run. This was a big international race and all 6 finished in the top half of the field of 2,877.
Results:
12. Paul Lunn 28:06 2:32:54 1:20:14 = 4:21:14 AG 2nd.
516. Chris Pike 33:10 2:57:45 1:42:09 = 5:13:04 AG 16.
1032. John Crowley 30:59 3:08:43 1:55:00 = 5:34:42 AG 88.
1094. Simon Guerin 28:45 3:03:06 2:05:47 = 5:37:38 AG 200.
1150. Steve Skelhon 30:31 3:07:10 2:02:34 = 5:40:15 AG 49.
1323. Richard Pike 32:31 3:16:47 1:58:07 = 5:47:25 AG 124.
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Charlie Brookes competed in the Grafman at Grafham Water - an early season half-ironman distance triathlon.
The distances were:
swim 1.2 miles - however, due to the extreme fog early on Sunday morning, the swim had to be cancelled, because the rescue craft had limited visibility. At just 13 degrees, the water was pretty cold, so their weren't too many complaints.
bike 57 miles - 1x out and back, with a number of dog-legs. This was a fast bike course, with good road surfaces and only the odd short climb.
run 13.1 miles - out and back, north and south along the edge of the lake, completed twice.
129. Charlie Brookes 2:49:07 1:48:29 = 4:37:36 AG 24. (bike and run splits, as the swim was cancelled).
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Nearly 700 competitors entered the Southport Standard distance triathlon, many hoping to qualify for next year's European Championships. The event was also the Triathlon England National Championships. Held at Southport's Marine Lake, this event has become one of the biggest events in the North West, reaching maximum capacity every year.
Distance's were:
swim 1500m in the lake.
bike 25 miles on closed roads
run 6.25 miles around the Marine Lake on tarmac paths.
Tim Fletcher came 5th overall and 3rd in his Age Group. Tim won the BRONZE MEDAL and also qualified for the 2020 European Championships in Tartu, Estonia. Tim was well up the field after the swim, in 26th position; before moving up to 12th after the bike section; and with the 2nd fastest run of the day, he was able to move into 5th place by the finish. Training at the track under the guidance of Sean Beard has helped him to consolidate his triathlon running.
Aaron Godden also gave a good account of himself and will try again in the next qualifying race. Aaron said "The things we do to try and get a slot....170 mile drive up to Southport - up at 04:30am - rack bike 06:30am - race at 08:00am for 2 & 1/4 hrs at 90% max heart rate and then drive 170 miles home again, but boy was it fun (well sort of)."
5. Tim Fletcher 21:58 65:19 35:29 = 2:02:46 AG 3rd.
158. Aaron Godden 28:43 71:03 44:22 = 2:24:08 AG 22.
Tim received a SILVER Medal at last years Standard Distance European Championships in Tartu, Estonia. Tim will be competing in this years Standard Distance European Championships in Weert, Netherlands in early June; and has now qualified for the 2020 edition in Tartu.
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2 PACTRACers chose to compete at Eton Dorney in the Eton Sprint Triathlon. Both gave a good account of themselves against some tough competition.
The distances were:
swim 750 metres in Eton Dorney lake.
bike 13.25 miles around the lake perimeter on closed roads.
run 3 miles along the lakeside and back.
50. Mark Weathersby 12:24 34:27 18:24 = 65:15 AG 9.
320. Debs Wright 13:30 39:16 23:55 = 76:41 AG 14.
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Nathan Hyden represented PACTRAC at the Wee Beastie open water triathlon run by Thames Valley Triathletes in Berkshire. This is a junior event for 8-16 year old athletes and is a rather unique open water swim for the junior athletes. The bike and the run are safe within the grounds of Beale Park in the Berkshire countryside.
This was Nathan's first race in the Tristar 2 category. "He started with a good swim in very murky lake waters, had a great T1 (getting the wetsuit off very quickly) and well paced cycle, good T2 but sadly got a stitch in lap 2 of 3 on the run, slowing him to walking pace for a lap but he managed to soldier through and ran the last lap at full pace. He still achieved a respectable 18th place as a youngster in that category and got commended by the marshals for keeping going despite clearly being in a lot of pain."
18. Nathan Hyden 5:34 16:53 12:05 = 34:32.
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The first of 8 PACTRAC Mini-Series Triathlons, takes place this Wednesday 22nd May at Oundle. This one and next weeks on 29th May are both designated as Novice events, which means that the swim will have a 200 yard option as well as the usual 400 yards. The bike (10-miles) and run (3.5 miles) are the same for all events.
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Terry Murphy competed in the Bedford Triathlon at Robinsons Pool in Bedford.
swim - 400m in the pool.
bike 15-miles on country roads.
run 3-miles around the park.
Terry said: "Bedford went okay, 74th out of 133 so not too bad for a 71 year old. 1:33:34 hrs. New run course was a bit tight in places."
74. Terry Murphy 11:10 51:49 30:35 = 1:33:34 AG 1st.
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PACTRAC's Andy Rawlins ventured over to the Slateman Triathlon in north Wales, based around Llanberis .
swim 1,000 metres in Lake Padern surrounded by mountains.
bike 32-miles including up the infamous Pen-y-Pass in the heart of the Snowdonia National Park.
run 7-miles through the slate quarry.
246. Andy Rawlins 22:42 2:04:53 1:10:47 = 3:38:22 AG 68.
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The first of 8 mid-week Mini-Series Triathlons, took place at Oundle pool on Wednesday.
The distances are:
swim 400 yards in Ounle pool - 8 lengths.
bike 10-miles. 1-lap around Glapthorn and the Benefield's.
run 3.5-miles out to Glapthorn and back.
Jonathan Arnold led Neil Tandy out of the water, over half-a-minute clear of Tony Daniels and Susie Freeman.
Jaap Flikweert came out of the water in 8th place, with Aaron Godden in 11th and Scott Lloyd in 15th.
Tony soon took the lead on the bike and came in 1:33 minutes ahead of Jaap, with Aaron just 7 seconds further behind. The two leading ladies, Christina Cork and Susie came in close together, but both Tony and Christina pulled out on the run with calf problems. Aaron overtook Jaap to take his first ever Mini-Series win, holding off the fast-approaching Scott by just 21-seconds at the finish, with Jaap in 3rd position; and Susie holding on to take 1st lady.
Aaron needed to beat his previous best time of 56:08 to secure the victory, with Scott having the fastest run on the night. Scott had his best run to date, but just ran out of road in the end; leaving Aaron very pleased with his 2nd triathlon in 4 days.
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The 2nd Mini-Series Triathlon took place at Oundle last Wednesday.
The course and distances were as usual:
swim 400 yards in Oundle Pool.
bike 10 miles around Glapthorn and the Benefields. A sporting course, with 2 good accents and 2 good descents.
run 3.5 miles, out to Glapthorn and back.
Paul Lunn competed in his first mini-series triathlon for 5-years and knocked 11-seconds off of his previous best time. It was a very wet evening, and with this being his last event before flying out to Cairns to compete in the Ironman Triathlon 11 days later, he took no chances on the tricky, winding course.
He came out of the water with Susie Freeman, but soon powered his way around the bike course to take a commanding lead into the run. He eventually finished over 6 1/2 minutes ahead of Aaron Godden who had a very consistent race. Their were only 14 competitors on a very wet night, and only 2 went under the hour. Steve Cook came home in 3rd, whilst Susie finished first lady.
Results are on https://pactrac.co.uk/events/4219/
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Roger Canham won the World Challenge Championship in Samorin at the weekend. Challenge are a rival company to Ironman, but use the same distances of either full or half-ironman. Their world championships are held each year in Samorin, Slovakia in June over the half-ironman distance.
What's better than one Championship win? Two Championship wins! Fresh from winning the World Long Course Championships in Spain last month, PACTRAC's Roger Canham took the Age Group win at the Challenge Championships at Samorin, Slovakia.
Once again Roger dominated the field, using his strength on the bike to stamp his authority, demonstrating what happens when you combine focused work with attention to detail.
The distances were:
swim 1900 metres.
bike 56 miles.
run 13.1 miles.
Temperature 26oF
Roger finished 71st overall and came first in the 55-59 year Age Group. He won the GOLD MEDAL and is the CHALLENGE WORLD CHAMPION.
Roger reported:
"The second stop in my championship campaign was Samorin, Slovakia. Back in December I had shoe-horned the race in Daytona into my calendar in order to win my slot to compete in the Challenge Championship, the world champs for that race series. My back has been pretty sore since October and the right thing to do was rest up and let it heal but with the packed diary of exciting events, I had pushed through to Pontevedra. Since then I hadn’t run in order to help the back ease a little but there was no real improvement. Right through to the morning of the race I was deeply conflicted as to whether to race or just stand on the side lines and watch. In the end I resolved to swim/bike and pull the pin on the run if it got too painful.
Up until an hour before the race start the organisers were still uncertain if the swim would be cancelled due to unseasonably strong currents and cold temperatures in the Danube. The day prior to the race the water was between 12 and 14oC and it needed to be over 14oC to be safe for the full distance swim. Race morning it was 14.4oC so it was game on. The first wave of age group athletes launched themselves forwards as the gun went but about a third found themselves making no forward progress as they wrestled with the current, it was going to be a long swim! I decided to take a very conservative position on the start line and sit behind the front group in order to mitigate the effects of the current. After 500m the river bank gave us some protection from the current and I moved past a few athletes and much to my surprise found myself pretty much at the front. I didn’t know at the time, but I exited the water at the front of the age group, the first time ever I have led out the water.
It was a long run from the river to T1 and onto the bike then 1 1/4 miles through the village and onto the main part of the course. It was a very straightforward flat 56-mile loop alongside the Danube and offered the possibility of a very fast bike split. I was excited to try and lay down a really fast time and build on the gains I had made on the bike this year with a goal of exceeding 25mph and going under 2:15hours. The winds were stronger than predicted and the temperature steadily climbed, but I stuck to the task and just kept pushing right through to the dismount line, just scraping under my target. I was thrilled to have hit my goal but then entered T2 with some trepidation as the run was looming and with an evaporating run fitness and unhappy back it could all come to a grinding halt very quickly. I racked my bike and saw a bike in my age group already there, it must have been someone who had pulled out, but you never know. It later transpired he had been fished out the water after 15 minutes, not strong enough to cope with the conditions. I set off on the run and decided to run until my back became too sore but keeping a very conservative pace so I had a chance of completing the event if it held up.
I targeted 4:30 min/km for the first lap and that seemed ok although it was getting hotter and my heart rate was soaring. With two laps to go, my support confirmed I had a lead of 9 minutes off the bike, enough of a buffer to run 5:00 min/km and still make it across the line in first place. What I deliberately wasn't told was that the guy in second was running 4:15s and closing in on me. I kept my cadence high to help stave off the potential cramping and eating and drinking to ensure I had the fuel to keep going. I continued to propel myself to the line and the prospect of a second championship win. What a feeling to cross the line in first place and get the double, beyond words. The next guy had come in just 3 minutes behind me and had run a blistering pace, something I would be envious of even at my best, he just ran out of real estate!
I have still not really taken it in but I do have to now take some time off training and racing to get the back properly fixed so I can race again either this year or next. I am seeing an army of specialists this month and I have promised a few people I will do what I am told, even if that means an extended period of time off. I love the sport too much to jeopardise all the great years of training and racing ahead and I have had an incredible year. I’m a lucky guy."
71. Roger Canham 33:19 2:22:04 1:34:30 = 4:29:53 AG 1st GOLD MEDAL.
----------------------------------
Jonathan Oakey came 2nd in the Elite Junior Triathlon at Blenheim Palace. This is part of the national Junior Super-Series and gives Jonathan some valuable points. He is in his 3rd year of training and competing with the National Junior Squad at the Leeds Triathlon Academy.
Jonathan was in the lead group of two for the whole of the bike section; they came into T2 over a minute ahead of the chasing pack; and Jonathan still had the third fastest run of the day.
Jemmima Gee made a comeback in her first triathlon for 5-years.
Distances were:
swim 750 metres in the lake.
bike 12.5 miles on closed roads.
run 3.5 miles.
2. Jonathan Oakey 9:12 32:41 19:15 = 1:01:08
2904. Jemima Gee 20:58 56:25 36:27 = 1:53:50 AG 79.
---------------------------------
The European Standard Distance Triathlon Championships took place in Weert, Netherlands at the weekend; with 5 PACTRACers having qualified to compete for GB.
The distances were
Swim 1500m (1 lap).
Bike 25-miles - 2 laps.
Run 6.25-miles - 4 laps.
Water temperature: 18ºC. Air temperature 18ºC.
Athletes compete in 5-year Age Groups and PACTRAC's Tim Fletcher had the best Age Group result, finishing in 5th place. Tim won the Silver medal last year, but had to settle for 5th place in Weert, although just 2:12 minutes behind the winner. Tim was a couple of minutes down after the 1500 metre swim, but he had the fastest bike leg of all to pull himself up to 4th place. Even with the 4th fastest run of the day, he moved down 1 place to 5th overall, just 17 seconds behind 3rd. He started the run 15-seconds behind 4th place, and gained 11 seconds back, but ran out of road.
5. Tim Fletcher 40-44............24:40 59:49 37:32 = 2:02:01
16. Mark Weathersby 35-39....27:05 64:06 40:37 = 2:11:48
24. Angela Wallis 55-59........37:06 80:14 54:36 = 2:51:56
35. Simon Guerin 40-44........25:58 68:42 51:35 = 2:26:15
45. John Crowley 50-54.........27:44 67:07 48:09 = 2:23:00
--------------------------------
Nathan Haydn represented PACTRAC at the Tri Henley Open Water Triathlon - opting for trying a no wetsuit event as the Thames was a balmy 18oC.
TriStar 2 (11-12 year olds).
38. Nathan Haydn 6:17 16:56 11:35 = 34:48.
Off-season results 2018-19. Roger 1st & Tristan 2nd in Daytona. Angela qu's for ITU and ETU Duathlons. Tim 2nd overall at Clitheroe. Paul joins the Specialised Zwift Academy.
We had two new second claim members, who came to the
Frostbite on Sunday and came across the line together to record a 1-2.
Josh Lunn recorded his first Frostbite win, at Ferry Meadows on Sunday,
with fellow PACTRACer Aaron Scott coming home 2nd. Unfortunately, Paul
Vernon who has been a prolific winner in the past, is currently working
abroad, but hopes to return for the January Frostbite, to be held at
March. We had a good team out, but were again missing a couple of the
ladies and overall, were still down a bit; our 7th male counter
finishing in 95th place, and 3rd female in 361st.
{PGER results were: 5) Aaron Scott 66:53 and 9) Josh Lunn 67:37}
-------------------
With the Triathlon season now over for another year, PACTRAC held their
annual AGM and Prize Presentation in Warmington on Saturday night.
At the Annual Prize Presentation, 16 Senior Trophies were awarded:
Club Champion: Mark Weathersby - for the first time.
Vet Champion - Simon Hoppe - last won it in 2015.
Super-vet Champion - Tony Daniels - for the first time.
Female Champion - Georgina Jennings - for the first time.
Female Vet Champion - Georgina Jennings - first won this in 1995.
Female Super-vet Champion - Georgina Jennings - recently won this in
2011 and 2017.
Mini-Series: Mark Weathersby.
Female Mini-Series: Hannah Bassett.
Youth Champion: Jonathan Arnold - retained from last year.
Mid-Distance: Simon Hoppe - won by 3-minutes.
Standard Distance: Mark Weathersby - won by nearly 5-minutes.
Duathlon: Nathan Tweedie - won by 69 seconds.
Pactracer of the Year: Steve Hope.
Novice: Willow Worthington.
Most Improved: Terry Murphy.
Outstanding Performance: Paul Lunn.
Mark Weathersby and Georgina Jennings came away with 3 Trophies each,
whilst Simon Hoppe took home 2.
-------------------
The best Novice Trophy went to Willow Worthington who has immersed
herself into club life,
reduced her Mini-Series time down to 72:53, came 4th in the Ladies Mini-
Series, 5th in the Ladies Club Championships, and competed in her first
open races.
-------------------
Paul Lunn won the Outstanding Performance Trophy.
Paul had some great Age Group results including:
PACTRAC Peterborough Duathlon 2nd.
Competed in the 70.3 Half-Ironman in Alcudia, Majorca, for the
8th consecutive year. 6th/2893. AG 1st.
Dambuster Triathlon 4th. AG 1st.
Ironman European Championships in Frankfurt. AG 2nd (qualified
for Hawaii). 9:16:46
Breca swim,run in Lake Buttermere (with Duncan Shea-Simmonds for
their 3rd attempt). 2nd o/a 6:23:46.
Ironman 70.3 in Nice. 4:49:47. AG 5th.
World Ironman Championships in Hawaii 9:08:27 AG 3rd (2017 9:25:02
AG 5th).
Paul had some tough competition, as PACTRAC had many top performances
throughout 2018, the big highlights being:
PACTRAC have a European Gold (George Prodrick), Silver (Tim Fletcher),
and Bronze (Jim Fell). We also have a British Champion (Georgina
Jennings) two English Champions (Georgina Jennings and Tim Fletcher)
and a 2nd and 3rd place in the Ironman European and World Championships
respectively (Paul Lunn). Not to
mention our Chairman Roger Canham's exotic and inspiring season in
China, Race Across America, Norway and Hawaii.
And that's just some of the PACTRACers who had some extraordinary
success this year.
---------------------
It was a tough decision to award the Most Improved Trophy, as their
were many good candidates, but this was awarded to Terry Murphy. Terry
started swimming in 2014 so that he could compete in triathlon's
from 2015; he stepped up to IronMan 70.3 Staffordshire in 2016. Entered
IronMan Bolton in 2017 but injury forced a dns. But Terry never gives
up and he stepped up to complete IronMan Copenhagen in 14:23:00 for 3rd
place in the 70-74 Age Group. He qualified for the Ironman World
Championships in Kona, Hawaii (places are much coveted), but was unable
to take up the option!!!
---------------------
We also heard that PACTRAC's Jonathan Oakey is to join Nathan Tweedie
on the British Triathlon Elite Squad next year. Nathan is at
Loughborough, but Jonathan has already settled in at the other big
Squad Base in Leeds alongside the Brownlee Brothers. (He has already
beaten Jonathan Brownlee at Pool).
Meanwhile Katie Tasker has kept her place on the Eastern Region Academy
for 2019.
-------------------
Their is just one triathlon left for this year, as Tristan Matthews
prepares for Challenge Daytona in Florida on 9th December over the Half-
Ironman distance.
-------------------
December 9th 2018. Challenge Middle Distance, Daytona, Florida USA.
Two PACTRACers finished the 2018 season off with a trip to race a Half-
Ironman distance triathlon at the Daytona International Speedway Track
in Florida. Challenge Daytona was planned as a 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile
bike and 13.1 mile run. However, the organiser's had to reduce the
distances, due to bad weather.
"Due to the weather system predicted to move through the Volusia-
Flagler Counties , including potential lightning and high winds, we
have deemed it necessary to alter the course for today’s Challenge
DAYTONA Middle Distance Triathlon. Although we were hopeful that the
storm would disperse or be delayed, it now appears that conditions may
not be safe to conduct the race as originally planned."
The race distances were thus reduced to:
swim 800-metres in the sea.
bike 20-miles - 2 laps of a modified bike course.
run 13.1-miles over the original run course.
The Challenge Daytona race is one of 41 qualifying races for The
Challenge Championships to be held in Samorin, Slovakia on June 2,
2019.
Both PACTRACers did extremely well and qualified for the Challenge
Championship Final. (Challenge is a rival company to Ironman, but uses
the same Ironman and Half-Ironman distances).
15. Tristan Matthews 14:49 45:05 1:19:49 = 2:19:43 AG 2nd
(40-44).
Tristan was 115th overall after the swim, moved up to 23rd on the bike,
and then to 15th by the finish. He started the run in 5th position in
his Age Group, and made up 3 places to finish 2nd in his Age Group and
qualify for Slovakia.
35. Roger Canham 14:22 47:00 1:23:35 = 2:24:57 AG 1st (50-
54).
Roger was 85th out of the water, moved up to 40th on the bike and then
gained a further 5 places on the run. He won his 50-54 year Age Group
and will now be heading to Slovakia next June with Tristan.
Tristan said: "The last few days have been epic. We've traveled, raced
and qualified for the Challenge Family Championship next year. This was
an amazing race. 15th overall!! And 2nd in my Age Group!! Fantastic
job!! Super proud!! Celebrating 15TH place out of 650."
----------------
Hello Bob.
Angela Wallis competed in the NiceTri Duathlon held at Grafham Water over the distances of:
Run 6.25 miles.
bike 25 miles.
run 3 miles.
It was a warm, dry February morning, and the athletes enjoyed competing for places in the GB team for the World Duathlon Championships in 2020. The venue has yet to be announced, but the top 4 in each Age Group qualify and Angela Wallis came 4th and qualified.
143. Angela Wallis 56:39 87:18 29:30 = 2:53:27 Age Group 4th.
----------------------
The PACTRAC Peterborough Duathlon takes place for the 5th year at Castor on Sunday 31st March. Distances are: run 4-miles, bike 18-miles and run 2.5-miles. Each discipline goes straight up the notorious Loves Hill in Castor and entries are open to all comers on www.pactrac.co.uk
----------------------
the Saucony Cambridge Half-Marathon on Sunday; PACTRAC had 6 runners:
376) Wayne Stainsby 1:27:22
379) Daniel Fitzjohn 1:27:47.
1044) Stuart Lemmon 1:36:34.
1462) Louise Alexander 1:40:03
2380) Steve Hope 1:43:20.
2230) Simon Pauffley 1:47:47.
------------------------
Kay Savage Riley ran in the Benidorm half marathon recording a time of 1:57:20.
-----------------------
Hello Bob.
Bedford Autodrome Duathlon.
Standard Distance - run 6.25 miles, bike 25 miles, run 3 miles. This was a qualifying race for the European Championships next year (venue still to be confirmed).
Angela Wallis was PACTRAC's only competitor and she came home 4th in her Age Group to qualify for next year's European Championships.
143. Angela Wallis 56:39 87:18 29:30 = 2:53:27 AG 4th.
------------------------------
Some running results from the weekend.
Sage Reading half-marathon:
12. Josh Lunn 1:06:29
70. Paul Lunn 1:14:04 PB. AG 2nd.
1970. Mark Poole 1:45:39.
Both ran for their first claim club Bedford County AC. Paul finally dipped under 1:15:00 for the first time in a new PB of 1:14:04. He's still getting faster. Paul and Josh were after the prestigious father and son best aggregate time and they beat that record by 4 minutes.
-----------------------------------
Oundle 20 mile race:
69. Louise Alexander 2:37:37 AG 2nd.
429 finishers.
--------------------------------
Sublime 10k at Long Sutton:
Jim Fell 53:00 Ag 2nd.
Daniel Richardson 60:09 (Daniel did 66:00 on the same course in November).
-------------------------
1.. Relay.. The Shrews............. 23.41.... 44.10.... 14.24..=.. 1.22.15
2.. G.. Nathaniel Walker........... 22.20.... 46.36.... 14.13..=.. 1.23.09
3.. I.. Jonny Hynes................... 25.14.... 46.07.... 16.31..=.. 1.27.52
4.. H.. Matthew Allen................ 22.33.... 51.18.... 14.31..=.. 1.28.22
5.. B.. Owen Wilkinson............. 23.19.... 50.28.... 14.51..=.. 1.28.38
6.. Relay.. The Brabands.......... 26.14.... 50.10.... 16.30..=.. 1.32.54
7.. Relay.. M&M........................ 29.25.... 45.49.... 17.59..=.. 1.33.13
8.. H.. John Odell...................... 26.06.... 49.48.... 17.33..=.. 1.33.27
9.. G.. Danny Hawksford.......... 27.36.... 49.31.... 17.05..=.. 1.34.12
10.. H.. Wayne Stainsby........... 26.13.... 53.05.... 16.13..=.. 1.35.31
11.. J.. Giles Cooper................. 26.53.... 51.44.... 17.04..=.. 1.35.41
12.. I.. Rob Hammond.............. 27.32.... 51.18.... 17.49..=.. 1.36.39
–-------------------------------
62 individuals and 3 Relay Teams competed in the PACTRAC Peterborough Duathlon, held at Castor on Sunday. The event was based in the School Playing Field, with competitors having to:
Run 4-miles. After ¼ mile the runners turned left and ran uphill, straight up Water Lane and back. This was to spread them out before the big hill of the day, Loves Hill, climbing out of Castor at the beginning of each of the 3-disciplines. Then their was the downhill into Ferry Meadows before running around the triangle of paths at the top end of Ferry Meadows. Then back uphill and heading towards Castor where the run went down the steep Loves Hill, into Castor and back to the School Playing Field.
Bike 18-miles. Out to Marholm and Helpston Heath (5.5 miles), before riding in an anti-clockwise direction for 7-miles, around Helpston, Bainton and Ufford. The final 5.5 miles returned via Marholm to Castor. Again Loves Hill had to be conquered, going up on the way out, right at the start, and down to finish.
Run 2.5 miles. This time, straight up Loves Hill to Milton Ferry Bridge, and straight back uphill to start with, but a fast downhill finish.
–-----------------------------
First across the line were The Shrews – a Relay Team who came up from Shrewsbury on the day (plus the clocks went forward 1-hour!). They were 4th after the first run, but had the fastest cyclist on the course by 2-minutes, to take the lead. On the 2nd run, having had a rest, their runner was able to have the 2nd fastest run, which was enough to see them come home first by nearly a minute.
Their was some tough competition for 2nd place in the Relay Section, with The Brabands from Castor taking a good lead on the run. However, Castor's other team, the M&M's came back strongly on the bike with Martin Atkinson securing the 2nd fastest bike split of the day. On the final run, The Brabands made up a defecit of 70 seconds to overtake on the way down Loves Hill and finish just 19-seconds ahead.
In the main event, Nathaniel Walker (Leicester), a GB athlete who came 3rd in the event last year, completed the first 4-mile run, just 13 seconds ahead of Matthew Allen (Norfolk), with the youngest competitor, Owen Wilkinson (Ryhal) of Nene Valley Harriers a further 46 seconds behind in 3rd.
Johnny Hynes from Castor, had the fastest individual bike split and propelled himself up to 2nd place behind Nathaniel who was still 2:25 minutes ahead. Nathaniel nearly doubled his advantage on the final 2.5 mile run and finished 4:43 minutes ahead. He came 3rd last year behind the PACTRAC pairing of Nathan Tweedie and Paul Lunn, but without that pairing in front, Nathaniel knocked nearly 3-minutes off of his time, to record the 2nd fastest individual time on the course, just over a couple of minutes behind Paul Vernon's 2016 Course Record.
In the ladies race Caroline Woods from Yaxley Runners was 9th overall after the first run and took a commanding lead, which she extended on the bike and again on the final run, to take the honours by nearly 8-minutes from 2nd place Susie Freeman (Castor). Susie consolidated 2nd place on the bike and further extended the buffer to finish 4 ½ minutes clear of Geraldine Jordan (Kings Lynn) in 3rd. Sadie Boor (Werrington Joggers), had been fighting it out for 2nd on the run, but lost out to the regular multi-discipline athletes on the bike.
16.. G.. Caroline Woods........... 26.28.... 56.12.... 17.34..=.. 1.40.14
31.. G.. Susie Freeman.............. 30.00.... 58.18.... 19.52..=.. 1.48.10
37.. J.. Geraldine Jordan............. 32.45.... 59.24.... 20.30..=.. 1.52.39
42.. I.. Sadie Boor........................ 29.59.... 66.14.... 20.21..=.. 1.56.34
Full results are on https://pactrac.co.uk/events/4217/
The photo's attached are of:
1. Owen Wilkinson of NVH's the youngest competitor who finished 4th individual.
2. Kay Riley. A new PACTRAC recruit and Age Group winner.
3. Giles Cooper. A long-time PACTRAC member, who won his Age Group and was involved in a tussle with Wayne Stainsby for the first PACTRACer, Wayne taking it by just 10-seconds.
4. PACTRAC's current European Duathlon Champion George Prodrick, the oldest competitor at 78, who jumped up onto the Podium like a spring chicken.
5. The Relay Winners, The Shrews (Dan Elliot and Connor Middleton) from Shrewsbury.
6. The first 3 ladies.
7. The first 3 men, each with their Trophy, Bottle of bubbly and a goodie bag from the sponsors Fenland Runner promoting their Born Superior Sports Care brand.
-------------------------------------------
...PACTRAC’s Katie Tasker (16) and Jonathan Oakey (19) have qualified for the British Triathlon Youth & Junior Super Series of Triathlons. The 2019 British Triathlon Youth & Junior Super Series is designed to bring together the best young triathletes from across the UK, so they can race head to head at…
Congratulations to both Jonathan and Katy who will now be racing in the most prestigious races on the calendar this year, alongside the other elite juniors in the country. They join Nathan Tweedie who has again been selected to join the Elite Senior Triathlon Squad at Loughborough, making it 3-athletes from PACTRAC competing at the Elite level.
------------
2 athletes from Great Britain, Paul Lunn (PACTRAC) and Ruth Purbrook (LONDON), were selected to join the Specialized Zwift Academy Triathlon Team for 2019. The 8 athletes are from all over the world, but the common aim is to qualify for, and podium at the World Ironman Championships in Hawaii in October. The 8 team members will all meet up in San Francisco in mid-May for a team brief, bike set-up and wind tunnel training, kit distribution and photo opportunities.
An article on uk website tri247 is here https://www.tri247.com/triathlon-news/age-group/zwift-academy-2019-winners-announced
The team are mentored by British Olympian Tim Don and American Olympian Sarah True. Their website is here zwift.com/academy/tri
Paul said: "Super excited to be part of this amazing setup for 2019, thanks for the opportunity of a lifetime." Paul will receive full assistance in every department from training to nutrition to kit, in a team of 8 talented athletes, all with big Kona (Hawaii) aspirations.
His next target is the Virgin London Marathon on 28th April, followed by a half-Ironman in Majorca before his trip to San Francisco to meet the team.
PACTRAC now have 3 members in the GB Elite squad this year, and now one in an International Elite squad. Nathan Tweedie retains his place on the GB Elite squad in Loughborough, whilst both Jonathan Oakey and Katie Tasker qualified two weekends ago (31st March), in the BTF trials at Nottingham University, and will both be competing in the Elite Junior races this year, starting with Llanelli on 11th May https://www.britishtriathlon.org/events/performance-events/youth-and-junior-super-series
----------------------------
Katie Tasker finished 7th in the Elite Youths in the National Duathlon Championships held at Bedford Autodrome on Sunday, in windy conditions.
The distances were:
Run 1.5 miles.
Bike 6 miles.
Run 1 mile.
7. Katie Tasker 8:59 18:49 6:24 = 34:12
-----------------------------
The Scampton Duathlon, formed the first event in the 2019 East Midlands Junior Series. All events took place on the RAF airfield taxiways and perimeter roads used by the Red Arrows, so all in a safe and traffic free environment and on a course which was flat and fast.
Age group Run 1 Bike Run 2
TriStar Start 400m 1.5k (1 lap) 200m
TriStar 1 1.2k 4k (3 laps) 400m
TriStar 2 1.6k 6k (4 laps) 600m
TriStar 3 2k 7.5k (5laps) 800m
Adult (solo) 5k 21k (3 laps adult) 2.5k
9 PACTRACers competed, with the best result coming from Anna Blake who was 2nd in the TriStars race. Anna was well up there in the swim and moved up into 2nd place on the bike, before maintaining that on the final run to come home 8-seconds ahead of 3rd.
Seniors.
23. Andy Corner 24:47 38:57 10:23 = 74:07
TriStars.
2. Anna Blake 2:33 5:53 0:41 = 9:07
TriStar 1.
33. Katie Blake 6:26 10:08 2:21 = 18:55
54. Josh Moore 7:59 11:21 2:32 = 21:52
61. Hannah Coull 7:52 14:40 2:59 = 25:31
TriStar 2.
30. Franky Phillips 7:48 16:42 2:59 = 27:29
35. Calleigh Coull 7:07 17:30 3:09 = 27:46
Tristar 3.
43. Libby Mellor 9:43 22:13 4:07 = 36:03
48. Chloe Moore 11:22 22:59 4:46 = 39:07
--------------------------------
Richard Rodriguez competed in the Grantham Triathlon in his first ever sprint triathlon. He said:"Great event, well organised and a brilliant atmosphere from competitors, organisers and the local supporters".
The distances were:
swim 400m.
bike 10.25 miles.
Run 3 miles.
148. Richard Rodriguez 10:27 42:30 32:16 = 85:13 AG 32.
------------------
PACTRAC had a competitor in both the local Sublime Peterborough Marathon and the Boston USA Marathon at the weekend.
Boston USA.
5148. Giles Cooper 3:13:53.
(First half 1:33:13. Second half 1:40:40).
Others (all Yaxley Runners)
Gina Crane 3:32:31.
Ros Loutit 3:44:04.
Hugh Burton 3:53:19.
Sublime Peterborough Marathon.
34. Neil Strenge 3:38:26.
----------------------
Tim Fletcher competed in the Clitheroe Triathlon, finishing 2nd overall and first in his Age Group.
"The Clitheroe Triathlon is a challenging course set in the Ribble Valley. It starts with a 400m pool swim, but the real fun starts on the bike as the 19-mile ride is ‘lumpy’ and includes the climb up Birdy Brow, onto Longridge Fell. The run is relatively flat compared to the bike ride, and is 5-miles out and back on road."
The distances were:
swim 400 metres.
bike 19-miles.
run 5-miles.
Tim was 4th out of the water, after the 400 metre pool swim. He then moved up to 2nd on the bike, and created a good gap to third. Tim then had the fastest run of the day, but was unable to catch the leader and came home a good 2nd overall.
2. Tim Fletcher 6:11 53:22 29:05 = 1:28:38. AG 1st.
----------------
Standard Distance Triathlon Event this Sunday 28th.
Currently I am struggling to organise this event due to the unavailability of a event coordinator, time keeper and 3 key marshals. So the question must be asked, how many club members will be taking part? Please can we have a show of hands who will be racing, as soon as possible.
Thank you.
New swim time on Monday's / Extra Mini-Series added.
Their will be a change to Monday swim times at Oundle.
Due to Oundle's Summer School, plus a further School Timetable change for next term, our Monday night swims will change to a 7:30 start from Monday 22nd July 2019.
Up to and including Monday 15th July. 7:00 - 8:00 or 8:30pm (the extra half-hour is at your discretion).
From Monday 22nd July. 7:30 - 8:30 or 9:00pm (an extra half-hour for anybody that wants to stay in for longer)
As the school has changed its timetable, this change will continue until at least Christmas and may stay as a permanent change.
---------------
This year, we are again promoting 8 Mini-Series events. With the postponement of Mini-Series 4 due to torrential rain, an extra event, Mini-Series 9, will now be added on at the end, on Wednesday 17th July.
Mid-Distance Triathlon this Monday PLUS Open Water swimming.
The club Mid-Distance Triathlon takes place from Oundle Pool on Monday 6th May. That's this Bank Holiday Monday, starting at 9:00am. It's the first of this year's Club Championship Events, so we expect a good turnout. Arrive early to Register, set up your Transition and listen to the Race Brief. Further details including the Race Brief are here http://pactrac.co.uk/events/4226/ As a reminder, non-members can enter two club races before being asked to join.
It is entries on the day, so just turn up and join in the fun. If you can confirm your intentions here https://rallly.co/BJvqmbqqN?fbclid=IwAR0ZP44mpm3F7CgnLJ1OYRW9Aou3Qy2_N8fpgl1TkC8M-BlKScyJ4BGAFX8 that would help, but if not, well, just turn up anyway! Previously we have had over 30 competitors for this Bank Holiday Club Championships.
The distances are:
Swim 900 yards - that's 18-lengths of Oundle Pool.
Bike 20-miles - that's 2-laps of the Mini-Series course around Glapthorn and the Benefield's (do NOT come into Transition before you have done 2-laps).
Run 5-miles - clockwise around Glapthorn Cross-Roads and Cotterstock Cross-Roads.
We are still looking for a few extra marshals; If you can spare some time, please email sue_p_mcleod@yahoo.com
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We have a Triple swim on Monday;
9:00am Mid-Distance Tri.
12:00pm a swim in the River Nene from Oundle Boat House, diagonally opposite Oundle Wharf (Park at the back of the Gorilla Cycle Shop) - out against the current and fast back, so turn when you've had enough, but please buddy-up. We should have kayak support, but please bring a brightly coloured hat.
7:00pm the normal pool swim at Oundle. A hard session, in case you haven't had enough.
----------------------------
We will then swim in the Nene at Wadenhoe for the next 2-3 Thursday's before starting our annual Woodford to Castor Nene swims.
Peterborough Schools Triathlon - Saturday 29th June 2019.
file:///C:/Users/steve/Downloads/Web%20page%20tri.pdf
More details to follow very shortly. Watch this space.
PACTRAC Peterborough Duathlon - Sunday 31st March 2019.
Race Headquarters is the Village Hall in Castor PE5 7AX.
Entries are now open https://pactrac.co.uk/events/4217/ but will close on Monday 25th March.
NO entries on the day.
A request for volunteers has gone out. Please respond if you can volunteer, either on the Forum, Facebook or to sjhope@tiscali.co.uk
We are pleased that Fenland Runner will be in attendance, promoting their Born sports care products https://www.fenlandrunner.com/store/c55/BORN.html
We will also, once again, be having a video of the event, taken by Steve Ashman. The 2018 video is here https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=peterborough+duathlon and of course, our very own Steve Wedley will be out and about taking photographs.
Steve Ashman's video of the 2019 Duathlon is here https://youtu.be/kGK2Eh1MK5I
Swimming.
From 17th May we have now re-started swim sessions at Oundle at 7:30pm on Monday's and Wednesday's. Later in the year, we should be able to add Friday's as well.
The sessions last for 1-hour and currently, due to various restrictions placed on us by Oundle Pool and the BTF, we are currently swimming without coaches and are restricted to 30 members swimming at a time. It is also seniors only at the moment.
Due to current restrictions, these are members only sessions, but new member's can join here https://pactrac.co.uk/page/join/ Members are able to sign up on ClubPal for sessions in advance at £5 per swim. Monday's are in the 50m pool and Wednesday's in the 25m pool. It is a great new facility.
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UPDATE: We are expecting to be in the pool at Oundle from 17th May. In the meantime, keep an eye on the Facebook page for details of swim's at both Stanground and the Peterborough Lido.
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UPDATE: We are currently looking to be in the pool at Oundle, from the week beginning 18th January. Further update in the next few days.
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UPDATE: Following a meeting with the school and a look around the new facilities, it looks like we will be able to commence our swim sessions there from Monday 4th January. It's still possible that we could be in earlier but looking unlikely at the moment.
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Work has now re-commenced on the New Oundle Sports Centre site this week (03/05/20). Oundle have decided to PERMANENTLY CLOSE the current swimming pool and commence the de-commissioning of the site. No dates are currently available as to when the new centre will open.
The current Sports Centre’s dry facilities will reopen at some stage, but not the swimming pool.
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Oundle School have closed the Swimming Pool to outside members of the public, until the spread of CoronaVirus is contained. Our last swim at Oundle was on Monday 9th March. We will not be swimming at Oundle until further notice.
Oundle School are in a difficult position, having to look after their pupils first. Other pools are still open, so we hope to make alternative arrangements shortly.
OTHER OPTIONS:
Stanground £4:60
Regional Pool £5:10
Jack Hunt £5:10
Thrapston £3:30
Corby £4:70
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There has been a delay to the opening of the new pool.
The current swimming pool will now be in use until 22nd May. We will then have 5-weeks without a pool with access to the new pool complex being from Monday 29th June.
Watch this space for further updates, details of the Mid-Distance and Mini-Series Triathlons, and arrangements for swimming at other pools in June.
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An update on the new 50m pool at Oundle which is being built right next door to the current pool:
The current pool is due to close on Friday 20th March 2020, with the new pool opening on Monday 27th April. This means that we will be without a swimming pool for 5-weeks. We are currently looking at alternative options. Of course, things may overrun which is why we currently don't have a date for the Mid-Distance Triathlon, but are looking at May-time.
In the new pool, we have applied for: Monday 50m, Wednesday 25m, and Friday 50m.
Don't forget our regular weekly activities:
Monday 7:30-9:00pm Oundle. Swimming.
Tuesday 6:30-7:45pm Peterborough Athletics Track. Running.
Wednesday 7:30-8:30pm Oundle. Swimming.
Friday 7:30-8:30pm Oundle. Swimming.
Saturday 9:30-11:30AM Stanground. Run and swim technique.
Sunday Juniors 10:15am / Seniors 11:00am Frostbite once a month. Running.
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Oundle pool will be closed on Friday 13th Dec 2019 for the staff Xmas Party as well as 25/12/19 and 01/01/20.
Their will be no coach on poolside Monday 23/12, Friday 27/12, Monday 30/12 or Friday 3/1.
For the brave or foolish, their will be general open water swims at Gildenburgh, Whittlesey on 22/12 and Ferry Meadows, Peterborough on 26/12. (See various Facebook messages for further info).
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Oundle pool will be closed for the Easter Bank Holiday weekend, which means that their will be NO swimming on Friday 19th April or Monday 22nd April.
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These are the dates that Oundle pool will be closed over Christmas:
Friday 14th December.
Monday 24th December.
Wednesday 26th December.
Monday 31st December.
Paul takes third in the World Ironman Championships. George wins GOLD and Jim BRONZE in the European Duathlon Championships. Nathan takes SILVER.
PACTRAC's Tristan Matthews completed the Bournemouth
half marathon in a very respectable 1:24:25.
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Paul Lunn and Roger Canham are currently in Hawaii acclimatising for
this Saturday's Ironman World Championships.
(swim 2.4 miles in the Pacific Ocean. Bike 112 miles in the heat of the
lava fields. Run 26.2 miles).
Paul Lunn competed in the Ironman European Championships in Frankfurt,
in early July, coming 2nd in his Age Group to qualify for the Ironman
World Championships for the 2nd consecutive year. Roger Canham
qualified earlier in the year in China and will be competing in his
10th Hawaii World Championships.
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Then on 24th October, Nathan Tweedie represents GB in the Elite under
23 European Aquathlon Championships in Ibiza. Nathan has propelled
himself to the top of the sport and is training hard at Loughborough
with the best British athletes. Also in action in Ibiza, in the Age
Group European Duathlon Championships on 21st October, will be
PACTRAC's Jim Fell and George Prodrick. Steve Hope, meanwhile will
compete on the same weekend on the neighbouring island of Majorca in a
half-Ironman distance triathlon.
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PACTRAC's Paul Lunn and Roger Canham competed in the World Ironman
Championships in Hawaii for the 2nd and 10th consecutive time,
respectively.
Ironman interview with Paul Lunn prior to the 2018 Ironman World
Championships: https://www.tri247.com/triathlon-features/interviews/gbkona-2018-paul-lunn-profile
Distances:
swim 2.4 miles in the ocean.
bike 112 miles in the heat of the lava fields.
run 26.2 miles again in the same heat.
It is very difficult to qualify for this, as most long distance
athletes in the world covet one of only 2,221 places. Even if you do
qualify, you have to contend with the soaring heat and wind in the
barren lava fields.
Roger is normally in the top 10 in his Age Group, but last year he
suffered a broken collar bone in training but still raced and finished
55th. This year his main focus has been the RAAM Race Across AMerica, a
3,000 mile team bike race.
Roger said "This year, RAAM, Norseman Extreme Triathlon and half of the
run volume in my build up was never going to cut it for out here, but I
knew that. I was ready for the day that I had. I made some improvements
on the bike this year, so just need to get my run back up to scratch
and launch myself into the 55-59 Age Group next year. It was a hard day
at the office. That's the fastest I have ridden for ten year's in
Hawaii and that's the slowest marathon I have run for a long time."
Roger qualified for Hawaii, in the 70.3 Half-Ironman in Liuzhou, China,
in April.
Paul Lunn competed in his second Hawaii Ironman World Championships and
moved up from 5th place last year, in a tough Age Group, to 3rd this
year.
After a good swim, Paul moved through the field with a super-fast bike
split. He improved in all 3-disciplines on last year including 12-
minutes on the bike and 4 on the run.
2017 9:25:02
2018 9:08:27
Paul said: "That run was super tough. I'm pretty happy moving up the
Podium two places from last year. Need to start planning how to go two
better next time." This was the result of endless 6am starts, training
twice a day for months on end, alongside a full time job.
Results:
Paul Lunn 1:05:01.....4:43:47.....3:19:39..=..9:08:27 Age Group
3rd.
Roger Canham 1:09:29.....5:20:04.....4:06:57..=..10:36:30 Age Group
70th.
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This weekend sees the European Duathlon Championships, Mid-Distance
Triathlon Championships and Aquathlon Championships in Ibiza, with Jim
Fell, George Prodrick, Paul Jephcott and Nathan Tweedie representing
GB.
Nathan is representing GB in the ELITE Under 23 Aquathlon
Championships, and is the only ELITE representative.
https://www.britishtriathlon.org/news/gb-elite-team-for-european-multisport-championships-confirmed_9714
Schedule:
Saturday 20 October: Duathlon
Wednesday 24 October: Aquathlon
Saturday 27 October: Middle Distance Triathlon.
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Two PACTRACer's represented GB in the European Duathlon Championships
in Ibiza. Jim Fell in the 70-74 Age Group and George Prodrick in the 75-
79.
George Prodrick only went and won his Age Group and is now the European
Duathlon Champion in the over 75 category. He won the GOLD medal by 9-
minutes.
The distances were:
run 6.25 miles.
bike 24 miles.
run 3 miles.
Over the first run, George took an early lead by 2-minutes. He then
pulled away further on each discipline to win by 9-minutes overall.
This was George's 2nd time representing GB and his first Podium finish.
He takes over from Georgina Jennings this year as PACTRAC's Gold
Medalist having trained with a select group of local GB athletes for a
number of year's now.
In the same training group is Jim Fell, who also represented GB in
Ibiza in the same race, bringing home the BRONZE Medal in the over 70
Age Category.
Jim was in a very close race and had the fastest first run over 6.25
miles to be first away on the bike. He was overtaken on the 24-mile
bike section, but had the 2nd fastest bike split and came in to start
the final discipline only 20-seconds down. All was still close, as Jim
had already ran the fastest in the first run. However, he was overtaken
in T2 and set off on the final 3-mile run in 3rd place, just behind and
chasing.
However, Jim had given it his best shot from the outset and wasn't able
to keep the high intensity in the final run, finishing over 2-minutes
behind the silver medalist. He still had the 4th fastest final run and
held onto 3rd place for a European BRONZE Medal. Jim beat the overall
winner by 1:25 minutes in the first run, as his plan to put a marker
down on the event unfolded.
This is the 6th time that Jim has represented GB; his previous best
placing being 8th.
He came 8th in his Age Group in the World Duathlon Championships in
Denmark in July.
He was also 8th in the World Duathlon Sprint Championships in Canada in
2017.
This is, therefore, the first time that both George and Jim have won
international honours.
The attached photo's are of George Prodrick a) in the finishing
straight b) on the bike and c) with Jim Fell at the local Dambusters
Triathlon in 2015 where both again won honours.
Results:
Jim Fell................53:51....67:57....31:11..=..2:32:59 Age Group
3rd BRONZE MEDAL 70-74.
George Prodrick..67:16....80:16....34:30..=..3:02:02 Age Group 1st
GOLD MEDAL 75-79.
Later in the week Nathan Tweedie and Paul Jephcott will be competing in
the European Aquathlon (Wednesday) and Middle-Distance Triathlon
(Saturday) respectively.
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Steve Hope competed in the Challenge Paguera half-Ironman distance
triathlon on the neighbouring island of Majorca. The distances were:
swim 1900 metres - out and back with a strong current in the warm
Mediterranean Sea.
bike 56 miles - 2 laps of an undulating / hilly course that went into
the early part of the mountain, but all on closed roads.
run 13.1 miles. 4 laps constantly undulating.
Results:
463. Steve Hope 35:29 3:10:45 2:05:24 = 5:51:38 Age Group
14.
other.
550. Chris Shaw (Fenland Clarion CC) 43:35 3:14:56 2:10:19 = 6:
08:50 AG 18.
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Dan Wilson competed in Ironman Barcelona finishing in a great time of 9:
38:59. After a 2.4 mile sea swim, Dan averaged 23mph for the 112 mile
bike section before consolidating his position with a fast marathon
time of just over 3 1/2 hours.
161 Dan Wilson 1:05:34....5:00:33....3:32:52..=..9:38:59 AG 30.
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On the running front Nicholas Partridge competed in the Chelmsford
Marathon.
532. Nicholas Partridge 5:27:17.
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Nathan Tweedie recorded a 2nd place in the European Aquathlon
Championships in Ibiza.
1. Samuel Dickinson 10:42 0:20 17:19 = 28:22
2. Nathan Tweedie 10:40 0:21 17:36 = 28:38
3. Dylan Magnien (FRA) 10:56 0:18 17:40 = 28:54
Nathan is doing the club proud. He is part of the GB Elite Triathlon
set-up at Loughborough and was one of only two athletes selected to
compete in the European Aquathlon Championships to represent GB.
The distances were short and sharp:
swim: 750 metres in the sea.
run: 3 miles.
The other GB athlete, Sam Dickinson, is a world under23 medal winner,
so Nathan was in good company.
Nathan led the field in the sea swim, but had Sam right on his toes.
The pair left transition together before Sam pulled just 16-seconds
clear over the 3-mile run, to bring home the Gold and Silver medals for
GB. Nathan was a further 16-seconds ahead of the Bronze medalist from
France, so it was all very close and the medals hard-fought.
This is the 3rd time that Nathan has represented GB in the Under23
Europen Aquathlon Championships and the 2nd time that he has been on
the Podium.
2016 2nd.
2017 4th.
2018 2nd.
Various events took place over the week, where George Prodrick and Jim
Fell competed for medals in the Duathlon. Paul Jephcott was selected to
represent GB in the Mid-Distance European Championships Age Group Team.
Unfortunately, Paul subsequently got injured and was unable to run, but
still went out their, put the vest on and completed the swim and bike.
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Their is only one triathlon left for this year now:
Tristan Matthews will be competing in Challenge Daytona in Florida,
over the half-Ironman distance on 8th December.
Before that we have the PACTRAC AGM and Prize Presentation on 17th
November.
Katie competes in the School Games. Georgina qualifies. Simon 2nd o/a. Roger wins SILVER. Paul prepares for IM World Championships. Two compete on the Gold Coast.Steve beats the elements and Jon 8th.
St Neots Standard Distance Triathlon (swim 1500 metres in the River Ouse. Bike 28 miles (2 laps). Run 6 miles (4 laps in the park). This was a big national race with Georgina Jennings winning her Age Group and qualifying for next year's European Championships in Weert, Netherlands.
67. Andy Chapman 23:17 75:29 40:25 = 2:19:11
103. Jon Crowley 23:59 78:29 40:40 = 2:23:08
178. Simon Guerin 24:40 78:38 46:48 = 2:30:06
293. Steve Hope 26:43 88:35 46:51 = 2:42:09
416. Georgina Jennings 34:10 101:02 67:39 = 3:22:51 AG 1st.
In the accompanying Sprint Triathlon (750 metres in the River Ouse, 15.5 miles, 3 miles), Simon Hoppe went into the run in 2nd place and held that position to finish 2nd overall and 1st in his Age Group. Simon is now, already, in the Gold Coast in Australia ahead of this weekend's World Triathlon Championships.
2. Simon Hoppe 11:37 42:01 19:45 = 73:23 AG 1st.
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The Sundowner Triathlon, based at Allerthorpe Lakeland Park, just 10 miles from York, incorporated: swim 1.2 miles, bike 56 miles, run 13.12 miles.
393. Sue Davys 42:05 3:24:03 2:55:47 = 7:01:55 AG 9.
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North Norfolk Tri at Wells-next-the-sea.
James MacWilliam said "Completed the Wells Tri in time of 2hrs 52 mins 06, 2 years after my first go as a team member.
It was hot and running on Holkham beach on soft sand not the easiest terrain- then again it was at least flat."
119. Christian Richards 24:31 80:17 54:48 = 2:39:36 AG 28.
175. James MacWilliam 26:25 84:46 60:55 = 2:52:06 AG 37.
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2 PACTRACers ventured north for the notorious Epicman Yorkshire Triathlon, which took place from Wensleydale.
Steve Skelhon said "Today we are Epic men!!! 1.4 mile swim, 56.5 mile bike with 5080ft elevation gain and a 13 mile run up Great Shunner Fell with 1895ft elevation gain!"
16. Andy Chapman 42:05 3:57:47 2:36:49 = 7:16:41 AG 5.
21. Steve Skelhon 43:43 4:31:20 2:32:28 = 7:47:31 AG 3.
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In the Monster Standard Distance (1500metres, 27.5miles, 7miles)
74. Mark Bedford 39:48 1:31:31 50:05 = 3:01:24
76. Richard Wright 34:06 1:41:50 45:56 = 3:01:52
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Mark Weathersby competed in the Coniston Chillswim, a 5.25 mile straight swim along the length of Coniston. Mark was 3 minutes quicker than last year in a time of 2 hours 36 minutes. No wetsuits are allowed.
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"A quick update from a very busy few days over at Loughborough, where Katie Tasker was selected to represent the East at the UK School Games. Over 1000 of the UK's top athletes are invited to attend this prestigious event. There is a real ‘championship’ feel to the event with all the competitors remaining on the University campus for 4 days. There was an Aquathon on the Thursday, then bike trials and bike race on the Friday. Katie came a credible 7th at the event helped by a strong bike; posting the 2nd fastest time on the ‘dustbin’ test. Saturday was the Mixed Team Relay and she went on the 1st leg. Tasker exited the pool in 9th position and was able to move up a couple of positions through T1. The bike course was a twisty and hilly course around the University campus which favoured Katie. She was able to manoeuvre her way through the field and entered T2 in 2nd. She had a strong run and passed the baton over in 5th place. The remaining Eastern team were able to consolidate their position and managed to narrowly edge out Scotland for 4th place of the 13 regions
This sets Katie up well for the British Championships at Mallory park in 2 weeks time where the national title is up for grabs.
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Saturday saw the 16th edition of the Vitruvian Triathlon, a leading
event in the UK calendar held at Rutland Water. This year, the event
incorporated the 2018 Triathlon England National Middle Distance
Championships.
Their was a high calibre of racing in cool, bright and at times breezy
conditions but some seriously fast times and splits were delivered. The
event incorporated the Triathlon England National Championships for
2018 and attracted competitors from all across the country; once again
having an RAF flyover.
It was a tough event, with 30 non-finishers, but PACTRAC's Roger Canham
came away with 2nd place in his Age Group, to win the SILVER MEDAL.
The distances were:
swim 1900 metres - at Whitwell in Rutland Water.
bike - 53 miles. 2 laps around Oakham, Uppingham, Morcott, Ketton and
Empingham. Their were 4 big hills on each lap, including the triple
hills of the Rutland Ripple between Oakham and Uppingham, plus the hill
at Ketton Cement.
run 13.1 miles - to Normanton church and back, twice.
41. Dan Wilson 31:37 2:20:41 1:28:41 = 4:20:59 AG 9.
55. Roger Canham 31:17 2:26:40 1:27:04 = 4:25:01 AG 2.
82. Tristan Matthews 36:03 2:25:39 1:31:23 = 4:33:05 AG 14.
105. Jonathan Hynes 31:06 2:26:54 1:40:22 = 4:38:22 AG 11.
106. Jonathan Oakey 25:07 2:33:19 1:40:06 = 4:38:32 AG 6.
114. Michael Shadwell 32:46 2:31:48 1:36:36 = 4:41:10 AG 15.
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Meanwhile Dave Patmore-Hill competed in the Isuzu IRONMAN 70.3 World
Championship's in South Afdrica. 2800 athletes had qualified for this
event, which saw some fierce competition, particularly for the first 3
places, which were all won by Olympic medalists, with Alistair Brownlee
finishing 2nd overall behind Jan Frodeno but ahead of Javier Gomez.
Distances:
swim 1900 metres.
bike 56 miles.
run 13.1 miles.
1446. Dave Patmore-Hill 31:47 2:57:43 1:37:18 = 5:06:48 AG
132.
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Other running races over the weekend:
Great North Run.
11,337. Kate Armstrong 2:06:23.
"We had a great weekend, full of adventure, topped off by an amazing
display by the awesome Red Arrows. Not sure I will be able to walk
tomorrow, but that’s a small price to pay!"
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Two Counties Half-Marathon.
104. Nicholas Partridge 2:18:30.
"Delighted with my weekend. Best Park Run this year at Sixfields, Upton
in 27:19. Then a half marathon PB to follow up my Park Run SB the day
before."
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Paul Lunn and Dave Thorold competed in the Ironman 70.3 in Nice. This
is Paul's last big race before the World Ironman Championship's in
Hawaii in October, where he and Roger Canham have both qualified.
Distances:
swim 1.2 miles in the sea.
bike 56 miles - 1 loop into the mountains.
run 13.1 miles - out and back along the coast 4 times.
59. Paul Lunn 33:58 2:49:40 1:26:09 = 4:49:47 AG 5.
649. Dave Thorold 41:44 3:18:14 1:50:28 = 5:50:23 AG 49
2156 competitor's.
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4 PACTRAC girls were amongst the 77 competitor's who entered the second
AsKeenAsMustard swim,run event at Ferry Meadows. This involved
continually changing from swimming in the River Nene (to avoid any blue
green algae in the lakes) in your running shoes, to running in your
wetsuit. Each distance was short but challenging and their were many
changes to/from swimming and running in both events.
Mild Mustard Sprint 10k Swimrun
14. Andrea Robinett 1:31:09
23. Sue Davys 1:42:55
25. Carol Smallman 1:43:30
Middling Mustard Half 21k Swimmrun
10. Willow Worthington 3:55:50
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The Lincoln Junior Triathlon's took place at the Yarborough Centre over
various distances.
TriStart. 50m, 800m, 600m:
8 EMMA CUSHION 3:08 4:23 3:12 = 10:43
13 HANNAH COULL 3:33 4:55 3:03 = 11:31
TriStar 1. 150m, 2400m, 1200m:
15 FRANKLIN PHILLIPS 4:27 8:07 5:20 = 17:54
26 LUCY CUSHION 4:41 9:14 7:14 = 21:09
47 JOSHUA MOORE 6:51 8:46 7:00 = 22:37
TriStar 3. 300m, 6400m, 2400m:
17 LIBBY MELLOR 7:30 18:12 11:17 = 36:59
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Berlin marathon:
Giles Cooper 3:12:56 with negative splits.
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Husband and wife, Bill and Sarah Haslam competed in the World Triathlon
Championships on the Gold Coast in Australia last weekend.
The distances were:
swim 1500 metres in the sea.
bike 25 miles.
run 6.25 miles.
Bill Haslam 24:28 1:20:00 54:33 = 2:39:01 AG 60.
Sarah Haslam 26:03 1:26:02 54:03 = 2:46:08 AG 63.
This was Sarah's 2nd World Championship race for GB having competed in
Chicago in 2015. She and Bill also competed in the European
Championships in Estonia in July.
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Steve Skelhon competed in the Ironman 70.3 at Weymouth in cold and wet
conditions. This was over the Half-Ironman distance, but Weymouth's
sea
swim was shortened to 950m. Due to the low temperatures and a choppy
sea, the start was delayed and the swim was reduced to 950 metres from
the advertised 1900 metres. The bike was 1 loop through the rolling
Dorset countryside in rough weather conditions. It was wet, wet, wet
with athletes pulling out on the bike with hypothermia, but Steve
plowed on and finished well.
Distances:
swim 950m
bike 56 miles.
run 13.1 miles.
760. Steve Skelhon 21:31 3:26:32 2:03:24 = 5:51:27 AG 16.
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The Woburn Triathlon took place at Woburn Abbey, with PACTRAC's Jon
Crowley finishing his season on a high in 8th position overall and
first in his Age Group.
Distances were:
Swim 1500m - 2 laps in the lake.
Bike 27.5 miles - 2 laps on local country roads.
Run 6.5 miles - 2x out and back.
8. Jon Crowley 23:24 79:34 50:34 = 2:33:32 AG 1st.
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Katie Tasker competed in an invitational triathlon in Jersey at the
weekend. The report is here:
"A hugely enjoyable weekend in Jersey. Katie Tasker was selected to
represent GB in
the Youth Girls race at the weekends Super League Festival. A very
slick
event with the worlds best competing for a $2.5m prize pot. Vincent
Luis (France) & Katie Zaferes (USA) took the senior honours.
The Youths raced over the same course just before the Elite seniors
went
off. This was an international field with athletes from Germany,
Holland,
Belgium Denmark and the largest contingent from the UK.
The 1st leg set the seeding for the Final race- Those who finished
higher
started ahead of those who followed in a series of waves.
After finishing 18th in the heat, Katie set off 15 seconds behind the
leaders.
She has a good swim around the marina at Jersey and was able to move up
a
couple of places. The exit from the marina was a gruelling 12% climb up
the
gang way into T1. Katie soon got into her cycling and was able to
complete the
7th fastest bike time. The tight and twisty course around the sea front
made
overtaking difficult with a number of deadturns and sharp corners to
negotiate. Exiting T2 Katie slipped a couple of places on the run but
with
a strong sprint finish was able to hold onto 19th."
The distances were:
swim 300 metres.bike 1.5 miles.run 0.75 miles.
Results:
Race 1:
18. Katie Tasker 4:53 5:03 4:36 = 14:32
Race 2:
19. Katie Tasker 5:02 4:56 4:51 = 14:49
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Georgina Jennings competed in the Bedford Sprint Triathlon based at the
Robinson Pool and won her Age Group.
The distances were:
swim 400 metres - in Robinson Pool.bike 15 miles - mostly on country
roads.run 3 miles - 1.5 laps around the park.
111. Georgina Jennings 10:21 56:16 29:45 = 1:36:22 AG 1st.
Paul and Duncan 2nd in Buttermere. Roger and Charlie complete Norskman. Mark and Georgina club champions. Louise, Barry and Terry in Ironman Copenhagen. Jonathan swims 29-miles in Hawaii.
2 intrepid PACTRACers took part in the Isklar Norseman Xtreme Triathlon on Saturday: Roger Canham and Charlie Brookes.
The Race Literature states:
"This is the triathlon where you may find yourself all alone on a small bike on top of a big mountain plateau. Getting the sense of being marooned in a vast landscape only suited for reindeer and hard rocks. Where there’s no one who sees you, hears you or cheers you on. It’s just you, your bike and the will to make it to the finish line.
Athletes are required to race accompanied by their own support team in a car."
The event takes place 90 miles east of Bergen and 200 miles west of Oslo. Athletes are taken by early morning Ferry to be dropped in the Fjord.
Swim 2.4 miles in Hardangerfjord after being dropped in from the Ferry. Wetsuits are mandatory.
Bike 112 miles from Eidfjord.
Run 26.2 miles - the first 16 miles are relatively flat but the next 11 miles are up a mountain to the top of Mount Gaustatoppen.
A map of the course and general guide to the severity is here http://www.
https://nxtri.app.box.com/v/AthleteGuide-2018
Roger Canham reports:
I have applied for an entry for this race for the last four years and this year my number came out the hat. Despite having committed to RAAM in June this was too good an opportunity to miss, it most probably would be my only opportunity to do this iconic event.
The day started bright and early with the ferry leaving the dock at 4am. The ferry quietly chugged up the fjord and it seemed that in no time at all, we came to a halt 2.4m away from Eidfjord and T1. We all stood around on the car deck waiting for the bow doors to open and then jump into the icy water to get to the deep water start. One of the myths surrounding the event is that the swim start is a leap from the ferry but thank goodness it is just that, a myth! The organisers were a little miffed that the water was a balmy 17oC, historically it being closer to single figures and the first part of the extreme day.
The gun fired and we were off but with less than 300 athletes, the contact zone soon disappeared and I got into a firm rhythm with some occasional jostling at times for feet to follow. Since it was nearly light, to help sighting T1, they lit a huge bonfire on the shore which was very cool to see and swim towards. It probably ranks as one of the best swims I have had in an event, crystal clear water in the most beautiful surroundings facing into what was undoubtedly going to be an epic day making lifetime memories. It really is an old school event, the original extreme triathlon supported by the community and just a very special vibe amongst the athletes and supporters. Its hard to describe but the buzz was fever pitch, the talk of the challenges the day would bring and the opportunity to compete for the famous BLACK T-SHIRT.
There is no support provided by the event organisers for the athletes, its old school self supported with each athlete allowed two supporters who must be identifiable in their race
t-shirts. They must provide their athlete with all race day logistics and nutrition.
Its a 140.6m point to point race so sweeping up kit left in T1 and T2 is down to your team. Into T1 and Hector, my support, was there like a coiled spring, waiting with my bike kit and in no time running along side me helping to strip my wetsuit.
He helped me on with my cycling kit, popped my bike lights on and gave me a slap on the back as I sped off out of T1 and straight onto the first 19m climb. Up into the clouds we climbed and as riders started to pass me I wondered whether I was showing too much respect to the course and should be more aggressive. I wasn't confident enough to go with them so I let them go and crossed my fingers that it was their misjudgement of the extreme event and not mine.
The ride to the plateau was just epic, about 1300m of elevation through tunnels and on the old mountain roads. Once up there the clouds started to break up revealing incredible vistas, nature at its best. Now down on my tri-bars, I could settle into a rhythm and crank it out. At 15m your crew is allowed to start giving you support in the form of nutrition and any change of clothes required. It is not unusual for temperatures to dip into single digits when high up on the mountain, only to climb into the mid twenties on the descents into the valleys.
After the first big climb there were a series of four climbs punctuated by valleys floors and plateaus. I started to reel in some of the athletes that has passed me earlier and bagged a fair few on the last 12m climb before we hit the 12m 1000m descent into T2. I had left T1 in around 40th spot and entered T2 in almost exactly the same position. You earn your BLACK T-SHIRT by arriving at 20miles in the top 160 athletes so all looked good.
The first 16m of the run is along the side of the lake and by this time the temperature had started to rise. I had planned to run at a firm pace and see if I could make up a couple of places before arriving at the base of ZOMBIE HILL. My support team kept me fuelled with coke and water, leap frogging ahead of me in the car and then jumping out and running along side with a small buffet selection of treats. I arrived at the base of zombie hill in 35th spot, a comfortable buffer to ensure I could bag the coveted garment.
I happily slipped into a power walk, the only realistic way to ascend the 4m hill with an average gradient of 10%. Hector was allowed to accompany me from this point so I had access to a range of sugary treats from his rucksack including cheese sarnies, yum!
We were passed by one or two keen athletes who had a more effective walk but we managed to arrive at the 20m cut off point in 40th place. The next 3m section was rolling but my legs had no interest in running so we put up no resistance to the one or two who came past us. We arrived at the car park at the base of Gaustatoppen mountain. From the bottom of zombie hill to the mountain top finish was 11m and 1800m of elevation gain but the last 3m was straight up the rocky mountain path. Its mandatory for athletes to have a supporter with them for the ascent and both equipped with rucksacks and basic survival equipment.
Its not even a shale path, its a trail of rocks marked with red crosses to pick out the route. Tired legs really struggled to lift up over the boulders. Its was truly extreme, something I might not tackle even with the right foot wear, never mind after 2.4m of swimming, 112m of riding and 20m of running.
But, the views were amazing and we were even treated to a rainbow half way up. That last 3m took over 90 minutes, something that would take a little under 25 minutes on a normal road. I crossed the line with a huge sense of achievement and thrilled to have shared it with Hector, he supported me tirelessly all day and even carried my rucksack up the last of the ascent. We created some lifetime memories, what more could you ask of any event."
59. Roger Canham 1:05:13 6:26:09 5:47:42 = 13:19:04
138. Charlie Brookes 1:09:45 7:24:19 6:30:44 = 15:04:48
Both Roger and Charlie earned their Black T-Shirts.
To put this in perspective:
Roger has recorded a time of sub 10-hours in the tough Hawaii Ironman World Championships.
Charlie's marathon time of 6:30:44 was in the top half of all marathon times.
-----------------------------------------------
Steve Hope competed in the European Sprint Championships held in Strathclyde, as part of the overall European Games. Steve came 32nd in his Age Group in 1:20:39. It was a tough, undulating bike course, with some competitor's including Steve, on road bikes, in anticipation of the impending rain, which never materialised.
Male over 55.
32. Steve Hope (PACTRAC) 13:51 43:38 23:10 = 80:39 Age Group 32.
Other Local Athletes:
Male over 55.
38. Chris Shaw (Fenland Clarion) 17:32 42:08 25:46 = 85:26 Age Group 38.
Male over 50.
20. Gilles Corby (BRJ representing France) 13:22 40:17 21:25 = 75:04 Age Group 20.
-----------------------------------------
SwimRutland is a mass participation open water swim event that took place last weekend at Rutland Water. The organiser's promote this as a unique opportunity to swim across one of the countries most recognisable landmarks.
Competitor's had the option of swimming:
2 kilometres - one crossing of the lake from Whitwell.
4 kilometres - across the lake and then back again to the start.
or 8 kilometres - across the lake and then back again TWICE.
519 swimmers completed the various distances, with PACTRAC's Jonathan Oakey coming first overall in the 2k swim. Andrea Robinett, Chris Hirst and Sue Davys also finished in the top-3 in their respective Age Groups.
2km
1. Jonathan Oakey 29:53 AG 1st.
87. Sue Davys 51:11 AG 3.
88. Paul Jephcott 51:11 AG 5.
163. Bernadette Oakey 62:04 AG 10.
4km
15. Andrea Robinett 1:13:48 AG 2.
33. Iain Cushion 1:18:50 AG 7.
42. Chris Hirst 1:24:41 AG 2.
67. Julie Cushion 1:25:06 AG 4.
96. Chris Waghorn 1:28:13 AG 11.
131. James MacWilliam 1:33:59 AG 8.
155. Richard Wright 1:37:55 AG 8.
174 Louise Alexander 1:41:27 AG 15.
------------------------------
Richard Wright competed in the Gower Sprint Triathlon over the distances of:
swim 750 metres - in the sea.
bike 15 miles - heading inland to find some climbs, technical descents and fast flat sections.
run 3 miles - 2 laps, multiterrain.
Richard said: "Gower Triathlon sorted Choppy sea swim ♂️ Hilly wet bike Then leg sapping sand beach/dune run "
Richard had a great run to gain lots of places and come in 81st overall.
81. Richard Wright 16:22 59:09 21:15 = 96:46
----------------------------------
Paul Lunn joined up with Duncan Shea-Simmonds for their 3rd attempt at the Breca swim,run in Lake Buttermere. The pair came a fantastic 2nd overall in a time of 6:23:46, 17-minutes behind the winners but 22 minutes ahead of 3rd place in this very tough event (4 teams didn't finish). Coaches take the teams of two to the start at Derwent Hill. Wetsuits and whistles are compulsory. The event consists of 28-miles of swimming (in training shoes) and running (in wetsuits). 24-miles of running and 4-miles of swimming taking in Crummock Water, Buttermere and Derwent Water.
2nd. Paul Lunn and Duncan Shea-Simmonds 6:23:46.
--------------------
The PACTRAC Standard Distance Triathlon was held at Oundle on Sunday.
swim 1800 yards - 36 lengths in Oundle Pool.
bike 30-miles. 3 laps around Glapthorn and tyhe Benefield's.
run 6.25 miles - out around Glapthorn and Cotterstock.
Jonathan Arnold led out of the swim but Mark Weathersby overtook him on
the bike. Mark was then caught by Jonny Hynes and the pair came into T2
together, before Mark pushed on, in the run to win by 4 3/4 minutes.
Dave Thorrold moved up to 3rd on the bike and held it, from Tony
Daniels in 4th. Georgina Jennings finished first lady, and in doing so,
took the ladies Club Championship Trophy.
Results are on https://pactrac.co.uk/events/4216/
This was the final Club Championship event of the year with an
athlete's best 3 results from 4 races taken into account.
Mark Weathersby completed his 3rd event and achieved the maximum points
of 300.
The Standard Distance Triathlon rather changed things in both the Men's
and Women's Club Championships.
Mark Weathersby and Tony Daniels completed their third events to jump
into 1st and 3rd, knocking Simon down to 2nd and the Steve's down to
4th and 5th.
1. Mark Weathersby.. 300.00
2. Simon Hoppe ....... 294.252
3. Tony Daniels ........ 282.807
4. Steve Hope .......... 278.401
5. Stephen Comber .. 271.892
In the Ladies Trophy, nobody completed the Mid-Distance in May, and
Georgina Jennings took full advantage to jump into first place today.
Ladies:
1. Georgina Jennings .. 210.768
2. Hannah Bassett ...... 174.575
3. Mariska Niemeijer ... 153.738
4. Sue Davys ............... 143.672
Jonathan Arnold improved his overall score to confirm the Junior Title.
Junior:
1. Jonathan Arnold ..... 253.111
Georgina said: "I've been in Pactrac since 1992 and never won it!!!"
Well done to Mark, Georgina and Jonathan.
---------------------
3 PACTRACers completed Ironman Copenhagen on Sunday. Louise Alexander
did a fantastic time in just over 12 hours, whilst Terry Murphy came
3rd in his Age Group (70-74). Terry started out on this journey in 2016
with a half-Ironman, entered the full Bolton Ironman last year, but
didn't start due to a leg injury, and this year he has put everything
into completing a full Ironman.
Distances:
swim 2.4 miles.
bike 112 miles.
run 26.2 miles.
http://eu.ironman.com/triathlon/coverage/athlete-tracker.aspx?race=copenhagen&y=2018#/tracker/R9JAPN5D,RML5B48C,RXL9E6UF
Terry Murphy 1:35:21 6:45:39 6:02:00 = 14:23:00 AG 3. A
pretty consistent pace throughout the bike section, with a pick-up
towards the end.
Louise Alexander 1:19:26 6:00:09 4:43:26 = 12:03:01 AG
30. A consistent bike split throughout.
Barry Ryan 1:19:07 6:13:14 4:49:37 = 12:21:58 AG 235.
---------------------
Jonathan Ratcliffe swam the Kaiwi Channel from Molokai to Oahu in
Hawaii on Sunday. https://track.rs/ratcliffe/ Only 60 swimmers have
swum this solo - 61 now. It's 29 miles across and one of the "Big
Severn" swims in the whole wide world and took Jonathan 14:09 hours.
For 29 miles that's an average of 29:12 minutes odd for each mile.
https://track.rs/ratcliffe/
https://www.kaiwichannelassociation.com/blank-cqbr
Tim takes European SILVER MEDAL. Georgina qualifies.
PACTRAC had 6 representatives in the European Standard Distance
Triathlon Championships, held in Tartu, Estonia.
Two members finished in the top 10 in their respective Age Groups. Bill
Haslam finished 9th in his Age Group whilst new member Tim Fletcher won
the SILVER MEDAL in his. Tim was 4th going into the run, but managed to
run 2 of those ahead of him down, finishing in a great overall time of
1:57:03 in a very competitive Age Group. His rivals came home in 1:57:
33 and 1:58:50 respectively.
Tartu was described by one PACTRACer as "a very interesting clean town
with lots of history and culture".
The course was as follows:
"Fast flowing river swim A to B, distance compensated for with an extra
250m added = 1750 m swim. NO WET SUITS as the temp had gone over the
allowed levels. A deep water start which meant getting in to the water,
no warm up and very little time to get ready for the start with no
count down !
Relatively long transition with a single directional flow i.e. always
in at one end and out the other.
bike route 2 laps, flat Time Trial element to course out of the town
and back, then tricky section in town with ups downs and corners to
navigate.
Run single lap in the river park, then out of town in the opposite
direction to the bike, very flat, good surface, lots of water stations.
Weather hot and humid with some breeze.
The race was well managed, with lots of technical officials out on the
bike course, being very strict."
Paul Jephcott was celebrating his retirement as well as representing
GB. Paul said: "Done and relieved. Just less than 2 hours 35. That’ll
do. Thank you to my sponsors Chiltern Cold Storage".
Paul Jephcott: "Most importantly, I was able to take part and finish
safely. A couple of weeks ago, my knee really was bad (cycling injury)
and rather than training, my first week in retirement was a never
ending cycle of ice, stretch and massage. The swim worried me being non-
wetsuit but was fine by my standards. My average speed on the bike was
pretty much 20mph which was ok on a lack of practice. I felt tired on
the run too (just over 50 minutes) though the temperature was by then
getting warmer so maybe ok. In summary I'm proud and pleased."
Andrea Robinett: "I went better than I thought I would! Fastest time
this year and pleased with 14th in my Age Group."
2. Tim Fletcher 21:23 61:07 34:33 = 1:57:03
9. Bill Haslam 26:13 69:18 43:37 = 2:19:08
14. Andrea Robinett 23:21 74:24 49:31 = 2:27:16
17. Sarah Haslam 25:34 77:27 50:03 = 2:33:04
18. Paul Jephcott 27:42 76:21 50:35 = 2:34:38
21. Angela Wallis 30:37 80:50 52:02 = 2:43:29
----------------
2 PACTRACers ventured up to Redcar for the Sprint Triathlon last
weekend; with Georgina Jennings qualifying for the World Sprint
Championships in Lausanne, Switzerland, next year. This was Georgina's
3rd success in 3 weeks having won 2 GOLD MEDALS already this month.
The weather turned with plenty of rain leading up to the event.
Swim 750 metres in the sea. It was touch-and-go as to whether the
organisers could get the swim buoys out, in the high winds; and even at
the Race Brief, they were unable to confirm if the swim would go ahead.
It did, and the 14 degree sea water felt a lot colder. One of the
intermediary guidance Buoys did come loose and had to be removed from
the course.
Bike 13 miles - 4 laps on closed roads as this was a draft-legal race,
with competitor's allowed to work together on the bike. This was made
difficult with the 40mph winds.
Run 3.5 miles - 3 laps around the boating lake and along the sea front,
all flat.
316. Steve Hope 15:03 45:07 27:35 = 1:27:45 AG 20.
427. Georgina Jennings 22:33 63:45 38:48 = 2:05:06 AG 1.
JULY Roundup. Jim 8th in Worlds. Paul and Katie qualify. Nathan wins National Aquathlon Championships. Georgina 2 GOLD's in 2 weekends.
In the 6th of 8 PACTRAC Mini-Series races this year, Mark Weathersby
again took the honours with Hannah Bassett coming home as first lady.
Both have now won their respective Mini-Series Trophies for 2018 with
their best 5 races to count. It is the first time that each has won the
Trophy.
Nathan Jones took part, as part of a 3-man relay and had the fastest
swim in 4:12. Tony Daniels led the rest of the field out in 5:19 ahead
of 6 other swimmers in the next 24-seconds. Mark Weathersby and Simon
Hoppe were amongst these and pulled ahead on the bike to come home 3-
seconds apart, with Tony just 20-seconds behind.
Junior, Owen Wilkinson, was 13th out of the water, and in his first
mini-series triathlon moved up to 5th on the bike and then, with the
fastest run of the night, moved up to 2nd overall, behind Mark. Simon
held onto 3rd, 50-seconds ahead of an approaching Wayne Stainsby.
5 PB's were recorded on the night including those of Mark W and Hannah
B (as well as Hannah's dad, Dan).
Results are on http://pactrac.co.uk/events/4212/
-------------------------
PACTRAC had 5 competitors in the Outlaw Half at Holkham in Norfolk. Now
in it's 3rd year, this has become a big national race with over 1,200
finishers. The race is over the classic half-Ironman distance of: swim
1.2 miles, bike 56 miles and run 13.1 miles. PACTRAC's Terry Murphy
came 1st in his Age Group and is going well, heading for his first full
Ironman in Copenhagen in August.
199. Jonathan Crowley 33:40 2:52:42 1:56:00 = 5:22:22 AG
21.
301. Andrew Chapman 33:39 2:47:43 2:14:48 = 5:36:10 AG 53.
335. Simon Guerin 34:57 2:51:01 2:14:23 = 5:40:21 AG 61.
884. Nick Park 41:39 3:40:24 2:21:21 = 6:43:24 AG
118.
917. Terry Murphy 50:33 3:21:29 2:36:30 = 6:48:32 AG 1st.
------------------------
Their were 3 separate distances in the NiceTri event at St. Neots with
PACTRAC represented in all 3.
Kim Bell was first female overall in the Standard-Distance race by over
8 minutes; whilst PACTRAC had 2nd's in their Age Group in all 3 events,
from Angela Wallis, Ros Goatly and Daniel Richardson.
Daniel competed in the Super-Sprint and knocked over 7-minutes off of
his time from last September, over the same course.
He had a great result and was "very happy" to go 5-minutes quicker in
the swim and 7:15 minutes quicker overall, knocking his time down from
58:30 to 51:15.
Standard 1500m, 28m, 6.25m.
9. Kim Bell 20:14 82:34 43:13 = 2:26:01 AG 1st. 1st
female.
49. Angela Wallis 34:11 95:51 48:57 = 2:58:59 AG 2.
Sprint 750m, 16m, 3m.
44. Christian Richards 13:18 52:39 21:57 = 87:54 AG 8.
47. Andrew Rawlins 17:20 50:12 21:06 = 88:38 AG 8.
51. Ros Goatly 14:35 50:22 24:11 = 89:08 AG 2.
Super-Sprint 400m, 4m, 1m.
27. Daniel Richardson 14:19 23:50 13:06 = 51:15 AG 2.
------------------
Two ex-members who have now moved to Preston, trained hard and well for
their first Ironman event. Simon and Janet Mitchell both completed
Ironman Austria after a hard winters training.
Their swim and marathon times were pretty similar, with Janet gaining
some time on the bike.
Simon Mitchell: "feeling proud. Ironman couple! I may try to sleep now!
Don't think we've done anything quite as hard."
Janet Mitchell 14:02hrs.
Simon Mitchell 14:35hrs
------------------------
Jim Fell competed in the World Standard-Distance Duathlon Championships
in Fyn, Denmark and came 8th in his 70-74 year Age Group.
The distances were:
run 6 miles.
bike 25 miles.
run 3.5 miles.
Jim: "I finished 8th today, the first time in the top ten so I'm very
pleased. I had a very good first run and bike.
I was 4th, 200m from the finish and first Brit.
It was unclear which way to go to the finish, so I stopped and asked a
marshal. I then got severe cramp in my right leg and had to stop. I
ended up on the grass whilst another marshal stretched my quad. I was
passed by four competitors whilst horizontal. Recovered after 4-minutes
and ran to the finish just around the corner."
Jim was clearly "in the mix" and this bodes well for future
championships. Jim actually led the 3rd placed athlete by 14 seconds at
the start of the 2nd run, having already beaten him in the first run;
but was overtaken by him before the cramp set in.
255. Jim Fell 43:48 74:52 32:40 = 2:31:20 AG 8.
-----------------------------
Dave Patmore-Hill competed in the 70.3 Half-Ironman in Jönköping in
Sweden.
Distances were:
swim 1.2 miles.
bike 56 miles.
run 13.1 miles.
"It wasn't my best race as I wasn't feeling great; but I have a long
term end game for the 70.3 World Championships and I will go well
there."
412. Dave Patmore-Hill 31:59 2:55:04 1:46:39 = 5:13:42 AG
29.
-------------
Paul Lunn competed in the Ironman European Championships in Frankfurt,
coming 2nd in his Age Group and qualifying for the Ironman World
Championships in Hawaii in October for the 2nd consecutive year. He
joins PACTRAC's other representative Roger Canham who qualified earlier
in the year in China.
Paul was 312th after the swim but had the 17th fastest bike split of
all of the competitors moving up to 2nd in his Age Group and holding
this position on the marathon run. 2,291 athlete's finished the race.
15 of those ahead of him were Pro's with Paul coming home 18th of all
of the Age Groupers.
Distances:
swim 2.4 miles
bike 115 miles slightly longer than usual and including the famous
Heartbreak Hill.
run 26.2 miles
33. Paul Lunn 1:02:58 4:59:47 3:14:01 = 9:16:46 AG 2nd out
of 419.
---------------
The 7th Mini-Series event is now the last one. The Series was meant to
finish on Wednesday 11th July but due to a clash with the World Cup
Semi-Final, this has been cancelled!
The distances were the same as usual:
swim 400 yards - 8 lengths in Oundle Pool.
bike 10 miles - 1 lap around Glapthorn and the Benefields.
run 3.5 miles - out to Glapthorn and back.
Matt Allsop took this race from the front, leading the swimmers out by
49 seconds from Michaela Vincent, with Robin Laukaitis a further 21
seconds back. Junior Owen Wilkinson was out 4th another 45 seconds
adrift and with much to do to catch Matt; who also had the fastest bike
of the night to come into T2 3 1/2 minutes ahead of Owen, now in
second. Scott Lloyd had moved his way up to 3rd but over 2-minutes
behind Owen.
Owen had the fastest run of the night, followed by Scott and then Matt,
but the overall positions were not to change and Matt came home a clear
winner by 1:22 minutes.
Michaela came home first lady on a glorious night for racing, with 3
PB's recorded.
Results are on http://pactrac.co.uk/events/4213/
------------------------------------
Katie Tasker has had a great two weeks of racing.
Eton Dorney - Super Series round 4.
On a baking hot day - clear water, flat & straight bike course
around the Olympic
Rowing lake. Katie had a solid swim exiting in 12th place and was able
to catch
the lead group; but was not able to make a break as the course suited
group
riding. There were a couple of incidents on the bike with a couple of
falls.
Katie was able to Bunny hop over the handle bars of another competitor
and
was able to stay upright. She was able to hold position on the soul-
destroying
run, out and back along the lake in temperatures approaching 30
degrees. She came 8th which is her highest position in the Super
series to date.
Hetton Lyons
Round 5 - the penultimate round - of the Youth and Junior National
Super Series, took place at Hetton Lyons. The final round, the Under 20’
s Festival, takes place at Mallory Park in August.
This was a different format with the field split into 2 heats and the 2
halves from the
heats split into an A & a B Final. In the heat Katie Tasker raced
very
intelligently and was able to get into the lead pack on the bike. On
the run
she sat in the pack comfortable in qualification. The A Final was a far
more
furious affair, Katie came out of the water in 14th and was not able to
bridge the gap to the lead group. She had a much improved run to finish
16th.
These 2 results mean that she has qualified for :-
1. The Super Tri in Jersey at the end of September. This is when 15
athletes from the UK will race as a curtain raiser before the Elite Pro
race. This is an international race and there will be athletes from and
Holland, Belgium, Germany, Ireland and Switzerland.
(https://www.jersey.com/super-league-triathlon-jersey%C2%A02018)
2. UK School Games - After the results of Blenheim and Hetton Lyons,
Katie
has qualified in a 4 strong team to represent the 'East' at the UK
School Games
in Loughborough at the End of August. (https://www.schoolgamesfinals.org
)
This includes both an individual event and a mixed relay.
----------------------------
Georgina Jennings has won two GOLD medals in two weekends.
At the British Sprint Championships in Ashington, Georgina won her Age
Group and the GOLD MEDAL.
"The British Age-Group Sprint Distance Triathlon Championships were
held at the Woodhorn Museum Triathlon in the QE2 Country Park. The
swim
took place in the warm shallow freshwater lake. The 'undulating' bike
route took riders out towards Widdrington village, before sweeping
onto
the coast road near Druridge Bay and then along to Cresswell village
with some breath-taking views along the coast line. The run was on the
footpath that wound its way through the woodland and open grasslands
that surround the lake and passed the finish at the end of each lap."
The distances were:
Swim 750m, Bike 15 miles Run 3.75 miles.
Georgina Jennings 16:56 53:45 48:00 = 1:58:41.
Georgina said: "I had a really good race at Woodhorn in the British
Champs. Thoroughly enjoyed it, good swim, excellent bike, plodded on
run as it was very hot. Managed to retain my British Champions title
in
the 70-74 Age Group."
----------------
200 athletes entered the English National Aquathlon Championships at
Ferry Meadows on Sunday. They came from across the country, with 166
finishing this short, sharp event.
Held over a 750m swim and a 3-mile run, the event was based at Ferry
Meadows for the first time. The swim was one lap in Gunwade Lake
followed by a one lap run held within Ferry Meadows Country Park. The
water temperature was 21.5 degrees which meant that wetsuits were not
allowed.
PACTRAC had some great results with Nathan Tweedie winning the event
outright. He led from the gun and was never caught and came home with
the overall GOLD MEDAL. Georgina Jennings won her Age Group and the
GOLD MEDAL making it two Gold's in two weekends. Matt Allsop completed
a trio of medals taking SILVER in his Age Group.
1. Nathan Tweedie 9:07 17:54 = 27:01 AG 1.
18. Matt Allsop 10:18 20:30 = 30:48 AG 2.
60. Simon Hoppe 12:12 22:07 = 34:19 AG 11.
116. Steve Hope 16:07 23:10 = 39:17 AG 9.
143. Andy Rawlins 19:47 24:46 = 44:33 AG 19.
160. Georgina Jennings 18:38 34:49 = 53:27 AG 1.
----------------------
Giles Cooper competed in the Ironman Triathlon at Bolton. This was
over
the distances of:
Swim 2.4 miles - A lake swim in Pennington Flash. Their had been grave
concern that the swim wouldn't be able to take place due to the blue-
green algi caused by the hot weather.
Bike 112miles - 2 laps in the Lancashire countryside including the
famous Sheep House Lane climb.
Run 26.2miles - 4 laps to Bolton Town Centre before finishing in
Victoria Square.
183. Giles Cooper 1.11.52 5.07.11 4.05.12 = 10:24:15 AG 19th.
Giles said: "I'm not fit to stand after a tough day at ironman UK,
another one ticked off but still chasing the perfect race!"
He was 297th out of the water and moved up to 171st after the bike,
before settling for a good 183rd overall.
-----------------
22 Jul. Box End Sprint - Gill Searl moved up a distance to complete
her
first Sprint Triathlon. The event at Box End, Bedford involved a 750m
swim, 12.5 mile bike ride and a 3 mile run.
A brilliant effort and great result after moving up from the Super-
Sprint distance.
JUNE Roundup. Bill, Katie and Mark qualify. Nathan 4th in British Champs.
The Eastern region's largest junior triathlon, the Rob McLean
triathlon, organised by Cambridge Triathlon Club, took place from
Impington Village College on Sunday. The pool swim was followed by
bike
and run courses on fast, flat grassed sports fields.
This was an Inter Regional Championship (IRC) qualifying race and with
both Katie Tasker and Connor Walker coming 2nd in their respective Age
Groups we have at least two qualifiers.
"They all did brilliantly but Connor was outstanding. 2nd in the TS3
at
an IRC qualifier as his only tri is amazing."
"dead impressed with Connor, he did well coming 2nd considering that’s
the only Tri he does."
"Libby and Chloe were drawn in the same wave, so it was a race.
Libby beat Chloe in the swim by about 30s, but Chloe slowly clawed it
back on the bike and overtook and regained another 30s.
But it wasn’t a good enough lead and Libby overtook Chloe on the run.
Both were about ¾ down the field with Libby just getting a couple of
places on Chloe."
TriStars Start.
1. Izzy Hurn 2:06 6:09 2:59 = 11:14
4. Gracie Hurn 2:28 6:40 3:01 = 12:09
TriStar 1.
59. Josh Moore 5:51 9:48 7:20 = 22:59
TriStar 3.
2. Connor Walker 4:38 16:05 9:10 = 29:53
8. Olivia Corner 5:43 18:33 10:39 = 34:55
22. Libby Mellor 6:17 21:08 12:28 = 39:53
25. Chloe Moore 6:52 20:25 14:13 = 41:30
Youth.
2. Katie Tasker 4:42 17:33 10:34 = 32:49
------------------------
On Sunday Calleigh and Hannah Coull completed their first competitive
triathlon at the Nottingham Children’s Triathlon. Both girls had quite
an eventful race, with Hannah on the deck twice and still finishing!
Calleigh competed in the TriStar 2 Race – Swim 200 meters (8 lengths),
Bike 2.5 miles (4 laps) and Run 1 mile ( 3 laps).
Calleigh was very nervous as she put her bike into transition, but
felt
happier after listening to the race briefing. She was 2nd out of the
pool which boosted her confidence, completing the swim in 3.11.
The bike course was all on grass and had some tight corners, but she
handled it all really well, after she had completed her 3rd lap, a
race
marshall stepped our in front of her, waved his arms and told her to
get off her bike and go into transition – she still had a lap to go!
She thought she must have counted wrongly or done something wrong as
the Marshall was very intent on her going into transition. She
completed the 3 laps in 9.11.
On to the run which was again on grass- Calleigh completed the 1 mile
in 6.42, although she wasn’t giving it her all, as she was upset over
the bike incident.
Calleigh's overall time was 20.55 but if she had done the correct
number of bike laps it would have been around 24.00 minutes, which
would have put her in 8th place.
Hannah competed in the TriStart race – Swim 50m (2 lengths), Bike
1100
yards and run 660 yards.
Hannah was not at all nervous! She was first out of the pool after the
swim, which pleased her. – 1.20
On to the bike, she took a corner too tightly and fell off, but jumped
straight back on, completing the lap in 4.31.
The run was going well until she saw the finish and started to sprint
and somehow managed to fall over her own feet. Still she jumped back
up
and sprinted over the finish line with a run time of 3.06.
Hannah crossed the line a bit battered and bruised, but with a smile
on
her little red face and a total time of 10.47."
TriStart.
Hannah Coull 1:20 6:21 3:06 = 10:47
TriStar 2.
Calleigh Coull 3:11 11:02 6:42 = 20:55
------------------------
Sunday's Standard Distance Triathlon at Leeds Castle in Kent, was a
qualifying race for the 2019 World Standard Distance Triathlon
Championships to be held in Lausanne, Switzerland.
The distances were:
swim 1500 metres - 2 laps of the Castle moat, and past the Castle Gates
in shallow, warm water.
bike 28 miles - largely out-and-back on good, flat roads but with it's
fair share of cracks and pot holes.
run 6.25 miles - mostly on grass with lots of lumps and bumps to be
aware of.
2 PACTRACers competed with both Andrea Robinett and Steve Hope outside
of the top four in their respective Age Groups and having to wait to
see later if they have a qualifying spot. Both are already representing
GB in this year's European Championships - Andrea in the Standard
Distance in Estonia in July (alongside PACTRAC's Paul Jephcott, Angela
Wallis, Aaron Godden, Sarah Haslam and Bill Haslam), and Steve in the
Sprint Distance in Strathclyde.
Meanwhile, Jim Fell is competing in the 2018 Standard Distance Duathlon
World Championships in Fyn, Denmark on 6th July. Jim pre-qualified by
virtue of his top 10 placing in the 2017 World Championships in
Penticton, Canada.
184. Steve Hope 29:59 83:59 49:58 = 2:43:56 AG 12.
275. Andrea Robinett 26:46 90:22 59:22 = 2:56:30 AG 8th.
-----------------
3 PACTRACers competed in the Cardiff Sprint Triathlon last weekend,
with Mark Weathersby qualifying for the World Sprint Triathlon
Championships to be held in Lausanne, Switzerland next year. We have
two up-and-coming stars of the future in Nathan Tweedie and Jonathan
Oakey who both competed in the British Elite Sprint Championships
alongside the very best of the British athletes. GB star Adam Bowden
won the race, with Nathan finishing 8th and Jonathan 35th overall.
Mark said "Cardiff World Sprint Qualifier, 1st in Age Group. To the
worlds!" (qu for Lausanne).
swim 750 metres in Cardiff Docks.
bike 12.5 miles - 4 laps on closed roads in a draft-legal format.
run 3 miles - 2 laps around the Dock area.
In the Elite race, Nathan led the athletes out of the swim in the dock
by a clear 6-seconds. He then cycled with the leading group doing a lot
of the work on the front and came into T2 with the leading cyclists
before falling behind slightly on the run. Jonathan managed to get into
a good group on the bike and held his own.
27. Mark Weathersby 12:57 35:45 17:45 = 66:27 Age Group 1st.
8. Nathan Tweedie 9:00 32:06 16:02 = 57:08 ..Nathan finished
4th in the Under 23 Category and just missed out on a medal.
35. Jonathan Oakey 9:54 33:53 17:49 = 61:36 ..11th in the
under 20's.
The photo is of Nathan Tweedie and Jonathan Oakey at Cardiff.
--------------------
3 PACTRACers competed in the AsKeenAsMustard Swim/Run event at Box End,
Bedford. This was the 2nd in a series of 3 races with the first and
third being at Ferry Meadows (10th June and 9th September).
The race started and finished with a run and had 5 swim sections in
between, so 6 runs and 5 swims in all. Total distance was 10km split
roughly into 1.8km of swimming and 8.2km of running. This is an
interesting concept that developed in Sweden and started in the uk in
the lake district and has now ventured south. It involves swimming in
your training shoes, and running in a wetsuit.
41. Nicholas Partridge 1:52:22.42. James MacWilliam 1:52:22.43. Sue
Davys 1:53:41.
---------------------
In the 5th of 8 PACTRAC Mini-Series triathlons, Mark Weathersby again
showed his dominance, winning his 3rd consecutive Mini-Series. He has
taken a commanding lead in the Series with a 2nd place and 3 wins and
only needs 1 more result to secure the Trophy.
Jonathan Arnold was first out of the water, with Matt Allsop, returning
after a few years away, hot on his heels. Katie Tasker was just 26
seconds behind and was to again pull out after the bike, saving herself
for an important qualifying race at the weekend. Tony Daniels was in
fourth place another half-minute behind. The first 10-swimmers were out
of the water by 5:40 minutes. Mark Weathersby and Simon Hoppe were out
neck-and-neck on the swim in 5th/6th places and stayed pretty much
together on the bike coming into T2 together at the head of the field.
Matt held onto 3rd just 26 seconds down, whilst Tony Daniels, the
winner of Mini-Series 1 back in May, was only a further 7-seconds down
in 4th.
Mark pulled away on the run to win by 1:33 minutes with the fastest run
of the night, leaving Siomon to come home 2nd, Matt and Tony holding
their positions and Scott Lloyd with his trademark fast run moving up
to 5th.
Hannah Bassett was the first lady taking a commanding lead in the
Ladies Mini-Series, and this time, over 2-minutes ahead of dad, Dan.
Hannah was the only athlete to record a PB on a windy night which saw
lower bike split times.
Their was also the 2nd Novice Mini-Series event which incorporated a
half-distance swim of 200 yards. The bike and run courses were
otherwise the same. Michelle Cooper was the first of 4 on the result
sheet, which included 1 relay team.
Results are on http://pactrac.co.uk/events/4211/
----------------------
In the Race Across America (RAAM), Team "Get Busy Living" racing for
The Matt Hampson Foundation have raised £60,000.00 so far. The riders
cycling in relay were Roger Canham, Robin Brookes, Dylan Bogg and Karl
Mamos. They took just 6 days, 9 hours and 12 minutes to ride the 3,070
miles from America's west coast to east coast.
----------------------
Willow Worthington chose the Cotswolds ladies sprint triathlon for her
first ever open triathlon race.
The distances were: swim 750 metres, bike 12.5 miles, run 3 miles.
84. Willow Worthington 21:37 45:17 23:20 = 90:14 Age Group
12.
-------------------
Graham Honey competed in the 52.5 mile Race to the King Ultra running
marathon along the South Downs Way. A double marathon to honour the
ancient kings, which finished on the steps of Winchester Cathedral.
It is 4 years since Graham's last ultra marathon and he finished 42nd
from 263 finishers in a time of 11:51:09.
Day 1. 23.5 miles in 5:00:53.
Day 2. 29.0 miles in 6:50:16.
TOTAL 52.5 miles in 11:51:09.
-------------------------
PACTRAC have a number of members aiming for some big swims at the moment.
Next week, Amy Hayes is attempting the Kaiwi Channel swim in Hawaii. This is a 26 mile ocean swim from Molokai to Oahu. Although this is the warmest of the 7 big world swims, it does have its own particular challenges with sea life including jelly fish, one sting from which and your swim can be over.
Amy swam the English Channel last year and is now attempting her second of the big-7 swims. She is currently in Hawaii preparing for this solo crossing of the Kaiwi Channel. This is 5 miles longer than the English Channel (26 miles across by the most direct route).
Amy said: "The swells can be huge, the water is warm, and the wildlife threat is substantial. This might not be as iconic as the English Channel, but you can bet your booties that it will be much harder. With only a couple of months training, having taken advantage of a spot that opened up in March, this is going to be extremely rough."
The Photo is of Amy from a training swim on Monday from Hawaii Kai to Diamondhead Lighthouse.
PACTRAC's Jonathan Ratcliffe who swam the English Channel in 2016 and the Irish Straight in 2017 also has plans to swim the Hawaii Channel swim in either 2018 or 2019.
Amy Mellor had a spot to swim the English Channel in August, but a hip injury has caused her to postpone her plans until 2019.
A number of PACTRACers will be swimming in Rutland Water in the official swim there on 12th August.
----------------------
4 friends from Uppingham / Manton rode the Race Across America
(RAAM) bike race that started on 16th June taking teams of 4 riding 1
at a time across America 3081 miles from west to east. Two of the team
were PACTRAC Chairman Roger Canham and long time PACTRAC member Robin
Brookes.
This was a serious attempt not only to compete but to try to win the
race. The team had prepared well with a couple of 24-hour test rides
and took a whole entourage of back-up chefs and physios etc. They
finished in 4th place overall and were the 1st all over 50-year old
team.
Some more information is on their sponsorship page https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/getbusylivingraam
This race is described as the world's toughest bike race. Starting on
Saturday evening 16th June, competitors had 9-days to complete the
race. Team Get Busy Living finished in 6 days 9 hours and 12 minutes.
This is their website https://www.getbusylivingraam.com/ and their
is also a Facebook page.
The race website is here http://www.raceacrossamerica.org/
----------------------------------
19 competitor's and 2 Relay Teams took part in the 4th round of the
PACTRAC Mini-Series.
Mark Weathersby won his 2nd consecutive Mini-Series race in convincing
style. He was second out of the water, 37-seconds behind junior,
Jonathan Arnold. Christian Richards followed 38 seconds later with Dan
and Hannah Bassett right on his tail. Mark soon took the lead on the
bike and with the fastest bike and run splits on the night he romped
home well ahead of the rest of the field by nearly 6-minutes. Steve
Hope moved up to 2nd on the bike, albeit over 3-minutes behind Mark,
but was unable to hold off the fast-running of Scott Lloyd who moved
into 2nd just before half-way on the run.
First lady was Hannah Bassett who overcame the windy bike conditions
to
finally overtake her Father, Dan, coming into the finishing straight
on
the run. Only 1 PB was recorded tonight. 2 Relay Teams had a closely
fought competition.
Results are on http://pactrac.co.uk/events/4210/
--------------------------------
The Dambuster Triathlon took place at Rutland Water on Saturday.
Distances were:
swim 1500 metres in the lake - 1 lap.
Bike 26 miles around Oakham, Uppingham, Morcott, Ketton and Empingham.
1-lap including the triple hills of the "Rutland Ripple" between
Oakham
and Uppingham, as well as the Rookeries Hill by Ketton Cement.
Run 6.25 miles from Whitwell over the Dam to Normanton Church and back.
PACTRAC had 12 competitor's, with 4 finishing in the top 50 and 4
finishing on the Podium.
4. Paul Lunn 23:45 63:27 37:35 = 2:04:47 AG 1st.
(moved up 1 place on the run.)
11. Mark Weathersby 25:22 68:27 38:10 = 2:11:59 AG 2.
33. Giles Cooper 26:25 73:29 40:07 = 2:20:01 AG 1st.
47. Dave Thorold 29:28 69:40 43:43 = 2:22:51 AG 5.
122. Tom Moorhouse 29:36 79:03 46:24 = 2:35:03 AG 20.
127. Barry Ryan 33:07 81:24 41:06 = 2:35:37 AG 20.
130. Steve Hope 27:30 80:35 48:11 = 2:36:16 AG 5.
211. Jeff Manners 31:34 84:53 50:49 = 2:47:16 AG 31.
279. Pedro Polson 24:47 93:33 60:48 = 2:59:08 AG 18.
317. Simon Taylor 40:23 92:59 58:02 = 3:11:24 AG 19.
329. Matt Hall 41:55 96:44 57:06 = 3:15:45 AG 50.
(first Olympic Distance Triathlon.)
336. Sue Davys 33:07 100:07 66:19 = 3:19:33 AG 3.
Paul, Dave and Steve also took part in the Green Wheel Relays on
Sunday. 47 teams of 7 ran the 50-mile loop around Peterborough's off-
road trail, organised by GPAN (Greater Peterborough Athletics Network) http://www.greenwheelrelay.org.uk/
----------------------------------
The Pitsford Triathlon was over the Standard Distance of swim 1500
metres in the lake, bike 25-miles, run 6.25 miles
and utilised the facilities of Northampton Sailing Club.
135. Nicholas Partridge 31:11 87:08 70:12 = 3:08:31 AG 19.
----------------------------------
Darren Kelly gave a good account of himself in the Woodhall Spa
Triathlon (swim 400m, bike 15-miles, run 3-miles).
16. Darren Kelly 7:02 40:25 19:08 = 66:35 AG 4.
----------------------------------
The Lakesman (Keswick) (2.4m, 112m, 26.2m) - Mark Bedford competed in
The Lakesman Triathlon from Keswick on Sunday. This race was over the
Ironman distance of:
Swim 2.4miles - 1 lap in the crystal clear water in Derwentwater. A
mass start.
Bike 112miles - undulating and on generally excellent road surfaces.
Whilst not flat, the organiser's minimised the elevation so that it
came in at less than most of the other UK based races of this
distance.
3 laps around Silloth, Whitehaven and back through Cockermouth.
Run 26.2miles - 5 laps just north of Derwentwater.
Mark said: "First I was an Ironman, now I'm a Lakesman. It didn't
quite
go to plan, but I swam 2.4 miles, cycled 112 miles and then ran a
marathon in tough conditions in 13 hours 25 minutes. I'm now "Made
up".
Fantastic weekend."
291. Mark Bedford 1:36:26 7:27:14 4:21:50 = 13:25:30 AG 38.
--------------------------
2 PACTRACers competed in the National Championships in Leeds.
The men's swim was reduced by half to 750 metres because the lake at
Roundhay Park was covered in mist, which then cleared, allowing the
ladies to then swim the full 1,500 metres. The event was held on closed
roads around Roundhay Park and Leeds City Centre, taking in 25 miles on
the bike and a 6.25 mile run.
208. Simon Guerin 12:45 77:06 45:53 = 2:15:44 AG 38.
424. Andrea Robinett 25:35 82:16 48:47 = 2:36:38 AG 11.
Simon Guerin said: "Leeds went well. I had a good swim but they
shortened it due to visibility, the bike could have gone better but had
a good run so pretty pleased all in all."
------------------------------
We had 10 athletes in the inaugural swim/run event at Ferry Meadows
organised by the very capable As-keen-as-Mustard team. This event
started and finished with a run and had 5 swims in between, so 6-runs
and 5 swims in all. Everything that you started with, you had to finish
with. It meant running in wetsuits and swimming in training shoes but
was a lot of fun, constantly changing from running to swimming and
back. 4 of the 5 swims were in Gunwade Lake and the 5th was in the
River Nene swimming with the current. You were allowed to swim with
pull buoys and hand paddles, but had to carry them on the run too. They
were a definite advantage to those that chose to use them. The total
distance was 10km broken down into approximately 8.2km of running and
1.8km of swimming. Their was some good competition to be had, but the
biggest challenge was being out of breath at the start of each swim,
and having to compose before setting off.
25 Steve Hope 1:16:17
30 chris waghorn 1:18:05
34 Laura Hardy 1:18:44
41 Pedro Polson 1:23:36
47 carol smallman 1:26:15
60 Sue Davys 1:34:39
64 Catherine Burbage 1:36:53
72 Willow Worthington 1:41:09
80 Georgina Jennings 1:53:32
81 Daniel Richardson 1:59:16
Their will be another swim/run event in Ferry Meadows on 9th September.
-------------------------------
In the 3rd of the 8 PACTRAC Wednesday night Mini-Series events, Mark
Weathersby improved on last weeks second place by taking the win ahead
of Simon Hoppe.
Mark led the swimmers out, with Simon right behind and Rob Hammond on
his toes. It was a further 20-seconds before Dan Bassett led a trickle
of 9 swimmers out within 30-seconds of each other.
The top 3 had the 3 fastest bike splits, with Mark and Simon yoyoing at
the front, with Mark coming in just ahead. After a quick transition
both set off on the run, where Mark soon pulled away with the fastest
run of the night; both athletes improving on last weeks times by well
over a minute. Mark was one of 4 athletes to record a PB tonight and
his time would have won last week's race by just 1-second.
Rob held onto 3rd spot, whilst fast running splits saw Wayne Stainsby
and Scott Lloyd take 4th and 5th. Hannah Bassett was first lady,
recording a new PB by 15-seconds; catching Dad Dan and Nicholas
Partridge on the run, both of whom also recorded new PB's.
Results are on http://pactrac.co.uk/events/4209/
Next week, 20th June sees the second of the Novice events for first
time athletes, with the option of a 200yard or 400yard swim. Their is
also a Relay option for teams of 2 or 3 as well as the usual race.
------------------------------
2 PACTRACers competed in the Deva Triathlon at Chester on Sunday, with Bill Haslam finishing 1st in his Age Group. Bill took the lead on the bike and comfortably held it on the run. In doing so, Bill qualified for the World Championships in Lausanne in 2019. He and his wife Sarah have already qualified for the 2018 World Championships on the Gold Coast, and the pressure is now on Sarah to qualify for Lausanne at the final qualifier at Leeds Castle in 3-weeks time. Meanwhile Mark Weathersby waits to see if his 8th place is good enough, but again has Leeds Castle to try again.
This was over the Standard Distance of:
swim 1500 metres in the River Deva.
bike 25 miles - 1 lap venturing into Wales.
run 6.25 miles - 3 laps on tarmac and trail.
51. Mark Weathersby 28:13 65:39 40:05 = 2:13:57 AG 8.
196. Bill Haslam 29:05 70:06 46:47 = 2:25:58 AG 1st.
--------------------
Sunday saw Super Sprint, Sprint and Olympic Distance Triathlons at Tallington Water.
Darren Kelly was the best of the PACTRACers finishing 1st in his Age Group.
Olympic distance Open Water Triathlon (swim 1500m, bike 28 miles, run 6.25 miles)
8. Michael Shadwell 25:47 77:22 39:15 = 2:22:24 AG 5.
10. Darren Kelly 27:02 76:42 42:21 = 2:26:05 AG 1st.
12. Jon Crowley 25:55 77:59 43:47 = 2:27:41 AG 2.
In the Super-Sprint (swim 400m, bike 7.5 miles, run 1.5 miles):
24. Gill Searl 16:16 39:09 21:34 = 76:59 AG 2.
--------------------
PACTRAC held the 2nd of their Summer Mini-Series Triathlons at Oundle on Wednesday. A separate wave was added for First-Time Triathletes, with the swim distance cut in half to 200 yards. The rest of the course was the same.
Distances;
swim 400 yards - 8 lengths of Oundle's 50-yard pool.
bike 10-miles - 1 lap around Glapthorn and the Benefield's with it's 2 hills and 2 fast descents.
run 3.5 miles - out to Glapthorn and back.
7 first-time competitor's completed the shorter 200 yard swim with Laura Edwards leading them out in 3:05 minutes. Michelle Cooper had the fastest bike split, but it was Steve Ives who led them in, off of the bike, ahead of Dustin Braband by 53 seconds. Dustin took the lead on the run whilst still in Oundle and came home a worthy winner by 1:35 from Michelle who clawed her way up to 2nd place with Steve finishing 3rd.
14 athletes competed in the main event which was held over the full swim distance of 400-yards. Jonathan Oakey was first out of the water in 4:25, 23-seconds ahead of the fast-improving Katie Tasker in her first taste of the Mini-Series. Veteran, Simon Hoppe was another 29 seconds behind, ahead of Mark Weathersby and Robin Laukaitis by 8-seconds. Mark Pereira (first race), Christian Richards (second race) and Hannah Bassett (second lady) were hot on their heels.
Jonathan had the fastest bike split and extended his lead to over a minute, whilst Simon and Mark fought it out for second place, Mark eventually keeping his 8-second lead coming into T2. Mark had the fastest run of the night to pull away and finish 2nd, but still 1:13 behind the deserved winner Jonathan. Jonathan will get quicker, once his exams are out of the way; Mark was just 2 seconds outside of his own PB from 2016; whilst it is 7-years now since Simon last broke the magic 50-minute barrier. Scott Lloyd moved up to 4th place on the run, with an overall time 1-minute quicker than last week. This enabled him to catch Steve Hope on the run-in back to Oundle and the pair now share joint first in the race for the Club Championships.
Katie always intended a gradual introduction into the Mini-Series and pulled out after a short run, preferring to save herself for an important qualifying race at Blenheim Palace. Hannah had a good all-round race, making slight improvements on last week to come home first lady. Only one PB was recorded on a tougher night than it looked.
The next Novice / First-Timer's event is on Wednesday 20th June, where once again the option of a 200-yard swim will be available.
Results are on http://pactrac.co.uk/events/4208/
--------------
The Blenhheim Palace Triathlon was a qualifier for the UK School Games (and for the winner the
opportunity to represent Team GB at the Youth Olympics in Beunos Aires in October).
Katie Tasker had a really solid all round race. Her improved swimming has seen her able to exit the water much closer to the leaders. This enabled her to be in the chasing pack on the bike. She was able to stretch it on the super fast but
undulating circuit, and was able to lead the chase group coming in to T2.
She rounded this off will a much improved run and was able to hold her form
and maintain her highest postion in the super series.
This performance has secured Katie a berth in the Eastern Region team
in the UK School games to be held in Loughborough in August.
Katie Tasker 5:28 27:28 12:18 = 45:14 5th / 43.
Distances:
Swim : 400m
Bike : 8.25 miles.
Run : 2 miles.
---------------------------------------
3 intrepid PACTRACers ventured over to Lanzerote for the full distance
Ironman triathlon. May is always early to properly get fit for such a
long distance, but the 3 gave a good account of themselves, in what is
one of the toughest Ironman races out there, in the dry, windy lava
fields of the Canary Isles.
Steve Skelhon completed his 10th Ironman triathlon (swim 2.4 miles,
bike 112 miles, run 26.2 miles) whilst brothers Chris and Richard Pike
finished their 3rd, coming home together as usual.
699. Chris Pike 1:12:57 7:09:24 4:25:02 = 12:47:23 AG
24.
700. Richard Pike 1:13:15 7:12:51 4:21:18 = 12:47:24 AG
70.
1249. Steve Skelhon 1:05:30 7:33:06 5:51:05 = 14:29:41 AG
62.
-------------------
PACTRAC Mini-Series 1
The first of the summer's Wednesday night Mini-Series Triathlons took
place at Oundle School Sports Centre last Wednesday.
The distances were:
swim 400 yards - 8-lengths of Oundle's 50-yard pool.
bike 10 miles - 1-loop around Glapthorn and the Benefield's including
2
good uphill sections and 2 fast descents.
run 3.5 miles - out to Glapthorn and back.
19 athletes started the event, including Jonathan Arnold who was first
out of the water, ahead of Tony Daniels, by a whole minute. Robin
Laukaitis was a further 6-seconds down, with both Dan and Hannah
Bassett out together, another 15-seconds behind. 16 seconds were to
separate the next 5 swimmers.
Tony Daniels soon took the lead on the bike, whilst Steve Hope moved
up
to 2nd from 7th out of the water. Stephen Comber came in 3rd with
Jonathan Arnold now in 4th - but cramp at the end of the bike section
finished his race.
On the run, the two fastest runners on the night, moved up the field;
Andy Corner moving from 7th to 4th, and Scott Lloyd from 8th to 3rd.
Steve managed to hang on to 2nd place by 43 seconds from Scott, whilst
also gaining a minute on leader, Tony, but to no avail coming home 51
seconds behind. This was Tony's first ever Mini-Series win, whilst
Steve equaled his previous best position of 2nd.
Fastest of the 4 females on the night was Junior, Hannah Bassett, who
takes an early lead in the competition, on a windy night where only 3
PB's were recorded.
Results are on http://www.pactrac.co.uk/events/4207/
-------------------
This Wednesday sees a Novice wave included in with the main Mini-
Series
event. Their is a 2nd Novice event on Wednesday 20th June which will
also incorporate a Relay option for those not wanting to do all 3
disciplines. The Novice waves cover the same distances except that the
swim is halved to 200 yards.
Other multi-discipline races coming up locally include:
The Tallington Lakes Standard, Sprint and Super-Sprint Triathlon's
this
Sunday 3rd July.
A new Swim,Run event at Ferry Meadows on Sunday 10th June. This
follows
the Otillo format and covers 10km of constantly changing from running
to swimming and back (this will involve 6 runs and 5 swims, so 11
disciplines back to back). Organiser's http://www.akamustard.events will be
following this up with a 2nd event at Box End, Bedford on 24th June.
The English National Aquathlon Championships then takes place at Ferry
Meadows on 22nd July. This will involve swimming 750 metres and
running
3 miles with National medals up for grabs in each 5-year Age Group. http://www.monsterracing.net/aquathlon2018
Mini-Series 8 CANCELLED. Standard Distance POSTPONED.
The Final Mini-Series Triathlon on Wednesday 11th July 2018 has been cancelled due to the World Cup Semi-Final taking place between England and Croatia.
The Standard Distance Triathlon on Sunday 15th July has been postponed due to both organisational difficulties plus only a handful of members responding that they wanted to compete. This has been re-scheduled for Sunday 19th August.
-------------------------------
8 Mini-Series Triathlon's.
Wednesdays from 7:30 p.m.
May 23rd – July 11th 2018 at Oundle School Sports Centre.
The Wednesday night Mini-Series Triathlon's start on 23rd May 2018 and go on for 8-weeks. The events are open to non-members with specific Novice races on May 30th and June 20th which can also be done in a Relay format of 1 swimmer, 1 biker and 1 runner, or a combination. More details are on the left on the home page http://www.pactrac.co.uk Just turn up on the night in good time to Register, set out your Transition and listen to the Race Brief, ready for the 7:30pm start.
Swim 400 yards: 8-lengths of Oundle's 50-yard pool.
Bike 10 miles: 1 lap around Glapthorn and the Benefield's.
Run 3.5 miles: out to Glapthorn and back.
Wed 23rd May. Mini-Series 1.
Wed 30th May. Mini-Series 2 + NOVICE 1.
Wed 06th Jun. Mini-Series 3.
Wed 13th Jun. Mini-Series 4.
Wed 20th Jun. Mini-Series 5 + NOVICE 2.
Wed 27th Jun. Mini-Series 6.
Wed 04th Jul. Mini-Series 7 – HANDICAP!!!
Wed 11th Jul. Mini-Series 8.
Their is a Mini-Series Trophy covering each athlete's best 5-races (points 10 > 1 each night).
Tim wins GOLD and Bill BRONZE. Simon and Bill qu. Ros and Georgina win Age Group.
The Southport Triathlon hosted the English National Standard Distance
Championships and two of the three PACTRACers came away with National
Medals. Tim Fletcher, in his first season with the club, having moved
down from Manchester, continued his fine early season form with a GOLD
Medal in the 40-44 year Age Group. Bill Haslam picked up a great BRONZE
Medal in the 60-64 Age Group, whilst his wife, Sarah was fourth in her
Age Group, missing out on a medal by just 1 place.
The event was also a qualifying race for the World Championships in
Australia this September. Bill qualified at the event at Grafham Water,
just the week before, but would have qualified here anyway. Sarah came
fourth in her Age Group, and with only 3-places available from this
race, will have to wait and see if that is enough. Tim is not trying to
qualify, but was racing for the Championship medal only.
The standard distance is 1500m swim, bike 25 miles - out and back x2.
run 6.4 miles - 2 laps around the lake. The cycle course takes place on
closed roads and the run course is based around the marina on tarmac
paths.
7. Tim Fletcher 21:57 63:36 35:47 = 2:01:20 AG 1st. GOLD MEDAL.
120. Bill Haslam 25:37 73:00 45:11 = 2:23:48 AG 3rd. BRONZE MEDAL.
284. Sarah Haslam 26:51 82:09 53:31 = 2:42:31 AG 4th.
-----------------------
The Sprint Triathlon on Saturday at Holme Pierrepont, Nottingham, was
all on closed roads/paths around the lake perimeter over the distances of:
swim 750 metres, bike 12 miles, run 3 miles.
158. Jon Crowley 12.08 33.33 20.48 = 66.29 AG 16.
255. Steve Hope 13.02 35.35 21.47 = 70.24 AG 9.
----------------
Dorney Lake in Eton hosted a World Championship qualifying race on
Sunday, with Simon Hoppe QUALIFIED for the World Sprint Championships
in Australia in September. This was over the draft legal format, where
cyclists are allowed to compete directly against one another. (swim 750
metres, bike 13.25 miles, run 3 miles).
60. Mark Weathersby 13.07 33.53 18.41 = 65.41 AG 8.
160. Simon Hoppe 12.32 35.43 21.32 = 69.47 AG 24.
317. Steve Hope 14.12 38.25 23.58 = 76.35 AG 18.
Neil Tandy competed in the accompanying draft illegal race, in his
comeback race, having taken a year out:
95. Neil Tandy 12.06 41.06 26.24 = 79.36 AG 12.
---------------------------
The Newmarket Sprint Triathlon took place from the Leisure Centre and
covered the distances of:
swim 300 metres, bike 12.5 miles, run 2.5 miles.
The PACTRAC pair of Georgina Jennings and Ros Goatly both won their
respective Age Groups, with Ros winning hers by nearly 2-minutes.
42. Ros Goatly 5:36 46:07 20:45 = 72:28 AG 1st.
67. Georgina Jennings 7:21 47:25 26:39 = 81:25 AG 1st.
-------------------------
We had 5 competitors finish the half-Ironman distance triathlon at
Grafham Water, known as the Grafman half; with both Giles Cooper and
Terry Murphy coming 2nd in their respective Age Groups. Terry commented
afterwards that it was "hard work running in 21c today."
42. Giles Cooper 32.33 2.41.57 1.28.39 = 4.43.09 AG 2nd.
122. Charlie Brookes 33.08 2.47.28 1.45.34 = 5.06.10 AG 20.
164. Simon Guerin 30.39 2.49.51 1.57.11 = 5.17.41 AG 32.
217. Simon Mead 41.43 3.17.37 1.33.52 = 5.33.12 AG 40.
357. Terry Murphy 47.02 3.26.38 2.26.54 = 6.40.34 AG 2nd.
---------------------------
Just the one PACTRACer joined 1,300 other athletes at the Outlaw half -
half-Ironman distance triathlon in Nottingham on Sunday, over the
distances of:
swim 1.2 miles in the lake at Holme Pierrepont, bike 56 miles on
country roads and run 13.1 miles around the lake perimeter.
555. Louise Alexander 44:03 2:58:47 2:04:59 = 5:47:49 AG 16.
------------------------
The Moore team ventured a bit further this weekend to the East
Grinstead Junior Triathlon, straying into the southern area. This venue
was voted the best junior triathlon 2017.(in their region).
The weather started misty and damp but developed into a sunny hot day.
After a gradual build up of 2 x duathlon’s and 2 x Aquathlon’s so far
this year, this was their first full Triathlon.
"A bit different to what we were used to, i.e. (swim /polythene bags
with their numbers on, issued in their race pack) were taken poolside
with their towels running shoes and race numbers, after the swim they
had to put everything in the bag (swim hat, goggles, towel, etc) and
take it out of the pool and on exiting give/throw it to a marshal who
would then store it in an area for collection after the race.
(different, but it worked)
The swim was a snake start (switch lanes after every two lengths),
starting from youths downwards.
The bike course was on grass (just mown) and hard work, a short course
with a few twists and turns, meaning a lot of laps to count, the youths
and TR3 were doing 9 laps.
Quote of the day was from Chloe Moore who shouted a supporting “Come on
Josh I feel your pain” to her brother on his bike, after she had just
completed her gruelling 9 lap bike. (Priceless)."
Chloe Moore competing in Tr3, (swim 300m Bike 3.75 miles, run 1.5
miles), found it tough (as did a lot of youths doing the same
distance), and came a commendable 15th out of 21.
Josh Moore competing in Tr 1, (swim 150m Bike 1.25 miles, run 0.75
mile), finally overcoming his pre-race nerves and really enjoyed the
race, but found the bike tough, coming 32nd.
----------------------
The Wednesday night Mini-Series Triathlon's start on 23rd May and cover the
next 8 weeks. Distances are:
swim 400 yards - 8 lengths of Oundle pool.
bike 10 miles - 1 loop around Glapthorn and the Benefield's.
run 3.5 miles - out to Glapthorn and back.
The events are open to non-members with specific Novice races on May
30th and June 20th which can also be done in a Relay format of 1
swimmer, 1 biker and 1 runner, or a combination. More details are on http://www.pactrac.co.uk
Just turn up on the night.
Mark and Tim 3rd OVERALL. Paul 6th in Majorca. Jonathan and Katie compete with the Elites.
Mark Weathersby has had a busy 3 weeks. He was disappointed to miss out on a good-for-age entry by just 3-seconds at the Virgin London Marathon, recording an impressive 3:05:02 for 1,474th place in the heat.
Then, last weekend, he came 3rd overall in the Stratford Sprint Triathlon, from a field of 551 finishers, whilst winning his Age Group in a time of 56:09. The distances were: swim 400m in the 33-metre pool, bike 11.25 miles, run 3-miles.
3. Mark Weathersby 6:30 29:31 20:08 = 56:09 AG 1st.
This weekend, he ran in the Milton Keynes Marathon and recorded a time of 2:58:58.
Mark said: "Like London, it was very hot, but I managed to improve my time to finish in 15th place with a time of 2:58:58, which is OK given the heat. Maybe good enough for London 2019. The medal is pretty cool as well."
======================
New member Tim Fletcher came 3rd overall in the Horwich Triathlon near Bolton. Tim was 4th after the swim, dropped to 8th on the bike in spite of a fast ride, and then picked up to 3rd place overall on the run, with the 2nd fastest run of the day. Tim won his Age Group and was 3rd overall out of 479 competitor's.
The distances were:
Swim 500m in the pool at Horwich Leisure Centre.
Bike 25 miles - undulating.
Run 5.5 miles - A brutal but iconic run, climbing all the way to the summit of Rivington Pike and then back down again.
3rd. Tim Fletcher 8:04 65:06 34:34 = 1:47:44. AG 1st.
=======================
The British Universities Championships were once again held at St.Marys Sports Centre in Colne, Wiltshire. The distances were: swim 750m in the pool. Bike 16 miles. Run 3 miles.
Nathan Tweedie was 2nd out of the water, in a very strong field, comprising of the best University triathletes from across the Country. He ended up in a large group on the bike and finished in 13th place overall.
13. NATHAN TWEEDIE 8:34 39:29 17:00 = 65:03.
60. MARCUS WIDDESS 10:36 42:21 18:09 = 71:06.
=================
The PACTRAC Juniors are getting their season underway. This weekend Josh and Chloe Moore were competing in the Nuneaton Aquathlon
Chloe Moore competed in Tri 3 - 250m swim 1600m run
Josh Moore competed in Tri 1 - 100m swim 800m run
4. Chloe Moore 4:53 8:39 = 13:32
19. Josh Moore 2:20 6:11 = 8:31
It was a hot sunny day, with an excellent pool venue and the run on a proper athletics track and a stadium finish.
Chloe Moore did her best ever position, narrowly missing out on a podium 3rd by 20 seconds, coming 4th, "after launching herself out of the pool end, over the higher end wall, instead of taking the easy option of the steps on the side, which must have gained her an extra 2 seconds".
Josh Moore did his best ever swim time, before an awkward shoe in transition left him chasing down the field.
The juniors have one more Aquathlon next week at Grantham, a longer one which will test them, before starting the Triathlon season the following week down at East Grinstead.
======================
PACTRAC held their mid-distance club triathlon from Oundle on Bank Holiday Monday.
The distances were:
swim 900 yards in the 50-yard pool - 18 lengths.
bike 20 miles - 2 undulating laps around Glapthorn and the Benefield's with 2 sharp hills and 2 fast descents on each lap.
run 5-miles around Glapthorn and Cotterstock.
This was the first of our Club Championship races, with Simon Hoppe trying to rest the Trophy back from last year's winner Rob Hammond. Junior athlete, Jonathan Arnold, led the field out in convincing fashion, in a superfast time of 10:31 followed by Simon Hoppe in 12:43 and Rob Hammond the first of 6 athletes between 13:16 and 13:50. Simon soon took the lead on the bike and came into T2 after just over an hour, with a 2-minute lead over Rob, with Giles Cooper and Steve Skelhon a further 2-minutes down.
Rob has an injury and was unable to complete the race, leaving Giles to consolidate 2nd place, nearly 4-minutes behind Simon, with Steve Hope moving ahead of Steve Skelhon on the run to take 3rd. Simon, therefore, takes an early lead in his quest to regain the Club Championship Trophy; with the next event being the first Mini-Series race of the year at Oundle pool on Wednesday 23rd May.
Results are on http://www.http://pactrac.co.uk/events/4206/
=================================
Saturday saw Paul Lunn competing in the 70.3 Half-Ironman in Alcudia,
Majorca, for the 8th consecutive year.
Swim 1900m in the sea.
Bike 56 miles, up into the mountains and back down again for a fast
flat final few miles.
Run 13.1 miles, laps around the beech and coastal roads.
Paul came 6th out of 2,893 competitors and won his Age Group in
convincing style. He was 169th out of the water, but had the 6th
fastest bike of the day and the 12th fastest run to pull himself up to
6th overall.
6. Paul Lunn 28:21 2:27:57 1:22:56 = 4:19:14. AG 1st.
-----------------------
7 PACTRACers competed in the NiceTri Triathlon at Grafham Water. This
was a World Championship qualifier which attracted 485 athletes willing
to swim in the cool 14 degree water in mid-May. Competition was fierce,
with the best athletes from across the country competing for places,
which will be allocated shortly.
67. Mark Weathersby 26:59 60:15 40:43 = 2:07:57 AG 18th.
243. Bill Haslam 28:28 69:20 46:58 = 2:24:46 AG 7.
303. Steve Hope 28:46 72:20 49:28 = 2:30:34 AG 23.
316. Andrea Robinett 25:12 76:07 50:34 = 2:31:53 AG 14.
377. Sarah Haslam 28:09 81:17 50:36 = 2:40:02 AG 8.
412. Angela Wallis 35:05 82:33 53:24 = 2:51:02 AG 14.
419. Pedro Polson 26:01 84:36 62:40 = 2:53:17 AG 30.
-----------------------
5 PACTRACers finished the Monster Mojito Triathlon from Peterborough
Rowing Lake, with Darren Kelly winning his Age Group and Paul Jephcott
coming second in his.
The distances were: swim 1500m, bike 24 miles, run 6.25 miles.
7. Darren Kelly 26:37 67:42 42:30 = 2:16:49 AG 1st.
13. Iain Cushion 26:29 70:14 44:30 = 2:21:13 AG 6.
24. Rhys Wilkinson 27:26 75:40 46:08 = 2:29:14 AG 7.
43. Paul Jephcott 32:27 76:25 51:40 = 2:40:32 AG 2nd.
64. Tom Moorhouse 29:58 87:48 50:56 = 2:48:42 AG 27.
The Monster Mojo was over: swim 1900m, bike 51 miles, run 13.1 miles.
15. Mike Shadwell 33:11 2:29:30 1:31:11 = 4:33:52 AG 8.
-------------------------
We had 7 runners in the Titchmarsh 10k, and another 2 in the Eye 10k
whilst Kamila Czynska recorded 1:42 hours in the Stratford half-
marathon and Matt Hall completed the Montane HowGills Trail Marathon in
Sedbergh.
--------------------------
Katie Tasker and Jonathon Oakey raced in the Junior National Super-
series Triathlon at Llanelli.
"The standard was absolutely brutal. To give you an indication one of
the Lads in Jonathan's race ran a 15:22 5k and was only 5th. The swim
was in the closed dock and was only just raceable @ 12degrees after
being cleared the previous evening. This was a beach start with the
juniors having to swim 2-laps. The bike was on closed roads, with a
number of dead turns and sharp bends. The final run was along the sea
wall. The prize for the Juniors was a trip to Rio as part of the Youth
Olympics".
Jonathan Oakey – Junior Men : Distances – Swim 750m. Bike 12.5 miles.
Run 3-miles.
"Jonathon was a little way behind the leader on exiting the water and
struggled to find a good group to work with on the bike. As a result he
was not able to make the jump to the groups ahead, but was able to
climb a couple of places on the run. He did finish the same course a
whole minute faster than the previous year where he finished 21st."
Katie Tasker – Youth Girls: Distances – Swim 375m. Bike 7.5 miles. Run
1.5 miles.
"Katie had a good swim and exited in her highest position in this
format in 15th. On the bike she became isolated and was not able to
catch the lead group. Looking to conserve energy she sat in the next
pack; but a tactical mistake meant that she was on the back of the
group entering T2. She found the run tough but finished fluently."
The next round of races for these two, will be in Leeds as part of the
World series on 9th June.
Katie is racing before this, at Blenheim on the 3rd June, where she is
hoping to qualify for the UK School games.
Jonathan Oakey 10:34 33:12 18:16 = 62:02 37th / 48
Katie Tasker 5:40 22:35 10:47 = 39:02 20th / 44
Report from the PACTRAC Peterborough Duathlon - Nathan and Paul 1-2.
Sunday saw 78 solo athletes and 4 Relay Teams competing in the PACTRAC Peterborough Duathlon from Castor. The distances were:
Run 4-miles. After 1/4 mile a dog-leg up Water Lane helped to split the runners up, before they got to Loves Hill - a difficult climb early in the race. Then a long straight, slightly uphill still, before turning to go down to Milton Ferry Bridge. The runners then ran a loop of the top triangle in Ferry Meadows before heading straight back for transition, so down the steep decline of Loves Hill this time.
Bike 18-miles. Out via Marholm to Helpston Heath, and then 1-loop around Helpston, Bainton and Ufford, before returning again via Marholm. A challenging course, with a gradual incline before the cyclists even reached Ufford Hill.
Run 2.5-miles. this time, straight out to Milton Ferry Bridge and back, so the runners had to tackle Loves Hill for a third time as well as get to descent it for the 3rd time. Going up Loves Hill at the beginning of each discipline, is what gives the course it's USP.
PACTRAC had over 50 volunteers on the day helping out, from marshaling on the bike and run routes, to Timing, manning Water stations, Canteen staff, handing out medals, controlling the enclosed Transition Area, Draftbusting , signing the course, Photography, Car Parking as well as First Aid, providing the BTF Race Referee and setting up the Barriers and Bike Racking for Transition.
Grateful thanks go to John Ovenden of Fenland Runner, who provided a pair of Alphawoolf Training shoes to both the male and female winners.
The race itself was a well fought battle between Nathan Tweedie and Paul Lunn, with Nathan leading after the first 4-mile run; Paul pulling him back on the bike and catching him, after Marholm on the way back; before Paul just led by a few seconds into T2. However Paul took a little longer, in the cold and wet conditions, with cold hands, to take his helmet off, by which time, Nathan had left Transition and gradually pulled away, to have a commanding lead by the turning point, and was able to take it a little easier on the way back.
Full results are here http://pactrac.co.uk/events/4215/
1. (5) M.. D.. Nathan Tweedie....21:56....46:47....15:00 =.. 1:23:43
2. (80) M.. I.. Paul Lunn..............24:19....44:21....16:12 =.. 1:24:52
3. (28) M.. G.. Nathaniel Walker..23:00....48:07....14:59 =.. 1:26:06
4. (27) M.. G.. Paul Schofield......26:48....47:35....17:25 =.. 1:31:48
5. (24) M.. G.. Lelio Cereda.........25:15....51:26....16:56 =.. 1:33:37
6. (18) M.. G.. John Odell............26:45....50:06....17:31 =.. 1:34:22
7. (64) M.. I.. Darren Kelly............26:50....50:18....17:16 =.. 1:34:24
8. (25) M.. H.. Wayne Stainsby....26:23....53:43....16:36 =.. 1:36:42
9. (16) M.. G.. Tony Ward............26:09....53:51....16:47 =.. 1:36:47
10. (6) F.. E.. Jess Williams.........26:04....54:17....16:28 =.. 1:36:49
11. (95) Relay - Castor A&B .......31:20....45:33....20:07 =.. 1:37:00
12. (98) Relay - Fenland Runner..26:56....52:39....18:22 =.. 1:37:57
13. (3) M.. A.. Owen Wilkinson.....24:19....56:52....17:39..=..1:38:50
GB athlete, Nathaniel Walker, was 2nd after the first run, splitting the PACTRAC pair, with Junior, Owen Wilkinson, matching Paul for 3rd place=. However, Nathaniel soon dropped to 3rd on the bike, whilst Paul Schofield moved up to 4th. Paul Lunn was on a bike course that he trains on quite a bit, and had the fastest bike of the day, whilst Nathaniel Walker had the fastest 2nd run to hold onto 3rd, with Paul Schofield holding onto 4th. Nathan had a consistent race and was able to ease off in the last 1.25 miles.
2 Relay Teams battled it out for the honours, with Fenland Runner (the sponsors team) having the fastest runners, but just being pipped by Castor A&B Team who had the faster cyclist. Their was less than a minute in it at the end.
Jess Williams won the ladies race, coming home a convincing winner, in 10th place overall. 2nd lady was Castor's own Sarah Fitzjohn, so 2 Trophies going to the home village. 3rd lady was Sadie Boor of local running club, Werrington Joggers.
Stuart Hathaway who crashed out on the bike last year, came back strong and exorcised some ghosts. The event was for both experienced athletes and first-timers, with many tasting multi-discipline sport for the first time, including Werrington Joggers Roger Sayer and Wendette Christian. Wendette was racing for the NGNPUK charity and raised over £1,400 to help provide Syringe Drivers, which are most frequently used in pain management for palliative care.
Wendette said: "As it was my first Duathlon, I didn't know what to expect but I really enjoyed it and would thoroughly recommend it."
This was the fourth year that PACTRAC have promoted this race, with the athletes enjoying some friendly, safe racing; whilst this year, most of the marshals were complaining of the cold and rain.
---------------------
Medway Junior Duathlon:
3 PACTRAC Juniors competed in the Medway Duathlon, Olivia Corner, Chloe Moore and Joshua Moore.
"It was a cold and damp day, an excellent proper cycle track, with a few hills and twists and turns.
Both run and bike were on tarmac.
The bike into transition was a bit precarious, a fast downhill, but good to watch.
Chloe dismounted possibly too soon, (and she’s normally pretty good at dismounting), whilst Josh took it to the line and just managed to dismount before crossing the line. (with brakes screaming).
Olivia came 16 out of a total 37, in TS3
Chloe came 34 out of a total 37, in TS3
Josh came 25 out of a total 29, in TS1
It was a strong field especially in TS3. We were a little Pactrac team encouraging each other on, and proudly displaying their Pactrac tops.
Chloe and Josh are racing again next Sunday, but in an Aquathlon"
----------------------
Virgin London Marathon.
1474. Mark Weathersby 3:05:02 (first half in 1:24:04). (Mark needed 3:
04:59 to get a good-for-age entry for next year, so missed out by 3-
seconds). AG 880.
2175. Giles Cooper 3:12:50 (first half in 1:33:33) AG 123.
12866. Kate Armstrong 4:16:30. (first half in 2:02:57) AG 92.
Paul Lunn deferred.
Sean Beard deferred.
Scott Lloyd deferred.
---------------
Roger, Jonathan and Katie all qualify.
Roger Canham competed in the 70.3 Half-Ironman triathlon at Liuzhou in China and qualified for the World Ironman Championships in Hawaii in October. Only 3 British athletes won their Age Groups - Roger in the 50-54, Mike Hooper in the 55-59 and ALISTAIR BROWNLEE in the Elites. The attached photo is of Roger and Alistair with their Trophies. This is Roger's tenth consecutive year of qualifying for the World Championships in Hawaii. Roger went into the run in 3rd place and overtook 2 athletes including his British rival to take first spot.
Roger said "Pretty lucky really. I'm training for RAAM this year so this was my only shot!"
Pro Men.
1st – Alistair Brownlee (GBR) – 3:45:28
Age-Group 50-54.
1st – Roger Canham (GBR) – 4:41:58
2nd – Matthew Ryley (GBR) – 4:43:31
Roger's Report:
"April 14th 2018. Ironman 70.3 Liuzhou China.
Swim 1.2 miles. Bike 56 miles. Run 13.1 miles - Temperature 18oF
Swim 33:00 - T1 05:01 - Bike 02:30:14 - T2 05:10 – Run 01:28:33 Total Time 4:41:58.
50-54 Age Group Champion, 53rd overall.
The first part of the year was always going to be dominated with getting into shape for the 3,100mile Race Across America bike adventure I am undertaking in a team of four riders in June. For my second adventure of the year, I was lucky enough to win a start for the legendary Norseman iron distance extreme triathlon taking place in early August. RAAM training meant that I would only be able to squeeze in a minimal amount of swimming and running but I still wanted a shot at qualifying for the 2018 Ironman World Championships in Hawaii. When I scoured the events list for 2018 the only event I would be able to shoe horn into my training plans was the Ironman 70.3 Liuzhou in China and I would have to win the age group to secure my slot for the Big Island. It’s was a far from perfect plan, but it was that or nothing.
After 36 hours of travelling we landed in Liuzhou on Thursday, in time to register and attend the English briefing. At the briefing it quickly became clear that any non-nationals competing were there for one thing and one thing only, a coveted Kona slot. There would be only ten guys truly competing for the win, but they were experienced and high-quality athletes. Friday was spent kit racking and wrestling with jet lag.
Storms had been forecast for race day but as we made our way to the swim start all looked calm. It was a rolling swim start and I now have established a tactic of starting further back so that when I see people on the run, the chances are they started before me and I am genuinely racing them. The swim was billed as a fast, current assisted downstream swim. It was indeed fast initially, but as we rounded the 1000m buoy the promised storm was starting to show its hand with the waves coming crashing in. The pace plummeted as it became a fight to battle one stroke at a time through the waves with the packs of swimmers being widely scattered. Somewhat battered, we exited the swim, ran to T2, changed into bike gear and set off on the bike leg.
No sooner had I put the hammer down than I hit a bump and my nutrition bottle popped out. I had no option but to jam on the anchors, jump off the bike and run back up the road to retrieve my precious calories. Reset and go again but very quickly the rain started to come down and the roads became greasy; they would bring down a number of riders before the day was out. The race was split, the seasoned Ironman athletes gunning for slots and the nationals getting their first taste of racing a triathlon. The consequence was that the front end of the race was an eye balls out time trail at world class pace and then a big gap to the main field. I locked into the zone and just cranked out the planned power numbers, mostly riding alone. The flat, pristine roads had promised record breaking times, but the weather had undone any chance of bagging a PB, I was just pleased to put in a solid effort and get off unscathed.
I glanced across at the bikes already home as I racked my bike in T2, not many but there were clearly a handful of athletes already out on the run course. The chaotic numbering system made it nigh impossible to know how many were racing for the age group win and The Slot. Head down and see what my legs had for the first few miles. Woefully short of run training volume, never mind running at pace, meant it really was an unknown. I figured that I would need to go faster than seven-minute miles to be in with a chance of a podium and as the first few miles unfolded, I started to build a small buffer of seconds against my target pace. As athletes came back from the turnaround I couldn’t spot any of my competition who were undoubtedly ahead of me, I just didn’t know how many and how far ahead they were. I just kept pushing to maintain the pace and as I reached the half way mark I passed a UK athlete in my age group. He spotted me and latched onto my heels so I upped the tempo and eventually the elastic snapped. I discovered later that he didn’t fold but kept chasing and ended up with second spot and only just over a minute behind me. At 9-miles I passed an Italian in my age group and I felt I must be near the front now but couldn’t ease up. I held my pace right to the line but crossed really not sure what position I was in.
It took nearly an hour for my result to be confirmed, age group champion and my ticket stamped for Hawaii – BOOM! The first Ironman was held in 1978 in Hawaii and this will be the fortieth anniversary and my tenth competing there. Racing in Liuzhou and talking to other athletes gunning for that slot makes me appreciate how lucky I am to be going back to the Big island. Now back to the bike and the small matter of a 3100 mile ride across America."
----------------
Super-Series Assessment - Jonathan Oakey and Katie Tasker.
It was a big weekend for two of Pactrac's aspiring young athletes in Loughborough at the national performance assessment weekend.
The event is split over 2 days with a series of lectures on the Saturday during the day, then the swim in Loughborough University pool on Saturday Evening.
It is significant to get in the top 40 as this enables the athlete to complete in the Super Series (National league). If you fall outside of this you are on the waiting list.
The swim was in the pool with 16 lanes in use and 32 swimmers going off in waves every 10 minutes. In Jonathan's Junior Age Group, there were 85 attemptiong to secure a top 40 slot.
Jonathan Oakey – Junior Men : Distances – Swim 800m Bike 12.5m Run 3m
Jonathan swam a new PB in 9:51 which despite this it left him in 63rd position. With it all to do on the bike Jonathan made quick work in moving up the field. He was able to ‘jump’ a number of groups and entered T2 in 22nd position with a blistering ride averaging nearly 26mph on the 12.5m course.
Jonathan then ran a solid 3-mile run on the back of this, but despite his best efforts, he did lose some ground on the field. He was still able to come home in 38th place and was releived to have made the cut.
Katie Tasker – Youth Girls: Distances – Swim 400m Bike 10K Run 2.5K
Katie entered the race boosted from her recent result at Bedford. She too swam a PB in the pool 5:05 for 400m which left her in 25th place entering the bike. She made an electrifying T1 and was the fastest of all exiting transition. On the bike she was able to work with a small group which manouvered its way through the riders. This was a strong ride and she moved up to 7th. Katie struggled on the final run and lost some places but was still able to come home in 17th. This is the 1st time that Katie has raced at this event and a number of valuable lessons were learnt which will help with the oncoming season.
These results secure both Katie & Jonathan a berth in the National Super Series - with the first triathlon in Llanelli in May.
Super Series :-
https://www.britishtriathlon.org/events/performance-events/youth-and-junior-super-series
The results are :-
https://www.resultsbase.net/event/4379/results
Splits
Jonathan Oakey 9:54 0:28 29:11 0:21 18:42 = 58:36 38th / 85
Katie Tasker 5:05 0:22 16:47 0:23 10:26 = 33:03 17th / 65
------------------------
574 competitor's finished in one of the first triathlons of the season, the Southwell Triathlon, with Darren Kelly coming home in 21st place overall.
The distances were: swim 400 metres, bike 11 miles, run 3 miles.
21. Darren Kelly 7:26 30:19 17:21 = 55:06 Age Group 5.
--------------------
Mark Bedford completed the Boston marathon in Lincolnshire in 3:27:50 beating his previous best time by 40-seconds. His next target is the Lakesman Triathlon in June, an Ironman distance race over hilly terrain.
-------------------------
Entries close for the PACTRAC Peterborough Duathlon on Monday 23rd April. The event takes place from Castor on Sunday 29th April and comprises a 4-mile run, 18-mile bike and 2.5 mile run. Their is also a Relay option for teams of either 2 or 3. For further details and to enter, visit http://pactrac.co.uk/events/4215/
Jim takes Silver in the National Duathlon Championships.
Jim Fell, Steve Hope and Katie Tasker competed in the National Duathlon
Championships at Bedford Aerodrome; with Jim finishing 2nd in his Age
Group, to come away with the Silver Medal. Jim had a very consistent
race and received a deserved Silver medal.
The distances were:
run 6.25 miles.
bike 24 miles.
run 3 miles.
Katie had a good race in the Junior Duathlon, which was also the 1st
leg of the Junior Super Series. A class field had assembled, with a
number of national Champions racing. Katie finished 15th in 32:36.
The distances were:
run 1.5 miles.
bike 6.25 miles.
run 0.75 miles
"A strong opening run saw Katie enter T1 in contention and with a trade
mark rapid transition she was able to make good progress up the field
on the 1st half of the bike. She made further headway but as the field
splintered she found herself doing large parts of the course on her
own. Over the short second run Katie lost a couple of places to finish
15th. This bodes well for the National Qualification event in
Loughborough next week".
104. Steve Hope.... 49:18 75:50 27:20 = 2:32:28 AG 7th
113. Jim Fell.......... 51:10 78:53 30:47 = 2:40:50 (Age 70-74) AG 2nd SILVER MEDAL.
15. Katie Tasker.... 8:25 18:24 5:47 = 32:36 AG 15th.
--------------------------------
Entries are coming in for the PACTRAC Peterborough Duathlon to be held
at Castor on Sunday 29th April. The distances are; run 4-miles, bike
18-miles, run 2.5 miles. Entries are open via http://pactrac.co.uk/events/4215/
and their is also a relay option for teams of either 2 or 3.
--------------------
The RAF Scampton Duathlon took place at the weekend on the airfield
taxiways and perimeter roads in a safe and traffic free environment.
PACTRAC had 10 competitors including 9 Juniors. Evander Wishart was the
best placed finisher with forth place in a tightly contested TriStar1
race.
Adult (solo) 3m 13m 1.5m
32. Andy Corner 20:59 40:04 11:17 = 72:20
TriStar Start 400m 1500m 200m
22. Hannah Coull 3:02 7:33 0:44 = 11:19
TriStar 1 1200m 4000m 400m
4. Evander Wishart 4:54 8:20 2:23 = 15:37
55. Josh Moore 7:10 11:24 3:23 = 21:57
TriStar 2 1600m 6000m 600m
26. Norah Brill 6:51 17:42 3:16 = 27:49
38. Calleigh Coull 7:27 18:23 3:32 = 29:22
TriStar 3 2000m 7500m 800m
21. Flo Brill 7:07 17:07 4:05 = 28:19
60. Jude Hinch 9:29 20:44 4:48 = 35:01
70. Libby Mellor 9:27 23:10 4:56 = 37:33
71. Chloe Moore 10:00 22:50 5:29 = 38:19
---------------
Amy Hayes has received confirmation that her place to swim the Kaiwi
Channel has been granted. This is a 26 mile swim from Molokai to Oahu
across the ocean in Hawaii. Amy has been given a slot from 1st-7th July
depending on the weather and is now busy training for this grueling
long distance solo swim. Currently only 59 people have successfully
completed this swim solo.
--------------------
Claire Steels competed in her first professional bike race at the
weekend. Claire has joined the Fusion RT Velo Performance women's team
for this season and on a hilly course performed well to help lead out
the team's sprinter Jennifer Holden, and then claim a magnificent third
place overall herself.
It was a good day for the team in the Hatherleigh Women's Road Race on
a hilly course with a final uphill sprint, and a perfect sprint launch
which played to Claire's strengths.
"The team smashed it today at Hatherleigh RR, taking 1st (Jenny
Holden), 3rd (Claire Steels) and Claire also taking 3 of the 4
primes".
--------------------
Rutland Water half-marathon:
37. Simon Guerin 1:40:25
Winter race results and reports.
Their were two distances on offer in the BRJ Laragh Homes Alconbury
Duathlon on Sunday and PACTRAC had representatives in both. Andrew
Chapman went round with his wife Jo, who was competing in her first
ever Multi-Discipline race, whilst in the Standard Distance race, Paul
Jephcott came away with first place in his Age Group.
Sprint: Run 3-miles, bike 12.5 miles, run 1.5 miles.
4. Jo Chapman 26:25 50:48 15:14 = 1:32:27 AG 2.
25. Andrew Chapman 26:24 50:51 15:13 = 1:32:28 AG 6.
Standard: Run 6.25 miles, bike 25 miles, run 3 miles.
19. Paul Jephcott 50:43 85:46 26:01 = 2:42:30 AG 1st.
-----------
Dave Thorold competed in the 70.3 Half-Ironman Triathlon in Miami,
Florida.
The distances were; swim 1.2 miles in the sea, bike 56 miles and run
13.1 miles.
It was a great result for Dave in Miami. It's a flat and fast course,
but its a non wetsuit swim, the bike course tends to get windy and the
run is in 30c and 80% humidity. A tough race and a great performance.
105. Dave Thorold 38:34 2:34:50 1:44:16 = 4:57:40 AG 5th
1706 finishers from 1893 entries.
----------------------------
Wendy Gooding competed in the RTTC National Closed Circuit Cycle Time
Trial Championships on the Thruxton Motor Circuit. Wendy came home in
20th place in a time of 28:23 for the 11.8 miles to average very nearly
25mph.
=============================
Matthew Wouldham has been announced as the winner of the Eastern Region
Youths season long competition, whilst Katie Tasker came 2nd in the
TriStar 3 and Olivia Corner 4th in the TriStar 2.
Youth (aged 15-16 years) Matthew Wouldham 1st. Matthew competed in the
minimum number of 5 competitions, winning 3 of them. He won the Clacton
triathlon, the Framlingham triathlon and the Infinity Aquathlon, whilst
coming home 2nd at the Discovery open water triathlon, and 3rd at
Leighton Buzzard.
TriStar 3 (aged 13-14) Katie Tasker 2nd. Katie competed in 7 events
winning in the Norwich, Walden and Cambridge triathlons and the Bedford
Autodrome Duathlon, whilst coming 2nd to the eventual winner in 3 other
triathlons. She won their head-to-heads 4-3, but lost out on total wins
4-5.
TriStar 2 (aged 11-12) Olivia Corner 4th. Olivia competed in 7 events
winning 3 of them - the Norwich and the West Suffolk Wheelers
triathlons and the Clacton off-road Duathlon.
All 3 had a great season with Katie and Olivia also representing the
Eastern region in the Inter Regional Championships at Mallory Park.
==========================
Two PACTRACers competed in the TCS New York City Marathon at the
weekend, running 26.2 miles around the 5 Boroughs of New York. Giles
Cooper and Roger Canham both finished their season off in grand style,
recording just over 3 hours. They ran together for the first 16-miles
at mainly sub 7-minutes per mile, before Roger dropped off and Giles
continued for another 3-miles before running the remaining 7-miles at 7:
30 to 8:00 minute miling.
Giles commented that it was an “Awesome race” but we didn’t pace it too
well. We missed our wave start, then had a quick first half trying to
catch our wave from wave 2. Paid for it in the last 6 miles!!"
Results:
Giles Cooper 3:08:21 (1:30:12 + 1:38:09) 7:12mpm.
Roger Canham 3:12:47 (1:30:13 + 1:42:34) 7:22mpm.
======================
At the St. Neots half-marathon, Aaron Godden recorded a Personal Best
time of 1:28:34. This took 3-minutes off of his previous best as he
finally cracked the 90-minute barrier. Aaron stuck with the 1:30 pacer,
holding back until mile 10, when he took off.
Aaron said "I had the run of my life and am so happy. Sub 90 minutes
proved to be a tough nut to crack."
=======================
Their's a new sport amongst the open water swimming community. It's the Ice Mile whereby swimmers swim for 1-mile in water below 5 degrees C.
3 Ice miles were completed at the weekend up in Hatfield, Doncaster. PACTRAC's Amy Hayes completed, as did David Coleman and Penny Felton. The water in the lake was 3.9 degrees. All 3 I believe are from Cambridgeshire? and regularly swim around Cambridge, St.Neots, Tansor and Wadenhoe. Amy is an American currently living in Hampton.
Amy: "I didn't let them tell me the temp until I was done! I told myself it was 4.5 the whole way".
One of their training venues is the River Nene at Wadenhoe which, on the same morning, was a balmy 5.8 degrees.
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/the-swimming-blog/2014/jan/07/ice-mile-swimming-test-planet will give an insight into this modern sport.
Amy Hayes "It went well. The water was colder than I was planning on, but I didn't ask the temperature until I was done. It was hard work, but I think I managed a negative split, forcing myself to go faster at the end because I was so ready to be finished. The recovery was harsh, but the most painful part didn't last too long. I'm still cold and really tired, nearly 6 hours later. It took me 35 minutes and 51 seconds in 3.9 degree water (38.8F). The photo's will probably be unflattering, but there is no cute way to finish an ice mile".
Amy is the 50th person to swim the Ice Mile at Hatfield with "Swim your Swim". Swim Your Swim saw their first Ice Mile in March 2013. Currently their are now 231 people worldwide to have officially swam the mile in under 5 degrees.
"Today saw the SwimYourSwim team bring our 48th, 49th and 50th ice mile swimmers home safe and sound in 3.9ºC water (STR)
http://swimyourswim.com/big-50-for-swimyourswim/
First away was the cuddly Kiwi David Coleman, who successfully completed his second Ice Mile with us in 37.28s followed by fellow T.W.A.T.S Penny Felton in 41.21 and our eagerly awaited 50th ice mile from Amy Hayes in 35.51s."
---------------------
Their is a photo from the Frostbite at March on Facebook.
One shows 4 previous Frostbite race winners in one shot.
From the left: Paul Halford, Rod Mckee (not a previous winner), Ben Heron, Alan Turnbull, Paul Vernon.
24 Alan Turnbull M Riverside 30:33
25 Ben Heron M Eye 30:33
26 Paul Vernon M PACTRAC 30:33
27 Rod Mckee M Hunts AC 30:35
28 Paul Halford M Werrington 30:39
Paul Vernon had just competed in a 24-hour 8-man relay involving indoor rowing, biking and running over short, sharp distances: and was using this as a recovery run. It's great to see top athletes mucking in, even when they really don't feel like it!
====================
http://www.fusionracingteam.com/news-16-01-18.html
Claire Steels has joined a women's professional cycle racing team for
2018 and will be seen around the country in various road races,
criteriums and time trials. Claire dipped under the hour in the
National 25-mile Time Trial in 2017 and this will be a big step up in a
single sport discipline. I don't know at the moment how this will fit
in with an Duathlon ambitions.
=======================
The Anglia Water Standard Distance Duathlon at Grafham Water was an
early season qualifier for both:
The 2018 World Championships in Norway in July.
The 2019 European Championships, the venue to be confirmed.
The distances were: run 6.25 miles, bike 25 miles, run 3 miles. The
early start of 8:30am meant for a colder February race with athletes
needing to be well wrapped up. The first run was out and back along the
lake side. The bike was straight out to Hail Weston and back. The
second run was also out and back but only to half-way of the first run.
32. Adam Madge 36:31 67:12 20:53 = 2:04:36 AG 13.
159. Paul Jephcott 48:54 80:46 28:47 = 2:38:27 AG 9.
186. Angela Wallis 53:52 95:12 29:28 = 2:58:32 AG 6th.
Their were 4 places in each Age Group up-for-grabs with all 3
PACTRACers looking to qualify for the European Championships, whilst
Adam was also looking for a World Championship place. All 3 will have
to wait and see if places become available, or try again in the next of
the 3 qualifying races.
-----------------------
In the Hinchingbrooke Frostbite, Sarah Caskey, running for PACTRAC
came home 58th overall and 3rd lady, being just outsprinted into 3rd
spot, whilst Paul Vernon was 2nd overall. Unfortunately, we didn't have
the strength in depth to fully back them up.
PACTRAC Peterborough Duathlon - Sunday 29th April 2018.
Sunday 29th April 2018.
See http://pactrac.co.uk/events/4215/ for full details.
Entries closed on Monday 23rd April 2018 with 84 solo entries plus 4 Relay Teams.
We are delighted to announce that Alphawoolf will again be sponsoring the Duathlon. See http://www.fenlandrunner.com/store/c1/Featured_Products.html for a look at their athletics products range.
Prizes include: Alphawoolf Running Shoes, Spot prizes at the Presentation, Discounts on Alphawoolf, SwimRunners and Dare2tri products.
7:00am Village Hall opens.
7:30 - 8:40am Registration.
8:15am Marshal's Briefing.
9:00am Race Start.
11:45am Prize Presentation.
Open Water swimming.
On Monday 7th May we have the 3-swim challenge:
9:00am is the Mid-Distance Triathlon from Oundle Pool.
12:00pm is our first dip in the River Nene from Oundle Boat House near Oundle Wharf.
7:00pm is the usual pool swim at Oundle.
On Thursday's 10th and 17th May we will be in the River Nene at Wadenhoe and then we'll see what the temperature is like, before deciding which Thursday night to start the 15-leg Thursday night Nene swim's from Woodford to Castor.
---------------------------------
Their will be NO swimming over Easter as Oundle Pool will be closed on both Friday 30th March and Monday 2nd April.
----------------------------------
Just a reminder that members can pay for swimming by Standing Order.
1 swim per week = £13.
2 swims per week = £23.
3 swims per week = £32:50.
Unfortunately, their is no "carry-over". Any further swims in a week can still be paid by the Token System.
Batches of Tokens cost £4 each and can be bought in advance, on poolside. Single Tokens cost £5.
---------------------------------
Their will be NO swimming at Oundle tonight, Friday 2nd March. Oundle Pool will be closed due to the snow and ice.
Normal service next week.
----------------------------------
AGM, Prize Presentation, Meal on Saturday 18th November 2017.
This years AGM / Prize Presentation / Annual Meal will be at the Kings
Arms in Polebrook, on Saturday 18th November. We have the room booked
from 5:00pm.
All members welcome, along with family and friends too, but only
members can vote/speak at the AGM.
AGM: 6:00pm
Meal: 7:15pm
Junior Awards: 8:15pm
Senior Awards: 8:30pm
The meal this year is only £10 per person.
We are not taking deposits, but please email Nicholas Partridge on
thenoddster@hotmail.com to reserve your meal place. (The AGM is free).
Please note that it is the same format as last year, but without the disco.
Any proposals/ammendments for the AGM need to be handed in before 11th November.
Can those who have club Trophies, please return them to Steve Hope, so that they can be engraved for the new recipients.
4 big end-of-season races. Dave, George and Jim qualify. Paul and Roger compete in the World Ironman Championships.
We had 2 members competing in the Bedford Autodrome Duathlons. Jim Fell
competed in the Sprint Distance Duathlon and George Prodrick in the
Standard Distance Duathlon. Both were qualifying races for the European
Championships in Ibiza next October. Jim had already qualified for the
Standard Distance race in Ibiza through his earlier efforts at Clumber
Park. He, therefore, competed in the Sprint distance at Bedford, came
1st in his Age Group, and has now qualified for both races.
George competed in the Standard distance race at Bedford, came 1st in
his Age Group and will be going to race in Ibiza next year in the
Standard Distance European Championships.
The whole race was based on laps of the motor-circuit with different
laps for the bike and run.
Distances:
Sprint:
run 3 miles - 2 laps.
bike 12.5 miles - 4 laps.
run 1.5 miles - 1 lap.
Standard:
run 6 miles - 4 laps.
bike 25 miles - 8 laps.
run 3 miles - 2 laps.
Results:
Sprint.
231. Jim Fell....23:35 39:46 13:29 = 76:50 AG 1st.
Standard.
147. George Prodrick....60:34 88:09 31:41 = 3:00:24 AG 1st.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Roger Canham competed in his 9th consecutive Ironman World
Championships in Hawaii, whilst Paul Lunn was competing in his 1st.
Distances:
swim 2.4 miles in the sea.
bike 112 miles.
run 26.2 miles.
It is very difficult to qualify for this, as most long distance
athletes in the world covet one of only 2,221 places. Even if you do
qualify, you have to contend with the soaring heat and wind in the
barren lava fields. This year the temperature was up to 34 degrees.
Roger is normally in the top 10 in his Age Group, but in June he
suffered a broken collar bone, following a fall on the bike, and had to
have 8-weeks off. He managed to recover sufficiently to race, but lost
a lot of quality training time and this year finished in 55th place in
his Age Group. He had qualified, so went along and enjoyed the race
instead of going hard all the way, as usual.
Paul Lunn competed in his first Hawaii Ironman World Championships and
took 5th place in a tough Age Group where 293 top athletes had all
qualified in their own right. After a good swim, Paul moved through the
field with the fastest bike split in his category. He was only 6-
minutes from winning his Age Group.
Results:
106. Paul Lunn 65:59 4:55:54 3:23:09 = 9:25:02 AG 5th.
915. Roger Canham 70:47 5:52:34 3:47:18 = 10:50:39 AG 55.
2221.
Roger's report is below:
"I came into the race pretty relaxed, with no real expectations of
getting a result to match previous years. I know what it takes in terms
of work and life commitment to get in the right shape to be competitive
and my preparation was well short of that standard. The late June bike
crash and broken collar bone brought about an enforced 8 week rest and
a subsequent 9 week fitness build for the race.
My ambition for the swim was to stay out of the combat zone and just
swim within myself right from the gun, no sprinting, no elbows, no
punches, just long easy strokes. Boom, off went the cannon and off I
went, breathing to both sides and keeping away from the A types gunning
for a time. It turned out to be a really relaxing swim and not really
much slower than usual. Note to self, saving energy at the gun by not
sprinting pays back in the second half.
T1 was a calm affair, taking my time with no anxiety about losing more
time to my competition. A good day for me wasn’t to be measured by how
high up in the field I placed, it was how much I enjoyed the day and
fuelled my love of the sport. For about the only time in my life I was
in Zen Roger (ZR) mode !
The first 9-miles on the bike is through town with lots of hills,
riders mashing the pedals to establish an
early advantage, ZR just let them go and started the discipline of self-
preservation. I was not going to make it to the finish line if I bent
the racing rules I had promised myself. Normally, I suffer from bib
number paranoia and consequently if I spot anyone in my Age Group
riding by I have to retake them and then smoke them lest the race
disappears up the road! However, the whole ride was pretty uneventful,
and it was novel to be able to stay strong right to the end and not
start to implode in the blasting hot wind on the return leg.
T2, like T1, was ZR just strolling through the tents and out onto the
run. I had a clear plan that I had spent the last 9 weeks practicing;
run 1.25 miles, walk 60 seconds, which pretty much meant I would walk
through each aid station to cool and fuel, it was the only chance in
order to last the distance.The yanks don’t do metric or precision so I
had to kinda improvise but broadly stick to the plan. I knew I would be
in a hole by half way due to the lack of preparation so when it came
before half way I accepted the discomfort and stuck to the run/walk
plan albeit the run portion was now much slower. More athletes in my
age group passed but ZR just let them go.
Prior to the race I had figured what good looked like, under 11 hours,
so I was doing the mental gymnastics to tick off the miles and know I
would beat the glow stick challenge.
I crossed the finish line just before sunset, sans glow sticks, very
chuffed. I am leaving the Big Island hungry to race head to head with
the best. I’ll be back."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dave Patmore-Hill competed in the Gloria 70.3 Half-Ironman triathlon in
Turkey finishing 9th in his Age Group in a great time of 4:52:41. Dave
qualified for next year's World 70.3 Half-Ironman Championships in
South Africa. A massive achievement given that he is at the top end of
his Age Group and will move into the next 5-year bracket next year. All
of the hard work and training has paid off.
Dave said "I've always wanted to race in South Africa. Coming off the
bike, I was in 16th, so I had to have a decent run time, and I've
worked on this over the last few weeks. I had the 3rd fastest run in my
Age Group."
Distances were:
swim 1.2 miles.
bike 56 miles.
run 13.1 miles.
76. Dave Patmore-Hill 38:59 2:40:51 1:32:51 = 4:52:41 AG 9th.
-----------------------------------------------------------
3 PACTRACers competed in the Challenge Peguera Triathlon - a half-
Ironman distance race in the south-east of Majorca.
Distances were:
swim 1900 metres in the sea. Out and back over clear water where you
could see the bottom, shoals of small fish and a couple of jellyfish.
Plenty of space for all, in salty water with not much swell.
bike 56 miles - 2 laps in the hills around Es Capdella and Calvia. The
two main uphill stretches included plenty of twists and turns to make
your way to the top. We passed a few riders with punctures, one with a
broken chain and one who missed a sharp right-hander on a descent and
ended up half-way down the hillside.
run 13.1 miles - 4 laps taking over the whole town of Peguera. Various
dog-legs including along the beach front which was where the 25 degree
temperature felt at it's worst. There were plenty of Aid Stations which
helped and 85% of the runners wore a hat, which is highly unusual and
highlighted the quality and experience of the field.
The fastest PACTRACer home was Tristan Matthews who had a good all-
round race, whilst Steve Hope came away with a 2nd place in his Age
group, which is the first time that he has come anywhere near the
Podium in a big International race. Steve has come 5th a few times in big
races at home, and won his Age Group in a number of local triathlons
since turning 50, but this was another step up.
Last year he came 9th in his Age Group in Paguera, but realised that with
a better race he could get close to the Podium. This year he knocked 16-
minutes off of his time, didn't run out of energy and came 2nd.
Results:
117. Tristan Matthews....34:21 2:47:43 1:40:45 = 5:02:49 AG 18.
261. Steve Hope..........35:42 3:00:25 1.55.16 = 5:31:23 AG 2nd.
517. Rory Suckling.......33:52 3:27:17 2:16:30 = 6:17:39 AG 74.
September roundup.
05-09-17
Two PACTRACers ventured over to Bala for the Standard distance
triathlon in Lake Tegid, Bala. The weather was against the athletes all
day, being wet, cold and windy. It was difficult to race in such
conditions, with merely changing gear on the bike often being a
challenge.
Aaron Godden said "It was a tough day at the office from the off as it
was pouring down all race. Choppy swim and wet bike but that said a
great event with an awesome bike and run course on closed roads with
nice undulations - spoiled only by the weather."
179. Aaron Godden 31:03 69:54 45:18 = 2:26:15
274. Steve Hope 28:53 78:24 48:08 = 2:35:25
============
The NiceTri Triathlons took place at St.Neots in the River Ouse, with 7
of the 8 PACTRACers coming in the top 3 in their Age Groups in the 3
races. The best placed were Marcus Widdess and Angela Wallis who were
1st in their respective Age Groups. This was a pre-World Championship
test for Marcus, who is representing GB in the World Triathlon
Championships in Rotterdam on 17th September alongside clubmates Simon
Hoppe, Georgina Jennings and Steve Hope.
Andrew Chapman was delighted with his 2nd place in his Age Group,
recording a massive PB over last year. Steve Skelhon also recorded a
2nd as did Jon Crowley in the Sprint race.
Daniel Richardson said of his Age Group 3rd place "The swim was not
good but I did it. The bike and run went OK. Happy to finish."
Super Sprint: (swim 400 metres, bike 6.25 miles, run 1 mile).
15. Daniel Richardson 19:19 26:04 13:34 = 58:57 AG 3rd.
Sprint: (swim 750 metres, bike 16 miles, run 3 miles).
Marcuss Widess had the 2nd fastest run of the day and moved up from 5th
to 2nd on the run, winning his Age Group in the process.
2. Marcus Widdess 11:37 41:33 16:37 = 1:09:47 AG 1st.
14. Jon Crowley 12:36 43:01 19:18 = 1:14:55 AG 2.
Standard distance: (swim 1500 metres, bike 27.5 miles, run 6.25
miles).
7. Michael Shadwell 26:23 78:17 37:03 = 2:21:43 AG 3.
10. Andrew Chapman 27:11 76:35 40:11 = 2:23:57 AG 2.
26. Steve Skelhon 27:39 83:00 44:02 = 2:34:41 AG 2.
89. Nick Park 33:46 92:33 47:47 = 2:54:06 AG 9.
111.Angela Wallis 36:00 99:25 49:14 = 3:04:39 AG 1st.
===========
Simon Hoppe came 3rd overall and 1st in his Age Group at the Battle of
Bosworth triathlon at Market Bosworth. the distances were, swim 750
metres in the lake, bike 12.5 miles on country roads and run 3 miles
around the park. This was a pre-World Championship test for Simon, who
is representing GB in the World Triathlon Championships in Rotterdam on
17th September alongside PACTRAC teammates Steve Hope, Georgina
Jennings and Marcus Widdess.
Simon came out of the swim in 5th place and then had the fastest bike
of the day. This put him up to 2nd place at the start of the run, where
he was just beaten in a sprint finish to come home 3rd overall.
3rd. Simon Hoppe 10:53 36:53 19:12 = 66:58 AG 1.
============
Wendy Gooding is organising a "Ride for Guy" cycle ride on Sunday 10th
September from Gorilla Cycles in Oundle, to raise money for the Sepsis
Charity. Details are here http://pactrac.co.uk/forums/topic/766/#new-posts
Guy Gooding was fit and healthy but passed away on 10th January from
Sepsis, an infection whereby the body attacks itself. (Further details
are here http://pactrac.co.uk/news/594/ ).
============
Mark Weathersby competed in the Coniston End To End Swim on Saturday -
a 5.25 mile End to end swim of Coniston Water. Wetsuits were optional
but recommended, with Mark choosing to wear one.
136. Mark Weathersby 2:41:16 AG 13.
==============
Paul Lunn raced in his first ever 100 mile Time Trial at the weekend,
just west of Derby, and smashed the National Clarion record, which was
held by Crewe Clarion member, Alan Roberts, in a time of 3 hours 48
minutes. Paul recorded 3:40:11 which is an average speed of 27.3mph.
This is a faster pace than his current best time for 25 miles of 56:01.
Malc Jacklin of the Fenland Clarion should be sending a report in.
–--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
13-09-17
The Vitruvian Triathlon hosted the National Mid-Distance Triathlon
Championships at Rutland Water at the weekend.
The distances were:
swim - 1900metres. 2 laps from Whitwell. beach start, running in to
stoney/rocky waters.
bike - 53 miles. 2 laps around Oakham, Uppingham, Morcott and Ketton,
taking in the triple hills of the Rutland Ripple between Oakham and
Uppingham as well as the Rookeries hill by Ketton Cement.
run - 13.1 miles over the Dam and out to Normanton Church and back.
PACTRAC had 9 competitors plus 2 teams racing. Paul Lunn came third
overall and first in his Age Group to win the GOLD MEDAL in the 45-49
Age Group and BRONZE MEDAL overall.
3. Paul Lunn 32.55 2.08.57 1.20.13 = 4.02.05 AG 1st.
53. Roger Canham 36.09 2.29.33 1.27.39 = 4.33.21 AG 10
99. Dave Thorold 40.02 2.27.55 1.37.59 = 4.45.56 AG 14
159. Antony Brown 36.10 2.28.17 1.53.31 = 4.57.58 AG 9
176. Ricky Dear 42.01 2.38.15 1.40.52 = 5.01.08 AG 35
178. Charlie Brookes 37.30 2.38.42 1.45.10 = 5.01.22 AG 28
490. Louise Alexander 47.18 3.06.21 2.04.31 = 5.58.10 AG 19
511. Ashley Weller 42.32 3.06.29 2.13.11 = 6.02.12 AG 86
615. Sue Davys 47.28 3.31.04 2.31.07 = 6.49.39 ag 5
Team Brookes 33.31 2.32.44 1.37.31 = 4.43.46 7th Team
Team Polson 43.03 3.12.29 2.11.49 = 6.07.21 23rd
Team
Paul Lunn was 50th after a consistent swim, had the 4th fastest
transition, which moved him up to 36th (gaining 14 places in
transition). He then had the 4th fastest bike which moved him up to 6th
place, with a slightly quicker 2nd lap to negative split. Paul then had
the fastest T2 transition of all of the competitors, before again
negative splitting on the run, where he moved up into the BRONZE MEDAL
position overall by gaining 3 places on the last lap.
–--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
19-09-17
Two PACTRACers were in the top 10 in their Age Groups at the World
Triathlon Championships in Rotterdam at the weekend.
Both the Olympic distance and Sprint distance World Championships were
held on Sunday, with 4 PACTRACers all qualifying in their respective
Age Groups for the Sprint.
Georgina Jennings came first in her 70-74 Age Group to win the GOLD
MEDAL.
Simon Hoppe came 10th in his 45-49 Age Group.
The top 10 in each Age Group gain automatic entry into next year's
World Championships on the Gold Coast of Australia, next September.
Georgina was totally surprised with her win. She has been injured for
the last few weeks and unable to train. It was touch-and-go whether she
would even make it to the start line. She also had some tough
competition, mostly from world competitor's who she only competes
against once a year, and are, therefore, relatively unknown, especially
as a new batch of younger athletes appear on the scene every year.
Georgina excelled herself having the fastest swim and the fastest bike
split and then holding onto the top spot with the 3rd fastest run in
her Age Group. She went on to win the Gold Medal by 4:54 minutes. The
weeks of enforced rest didn't hold her back.
The distances were:
swim 750 metres - 1 lap in fresh water in the River Nieuwe Maas. It got
a bit choppier as the swim progressed, but the water temperature was
comfortable.
bike 12.5 miles all on the Rotterdam bike paths, so although it was a
closed circuit, few roads had to be closed. The course used various
bridges and bike paths on the only day of the week when it didn't rain.
The World Sprint Championships are the only Championships for Age Group
athletes where drafting on the bike is legal. However, because she was
leading her wave, Georgina got no assistance from this ruling. Simon
Hoppe and Marcuss Widdess however, were in good positions after the
swim and were able to make headway on the bike in a good group.
run 3-miles - 1 lap in the park making use of all of the paths, and
finishing on the blue-carpeted home straight between the two
Grandstands of spectators.
Georgina has now won all 3 "Majors" this year and is really pleased
with that.
She won the British Sprint Championships at Strathclyde in May, the
European Sprint Championships in Dusseldorf in June and now the World
Sprint Championships in Rotterdam in September. Georgina won the
Silver medal last year in Mexico, so goes one better this year, and
gets the clean sweep.
Results:
F70-74
1. Georgina Jennings 18.15 53.50 29.02 = 1.41.07 GOLD
MEDAL.
M45-49
10. Simon Hoppe 11.43 38.19 18.33 = 1.08.35
M20-24
29. Marcus Widdess 11.45 40.24 17.55 = 1.10.04
M55-59
46. Steve Hope 14.30 44.35 21.20 = 1.20.25
======================
The Sundowner middle-distance triathlon is based at Allerthorpe
Lakeland Park just 10 miles from York.
PACTRAC had 3 competitors with 2 of them, Paul Jephcott and Jonathan
Arnold, winning their Age Groups. It was a case of "opposite ends of
the spectrum" as Jonathan competed in only his 2nd open triathlon in
the 16-19 year category and Paul, a GB international, won the 60-64
category in a well earned end of season double.
Paul and Jonathan were both leading their respective Age Groups
throughout the race; with Jonathan being 6th overall out of the water.
SWIM – 1900 metres. 4 laps
BIKE – 56.5 miles. 1 lap.
RUN - 13.1 miles. out-and-back plus 3 short laps.
231. Paul Jephcott 41:09 3:08:53 2:02:18 = 5:52:20 AG 1.
234. Jonathan Arnold 26:25 3:20:15 2:07:03 = 5:53:43 AG 1.
346. Wendy Coxshall 37:53 3:47:50 2:13:24 = 6:39:07 AG 16.
=======================
At the Derby Triathon, Ros Goatly came 2nd in her Age Group. She came
in off the bike in first position, but was caught on the run and beaten
in a sprint finish.
The distances were:
swim 400 metres in the pool.
bike 11.25 miles.
run 3 miles.
126. Ros Goatly 8:43 40:36 24:53 = 1:14:12 AG 2.
======================
Amy Hayes competed in the 70.3 Santa Cruz in California.
Swim 750 metres.
Bike 56 miles.
Run 13.1 miles.
"My left knee really started to hurt halfway into the bike, and the
last 5 miles of the run were an extremely painful limp/running...but I
finished."
1566. Amy Hayes 14:31 3:58:03 2:18:01 = 6:30:35 AG 55.
==================
3 competed in the North Norfolk Triathlon held in Wells-next-the-Sea
which was based around the quayside at Wells.
The 1500 metre open water sea swim was in Wells Harbour followed by a 1-
lap, 25-mile bike route around North Norfolks coastal villages and a
6.25-mile run along the North Norfolk coastal path and out onto the
beach.
107. Adrian Whitby 27:09 78:52 48:26 = 2:34:27
115. Martin Etchells 21:35 81:21 52:40 = 2:35:36
206. Christian Richards 27:29 95:15 52:48 = 2:55:32
=================
Jaap Flikweert won his Age Group in the Stanwick Lakes Olympic distance
triathlon (1500 metres, 26 miles, 6.25 miles), whilst Robert Gibson
came 2nd in his Age Group in the accompanying Sprint distance triathlon
(750 metres, 14 miles, 3 miles).
Olympic
6. Jaap Flikweert 26:40 70:15 42:36 = 2:19:31 AG 1st.
30. Stephen Comber 29:22 81:14 51:30 = 2:42:06 AG 9.
Sprint
7. Robert Gibson 18:15 40:58 19:45 = 1:18:58 AG 2
–-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
26-09-17
Ros Goatly and Terry Murphy won their respective Age Groups at the
Bedford Triathlon held at the Robinsons Pool.
The distances were:
swim 400metres in Robinsons Pool, Bedford.
Bike 15-miles around the villages north of Bedford.
run 3-miles around Bedford Park.
34. Ros Goatly 1:22:59 AG 1st.
78. Terry Murphy 1:30:39 AG 1st.
============
Claire Steels competed in her final Duathlon of the season for her
French Tri Val de Gray team. This French Grand Prix Duathlon took place
in Noyon and took a different format of run,bike,run,bike,run with
Claire signing off with a great 17th place overall.
–------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
03-10-17
On Saturday 14th October we have Roger Canham (for the 9th time) and
Paul Lunn (first time) competing in the World Ironman Championships,
which are held in Kona, Hawaii, every October.
Also on 14th October Steve Hope, Tristan Matthews and Rory Suckling
will be competing in the Challenge Paguera Triathlon in Majorca - a
half Ironman distance race.
And on the same weekend Dave Patmore-Hill competes in the 70.3 Half
Ironman in Belek, Turkey.
15 Oct. Bedford Autodrome Duathlons - 2018 ETU Sprint & Standard Qualifiers - Jim Fell, George Prodrick.
–-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PGER 08-10-17 (37 runners):
159. Simon Mead.............1:24:18
210. Jaap Flikweert..........1:27:00
214. Daniel Fitzjohn..........1:27:10
300. Scott Lloyd................1:30:19
334. Dave Thorold.............1:31:28
380. Sarah Caskey............1:32:52
398. Chris Pike...................1:33:18
435. Aaron Godden.............1:34:17
441. Andrew Chapman........1:34:29
466. Stuart Lemmon.............1:35:11
477. Wayne Stainsby............1:35:28
511. Adrian Tilley...................1:36:20
576. Rhys Wilkinson.............1:37:47
638. Stephen Cooke.............1:39:10
640. Simon Pauffley..............1:39:13
654. Petro Bartoszyk.............1:39:27
676. Steve Hope....................1:39:42
729. Adrian Whitby.................1:40:46
817. Charlie Brookes..............1:43:04
826. Tony Daniels...................1:43:16
858. Paul Frampton................1:43:55
876. Becky Witton...................1:44:21
981. Samuel Allsop.................1:46:07
1012. Steve Skelhon...............1:46:37
1048. Gary Shoemake............1:47:07
1060. Paul Jephcott.................1:47:22
1122. Dustin Braband...............1:48:18
1133. Simon Guerin..................1:48:27
1319. Jeff Manners...................1:51:33
1593. Carry Murphy...................1:55:28
1845. Liz Whittaker....................1:58:25
2375. Paul Beland......................2:05:56
2389. Sarah Haslam...................2:06:10
2437. Cath Hunt.........................2:07:01
2863. Abbie Smith......................2:13:40
3108. Emily Boyd.......................2:18:16
3122. Sue Davys........................2:18:30
Two Juniors represent the Eastern Region.
30-08-17
On Bank Holiday Monday PACTRAC had 2 Juniors representing the Eastern Region at the British TriStar Inter-Regional Championships, held at Mallory Park. The event returned to Mallory Park after being previously hosted there in 2015.
Olivia Corner (TS2 /Under-13) & Katie Tasker (TS3/Under-15) both had to qualify at regional events, with only the top 3 from each region going through. With 13 Regions, only the top 39 in the country get an invite to this event, with the racing fast and furious on the motor racing circuit. The challenging bike circuit was fast but very technical, with many dead turns and hill climbs. The water was a bit shallow for the swim and got a bit churned up as swimmers waded through it.
This was Olivia's 1st time at the Championships and she has been practicing hard over the summer on transitions and road biking, where she has made the change to cleats. Her confidence has grown and with a win at Hoddesdon last week she had prepared well. This was Katie's 3rd and last appearance at this level.
Adrian Tasker said:
"The training has been really really good often despite the weather. The eastern region can feel proud that the children are really well prepared. They have had a number of open water swims and half a dozen closed road cycling training events, with over a dozen training sessions in all, including a reconnaissance session at Mallory Park, where the Eastern Team were able to practice on the actual course. The whole squad were far more confident about the event and ready to race."
==========
Adrian Tasker:
"A day that promised so much rather unraveled. Katie came out of the water 19th about 30 seconds down on the leaders. She then completed a great T1 with the fastest split. This meant she was able to catch the 2nd group of 8. There were 5 in the lead pack. She was able to get to the front and was stretching them on the front and was up to 3rd after lap 1. Half way round lap 2 she started to get stomach cramps (She has never had them before) and was at the back of the chase group. Coming out on the run it was obvious something was wrong and it was painful watching her run as she slipped back through the field being overtaken by girls she has beaten this season; as she eventually finished in 26th place, but it could have been so much more. Fair play to 1st & 2nd as they rode the bike solo and were worthy winners."
These things happen in racing and it’s all part of the learning experience. The encouraging thing is that she was in contention until the stomach cramps kicked-in – and it shows character to finish, when many would have given up. Even so, Katie was so much improved on her time of 31:04 last year.
TS3
26. Katie Tasker
swim 4:21 (23 secs down on leader)
T1 0:47 (fastest T1 by a good 3 seconds)
bike 12:17 (just 24 seconds slower than the fastest cyclist)
T2 0:26 (fastest T2)
run 11:38 (stomach cramp. Fastest runner was 8:53 so Katie was 2:45 down) = 29:29
"Olivia had a better race. She was a little slow away out of the water but a really fast transition meant she was able to catch some of the riders in front of her. She was consistently catching & passing riders all the way around the bike course. Another slick transition and she soon got into her running and was able to pass 4 more on the run and do the 14th fastest run over all."
Congratulations to Katie and Olivia on reaching and competing at this level. Their will be many more achievements for them both in future and PACTRAC will continue to play a part in their development.
23rd. Olivia Corner 3:33 (0:56) 12:10 (0:28) 5:11 = 22:18
Only 1:45 minutes down on the winner, so a very tight race.
https://www.britishtriathlon.org/news/live-timing---british-triathlon-u20%27s-festival-and-british-paratriathlon-championships_7713
No photo's still.
Distances were:
TS3 (Katie Tasker) swim 315 metres, bike 4.25 miles, run 1.5 miles.
TS2 (Olivia Corner) swim 200 metres, bike 3.75 miles, run 0.75 miles.
======================
Back for its 8th Year, the Ely Sprint Triathlon took place on Sunday from Kings School in Ely.
swim 300 metres in the outdoor lido pool.
bike 12.5 miles - 1 lap mainly around country lanes.
run 3 miles - 2 laps around the school fields with a couple of steep, short, sharp inclines per lap.
PACTRAC's Steve Hope and Ros Goatly both won their Age Group's, whilst Darren Kelly and Chris Shaw (neither are PACTRAC but are Fenland Clarion Cycling Club) came 1st and 2nd in their's respectively.
PACTRAC results:
15. Steve Hope 5:51 39:05 22:53 = 67:49 AG 1.
33. Ros Goatly 5:47 42:37 25:33 = 73:57 AG 1.
59. Davina Wilbraham 5:49 50:28 31:42 = 87:59 AG 5.
Fenland Clarion results:
4. Darren Kelly 5:31 35:18 21:11 = 62:00 AG 1.
16. Chris Shaw 6:43 36:49 24:23 = 67:55 AG 2.
Amy swims the Chanel. Claire (SILVER) and Jim in Penticton Duathlon Champs.
15-08-17
their was a big swim across Rutland Water on Sunday.
14 PACTRACers were amoungst the 419 swimmers to finish, over the
varying distances of 1.25, 2.5 and 5-miles.
Jonathan Oakey came 3rd overall in the 2.5 mile swim, whilst Jonathan,
Simon Guerin and Heather Watts all won their respective Age Groups.
1.25 miles from Normanton to Whitwell (159 competitors).
20. James Macwilliam 48:23 AG 2. 24:11 mins per 1000m
70. Nick Park 56:45 AG 10. 28:22 mins per 1000m
73. Kevin Fletcher 56:53 AG 5. 28:26 mins per 1000m
81. Paul Jephcott 57:55 AG 4. 28:57 mins per 1000m
119. Bernadette Oakley 66:59 AG 5. 33:29 mins per 1000m
2.5 miles from Whitwell to Normanton and back again (194 competitors).
3. Jonathan Oakey 58:34 AG 1. 14:38 mins per 1000m
21. Simon Guerin 72:52 AG 1. 18:13 mins per 1000m
47. Robin Brookes 81:04 AG 2. 20:16 mins per 1000m
55. Mark Weathersby 82:33 AG 3. 20:38 mins per 1000m
62. Sarah Mcnair 83:51 AG 5. 20:57 mins per 1000m
95. Roger Canham 92:25 AG 10. 23:06 mins per 1000m
112. Sarah Haslam 96:22 AG 5. 24:05 mins per 1000m
131 Richard Wright 102:36 AG 12. 25:39 mins per 1000m
5 miles Whitwell-Normanton-Whitwell x2 (42 competitors).
14. Heather Watts 2:41:08 AG 1. Female 3. 20:08 mins per 1000m
All started and finished in Whitwell, except that the 1.25 miles
started in Normanton.
–-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
22-08-17
PACTRAC's Amy Hayes swam the English Channel in the most difficult of
circumstances. The weather was against her for her original planned
window and she spent 3-weeks not knowing whether she was even going to
get another chance this year, before suddenly, some good weather meant
that the 4-swimmers in a following window all got across and she was
invited with a late call up before the tides changed.
Amy crossed in darkness over the Sunday night / Monday morning in a
time of 14:41 hours, which is a terrific achievement, as once the tide
turns, most swimmers don't make it and have to be pulled out: but Amy
fought against the tide and made it across.
Amy's account:
"I made it to France in 14 hours and 41 minutes.
I started last Sunday, August 13th at 3:20pm, and finished Monday
morning at 6:01am.
It was so hard! 30+ jellyfish stings, 8+ hours of swimming in the dark,
and the last 2+ hours of pushing beyond what I thought I was physically
capable of ... with a painful shoulder while exhausted.
I was told that I was going to be pulled from the water after not
making any progress, after over 12 hours in the water. It was a now or
never moment, and somehow I was able to pull through the pain and swim
harder and faster and make landfall at Cap Blanc Nez just as the sun
was coming up.
My crew were perfect, giving me everything I needed from start to
finish.
I still can't believe that I did it!
I'm really, really close to meeting my fundraising goal. If you feel
inclined to help me get there, please donate and share!
Thank you for following along on this crazy train!!!
https://www.gofundme.com/eu5x9pds "
Shaun Woodward who was on the boat as part of Amy's crew gave the
following account:
"Yesterday it was an honour and privilege to watch Amy undertake her
amazing solo Channel swim from a few feet away on the Deck of the
‘Viking Princess’.
After many false starts and disappointments she eventually managed to
get her slot, finally getting underway on Sunday at 3.20pm. Leah and I
joined Philip, as last minute 'support', replacements for her two
sisters, who sadly had to return to the USA when the swim was delayed
repeatedly by poor weather.
With nothing but goggles and swim hat, a swimsuit and earplugs, she
powered onwards at 60/64 stokes per minute in 15-16 degree water for
hour after hour. On through the afternoon sunshine, and a beautiful
evening sunset, swimming on under orange moonlight as night fell.
However as dawn broke she was fighting her way to shore against a
strong spring tide which threatened to end the challenge.
14 hours 41minutes of continuous swimming England to France, achieved
on nothing more than a pre-swim Lasagne, and various combinations of
tiny peanut butter sandwiches, tinned peaches & pears, warm oatmeal and
gels washed down with warm Gatorade at hourly, (then 45/30 minute)
intervals - 30 second rapid feed stops (thrown to her in the water via
a bottle on a cord).
Oh, and I may have forgotten to mention two years training...
She fought through multiple jelly fish stings, being whacked by a shoal
of Garfish (attracted to her head torch), and through a cloud of ink
released by some 'cuttlefishy-squiddy' thing’ which bumped into her at
one point, but the main obstacle was that strong spring tide…
After 11+ hrs of swimming the tide began to run North again after slack
water and was so strong she was not making headway and missed the
‘Cap’. The Pilot and observer were suggesting it was near to being all
over, as her shoulder began to give pain causing her to slow a little.
They said even though she was barely 2.5 miles from the shore, the tide
was just too strong and unless she could increase speed to cross the
tide into calmer waters she would simply be swept away on the flood
tide to find herself back where she was now, but 12 hours later. It
seemed a futile situation, and as the next feed got closer we prepared
ourselves for the worst, as the observer explained the blunt
predicament to her - Speed up a lot to make headway or she wouldn't be
able to make land, and the pilot would have to pull her out. It was a
heartbreaking situation after such a perfect swim, but after brief
negotiation he agreed to another half hour to see if she could speed
up. It was awful news to give after so many hours brilliant swimming
and it was clear for her to succeed, this extra effort would have to be
done with a very painful shoulder.
This is where her swim really started… 'Make or break' time, with
nature stacked hard against her. We willed her on, hoping she could dig
deep and somehow find a way to cross that next half mile of current,
encouraging her as best we could when she set off again. However... Amy
doesn't understand the word 'fail', and with a superhuman effort she
somehow managed to get her stroke rate up, swimming so strongly for the
next hour she looked like she was half sprinting. Slowly we realised
the pilots instruments were showing her beginning to creep forward
across the current… agonisingly, she gradually crept across into
'cleaner' water, and although there were still a few hard hours to swim
we knew she was going to make it. I was near to tears watching this
incredible effort, pure 'mind over matter' swimming. Only she knows
what manner of hell and pain she went through to make that final push.
The rest is a blur: Amy on the shore, arriving back at the boat,
congratulations, camera clicking, towels, tea, and Leah managing so
many congratulations flooding in from FB friends and elsewhere…
especially from all the people who watched her final efforts live on
FB, then a quick sleep & shower, off to the White Horse to sign the
wall, food, and then the drive home.
I will never forget the day our crazy friend Amy Hayes swam the
Channel. We all know Amy shines, but yesterday I saw a woman shine so
brightly it was dazzling!"
-------------
PACTRACer Phil Jones said: "I am simply in awe of Channel Swimmers. For
a start no wetsuits, just simple costumes. (and some grease). Not even
a watch. Freezing waters. Jellyfish (for goodness sake!), tides, wind,
waves (Not your simple slightly windy lake swell), oh and add in
tankers and other shipping that are slightly bigger than you....
And then there is the shear distance. It is never 22 miles. Always
more... and given the tides you can be swimming off the coast for ages
not getting anywhere. Time can be anything from 10-15 hours (or even
more). 22 miles, fighting against the waves in the channel.
I cannot imaging doing that. I can't imagine the pain of the jellyfish
stings, let alone swimming through the darn things. I can't imagine the
coldness of the water. I can't imagine the cramp after 4 hours, let
alone 12 hours. I can't imagine swallowing sea water for 12 hours. I
can't imagine not being sea sick in the waves. I can't imagine almost
seeing France occasionally and then fighting against the tide to get
in.
... and we have not even discussed the time and hard work training,
acclimatisation, and simply learning to be a good enough swimmer to do
this at a reasonable speed against such forces, tides and winds.
Anyone who even tries this has my awe and admiration. Let alone anyone
who completes it."
==============
The Monster Half and Standard distance triathlons took place at Ely.
Monster Middle, Ely Swim 1900 metres, Bike 52.5 miles, Run 13.1 miles.
36. Rob Hammond 32:01 2:43:25 1:49:20 = 5:04:45 AG 5.
Monster Standard, Ely Swim 1500 metres, Bike 27.5 miles, Run 7 miles.
36. Mark Bedford 41.44 1:25.30 47.00 = 2.54.14 AG 9.
78. Emily Boyd 29:26 1:39:59 64:30 = 3:13:55 AG 8.
110. Amy Hayes 29.26 2:02:01 58:53 = 3:30:20 AG 8.
================
Jim Fell and Claire Steels traveled to Penticton in W.Canada for the
World Duathlon Championships. Jim took part in both the Sprint (Friday)
and Standard (Monday) distance races whilst Claire put all of her
energies into the Standard distance and won a SILVER MEDAL.
Jim has previously competed for GB in the World Standard distance
Duathlon Championships in both 2014 and 2015 where he came 19th and
18th respectively.
Jim finished the Sprint in 8th place, his best position to date; and
only missed out on 6th place due to having slower transition times.
Run 3 miles, bike 12.5 miles, run 1.5 miles.
James Fell 25:16 48:19 13:35 = 1:27:10 AG 8th (Age 70-74).
other local non-Pactrac.
Eric Winstone 23:09 52:57 11:39 = 1:27:45 AG 15th (Age 65-69).
==============
In the Standard distance Duathlon Jim finished 12th in his Age Group,
improving on his previous positions.
460. James Fell 51:34 1:27:15 30:54 = 2:49:43 AG 12.
143. Claire Steels 40:23 1:08:38 22:04 = 2:11:05 AG 2nd SILVER
MEDAL Age 30-34
Claire just blitzed it with the 2nd fastest bike split that saw two
girls pull away from the rest of the field. Claire then hung on, on the
2nd run, as her advantage was just slowly eaten into; but she held on
for the SILVER MEDAL by 28 and 33 seconds from the two chasers.
Claire said afterwards: "Relief, fatigue and nausea! 2nd Place and a
silver medal! Delighted with 9th over all of the Age Groups too! Race
analysis: average 1st run, bike was harder than expected, very hard 2nd
run."
===============
Olivia Corner raced at Hoddesdon last week and had a good win, being
over 1min 20secs ahead of 2nd place. It was her first time racing in
cleats & it was a challenging course but "she executed her transitions
and the race brilliantly".
Results for the first half of 2017.
01-11-16
A couple of PACTRACers were in action this weekend for their first
claim running club Nene Valley Harriers.
Tracy McCartney recorded a great time of 3:09:27 in the Snowdon
Marathon. Tracy was 48th overall from 2,068 finishers; and first in her
Age Group. She was the defending champion, having recorded 3:08:44 last
year, but although she was within a minute of that time, she saw her
position drop to 3rd lady this year.
She had big plans to go even quicker this year, but her quads and hips
started to tighten after 10-miles. Overall there was over 3,000 feet of
climbing, which included a big climb between miles 21 and 23, which was
made even tougher with tired legs.
--------------------
Sean Beard competed in the Frankfurt marathon at the weekend. He found
the going tough in the second half of the race, but was pleased to get
round, considering the injuries that he has had to cope with this year.
Sean recorded a time of 3:11:34.
–---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
08-11-16
Two PACTRACers competed in the Rockingham Duathlon at the weekend. The
distances for the Sprint Duathlon were:
run 3-miles.
bike 12.5-miles.
run 3-miles.
This was all around the Race Track and traffic free.
It was a little cold and very windy!! Louise Alexander was delighted to
place 2nd female and 1st in her Age Group.
55. Louise Alexander 26:26 42:45 27:58 = 1:37:09 AG 1. 2nd
lady.
63. Chris Waghorn 24:48 49:16 28:52 = 1:42:56 AG 19.
---------------
Sunday's Frostbite League 5-mile run took place from the Watersports
Centre in Ferry Meadows. Bushfield Joggers organised this one, over a
changed venue, from the previous Bushfield Sports Centre, and all went
well, with the usual hordes of Bushfield marshals in attendance.
1st Paul Vernon PACTRAC 27:00
2. James Mogridge Yaxley 27:30
3. Brian Corleys Bushfield 27:38
Paul Vernon missed the first Frostbite run of this season, as he was
racing elsewhere - winning the NiceTri Duathlon at Bedford Autodrome
overall. He kept the winning streak up, by winning the Bushfield
Frostbite.
In the 2014-15 season, Paul Vernon won all 6 races in the season.
In 2015-16 he won two, as well as recording a 2nd place and a 3rd
place, from 4 starts.
He has won the Bushfield Frostbite for the 3rd season on the trot.
Paul won this race by 30-seconds, which is the biggest winning margin
in the series since the final race of the 2014-15 season, when he won
by 57 seconds.
PACTRAC had 20 runners competing. Overall we managed 9th place, with
some of our best runners still missing, so Paul clearly needs more
support. Our Juniors were the best "local" team in 3rd place, which
keeps them in 3rd overall.
–-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
16-11-16
Roger Canham competed in the Ironman 70.3 Xiamen in China in 30oF
Temperature.
The distances were:
swim 1.2 miles
bike 56 miles
run 13.1 miles
Roger was 12th in his Age Group after the swim, moved up to 4th with a
solid bike section and then set off at a rapid pace on the run to catch
the 3 in front. The run was hilly which made the pacing inconsistent,
but after catching over half of those in front of him on the bike,
Roger then caught a third of those left on the run. He finished 33rd
overall, including the pro's, and was 1st in his Age Group.
Roger moved up from 4th to 1st place on the run, in his Age Group and
won that coveted Ironman World Championship place in Kona, Hawaii, next
October. This is Roger's 9th consecutive time that he has qualified,
but next year he will be joined by Paul Lunn who qualified at Ironman
Barcelona last month. Roger won his Age Group by 4:15 minutes. It is
unusual for a 70.3 (half-Ironman) to have qualifying slots to the full
Ironman World Championships in Kona, but Ironman are trying to promote
their two Chinese races this year.
There were also qualifying slots for the 2017 Ironman 70.3 World
Championship taking place in Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA. Roger,
therefore, qualified for both World Championships next year.
33. Roger Canham 35:45 2:33:51 1:33:00 = 4:42:36 AG 1st.
-------------------
Entries for the PACTRAC Peterborough Duathlon are now open on http://www.pactrac.co.uk
The 3rd annual event will take place on Sunday 2nd April, again from
Castor. The distances are: run 4-miles, bike 18-miles, run 2.5-miles.
-------------------
PACTRAC hold their AGM and Prize Presentation this Saturday at the
Farmers in Yaxley.
-------------------
Two other non-PACTRAC items:
The annual Remembrance 11k run which takes place at Top Lodge,
Fineshade Woods and has raised over £10,000 for Help for Heroes and the
Royal British Legion since 2012 was cancelled this year. The event
which was organised by the (http://www.) Peterborough5x5Challenge.org team
should have taken place last Sunday. However, in spite of consistent
attempts and an Application Form being submitted nearly a year in
advance, the Forestry Commission rejected the Application this year, on
the grounds that they had no staff available to process the Form. They
did send two people on a two-hour round trip from Edwinstowe to attend
a meeting to explain this.
–------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
21-11-16
Paul Lunn did amazingly well to record
not one but two, sub 9-hour Ironman distance results, and qualified for
the World Ironman Championships in Hawaii next year, in an extremely
difficult Age Group. Roger Canham raced in China 2 weekends ago and
qualified for Hawaii for the 9th consecutive time. Jon Ratcliffe swam
the English Channel (no wetsuits allowed) in 11:59 hours ...
With the Triathlon season now over for another year, PACTRAC held their annual AGM and Prize Presentation at
the Farmers in Yaxley on Saturday night.
At the Annual Prize Presentation, 16 Senior Trophies were awarded:
Club Champion: Paul Vernon - for the first time.
Vet Champion - Paul Vernon.
Super-vet Champion - Chris Pike.
Female Champion - Abi Schofield - for the first time.
Female Vet Champion - Christina Cork.
Female Super-vet Champion - Sue Burnett - (Sue was the Club Champion in 1990).
Mini-Series: Paul Vernon - for the 3rd time (2013, 2014, 2016).
Female Mini-Series: Christina Cork - for the 4th time (2006, 2008, 2013, 2016).
Youth Champion: Josh Mould.
Mid-Distance: Mark Weathersby.
Standard Distance: Paul Vernon.
Duathlon: Paul Vernon.
Novice: Aaron Godden.
Most Improved: Debora Leininger.
Outstanding Performance: Paul Lunn.
Pactracer of the Year: Georgina Jennings.
Paul Vernon came away with 5 Trophies, whilst Christina Cork took home 2.
Georgina Jennings won the PACTRACer of the Year Trophy for her sterling work
over the years as Membership Secretary and in helping to put on the various club races.
The best Novice Trophy went to Aaron Godden who has immersed himself into club life,
reduced his Mini-Series time down to 56:08 and came 3rd in the Club Championships.
Paul Lunn won the Outstanding Performance Trophy. Apart from a cracking VLM time,
Paul had some great Age Group results including 2 sub 9-hour Ironman times:
IM70.3 Majorca - AG 2nd.
IM Nice - 9.28.02 AG 6th.
Challenge Roth - 8:50:53 AG 5th.
Vitruvian (TE Middle Distance Champs) AG 1st GOLD MEDAL.
IM Barcelona- 8:57:11 AG 2nd and Qualified for Hawaii.
Paul had some tough competition, as PACTRAC had many top performances
throughout 2016 including:
Jim Fell - Disney's 4-race Dopey Challenge AG 1st.
Jim Fell - Windsor Duathlon - AG 1st. BTF NATIONAL AG CHAMPION.
Jim Fell - Stockton Duathlon - AG 1st. TE NATIONAL AG CHAMPION. 6/6 AG Duathlon wins this year.
Paul Vernon - 2nd Grafham Duathlon.
Paul Vernon - 1st PACTRAC Peterborough Duathlon.
Paul Vernon - Grafham Standard Duathlon - AG 1st. TE NATIONAL CHAMPION.
Paul Vernon - 2nd Oulton Park Duathlon.
Paul Vernon - 1st NiceTri Duathlon Bedford Autodrome.
James Steventon - Equinox 24-hour Solo run - 19th with over 100 miles.
Jonathan Oakey - 1st Desford Youth Race.
Jonathan Oakey - competed in 4 of the 6 Elite Youth Super-Series coming 46th/85.
Giles Cooper - Dixons Carphone Race to the Stones (62.5 mile run) - 137th.
Dave Allsop - Ironman Africa, Port Elizabeth, South Africa - 11:34:22 AG 34th.
Dave Allsop - Grafman Half (BTF Middle Distance Championships)- AG 2nd SILVER MEDAL.
Dave Allsop - Ironmnan Zurich - 12:17:05 AG 53.
Dave Allsop - Ironman Weymouth - 11:29:49 AG 12.
Paul Jephcott - PACTRAC Peterborough Duathlon - ER Supervet Champion.
Andrea Robinett - PACTRAC Peterborough Duathlon - ER Female Senior Champion.
Simon Pauffley - Grafham Standard (TE Championships) - AG 3.
Simon Pauffley - ITU Standard Cozumel Mexico - AG 35th.
Roger Canham - Ironman Texas - 9:13:12 AG 6th.
Roger Canham - 70.3 Staffordshire - AG 1st.
Roger Canham - 70.3 Wimbleball - AG 1st.
Roger Canham - Ironman Hawaii - 10:24:18 AG 33.
Roger Canham - 70.3 Xiamen China - AG 1st and qualified for Hawaii 2017.
Georgina Jennings - 1st British Sprint Championships Olney - GOLD MEDAL.
Georgina Jennings - 1st ETU Lisbon Sprint - GOLD MEDAL.
Georgina Jennings - 2nd ITU Cozumel, Mexico, Sprint - SILVER MEDAL.
Steve Skelhon - Ironman Lanzarote -13:27:18 AG 91.
Abi Schofield - ITU Standard Cozumel Mexico - AG 43.
Nicola Latty - European Masters Swimming Champs - 200 metre Butterfly 2:34.84 GOLD MEDAL.
Steve Hope - ETU Lisbon, Sprint - AG 14th.
Steve Hope - Challenge Venice - 11.32.48 AG 12.
Daniel Fitzjohn Ironman Nice - 11.51.27 AG 236.
Robin Brookes - 70.3 Staffordshire - AG 3rd.
Terry Murphy - 70.3 Staffordshire - AG 3rd.
Katie Tasker - Strathclyde Country Park, Junior IRC ER Team.
Andrew Chapman - Outlaw 11:55:49 AG 45
Peter Tebb - Outlaw 12:32:54 AG 42.
Matthew Roach - Outlaw 13:10:04 AG 81.
Jonathan Ratcliffe - English Channel Swim 11:59hrs.
ETU Middle-Distance Championships GB Team - Challenge Walchsee-Kaiserwinkl Austria - Tristan Matthews AG 64. Andy Gregg AG 33. Christina Cork AG 33.
Simon Hoppe - 1st North Norfolk Triathlon.
Simon Hoppe - ETU Lisbon Sprint AG 6th.
Simon Hoppe - ITU Cozumel, Mexico, Sprint AG 11th.
Henry Morton - ETU Lisbon AG 14th.
Susie Freeman - ITU Cozumel, Mexico, Sprint AG 16th.
And that's just some of the PACTRACers who had some extraordinary success this year.
4 Junior Trophies were also awarded:
Performance of the Year : Toby Cooke - for his improvement at the Whittlesey Triathlon that saw him go past a number of his peers he had previously been beaten by.
Spirit of Triathlon : Rhiannon Loutit - for all the work that she has done in assisting in coaching in the Junior section.
Junior Athlete : Chloe Moore - For dogged persistence; she never misses a session and gives it 100% at all times, all with a smile.
Senior Athlete : Katie Tasker - Winner of the Eastern Region TS3 (under-15) title. Represented the Eastern Region at the National Championships at Glasgow. She won the following races :-
Norwich
Ipswich
Cambridge
St Albans
Whittlesey
Upminster
Plus a number of 2nd and 3rd places on the podium.
–-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
22-02-17
The 1st race of the Junior season, a Duathlon, took place at the
Velodrome at Stratford. It was bitterly cold out on the circuit, but 4 PACTRAC Juniors braved the arctic conditions.
In TS2 Olivia corner was back to her brilliant best to comfortably win the
TS2 Girls event with a fantastic bike that opened up an unassailable lead.
In the same event, Chloe Moore finished strongly on a tough course.
In TS3 Katie Tasker had real ding dong with the SE Champion with the lead constantly
changing hands. A little local
knowledge from the Londoner in T2 meant that Katie lost 10 seconds, which she tried in vein to recoup
and had to settle for a gallant 2nd place.. All splits were identical to
the winner.
In the TriStart event (8 years old) Josh Moore made his competitive debut and acquitted
himself well with a solid performance in the bitterly cold conditions.
TriStart
11. Josh Moore 8:12.
TriStar2
1. Olivia Corner 5:43 .... 10:36 .... 2:57 ..=..19:16 only 7 seconds behind the third placed boy.
15. Chloe Moore 7:51 .... 16:37 .... 4:06 ..=..28:34
TriStar3
2. Katie Tasker 6:28 .... 15:35 .... 2:37 ..=..24:40
–---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
07-03-17
George Prodrick competed in the Duathlon qualifier at Oulton Park on
Sunday.
This was over the StandardDistance of:
Run 6 miles.
bike 25 miles.
run 3 miles.
The event was held at the world famous race track, and attracted the
best competition from around the uk, all trying to qualify for the
World Duathlon Championships to be held in Penticton, Canada, late on
this year.
George was first in his Age Group and qualified to compete in
Penticton. George competed in the European Championships in Spain last
year, but this will be his first World Duathlon Championships.
Results:
225. George Prodrick 50:39 1:38:53 27:12 = 2:56:46
--------------
The PACTRAC Peterborough Duathlon takes place on Sunday 2nd April from
Castor. Entries are open on http://www.pactrac.co.uk
The distances will be:
Run 4 miles.
bike 18 miles.
run 2.5 miles.
The event is now in it's third year and attracts competitors from
around the region.
–-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
16/03/17
6 PACTRACers (Claire Steels has recently joined) took part in the Bedford Autodrome Duathlon on Sunday.
This was a World Sprint distance qualifying race, and involved a draft-legal format where cyclists are allowed to race against each other directly.
Both Jim Fell (British Champion 2016) and Claire Steels (qualified through a top-10 placing at the 2016 World Championships) have already qualified for the World Standard distance Duathlon Championships which will be held in Penticton, Canada, in August. The Sprint distance takes place just two days before the Standard distance race and Jim Fell is looking to compete in both races. Claire will conserve her energy and concentrate on the Standard distance race.
This Duathlon included a mass start, and racing around the smooth, fast tarmac of Bedford Autodrome motor racing track, in a draft-legal bunch format with no traffic.
The distances were:
Run 3 miles.
Bike 12.5 miles.
Run 1.5 miles.
50. Claire Steels 17:48 32:27 9:53 = 60:08 First Lady overall.
Claire Steels stepped down in distance to complete her first Sprint distance Duathlon since April last year.
Claire came into Transition after the first run as 2nd placed female, but right behind the leading lady. She had a faster transition and was away on the bike first. She exploited her speed on the bike, and pulled away, creating a sufficient gap, that she was able to hold on the final run.
138. Jim Fell 23:22 39:20 13:22 = 76:04 Age Group 2nd.
This was Jim's comeback Duathlon after winning the English Duathlon Championships in his Age Group at Stockton last year, in spite of picking up an injury during the race that put him out for the rest of the season. (Jim had already won the 2016 British National Duathlon Championship at Windsor). Jim was much closer to his Age Group winner than expected, and continues to improve.
TriStart
10. Josh Moore Pactrac (M) 8 3:43 8:13 4:11 = 16:07
TriStar2
3. Olivia Corner Pactrac (F) 11-12 5:21 12:13 4:39 = 22:13
18. Chloe Moore Pactrac (F) 11-12 7:42 16:02 6:39 = 30:23
TriStar3
1. Katie Tasker Pactrac (F) 13-14 6:29 14:05 5:35 = 26:09
===============
The 2017 Eastern Junior league started at Bedford Autodrome on Sunday. The course was flat & fast but the rain meant a little caution was required on some of the bends.
Tristart (Under-8)
Josh Moore having made his debut 3 weeks ago had a much improved bike and finished in a strong 10th position.
Tristar 2
Olivia Corner had an improved run but was not able to exert her prowess on the bike to reel in the leaders but still had a podium finish.
Chloe Moore had a solid race but did find the 2nd run challenging.
Tristar 3
Katie Tasker returned to winning ways. Entering the race the favourite she was challenged on the 1st run and throughout the bike. But on reaching the 2nd changeover the extra stamina running sessions over the winter paid dividends as she was able to open some daylight on the chasing field to win reasonably comfortably by 40 seconds.
========================
Andy Rawlins and Sarah Haslam competed in the Mud & Mayhem Duathlon in Thetford Forrest.
The Distances were:
Run 3-miles.
Bike 11.5 miles.
Run 3-miles.
The course meandered through the Forest on various trails, and Andy finished 38th overall whilst Sarah was 4th in her Age Group.
38. Andy Rawlins 25:42 46:53 26:35 = 1:39:10 Age Group 13.
49. Sarah Haslam 26:51 51:26 25:49 = 1:44:06 AG 4.
–------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
21-03-17
Jonathan Oakey had a good overall win at the Bath Duathlon.
The distances were:
Run 2-miles.
Bike 9-miles.
Run 1-mile.
Jonathan led after the first run by 7-seconds, and came in off the 10-
lap bike course just 2-seconds up. A quicker 2nd Transition saw him
pull away at the start of the final run, and he held onto a slender
but
well deserved victory by just 7-seconds.
1. Jonathan Oakey 10:11 26:22 5:36 = 42:09
===============
PACTRAC had 3 competitor's in the Clumber Park Duathlon.
Jim Fell won his Age Group in the Standard Distance race, coming in
off
of the first run just 44-seconds adrift.
He then took the race to the competition with a great bike section
that
established an unassailable lead.
352. Jim Fell 52:27 78:50 29:35 = 2:40:52
In the Sprint Distance Duathlon Nick Park and Kevin Fletcher opened
their season's account with solid races.
247. Nick Park 24:01 41:52 12:51 = 1:18:44
269. Kevin Fletcher 23:41 44:40 12:16 = 1:20:37
===============
Katie Tasker went to Norwich for the English Schools Cross Country
Championships. In a very competitive race, Katie got boxed in a little
and was making up places at the finish to end up 200th. (but 30
seconds
faster gets you in the top 100!)
===============
The PACTRAC Peterborough Duathlon closes for entries next Monday.
Entries are coming in for the event to be held at Castor on Sunday 2nd
April. The distances are: run 4-miles, bike 18-miles and run 2.5-
miles.
Team entries are also being invited. See http://pactrac.co.uk/events/4181/
for further details and to enter.
–----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
29-03-17
We have 70 entries for the PACTRAC Peterborough Duathlon
which is taking place from Castor on Sunday morning. Each of the run (4-
miles), bike (18-miles) and run (2.5-miles) disciplines involves going
up Loves Hill in Castor.
==========
We had a few runners at the Sandy 10 / Thorney 10k last weekend, but
the only multi-discipline race to report is Claire Steels competing in
her debut race on the Elite Duathlon circuit in France http://www.fftri.com/grand-prix-fftri-de-duathlon
Towards the bottom of the page it says "results stages" and "results
individuals".
Claire has joined a pro-team to compete in the French Duathlon races
(draft legal, so all together on the bike), and the first of these 5
races was at Paillencourt in France at the weekend.
Claire gave it everything and finished 17th out of 70 in her first
elite race.
Claire is competing in France with the Triathlon Val de Gray team and
in this race had 4 French and 1 Italian team mates. She was the first
member of her team home.
Distances:
run 3-miles
bike 12.5 miles
run 1.5 miles
17. Claire Steels 19:02 33:58 10:05 = 63:05
–-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
04-04-17
The PACTRAC Peterborough Duathlon took place on Sunday 2nd April from
Castor.
64 competitors lined up at the start.
run 4-miles – 3-hills including Loves hill in Castor and a circuit of
the top end of Ferry Meadows.
Bike 18-miles – out to Helpston Heath, with a lap around Helpston,
Bainton, and Ufford, before returning via Marholm to Castor.
Run 2.5-miles – out to Milton Ferry Bridge and back, so just 2 hills
this time.
Each discipline involved a climb up Loves Hill early on. The event
attracted seasoned Duathletes as well as first time Novices venturing
into multi-discipline sport. Promoting club PACTRAC had 60 marshals
and
volunteers out putting on this event, which is now in it's third year.
Results are on http://pactrac.co.uk/events/4181/
1. Cy Gearing........................BRJ...........24:44....48:12....
15:
19...=.. 1:28:15
2. Craig McKee.................................... 28:42....43:45....
16:
23...=.. 1:28:50
3. James Kershaw....Cambridge University Tri club..24:28....50:45....
15:
35.. =.. 1:30:48
Female:
26. Ellie Kershaw....Beccles.Tri Club......29:39....60:11....19:00..=..
1:48:50
28. Sarah Kelman.....BRJ.................. 33:21....55:31....20:27..=..
1:49:19
32. Susie Freeman... PACTRAC...............31:47....59:33....19:57..=..
1:51:17
==========
In the men's race, Andrew Wetherill led the field after the first 4-
mile run, which included 3 hills to climb, with the brutal Loves Hill
out of Castor sorting the field out, early on. James Kershaw was just
16-seconds behind, with Cy Gearing just another 16-seconds further
back. Dan McDonald of Werrington Joggers, in his first venture into
multi-discipline sport was 4th, just another 40-seconds down, and
ahead
of PACTRAC pair, Jaap Flikweert and Wayne Stainsby. A further 3
athletes came in right behind Wayne, before a gap of 95 seconds to
Stuart Hathaway.
Fastest bike of the day went to Craig McKee, who obliterated the field
in his favoured cycle time trial discipline, to come into T2, 29
seconds ahead of Cy. Cy had the 2nd fastest bike split but couldn't
hold onto a 4-minute advantage over Craig from the run; such was
Craig's phenomenal power on the bike. James came in over 2 minutes
down
on Cy, with Ricky Dear a further 30 seconds behind. Paul Schofield
moved up from 11th to 5th position on the bike.
On the final 2.5-mile run, Cy caught Craig at the turnaround point and
pulled away for a 35-second win. Having lost 4-minutes on the first
run, Craig was only 1-minute down on the 2nd run, and managed to hold
off James for 2nd place. With Ricky only 33 seconds behind him, James
pulled out the stops to increase his hold on 3rd place, with Ricky a
gallant 4th.
The race has now had 3 winners in it's 3-year history, with Cy Gearing
winning at his first attempt.
==============
In the ladies race, Ellie Kershaw led the first run, coming in 2-
minutes ahead of Maddy Long and Susie Freeman; with Rebecca Carey hot
in pursuit.
However with a rapid bike split, Sarah Kelman was able to come into T2
a minute ahead of Ellie, with Susie a further 90-seconds down in 3rd
place. Ellie set off in pursuit and caught Sarah back before the
turnaround point, coming in to win by 29-seconds by the finish, whilst
Susie held onto 3rd, a further 2 minutes down. Susie has competed in
all 3 races, coming 1st, 5th and now 3rd, whilst knocking over 2-
minutes off of her time each year.
================
We had 2 runners in the Manchester Marathon:
Mark Weathersby ....3:04:20 (1:24:36 + 1:39:44)
Louise Alexander....4:32:57 (2:04:39 + 2:28:18)
Mark was pleased with his time, which is good enough to get a "good
for
age" place at London in 2018/19. It was a case of mind-over-matter,
and
he put so much into it that he was in A&E afterwards, unable to walk.
Louise finished her first marathon and was equally pleased with her
time.
–-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
25-04-17
PACTRAC had 5 members competing in the Virgin Money London Marathon on
Sunday.Steve Coombs said that "the support was amazing. I felt great
for 20 miles but had to hang tough towards the end"
3028. Daniel Fitzjohn 1:32:02 3:09:58
6016. Steve Coombs 1:39:51 3:28:40
6044. Mark Bedford 1:43:35 3:28:47
33830. James Baile 2:20:58 5:36:28
36431. Nicholas Partridge 2:36:18 6:02:58
Giles Cooper ran in the Boston Marathon last weekend and got a good for
age entry for London 2018. His time of 3:01:38 was also good enough for
15th place overall and first in his V50 Age Category.
-------------------
2 senior members competed in the Duston Triathlon at Northampton, with
Rhys Wilkinson moving through the field on the run to finish 3rd in his
Age Group.
The distances were:swim 400 metres.bike 12.5 miles.run 3 miles.
62. Rhys Wilkinson 7:05 40:50 20:11 = 1:08:06 AG 3.
89. Stephen Comber 7:19 39:24 23:30 = 1:10:13 AG 19.
4 club members competed in the Duston Junior Triathlon, which being
part of the East Midlands League, attracted a large field of nearly 400
children, racing in all of the categories.
Tristart : Josh Moore got on the podium for the first time. His
transition
skills in T1 helped him move up the field and after a good bike he was
able
to secure his best ever finish.
10. Josh Moore 1:52 5:12 2:19 = 9:23
Tristar 2 : We had 3 Girls racing in this category; with another podium
finish for Olivia
Corner, whose prowess on the bike meant that she was able to scythe
through the
field on the bike, before running fluently to complete a great 3rd
position.
Libby Mellor's swim is very much improved and her better run meant that
she
was able to move up the field.
Another who is making real progress is Chloe Moore who was able to gel
on the bike. In the past her achilles heel has been the run but she
looked far stronger in this discipline.
3. Olivia Corner 2:48 6:57 5:26 = 15:11 21.
Libby Mellor 3:00 8:42 6:23 = 18:0529.
Chloe Moore 3:12 8:51 7:04 = 19:07.
–-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
09-05-17
PACTRAC held their Mid-Distance triathlon at Oundle, over the distances
of:
swim 900 yards - 18 lengths of Oundle Pool.
bike 20 miles - 2 laps of the Mini-series course around Glapthorn and
the Benefields.
run 5 miles - out, a loop around Glapthorn and Cotterstock, and back.
Only 3 athletes have beaten 90-minutes on this course, and Paul Lunn
broke Josh Daniels' Course record by 16 seconds. Simon Hoppe has also
beaten 90-minutes, twice.
Paul was first out of the water, followed immediately by Susie Freeman
and Robin Laukaitis. 4 more swimmers emerged, but 30-seconds down. Paul
then had a blistering bike section, and came into T2 over 5-minutes
ahead of Tony Brown, with Steve Skelhon a further 35-seconds behind.
These 3 held their positions on the run, although Andrew Chapman closed
the gap on Steve to just 12-seconds by the finish. Paul went on to win
overall by nearly 12-minutes for an emphatic victory.
Susie Freeman was caught on the bike by Andrea Robinett, and the pair
started the run together. However an injury led to Andrea having to
slow down, and Susie went on to finish as the first female.
Results are on http://pactrac.co.uk/events/results/?race=4197&course=13&competitor=0
====================================
The first open water triathlon's of the season were the NiceTri
Triathlons held at St. Neots on Sunday.
5 PACTRACers were amongst the 375 athletes who braved the cold River
Ouze at this time of year.
2 competed in the Sprint triathlon (swim 750 metres, bike 15 miles, run
3 miles) with Jon Crowley, at one point, leading the charge behind the
top 3; but he had to concede after a gallant effort. He was consoled
with a first place in his Age Group.
3 competed in the Standard Distance Triathlon (swim 1500 metres in the
River Ouze, bike 28 miles and run 6.25 miles).Paul Jephcott finished
1st in his Age Group, with Sarah Haslam 2nd in hers.
Results:
Sprint:
8. Jon Crowley 12:24 44:24 19:13 = 76:01 AG 1st.
47. Mark Stevens 10:55 55:57 23:24 = 90:16 AG 5.
Standard:
18. Tristan Matthews 26:56 81:08 38:37 = 2:26:41 AG 5.
91. Sarah Haslam 28:42 98:42 45:01 = 2:52:25 AG 2.
111. Paul Japhcott 33:24 97:22 46:28 = 2:57:14 AG 1st.
–------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
16-05-17
2 Triathlon's took place at the Peterborough Rowing Lake on Sunday:
Monster Mojo
swim 1.2 miles, out and back with a mass start.
bike 51 miles - out to Marholm, with 3-loops around Ufford, Upton and
Castor, before returning.
run 12.5 miles - 4 laps off-road.
45. Dave Allsop 35.27 2.55.48 1.35.33 = 5.06.48 AG 5.
64. Gary Shoemake 37.10 3.00.57 1.48.43 = 5.26.50 AG 9.
The Monster Mojito
swim 1500 metres in the lake, with a mass start, out and back.
bike 24 miles - 1 lap.
run 6.25 miles - 2 laps.
35. Andrea Robinett 26.29 75.37 46.03 = 2.28.09 AG 2.
36. Susie Freeman 25.30 73.56 49.37 = 2.29.03 AG 1st.
In all, 273 athletes finished the races, in what is a very early
season
event, with the water not having warmed up yet; although with the
Rowing lake only 4-feet deep, it does tend to be a little warmer than
most other lakes.
In the Mojito, Andrea Robinett and Susie Freeman were 2nd and 3rd
ladies overall, with Susie winning her Age Group.
Both had good swims but were caught on the bike, before Andrea made
inroads again on the run.
====================
Half-Ironman 70.3 in Porto Alcudia, Majorca.
This triathlon was held in the warm Mediterranean sea from Alcudia
Beach in Majorca. The 1.2 mile swim was a little choppy and salty. The
56-mile bike ride went into the Mountains, before descending and
finishing on the flat. The 13.1 mile run was 4-laps around the beach
area on a very hot day. Last year's race was blighted by heavy rain,
and this year's by a hot sun.
Paul Lunn had an early scare with a puncture before the start, but
managed to sort the problem out and finish first in his Age Group (In
a
big International race with 3,500 competitor's). He came 2nd in his
Age
Group last year, but turned the tables on his nemesis, and recorded an
emphatic win. Paul came 23rd overall from 3,500 competitor's, and was
beaten by 21 Professional's, coming home as the 2nd Age Grouper
overall. Paul has now competed in all 7 Half-Ironman races in Majorca.
Paul won his Age Group by over 9-minutes.
23. Paul Lunn 29.13 2.28.18 1.26.47 = 4.24.18 AG
1ST.
325. Chris Pike 33.28 2.48.25 1.43.52 = 5.05.45 AG 17.
382. Dave Thorold 35.12 2.46.16 1.48.00 = 5.09.28 AG 25.
557. Richard Pike 33.33 2.59.00 1.47.05 = 5.19.38 AG 46.
873. Steve Skelhon 31.28 3.06.03 1.58.29 = 5.36.00 AG 79.
891. Andrew Chapman 33.08 2.53.36 2.09.53 = 5.36.37 AG
155.
1448.Robin Brookes 30.55 2.52.47 2.36.43 = 6.00.25 AG 46.
2663.Graham Ribbons 44.29 4.23.30 2.59.25 = 8.07.24 AG
306.
–----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Georgina Jennings won her Age Group at the Newmarket Sprint Triathlon
at the weekend, over the distances of:
swim 300 metres.
bike 14 miles.
run 3 miles.
Georgina Jennings 7.12 47:28 25.53 = 1:20:33. AG 1st.
Georgina had been given the wrong swim time, so started out as number
one; and never saw anyone in the race until the 2nd bike lap when she
started passing other cyclists.
======================
1250 athletes started the Outlaw Half at Nottingham. (swim 1.2 miles,
bike 56 miles, run 13.1 miles).
Paul Lunn came 14th overall and 2nd in his Age Group. Paul said "It was
great fun racing the Outlaw today, but I was totally outclassed by
Craig Twigg. Chuffed with 2nd in my Age Group after emptying the tank
last weekend in Majorca, and a puncture at mile 42. Time for a little
recovery now."
Antony Brown recorded a 3rd place in his Age Group, in another
impressive performance.
14 Paul Lunn 28:27 2:26:38 1:27:52 = 4:22:57 AG 2.
116 David Thorold 30:48 2:42:21 1:47:55 = 5:01:04 AG 3.
147 Antony Brown 30:48 2:42:21 1:47:55 = 5:01:04 AG 3.
166 Michael Shadwell 30:14 2:47:22 1:46:26 = 5:04:02 AG 26.
461 Simon Guerin 30:14 3:02:10 2:05:55 = 5:38:19 AG 82.
485 Rebecca Carey 32:55 3:03:42 2:03:37 = 5:40:14 AG 4.
763 Louise Alexander 40:41 3:22:17 2:08:26 = 6:11:24 AG 23.
803 Sue Davys 40:51 3:20:47 2:14:45 = 6:16:23 AG 5.
=======================
Eton Sprint - Steve Hope was the only PACTRAC representative in this
World Championship qualifier, which was a draft legal race.
Distances were; swim 750 metres (15 degrees), bike 13 miles (4-laps
traffic-free), run 3 miles (out and back along the lake).
436. Steve Hope 14:40 40:40 21:53 = 77:13 AG 21.
=======================
The Slateman Triathlon - A swim surrounded by mountains, a bike course
in the heart of the Snowdonia National Park and a run through a disused
slate quarry. This race offers a unique mix of incredible scenery and
challenges.
Lake Swim: 1,000m in Lake Padarn, Llanberis.
Road Cycle: 32-miles, including straight up over the infamous Llanberis
pass.
Trail Run: 7-miles, a challenging trail run up the relentless zig zags
into Dinorwig quarries and back down through Padarn Country Park.
587. Andy Rawlins. 25:25 2:02:54 1:13:22 = 3:41:41
=======================
The Grafman middle-distance triathlon took place from Grafham Water,
with 6 PACTRACers braving the elements, in a tough half-ironman
distance race for this time of year. The swim was cut short (the lake
was only 11 degrees), to avoid athletes getting too hypothermic on the
bikes, but even so, 35 athletes failed to finish the race.
Distances: swim 750 metres, bike 56 miles, run 13.1 miles).
42. Tristan Matthews 15:31 2:37:58 1:35:06 = 4:28:35 AG 13.
70. Wayne Stainsby 15:40 2:47:18 1:34:28 = 4:37:26 AG 22.
171. Charlie Brookes 17:00 2:51:10 1:52:15 = 5:00:25 AG 26.
234. Mark Bedford 23:40 3:05:40 1:45:03 = 5:14:23 AG 42.
323. Steve Cook 17:03 3:30:54 1:50:50 = 5:38:47 AG 60.
482. Angela Wallis 22:34 3:39:34 2:22:26 = 6:24:34 AG 3.
=======================
Phil Jones competed in the 5K open water swimming race at Box End on
Saturday.
The distances were: 750m, 1500m, 3800m or 5000m and Phil chose the
longest, 5000 metres.
43. Phil Jones 1:43:49.
=======================
–----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
30-05-17
The British National Sprint Championships were held at Strathclyde, just south of Glasgow, at the weekend. 600 athletes entered the event looking for National Medals, and Georgina Jennings retained the GOLD Medal - the same colour as she won at Olney, Milton Keynes, last year.
The event took place in Strathclyde Park, at the home of, and on the course of, the 2014 Commonwealth Games.
This was a qualifying race for the European Championships to be held in Strathclyde (at the same venue) in 2018. Georgina won her Age Group winning a GOLD Medal. She had already qualified for the 2018 European Championships by virtue of her European Championship Gold Medal from Lisbon last year.
Distances were:
swim 750 metres - 2 laps of a square shaped course, with turns every 100 yards, and a lot of "fighting" for position. The lake was 19 degrees and warm.
bike 12.5 miles - 4 out-and-back laps on a surprisingly hilly course next to the lake.
run 3 miles - 2 out-and-back laps around the lake shore.
Results:
252. Steve Hope 14.39 41.51 22.19 = 78.49 AG 22.
261. Susie Freeman 11.58 43.15 23.53 = 79.06 AG 6.
464. Georgina Jennings 17.12 49.35 32.12 = 98.59 AG 1st.
===============
The first PACTRAC Mini-Series Triathlon of this season took place at Oundle last Wednesday.
Distances were:
swim 400 yards. 8 lengths of Oundle Pool.
bike 10-miles. 1-lap around Glapthorn and the Benefields.
run 3.5 miles. Out to Glapthorn and back.
Junior Jonathan Arnold took a commanding lead in the swim, coming out 77-seconds ahead of Tom Dyke, with Jim Carmichael hot on Tom's heels. At this stage, Peter Harris and Jaap Flikweert were 26 and 42 seconds down on Tom, respectively, whilst Andy Gregg was a further minute behind.
However, all was to change on the bike, as Peter came in off of the bike just 5-seconds ahead of Jaap, with Andy only 12-seconds further adrift, just ahead of Aaron Godden and Chris Pike. Andy consolidated third place on the run, but was unable to make enough in-roads into the other two. Jaap had the fastest run of the day and was able to pull away from Peter to finish 24-seconds ahead.
Julia Ratcliffe in her first Mini-Series for 7-years, was the first female home.
Chris Pike takes an early lead in the Club Championships, with fellow Supervet, Steve Hope, in 2nd place overall.
This week sees the first of the two Novice races integrated into the event, with the second Novice race being on 14th June.
Results are on http://www.pactrac.co.uk/events/4198
–-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
05-06-17
PACTRAC Mini-Series 2.
Jonathan Oakey smashed his Mini-Series PB by 2:54 minutes in the second
PACTRAC Mini-Series triathlon at Oundle.
Jonathan knocked 30-seconds off his (400 yard) swim time from last
year, as he exited the water hot on the heals of fellow Junior,
Jonathan Arnold. (He also knocked over a minute off each of his bike
and run splits). Katie Tasker in her first Mini-Series race was 3rd at
this point, before Robin Laukaitis lead Susie Freeman out. These latter
two were to have a race-long battle, with Robin coming home just 6-
seconds in front, whilst Susie went on to claim first lady.
Tony Daniels was 6th out of the water and moved up to 2nd off the bike,
before moving back to 6th at the finish. Aaron Godden was 3rd off the
bike, but moved back to 4th on the run, as Steve Hope (7th off the
bike) and Ollie Rees (9th off the bike), moved up to 2nd and 3rd
respectively.
We also had a Novice-only wave which incorporated a shorter swim of 200
yards, followed by the same bike (10-miles) and run (3.5-miles) as
normal. 5 competitors took advantage of the shorter swim with Stephen
Comber leading the way in his first season in triathlon.
Results are on http://pactrac.co.uk/events/results/?race=4199&course=0&competitor=0
The 2nd Novice Mini-Series will be on Wednesday 14th June.
==========================
4 PACTRACers travelled to Chester for the World Championship qualifying
race over the Standard distance of:
swim 1500 metres in the River Dee in 19 degree water. 900 metres were
against the current before turning back for a final 600 metres with the
current.
bike 25 miles - 1 lap around parts of Cheshire and into Wales.
run 6.25 miles - 3 laps along the River Dee.
All gave a good account of themselves, against 1300 of the best
athletes in the country.
308 Aaron Godden 30:18 70:16 44:42 = 2:25:16 AG 45.
347 Steve Hope 28:34 73:49 44:50 = 2:27:13 AG 25.
431 Andrea Robinett 26:09 77:50 47:54 = 2:31:53 AG 11.
531 Sarah Haslam 29:08 80:30 48:38 = 2:38:16 AG 13.
================
Paul Lunn competed in the National Clarion Cycling Club's 50-mile
Championship in Derbyshire and came 5th overall in a time of 1:50:03.
Paul was competing for the local Fenland Clarion Cycling Club and as
the first Clarion rider home is the new Clarion 50-mile Champion. He
was also part of the 3-man winning team alongside Simon Pitchford and
Dave Thorold. Malc Jacklyn should be putting in a report for the
Fenland Clarion.
=================
Walden Junior Triathlon.
One of the biggest races of the Eastern Junior series was held at
Saffron Walden. This is an Eastern Region Qualifier with over 300
competitors from 6-counties, competing for 12 places in the National
Championships at Mallory Park in August.
1st out of the blocks was Katie Tasker in TS3 who came out of the swim
in contention & on the bike she was able to open an unassailable lead.
After a slick transition, she soon got into her running and was able to
secure a comfortable win.
In the TS2 girls Olivia Corner was able to get an amazing second place
in a very strong field, despite having an issue on the bike course that
lost her over 30 seconds, but she stayed composed and didn't panic. She
was able to maintain focus on the run. It was a nervy time waiting for
the results, as due to the staggered start, they were not known until
all the competitors had finished.
These results stand both of them in a good position to obtain
qualification. If both are successful this will be the 1st time PACTRAC
will have had 2 members racing in the National Championships.
It was "a hard day at the coal face" for the other 3, on this energy
sapping course; as Toby Cooke, Chloe & Josh Moore will all benefit from
racing at this higher level, and "toughed it out" to finish strongly.
Tristart
11th Josh Moore 12:55
Tristar 2
2nd Olivia Corner 27:30
Tristar 2
17th Chloe Moore 35:36
Tristar 3
1st Katie Tasker 35:02
Tristar 3
19th Toby Cooke 47:47
The Junior Selection for the Inter-Regional
Championships (IRC) is from 2 qualifying races - Walden and Cambridge;
and the panel choose from the results of both races. Hence, it looks
good, but we will have to wait for the final race in Impington on 25th
June, before we know who has qualified.
=================
5 races took place at Tallington Lakes on Sunday, with Open Water
SuperSprint, Sprint and Olympic distance triathlons, plus Sprint and
Olympic distance Aquathlons. 263 athletes finished the various races on
offer, including just 4 PACTRACers - far fewer than in previous years.
• Super Sprint distance Open Water Triathlon (400M/5.6m/1.5m)
• Sprint distance Open Water Triathlon (750m/15m/3m) & Sprint Aquathlon
(swim 750m /run 3m)
• Olympic distance Open Water Triathlon (1500m/26m/6.25m) & Olympic
Aquathlon (1500m/6.25m)
swim - out and back.
bike - 2 laps for the Standard, 1 lap for the Sprint, 1 shorter lap for
the SS.
run - A T-shaped run of 1, 2 or 4 laps, all within the lake area.
Sprint:
13. Gary Shoemake 14:39 49:06 23:06 = 1:26:51 AG 2.
17 Jon Webb 16:20 51:26 23:10 = 1:30:56 AG 2.
Standard:
13. Dave Patmore-Hill 26:46 85:32 44:50 = 2:37:08 AG 5.
Sprint Aquathlon:
6. Sarah McNair 15:11 2:47 34:41 = 52:40 AG 2.
–-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
14-06-17
The ITU Columbia Threadneedle World Triathlon Championships were held
at Leeds at the weekend. This was round 4 in a 9-round competition
(Round 5 is in Hamburg on July 16th). This was the 2nd year that Leeds
have held the event, having taken over from London's Hyde Park last
year. Age Group athletes were able to compete on the same course as the
world’s best. In the Elite competition GB provided 4 of the top 5
places against the World's best, headed by Alistair Brownlee. The event
was based around Roundhay Park and Leeds City Centre.
Katie Tasker (see photo) finished 9th in the Junior Triathlon, against
the best athletes across Britain.
9. Katie Tasker 4:35 16:01 10:44 = 31:20
Adrian Tasker reports:
"Katie Tasker raced in the draft legal race at Leeds. She had a good
swim and was in touch with
the leaders, a solid bike, and faded a little on the run. It was a very
hilly course on the
run which knocked out her stride pattern. In F1 terms "an extreme wet
Tyre
set up, with maximum grip" and sacrificed some speed as a result. If
it were
a 'dry race' she would have gone much faster- Same for everyone I know.
But a
good result all in all. Just got back from a very damp Leeds; quite a
few
crashes, as kids at that age take chances. There are some bigger races
down
the line so no need to go for broke today. A very big race with long
runs into
and out of transition."
PACTRAC had 2 athletes in the senior non-drafting race, over the
distances of: swim 1500 metres, bike 25-miles, run 6.25-miles.
294. Paul Jephcott 33:34 81:27 52:01 = 2:47:02 AG 9.
446. Adrian Chambers 40:35 100:02 63:11 = 3:23:48 AG 28.
================
PACTRAC held their 3rd Mini-Series of this summers' 8 races at Oundle
last Wednesday. Jaap Flikweert won ahead of Peter Harris - the same
result as Mini-Series 1 two weeks earlier! 21 athletes competed with
Junior, Jonathan Arnold again leading the swimmers out, nearly 50-
seconds ahead of Robin Laukaitis. It was another 13-seconds before
Simon Guerin emerged, just ahead of Jim Carmichael. 24-seconds later,
Rob Hammond led the main pack of 7 swimmers within 16 seconds of one
another.
16 seconds also separated the top-4 athletes at the end of the bike
leg, with both Peter Harris and Jaap Flikweert now in the top 4, as
they came in off of the bike with Rob and Simon. Jaap managed to catch
both Peter and Rob early on, on the run and ran away with the second
fastest run of the evening. Peter held onto 2nd and Rob 3rd, whilst
Scott Lloyd had the fastest run and moved up to 4th. Hannah Bassett was
the first lady home on a night where only 3 PB's were recorded.
Results are on http://pactrac.co.uk/events/4200/
–-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
21-06-17
PACTRAC held the fourth Wednesday night Mini-Series Triathlon at
Oundle
last Wednesday. 25 competitors started including 2 in a Novice-only
field which had a shorter 200 metre swim.
The other 23 started in the normal 400 metre wave, with the bike (10-
miles) and run (3.5 miles) being the same.
First out of the water was Jonathan Arnold 1-minute ahead of Susie
Freeman, Simon Guerin and Rob Hammond. Wayne Stainsby was the next
out,
another 15-seconds behind.
Rob managed to hold Wayne off, on the bike; as the two came into T2
with just 5-seconds separating them. Simon was just behind, as the 3
of
them had a gap of over a minute on the chasers.
Wayne then had the 2nd fastest run of the night to pull away from Rob
for a convincing win. Chris Pike did a PB and with a good run managed
to hold off Andy Gregg for 3rd place. Scott Lloyd had the 2nd fastest
run of the night to move up to 6th overall. Susie Freeman was the
first
lady ahead of up-and-coming Hannah Bassett. Junior, Jonathan Arnold
went under the hour for the first time, as one of 5 athletes to record
PB's.
Results are on http://pactrac.co.uk/events/4201/
================
Andrea Robinett was 31st in her Age Group at the European Standard
Distance Triathlon Championships, in Kitzbuhel, Austria.
This is the 3rd time that Andrea has represented GB at these
Championships, including at the same venue in 2014, where she also
came
31st. (In 2015 in Geneva, she was 15th). Andrea did well on a very
hilly bike course, but that took it's toll and Andrea hung on bravely
in the run.
31. Andrea Robinett 23:17 93:28 56:23 = 2:53:08
This weekend sees the European Sprint Triathlon Championships in
Dusseldorf; where Georgina Jennings will be trying to retain her
European Title that she won in Lisbon last year.
==============
8 members competed in the local Dambuster Triathlon, held at Rutland
Water.
The distances were:
swim 1500 metres in the lake with a beach start, running straight into
the stones and boulders underfoot. 1 lap.
bike 26 miles - 1 lap around Oakham, Uppingham, Morcott, Ketton and
Empingham; taking in the triple hills between Oakham and Uppingham and
then the Rookeries hill by Ketton Cement.
run 6.25 miles, over tghe Dam to Normanton Church and back.
The heat took it's toll, but 4 of the 8 PACTRACers recorded top 3
placings in their Age Group, including a first from Giles Cooper - his
first ever Age Group win.
26. Giles Cooper 28:03 73:19 40:52 = 2:22:14 AG 1st.
53. Simon Guerin 25:33 73:55 47:59 = 2:27:27 AG 11.
88. Andy Gregg 35:55 74:44 42:39 = 2:33:18 AG 21.
89. Steve Hope 29:08 77:41 46:32 = 2:33:21 AG 2.
108. Jeremy Thompson 30:57 79:47 44:57 = 2:35:41 AG 3.
115. David Wagstaff 27:38 76:22 53:17 = 2:37:17 AG 10.
187. Sarah Haslam 29:30 85:42 50:21 = 2:45:33 AG 2.
369. Simon Taylor 39:49 91:51 60:59 = 3:12:39 AG 20.
===============
Georgina Jennings won the Age Group below her at the Woodhall Spa
Triathlon. It was a hot 34-degrees but Georgina, nevertheless had a
good run, and won the Age Group below her. This was her final warm-up
before aiming to defend her European title in Dusseldorf this coming
weekend.
The distances were:
swim 400 metres in the outdoor Lido.
bike 15 miles on flat country roads.
run 3 miles.
297. Chris Waghorn 7:46 53:05 26:25 = 1:27:16 AG 48.
467. Georgina Jennings 9:31 55:36 31:08 = 1:36:15 AG 1st.
===============
Amy Hayes participated in the BLDSA Champion of Champions swimming
weekend at Dover in glorious sunshine. The water and weather were so
perfect at Dover that it wasn't really effective preparation for Amy's
Channel Swim next month.
5k swim. 12th Amy Hayes 1:55:04.
3k swim. 11th Amy Hayes 1:05:08
2k swim. 11th Amy Hayes 44:32
Overall Senior Ladies Championship.
11th Amy Hayes 3:44:44
=============
Another PACTRACer doing a long-distance swim was Phil Jones.
Phil did a 10k swim and had a consistent swim on a hot day, having to
contend with a split wetsuit and minor cramp.
34. Phil Jones 3:31 hours. AG 2nd.
–----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
28-06-17
The European Sprint Triathlon Championships were held in Dusseldorf last weekend - just 1-week after the European Standard distance Championships in Kitzbuhel.
Jonathan Oakey recorded a fantastic 2nd place in the 16-19 year Age Group. Jonathan is only 17 and came 2nd in the 16-19 year old category. The winner was a fellow British Athlete two years older than him. He was out of the water in first place. Jonathan got a SILVER MEDAL in his first International race.
Georgina Jennings went one better. Of the 15 Gold medal winners last year, 3 retained their European Sprint Titles, including Georgina Jennings in the 70-74 category.
Georgina had a great race. "The worst part was after swimming in the basin of the Rhine, we had 60 steps to climb to reach the bridge before the long, long run to transition. It was windy on the bridges, so we had to hang on tight. Their were quite a few crashes on the bike. I ran okay as the weather was good. I was elated with the win, but felt shattered afterwards".
Georgina won the race by 86 seconds, having taken a commanding lead on the bike, where she was 4 minutes quicker than any of her rivals. She was over 2 1/2 minutes down in the swim, to a German competitor, but had the fastest bike and run to complete a resounding victory.
1. Georgina Jennings 18:40 51:04 31:14 = 1:40:58 GOLD MEDAL.
16-19 Age Group.
2. Jonathan Oakey 10:20 38:43 18:54 = 67:57 SILVER MEDAL.
20-24 Age Group.
9. Henry Morton 11:52 39:41 18:18 = 69:51
45-49 Age Group.
40. Jonathan Crowley 13:57 41:31 21:54 = 77:22
The attached photo's are of Georgina Jennings (2) and Jonathan Oakey (1).
=============
Nathan Tweedie competed in the Elite race at the Cardiff Triathlon. He was 4th out of the water and came out with the lead swimmers. He was, therefore, able to contribute in the lead pack on the bike and led them into T2, before dropping a few places on the run.
The distances were: swim 750 metres, bike 12.5 miles, run 3-miles.
13. Nathan Tweedie 9:38 31:44 17:11 = 58:33
==============
Susie Freeman won her Age Group in the Monster Sprint Triathlon at Feltwell over the distances of:
swim 450 metres.
bike 13 miles.
run 2.5 miles.
14. Susie Freeman 8:08 40:02 22:09 = 70:19 AG 1st.
==============
Steve Hope came 8th in his Age Group in the Llandudno Sea Triathlon. This was a qualifying race for the World Championships in September, with the top 4 qualifying automatically. Steve, therefore, will have to wait for a Rolldown place, but will try again in Redcar at the end of July.
The sea temperature (750 metres), was much cooler than the River Nene at present, and their were jellyfish to contend with. The bike section (12-miles), was two-laps up the Great Orme and back down the other side, on closed roads. The run (3-miles), was out and back along the coast-road.
123. Steve Hope 18:03 41:33 21:05 = 80:41 AG 8th.
===============
It was a good day for the club at the Cambridge Junior Triathlon.
Katie Tasker won the TS3 event and automatically qualified for the British Championships in August. It was a typical performance, with all being level in the swim, before she powered away on the bike, opening up a substantial lead, and was in control to win comfortably.
In TS2 Olivia Corner was not quite firing on all cylinders and finished 4th. She has to wait to see if she has been selected. She was not able to make headway on the bike and despite a good run was narrowly run out of the podium positions. Connor Walker had his 1st outing of the summer. His strong swim had him well placed and an improved bike meant he was in contention, as he finished 6th in a very competitive boys race. Libby Mellor had an improved race; after a tough bike, she soon got into her running to finish very strongly with an improved and fluent run, picking up a number of places. Lottie Tasker had a good bike but tired and lost positions on the run. Josh Moore had a good race and his development continues.
The British Championships, or Inter Regional Championships (IRC), is where the top 3 from each Age Group from each region race off for the British title. Only the top 30 in Britain get an invite. Katie has made this for the 3rd year in a row and the course suits her with an open water swim, a hilly bike and a flat run, so she should be in the mix.
==================
PACTRAC held the 5th race of this year's Mini-Series at Oundle last Wednesday. (swim 400 yards, bike 10-miles, run 3.5-miles).
Robin Laukaitis led Tony Daniels out of the water, over 20-seconds ahead of Rob Hammond, with Wayne Stainsby a further 12-seconds behind. It was a further 16-seconds before a group of 5 swimmers emerged, led by Michael Stark, in his first triathlon.
Tony immediately took the lead on the bike and came into T2 30-seconds clear of Rob, with Wayne only 11-seconds further back. Jaap Flikweert moved up to 4th, but was another 45-seconds down.
However, Jaap was able to catch both Tony and Rob on the run, before Rob moved back in front and won that particular sprint. Wayne, however, had moved ahead and went on to win the race by 45 seconds, with a great display of running. Michael Stark had the fastest run of the day to move up to 4th overall.
Both this week and last week Wayne won with Rob second; but this time Rob has closed the gap from 78 seconds to 45 seconds.
Only 4 PBs were recorded on the night, including one by first lady, Wendy Coxshall.
Results are on www.pactrac.co.uk/events/4202/
–---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Cycle Ride for the UK Sepsis Trust on Sunday 10th September from the Gorilla Cycle Shop in Oundle.
Their is a Charity ride from the Gorilla Cycle Shop in Oundle on Sunday 10th September in aid of the UK Sepsis Trust. file:///C:/Users/steve/Downloads/RIDE%20FOR%20GUY%20poster%20(1).pdf ...
file:///C:/Users/steve/Downloads/RIDE%20FOR%20GUY%20flyer%20(1).pdf
Some of you may have known Guy Gooding who died from Sepsis in January and this is an excellent opportunity to support the work of the Sepsis Trust.
Two Qualify for the World Championships. Two make the top 10 in Ironman debut. Two survive for 15-hours in the Lake District. Two rock the cycling world.
Redcar Triathlon.
2 PACTRACers travelled to Redcar at the weekend to compete in the World
Championship qualifying race. These World Championship Sprint Triathlon
races are the only time that Age Group Triathletes get to race in draft-
legal races. You are allowed to take pace off other cyclists and the
roads are closed. The World Governing Body (ITU) changed the format for
the Sprint distance only, last year.
The distances were:
swim 750 metres in the sea, largely with the tide assisting you.
bike 12.5 miles - 4 laps on a windy circuit, by the coast. Flat.
run 3 miles - 3 laps largely along the coast road.
Both Marcus Widdess and Steve Hope qualified for the World
Championships, which are to be held in Rotterdam on 16th September.
This is the first time that the "World's" have been held in Europe
since they were in London in 2013; so their was a lot of competition
for places. Steve has represented GB 3 times in the European
Championships but this will be his first World Championships. For both
athletes to qualify outright, against some tough competition, from
across the UK is a good achievement.
Both Simon Hoppe and Georgina Jennings had already pre-qualified as a
result of coming in the top 10 in last year's World Championships in
Cozumel, Mexico.
Marcus Widdess 10:50 33:33 18:58 = 63:21 AG 12.
Stephen Hope 13:05 36:49 22:40 = 72:34 AG 10.
=======================
Monster Event Promotions carried out a test triathlon at Ferry Meadows
last weekend, to test the feasibility of holding a full triathlon there
in the future.
This was a Sprint Triathlon over the following distances:
swim 750m
bike 12.5m
run 3m
The event took place completely in the park, with the exception of the
bike, which went out via Milton Ferry Bridge to Helpston. No official
timings were taken as it was purely a test event.
PACTRAC results:
4. Mike Shadwell
8. Mathew Wouldham
12. Andrea Robinett
18. Chris Waghorn
23. Andy Rawlins
25. Jeff Manners
34. Georgina Jennings
===================
The Breca Buttermere SwimRun.
7th. Paul Lunn & Duncan Shea-Simonds 15 hours and 18 minutes.
Paul Lunn & Duncan Shea-Simonds were only 7-minutes off of a Podium
spot. Only 90 of the 104 teams that started, managed to finish this
grueling event.
Run: 23.75 miles | Swim: 3.75 miles | Transitions: 18 | Total length:
27.75 miles.
This is a SwimRun on an adventurous, tough, challenging course.
The Course map etc can be found here http://www.brecaswimrun.com/breca-buttermere/
This is a race that involved 9 swims and 9 run sections, with the
discipline constantly changing from swim to run and back again, over
some tough terrain. Swimming in shoes and running in a shortie wetsuit
were the norm. The race started at 3:00am in Keswick and incorporated
swims in Derwent Water (2), Buttermere (3), Crummock Water (3) and
Loweswater (1). It was a tough day and the pair were on the go, racing,
for 15 hours and 18 minutes.
Paul (PACTRAC) and Duncan came 7th overall, just 2-weeks after both had
completed the Frankfurt Ironman Triathlon.
Paul said "That has completely broken me. 7th overall but just
completing it is surely a challenge. An awesome day on a tough course,
and with a killer of a decent."
The pair got off to a cracking start moving from 7th to 4th to 3rd,
before slipping back to 7th by the finish.
Both felt a little jaded in the second half and couldn't press on when
the trail turned technical.
===============
2 PACTRACers made their Ironman debuts at Ironman Switzerland, with
both finishing in the top 10 in their Age Group.
swim 2.4 miles in Lake Zurich.
bike 112 miles
run 26.2 miles.
Sue Davys had a consistent run taking less than 10-minutes longer to do
the second half. Antony had a fast cycle that put him in a podium
position, before being caught back on the run.
493. Antony Brown 1:12:00 4:59:24 4:26:57 = 11:38:21 AG 5.
1292. Sue Davys 1:30:34 8:26:40 5:43:53 = 15:41:07 AG 8.
==================
PACTRAC had 15 competitors at the NiceTri Standard Distance triathlon
at Grafham water on Sunday.
The distances were:
swim 1500 metres in Grafham water – 1 clockwise loop. The competitors
were split into 4-waves, each starting 5-minutes apart.
Bike 23-miles – out and back in both directions.
Run 6.25 miles – out and back in both directions.
The race attracted a highly competitive field from across the country.
Andrew Chapman was the best placed PACTRACer with Sarah Haslam the best
placed in her Age Group in 6th place.
109. Andrew Chapman.........22:58 62:41 44:07 = 2:09:46 AG 15.
131. Chris Pike.............25:22 63:28 43:01 = 2:11:51 AG 15.
133. Ricky Dear.............25:57 62:58 43:06 = 2:12:01 AG 18.
136. Aaron Godden...........23:46 64:45 44:09 = 2:12:40 AG 19.
142. Simon Guerin...........20:59 64:55 47:49 = 2:13:43 AG 21.
165. Steve Hope.............24:42 65:51 45:53 = 2:16:26 AG 10.
182. Simon Pauffley ......….22:43 68:25 47:26 = 2:18:34 AG 14.
217. Andrea Robinett........21:27 70:00 47:52 = 2:19:19 AG 8.
208. Gary Shoemake..........23:31 70:22 48:47 = 2:22:40 AG 29.
209. Rhys Wilkinson.........22:14 76:19 44:21 = 2:22:54 AG 15.
335. Sarah Haslam ….........23:57 74:12 52:46 = 2:30:55 AG 6.
257. Paul Jephcott..........27:13 74:10 52:10 = 2:33:33 AG 8.
258. Nick Park..............27:50 74:57 50:48 = 2:33:35 AG 41.
277. Christian Richards.....23:45 82:58 54:24 = 2:41:07 AG 39.
431. Angela Wallis..........30:28 82:47 55:42 = 2:48:57 AG 15.
====================
Rob Hammond came 7th overall in the BRAT Standard Distance triathlon
and 4th in the 40-49AG.
7. Rob Hammond 24.40 61.57 38.04 = 2:04:41 AG 4th.
==================
Terry Murphy completed the Calfman at Emberton Park, Olney, Milton
Keynes and came 1st in his Age Group.
Swim - 950 metres in the lake.
Bike - 29 miles
run - 6.25 miles.
68. Terry Murphy 22:35 96:08 69:12 = 3:07:55 AG 1st.
====================
Dave Allsop competed in the Ironman in Maastrict, Netherlands.
Swim 2.4 miles.
Bike 112 miles.
Run 26.2 miles.
353. Dave Allsop 1:05:12 5:42:12 4:29:45 = 11:17:09 AG 26.
==================
2 PACTRACers competed for their First-Claim cycling clubs in the
National 25-mile Cycling Time Trial Championship's in South Wales on
Saturday. Both recorded Personal Best times and were amongst the 56
women to go "under the hour". This was an out-and-back course, mostly
on dual carriageway near Swansea; with a crosswind making it tough
going in some places.
22. Claire Steels Peterborough CC 56:44 (26.439 mph)
46. Wendy Gooding Team Bottrill / HSS Hire 59:09 (25.359 mph)
7 Outlaws. 2 win Age Group. 3 just miss European qualification.
The Outlaw Triathlon took place at the National Watersports Centre at
Holme Pierrepont, Nottingham. This was an Ironman distance race
covering:
Swim 2.4 miles in the boating lake.
Bike 112 miles - 3 laps.
Run 26.2 miles.
Over 1,000 competitors took part in this tough but popular event, with
54 not finishing.
PACTRAC had 7 competitors with Charlie Brookes leading them home.
Louise Alexander had the best Age Group position in 13th. Afterwards,
they were walking (just) and smiling (a lot).
Charlie Brookes had a good start and then moved his way up the field
averaging 20mph on the 112 mile bike section. He held good form on the
run.
Giles Cooper had moved himself up to 73rd place after 80-miles on the
bike before mechanical trouble saw him lose an hour and a quarter (and
400 places). He managed to finish the bike section and had a good run,
recording 3:48 hrs for the marathon, and re-gaining 250 places.
Steve Coombes was just over half-way through the field after the swim,
and pretty much improved his position at every checkpoint thereafter,
to finish 304th overall.
Stephen Cooke had a very consistent bike split, took his time in
transition to make sure that he finished, and improved at every split
on the run section.
Louise Alexander had a solid bike section to overtake half of the
females that started in front of her. She then held her own on the run
to finish 13th in her Age Group.
Robin Laukaitis was in the top 10% of the field after a good swim, had
mechanical trouble at the start of the bike and held his position on
the run.
Peter Tebb had a consistent bike split, before pulling 66 places back
in the first half-marathon and holding his place from there.
202. Charlie Brookes 1:08:06 5:48:47 4:14:34 = 11:11:27 AG 26.
252. Giles Cooper 1:07:04 6:30:30 3:48:29 = 11:26:03 AG 15.
304. Steve Coombs 1:18:55 6:01:38 4:17:24 = 11:37:57 AG 47.
548. Stephen Cooke 1:08:13 6:55:47 4:35:12 = 12:39:12 AG 125.
605. Louise Alexander 1:25:54 6:34:16 4:50:54 = 12:51:04 AG
13.
606. Robin Laukaitis 1:01:57 6:43:39 5:05:34 = 12:51:10 AG 39.
623. Peter Tebb 1:16:57 6:47:42 4:50:31 = 12:55:10 AG 66.
=================
In the Kimbolton Castle Sprint Triathlon (Pool based swim 400m, Bike
12.5 miles, Run 3-miles), both PACTRACers came 1st in their respective
Age Groups.
46. Ros Goatly 7:43 39:10 23:32 = 70:25 AG 1st.
85. Angela Wallis 10:08 42:48 25:38 = 78:34 AG 1st.
12 PACTRAC Juniors competed in the Junior races, with Olivia Corner
coming 4th in her female Age Group. The bike section was cancelled due
to excessive rain making it unsafe to ride on the wet grass. Team
spirit was high as Sam Fielding's Junior Squad put themselves to the
test against some good opposition.
TriStars Start. 8 years old. Swim 50m, Run 400m.
13. Johana Cork 1:38 2:49 = 4:27 AG 10.
21. Josh Moore 2:09 2:52 = 5:01 AG 7.
TriStar1 (9-10 years old). Swim 100m, Run 800m.
23. Franklin Phillips 2:22 4:00 = 6:22 AG 16.
TriStar2 (11-12 years old). Swim 150m, Run 1200m.
11. Olivia Corner 2:52 4:59 = 7:51 AG 4th.
19. Safford Hewitt-White 2:42 5:40 = 8:22 AG 13.
33. Libby Mellor 3:14 5:33 = 8:47 AG 12.
56. William Freeman 4:26 5:16 = 9:42 AG 33.
63. Chloe Moore 3:26 6:25 = 9:51 AG 38.
68. Emma Clay 4:09 5:57 = 10:06 AG 27.
74. Isabelle Lock 3:38 7:17 = 10:55 AG 31.
TriStar3 (13-14 years old). Swim 200m, Run 1600m.
36. Archie Stewart 3:47 7:19 = 11:06 AG 26.
51. Toby Cooke 5:00 7:29 = 12:29 AG 31.
===============
Nicholas Partridge was PACTRAC's sole representative in the London
Triathlon.
"In the most dramatic weather conditions I have ever raced in, I took
part in the 2017 edition of the London Triathlon.
The swim went quite well with not too much rough and tumble and I was
pleased with my time of 30:53 for 1500m.
Transition was very good with a quick mount helping me pass about 10
other riders.
The heavens then opened and torrential rain was followed by huge
splashings through the puddles and hail stinging the arms and eyes.
Delighted to be wearing my giro helmet eye shield visor to aviod grit
in my eyes from the splashing wheels, I darted through twisty congested
streets.
On the return ramp ito transition 2 I had significant issues with the
chain getting jammed between the spokes and the big rear gog! In dismay
I tried to fix it wasting about 5 minutes and deciding to run the bike
in for the last 250m.
This was followed by wheeling the bike in by carrying the rear! I
stayed to the left and as the front wheel crossed in front I tried to
stop in my cleats and slipped clean over, glad to be wearing my helmet
as it clearly stopped me from banging my head nastily.
Having removed my shoes and socks I continued more gingerly into T2
where I booted up and got on with the job of running 6.25 miles in
adverse conditions.
Around to the run course I was still checking out my body for injury
after my fall and the 6 inch deep puddles didn't help as once again
splashing through the course I realised I felt ok and started to push
on, but trying not to go too deep too early.
My run time of 1:01:26 was reasonable as I didn't think I had a sub 1:
05 in me towards the end.
With a PB of 7 minutes and barring incident I feel I could have gone
sub 3-hours save for the mistake on the ramp and the slip over. Still
to have the calmness to stop and check out myself before I continued
was a mighty good decision so overall I'm pleased tinged with
disappointment at the issues with which I suffered."
Distances:
swim 1500 metres in London Docks.
bike 25 miles.
run 6.25 miles.
933. Nicholas Partridge 30:53 96:17 61:26 = 3:08:36 AG 41.
==================
The Castle Howard triathlon took place in Yorkshire over the Olympic
distances of:
swim 1500 metres - 2 laps in the lake.
bike 27.5 miles - 1 lap on undulating, country roads.
run 6.25 miles - all off-road on grass or uneven track.
This was a qualifying race for the European Championships in Estonia
next year. Both Steve Hope and Sarah Haslam missed out by just 1
place, whilst Aaron Godden missed out by 3 places in his Age Group.
Their are two more qualifying races so all 3 will try again at Grafham
Water in 2-weeks time.
91. Aaron Godden 30:27 86:55 47:43 = 2:45:05 AG 8.
111. Steve Hope 28:25 89:26 50:06 = 2:47:57 AG 6.
224. Sarah Haslam 29:47 99:02 54:31 = 3:03:20 AG 6.
374. James Macwilliam 32:57 106:42 64:09 = 3:23:48 AG 39.
==============
Amy Hayes has spent over a year preparing to swim the English Chanel.
The Pilot Boats take on 4 swimmers individually in each 7-day window.
Amy was swimmer number 3 last week so had to wait until the 2 swimmers
in front of her had crossed, before she could get her chance.
Unfortunately due to high winds and rough seas, the Pilot Boat was only
able to cross twice, whilst Amy spent the week in Dover waiting for the
weather to pick up. Only 2 of the 4 swimmers set off. Amy was third in
line waiting for the boat and never got her chance, and is now hoping
for another slot in September.
Paul wins, Jonathan 2nd, Mini-Series finishes.
Jonathan Oakey competed at Box End near Bedford and came a gallant 2nd
overall.
Jonathan was 4th in this event last year, and went 2 places better this
time.
2. Jonathan Oakey 10:56 33:45 20:48 = 65:29 AG 1st.
Jon had the fastest swim to put him in a great position, with many of
his competitor's a few minutes down. He then had the 5th fastest bike
and 2nd fastest run. He was leading until the second half of the run,
where he was caught, and held on to 2nd place overall, just 24 seconds
down, and with a large margin of nearly 4 minutes on the 3rd placed
athlete.
==================
Mark Bedford competed in the Ironman triathlon at Bolton. This is
Mark's 3rd year in triathlon and he has been building up to the full
Ironman distance, which he completed on Sunday.
swim 2.4 miles in the lake.
bike 112 miles - 2 laps on an undulating course with a big hill up
Sheep House Lane to be tackled twice.
run 26.2 miles.
903. Mark Bedford 1:47:04 7:42:43 4:21:08 = 13:50:55 AG
194.
Sue Davys and Antony Brown will be competing in Ironman Zurich in 2
weekends time.
Meanwhile, Ali Brightey completed the Long Course Weekend Marathon, in
Tenby, Wales in 3:33:01 for 64th place overall.
==============
PACTRAC held the last Mini-Series of the season at Oundle on Wednesday;
with Jonathan Oakey recording his 2nd win from 2 appearances. Giles
Cooper, racing in his first Mini-Series for 3-years recorded one of
just 3 PB's on the night. He just caught newcomer Dan Wilson on the
line to take 2nd place overall. 26 competitor's enjoyed this final race
which preceded the end-of-season buffet.
Jonathan Arnold had a great swim, but couldn't shake off the determined
Jonathan Oakey as the pair came out of the water in 4:24 and 4:27
respectively. Simon Guerin was the next out 1-minute later, followed a
short distance behind by Susie Freeman and Simon Pauffley. Newcomer
Jonny Hindes was the first of 5 swimmers in a row over 90 seconds
behind the two leaders.
Jonny moved into the lead on the bike, just catching Jonathan and
pulling an 18-second lead out of him. Darren Kelly and Dan Wilson were
next into T2 30-seconds behind Dan, with Giles Cooper next in, another
30-seconds down.
Scott Lloyd had the fastest run of the day to move up into 6th place
overall. Jonathan had the 2nd fastest run and moved into the lead, just
before going out of Oundle on the way out. Giles had a fast run to move
up the field and he won the sprint finish for 2nd by a small margin
from Dan, with Jonny holding onto 4th place and Darren 5th.
Steve Hope takes the overall series Trophy for the first time in it's
31-year history. (Simon Hoppe has won the Trophy 8 times, followed by
Dave Allsop and Paul Vernon with 3 apiece).
results are on http://pactrac.co.uk/events/4205/
====================
Amy Hayes has spent a large part of the last 12 months training for the
Chanel Swim. Amy is down as the 3rd swimmer to go, from Dover to France
this week. Swimmer number one has gone, and Amy is currently down in
Dover, waiting for number two to go.
Current updates:
Sunday 16th July:
"It's looking like Tuesday. The Peruvian two-man relay escorted by
Viking Princess landed just a bit ago, after about 17 hours of
swimming. I am not sure of the official time. But the crew will not be
back to Dover until Midnight, and not likely ready to support swimmer
#2 tomorrow. Plus, the weather is not looking great tomorrow. So, we
are taking it day by day. Swimmer two will go Tuesday at the earliest,
so now I'm looking at Wednesday, Thursday or Friday."
Wednesday 19th July:
"The cross current winds in the channel this week are making the
conditions too messy for pilots to want to take swimmers out. It's been
beautiful and sunny, but the wind and water are just not cooperating.
The best case scenario at this point is if the seas calm today, swimmer
2 will go tomorrow, and I will go Friday.
If that doesn't happen...I have no clue what happens next."
================
Paul Vernon won the Royal British Legion RAF Sprint Series triathlon at
RAF Cranwell, by 2 minutes.
swim 400 metres. Paul was 38th after the swim.
bike 12.5 miles. He had the 2nd fastest bike split and moved up into
first place overall.
run 3 miles. Paul had the fastest run split and pulled away to win by 2-
minutes.
1. Paul Vernon 8:39 37:06 17:35 = 63:20
===================
Ros Goatly won her Age Group at the Market Bosworth Sprint Triathlon.
swim 750m in the boating lake.
bike 13 miles on fast, flat country roads.
run 3 miles around the lake.
41. Ros Goatly 15:52 49:16 22:34 = 87:42. 4th lady and 1st
in Age Group.
=======================
3 PACTRACers took part in the Pitsford Triathlon at the Northampton
Sailing Club at Pitsford Reservoir. Rob Hammond led the trio and won
his Age Group, coming home 7th overall.
swim 1500 metres - open water.
bike 25 miles on country roads.
run 6.25 miles around the lake trails.
7. Rob Hammond 25:00 70:32 45:07 = 2:20:39 AG 1st.
26. Wayne Stainsby 26:39 74:11 48:30 = 2:29:20 AG 7.
27. Chris Brennan 30:01 72:26 47:08 = 2:29:35 AG 5.
Jonathan swims the 22-mile North Channel crossing.
On Friday 7th July, Jonathan Ratcliffe swam the 22-miles of the North Channel
Swim from Ireland to Scotland. The North Channel is the strait between
north-eastern Ireland and south-western Scotland and connects the Irish
Sea with the Atlantic Ocean. The swim is 22-miles.
Last August, Jon swam the English Channel http://www.peterboroughtoday.co.uk/news/no-sting-in-the-tale-for-channel-swimmer-1-7558381
According to Wikipedia / the ILDSA no more than 3 swimmers have
achieved this swim in any one year. In 2017 Jonathan was the 4th
swimmer to successfully swim across the 22-mile stretch to the Mull of
Galloway. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Channel_
(Great_Britain_and_Ireland) Jon is only the 33rd swimmer to ever cross
this stretch. It is one of 7 swims that long distance swimmers regard
as the holy grail. Last August, Jonathan swam the English Channel. This
North Channel Swim is one of the hardest of the 7, so Jon is happy that
he has beaten the back of the challenge, and is now ready to move on to
the other 5 swims.
Jon was well aware beforehand of the
giant jellyfish in that stretch of water. I don't know whether he had
the accompanying Whale that was present just 2-days earlier.
The water temperature was just under 14 degrees.
From Facebook:
"Irish Long Distance Swimming Association
July 3. The first North Channel crossing attempt of 2017 - by Team MAD.
"Irish Long Distance Swimming Association
July 5· Team Peninsula Paddlers made the second successful relay
crossing of the North Channel for 2017 season.
"Irish Long Distance Swimming Association
July 5· The first successful solo North Channel crossing of 2017 -
Simon Olliver.
The Belfast Telegraph reported "Another whale joining a North Channel
Swimmer today ... Pilot Brian Meharg of Bangor Boat said "Perhaps this
is going to be the escort for swims this season". "It was mostly
interested in the boat though, and didn't take much notice of the
swimmer."
"Whale joins man for swim to Scotland. Swimmers making their way to
Scotland have been joined by an unexpected companion.
BELFASTTELEGRAPH.CO.UK"
July 5. Carmel Collins made the second successful solo crossing of the
North Channel for 2017 season.
"Irish Long Distance Swimming Association
July 6 Herman van der Westhuizen has made the third successful solo
crossing of the North Channel for 2017 season.
"Irish Long Distance Swimming Association
July 7 at 8:43am ·
Our 4th Solo Attempt of the North Channel of 2017 started this morning
08.41.
We wish Jonathan Ratcliffe all the best and hope for a successful swim.
"
"Jonathan Ratcliffe has had a good start to his North Channel Solo
Crossing just under 5 miles done, had his 3rd feed and only a few
jellyfish!!!! Fingers crossed they stay away or we will be looking at
hiring a sea turtle next time for a buddy swimmer."
"Jonathan Ratcliffe has under one mile to go. Sea is a bit choppy but
Jonathan is still swimming strong. Not far to go you are so nearly
there."
"Subject to ratification, Jonathan Ratcliffe has made the 4th
successful solo crossing of the North Channel for 2017 season.
Well done Jonathan, crew and Infinity Channel Swimming."
"Irish Long Distance Swimming Association
July 8 at 9:21am ·
Wow!!!! What a fantastic start to the North Channel 2017 season. The
first tide window finished yesterday, next one opens soon.
We had 2 one way relay teams and 4 solo one way. All attempts have been
successful subject to ratification, which is amazing.
Team MAD - Trisha Harvey and Rachel Hughes
Peninsula Paddlers - Jonathan Groves, Michael Dines, Caroline
McFarland, Mark Hardy, Arthur Crowe and Bryan McFarland
Simon Olliver
Carmel Collins
Herman van der Westhuizen
Jonathan Ratcliffe
You all should be so proud of what you have achieved.
Well done to all the crews, observers and pilots.
Can't wait to see what the rest of the 2017 season holds."
More information on the North Channel swim is here http://www.nelsonsboats.co.uk/north-channel-swim-pilot-boat/
==============
Frankfurt IM. Rob and Susie win the Club Championships.
2 PACTRACers competed in Ironman Frankfurt over the distances of:
swim 2.4 miles
bike 112 miles
run 26.2 miles
Paul Lunn used it as a trial for the Ironman World Championships in
Hawaii later in October. He finished 3rd in his Age Group in just a few
minutes over 9-hours. He had a storming bike split of 4:33:38. This is
really up there with the top Elites - 5:36hours for 112 miles is an
average of 20mph and Paul beat this by over an hour. It was a hot day
and he was never going to sustain that for the full marathon run as
well. He has beaten the 9-hour barrier twice before, and again came
close, with another Podium finish.
Steve Skelhon competed in his 11th Ironman distance triathlon. Steve
had a good swim followed by a 20mph bike leg, before recording a solid
run in the heat of the day. The organisers had warned the athletes to
expect temperatures of more than 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees
Fahrenheit) in Frankfurt and it didn't disappoint.
58. Paul Lunn 1:00:16 4:38:56 3:28:19 = 9:07:31 AG 3rd.
1558. Steve Skelhon 1:05:55 5:48:56 5:27:04 = 12:21:55 AG 195.(as usual, the transition times are included with the bike time)
=================
3 PACTRACers competed in the various open water swims at Grafham Water
on Saturday. Graeme Abrahams came 4th overall in the 1500m swim in a
time of 23:47 minutes; just 6 seconds behind 3rd place. He was 2nd in
his Age Group, whilst Sue Drake won her Age Group in 35:06 minutes.
Phil Jones completed the 5250 metre swim in 1:47:19 for 6th in his Age
Group.
==============
Amy Hayes has prepared well for her attempt at the Channel Swim next
week. She has been doing lots of long swims of up to 6-hours and her 2-
year adventure should, hopefully, come to fruition next week. Amy has
prepared well and will be off sometime next week - potentially a week
from today (Monday 17th July, depending on the window, and whether
other swimmers ahead of Amy in the queue get to go, or if the weather
forces them to delay.
Amy said: "The doubt is definitely trying to creep in again. This is
not anywhere close to a given. It's a gamble.
No amount of positive thought and motivational swimming affirmations
can make this something other than a gamble."
==================
PACTRAC Mini-Series 7.
Wayne Stainsby won his 3rd Mini-Series of the year, from 3 races. On a
warm day, 17 competitors lined up for the penultimate race in the
series.
Jonathan Arnold again led the swimmers out, whilst behind him, Robin
Laukaitis was 39-seconds down, but improved his swim time to gain 7-
seconds on a pursuing Tony Daniels. Gaps appeared between the next
swimmers, as first Susie Freeman and then Wayne Stainsby emerged,
before Steve Hope led the rest out.
Tony had the fastest bike split and came in 41 seconds ahead of Wayne,
with Chris coming past Steve towards the end and having a quicker
transition to set off in pursuit first. Tony is still coming back from
injury and was caught early on the run by Wayne; but both Chris and
Steve had to wait until they were on their way back before moving into
2nd and 3rd spots.
Results are on http://pactrac.co.uk/events/4204/
==================
PACTRAC then held their Standard Distance club triathlon at Oundle on
Sunday, as part of the Club Championships. With just one more race to
go - the final Mini-Series triathlon at Oundle on Wednesday, all of the
Club Championship Trophies have now been decided.
Sunday's distances were:
swim 1800 yards - 36 lengths of Oundle Pool.
bike 30 miles - 3 laps of the Mini-Series course around Glapthorn and
the Benefields.
run 6.25 miles - around Glapthorn and Cotterstock, including some off-
road paths, and finishing on the Athletics Track.
Simon Hoppe competed in his first club race of 2017 and won the race by
over 7 1/2 minutes. Jonathan Arnold was first out of the water in a
superfast 21:37 before Robin Laukaitis led Simon out, over 3 1/2
minutes later. Rob was nearly 2-minutes down at this point. Simon had
the fastest bike split and increased his lead coming into T2 to 5 1/2
minutes over Rob. Chris Pike moved into 3rd spot on the 3rd of the bike
laps and pulled away with the fastest run of the day, to consolidate
that position.
Paul Vernon keeps the Course Record from last year, but whereas Simon
took 2nd place last year beating Rob by nearly 13 minutes, this time
the gap was narrowed to 7 1/2 minutes on Rob.
The results are here http://pactrac.co.uk/events/4196/
The Club Championships have now been decided:
1. Rob Hammond
2. Chris Pike
3. Steve Hope
Ladies:
1. Susie Freeman
2. Mariska Niemeijer
3. Hannah Bassett
Juniors:
Jonathan Arnold
Vet:
Rob Hammond
SuperVet:
Chris Pike
Ladies vet:
Mariska Niemeijer
Ladies Supervet:
Georgina Jennings
Nathan smashes the Mini-Series Course Record. 2 Juniors to represent the Region. Marcus wins at Bedford. Giles 2nd in AG at Holkham.
3 PACTRACers travelled to Ripon for the Olympic distance triathlon,
held around the Racecourse lake.
The Ripon Triathlon was not only a qualifying race for the World
Championships, to be held in Rotterdam later in the year, but was also
the English National Standard distance Championships.
282. Aaron Godden 29:45.... 67:32.... 47:42... =... 2:24:59 AG 53
319. Steve Hope 27:57.... 73:31.... 45:30... =... 2:26:58 AG 12
583. Sarah Haslam 29:33.... 80:54.... 50:28... =... 2:40:55 AG 11
======================
Two Half-Ironman distance triathlons took place at the weekend. The
distances of both were: swim 1.2 miles, bike 56 miles, run 13.1 miles.
1300 athletes including 4 PACTRACers raced in Norfolk at the "Outlaw
Half Holkham", based around Holkham Hall, with the swim and the entire
run (3 laps), taking place within the grounds of the estate. The bike
course was a single loop taking in the coastal road and some quiet
country roads.
Giles Cooper came 2nd in his Age Group and will tackle the full Outlaw
Ironman distance triathlon in Nottingham 3 weeks later.
75. Giles Cooper 34:52.... 2:46:19.... 1:32:13... =... 4:53:24 AG 2.
224. Andrew Chapman 35:31.... 2:49:06.... 1:56:32... =... 5:21:09 AG 37.
286. Simon Guerin 32:27.... 2:56:18.... 2:00:33... =... 5:29:18 AG 48.
366. Rory Suckling 35:15.... 3:13:47.... 1:50:10... =... 5:39:12 AG 47.
=======================
Edinburgh 70.3 Half-Ironman. (swim shortened to 950 metres).
Dave Patmore-Hill was "super pleased to get 24th in my Age Group at the
Edinburgh 70.3 today.
Hardly trained this year because of my new job. My coach, yet again has
kept me honest on my bike in training and the performance today in
terms of numbers was one of the best. Swim, which was horrendous, cut
short (950m)due to crazy winds(21mph) and the bike was 3342ft with 41
miles of it into headwind which made for a tough day. The run was as
challenging with over 1000 ft up Arthur's Seat in Edinburgh. Only
managed to move from 28th off the bike to 24th overall, which by my
standards is poor. The next time I'll pick a course where you expect
decent weather."
213. Dave Patmore-Hill 20:42.... 3:23:33.... 1:42:41... =... 5:26:56 AG 24.
=================
3 Juniors competed at Eton Dorney in the Super Series. This is a
British Triathlon high performance event and is part of the Youth /
Junior Super series. It, therefore, contained the very best up-and-
coming triathletes from across the country, was very competitive and a
real bench mark for the National Championships.
Junior Men
Jonathan Oakey had a good swim to enter T1 in contention. He worked
well in the 3rd group and was able to work to catch up to the lead
group entering T2. He was able to make 33 places up on the bike at an
average of 26mph over the 13-mile circuit. On the 3-mile run he was
able to hold his position on the 1st lap and finished strongly to
finish a very creditable 16th Junior. He is now 19th overall in the
Super Series rankings with 2 events to go.
Tristar 3
Katie Tasker exited the swim in mid-division and after a quick
transition was soon able to make ground on the leaders entering T2 in
3rd position – she smashed it on the bike; the only flaw was the bike
course was a bit short and she really could have done with another lap
to really stretch the field. The quality runners in the field soon went
to work and with 3 National X-country runners for company, they soon
made life hard with a burst of acceleration. Katie was able to hold her
position and finished a very creditable 7th. (The lead girl ran 1.5m in
8:15)
Tristar 2
Olivia Corner did not get away out of the water and had a malfunction
in transition getting her wetsuit off. Once on the bike however she was
able to make headway on the rest of the field and with a powerhouse of
a run was able to pass a number of athletes to finish a very
respectable 12th.
This was a great experience for all 3 and vital lessons were learnt,
but some great news is that 2 PACTRAC Juniors will be representing the
Eastern Region at the Inter Regional Championships at Mallory Park on
Sunday 28th August. Well done to Katie Tasker & Olivia Corner. This is
the first time that PACTRAC have had 2 representatives. Only the top 30
in the UK get an invite to race in this prestigious event.
The British Triathlon U20's Festival is the pinnacle of the season for
triathlete’s aged 11-19 years and has become a key milestone in the
development of future triathlon stars.
Races featured in the day include:
British Triathlon Inter-regional Championships (TriStar 2 & 3)
Youth Elite Races
Junior Elite Races
"The event returns to Mallory Park, Leicestershire on Bank Holiday
Monday 28 August after being hosted there in 2015. With its undulating
and technical bike course, it provides the perfect stage for exciting
racing to conclude the series in 2017 and act as the Junior qualifier
for the ITU World Triathlon Grand Final in Rotterdam."
================
2 PACTRACers competed in the Bedford Sprint Triathlon at Robinsons
Pool, Bedford.
Marcus Widdess won the event outright by 49-seconds. He was 3rd out of
the water, and had the fastest bike leg of all, to take a commanding
lead; which he held onto with the 3rd fastest run of the day.
Terry Murphy also won his Age Group in a PB time on this course.
The distances were:
swim 400 metres in the pool.
bike 15-miles on mainly country roads.
run 3-miles around the park.
1. Marcus Widdess 5:57.... 00:41:35.... 00:16:49.... 00:00:32.... 00:00:30... = 65:23 AG 1st.
54. Terry Murphey 10:42.... 00:49:12.... 00:28:24.... 00:01:17.... 00:01:31... = 91:08 AG 1st.
=============
Nathan Tweedie made a spectacular entrance into this year's Mini-
Series. It's been 8-year's since the record was last beaten, and Nathan
smashed 39 seconds off of Matt Gunby's 2009 Course Record on a windy
night, that certainly wasn't conducive to a fast bike split. Nathan is
training and racing with the British Elite Squad in Loughborough, and
his next race with them is later in the month in Spain.
Such were the weather conditions that only 12 athletes lined up at the
start. The afternoon rain put a few off and the evening itself turned a
little cold and windy.
Nathan led from start to finish, creating not only a new overall Course
Record, but a new swim record as well as equaling the run record.
Robin Laukaitis was second out of the swim as 4 athletes appeared
within 16-seconds of one another. Nathan was well out of sight by now.
Rob Hammond led Darren Kelly in off of the bike and these two held onto
2nd and 3rd respectively.
The top 4 times in the Mini-Series:
28 Jun 2017 Mini-Series 6 Nathan Tweedie 0:03:53 0:22:51 0:19:11 0:45:55
01 Jul 2009 Mini series 5 Matt Gunby 0:04:43 0:22:40 0:19:11 0:46:34
10 Jun 2015 Mini-Series 3 Nathan Tweedie 0:04:01 0:23:26 0:19:55 0:47:22
07 Jul 2010 Mini series 6 Josh Daniels 0:04:07 0:23:49 0:19:27 0:47:23
The Course Record has progressed as follows:
2006 Mini series 1 Simon Hoppe 50:25
2006 Mini series 4 Simon Hoppe 49:32
2007 Mini series 7 Matt Gunby 49:12
2007 Mini series 9 Peter Galpin 49:02
2008 Mini series 7 Josh Daniels 47:30
2009 Mini series 5 Matt Gunby 46:34
2017 Mini-Series 6. Nathan Tweedie 45:55
swim:
4:10 or better has been achieved 15 times. 4-minutes has been beaten
only twice. The top 8 Mini-Series swim times have all been recorded by
Nathan Tweedie.
2017 Mini-Series 6. Nathan Tweedie 0:03:53
2015 Mini-Series 2 Nathan Tweedie 0:03:56
2015 Mini-Series 3 Nathan Tweedie 0:04:01
The swim record has progressed as follows:
2010 Mini series 5 Josh Daniels 0:04:09
2010 Mini series 6 Josh Daniels 0:04:07
2014 Mini-Series 6. Nathan Tweedie 0:04:03
2014 Mini-Series 9. Nathan Tweedie 0:04:02
2015 Mini-Series 1 Nathan Tweedie 0:04:02
2015 Mini-Series 2 Nathan Tweedie 0:03:56
2017 Mini-Series 6. Nathan Tweedie 0:03:53
bike: Nathan recorded the 15th fastest bike split on the course, on a
windy night.
2009 Mini series 5 Simon Hoppe 22:28
2015 Mini-Series 10 Paul Vernon 22:32
2015 Mini-Series 2 Paul Vernon 22:32
2013 Mini-Series 7 Paul Lunn 22:33
2012 Mini series 9 Jaap Flikweert 22:37
The bike record has progressed as follows:
2007 Mini series 9 Peter Galpin 22:59
2008 Mini series 5 Mark Botteley 22:45
2008 Mini series 8 Simon Hoppe 22:42
2009 Mini series 5 Simon Hoppe 22:28
run:
The top 4 run times on the course have been recorded by 4 different
athletes, with Nathan matching Matt Gunby's 2009 record.
2017 Mini-Series 6. Nathan Tweedie 19:11
2009 Mini series 5 Matt Gunby 19:11
2010 Mini series 6 Josh Daniels 19:27
2015 Mini-Series 10 Paul Vernon 19:33
The run record has progressed as follows:
2006 Mini series 1 Simon Hoppe 20:50
2006 Mini series 4 Simon Hoppe 20:35
2007 Mini series 4 Peter Galpin 19:55
2007 Mini series 7 Matt Gunby 19:39
2009 Mini series 5 Matt Gunby 19:11
2017 Mini-Series 6. Nathan Tweedie 19:11
PACTRAC Peterborough Duathlon - Sunday 2nd April 2017.
The PACTRAC Peterborough Duathlon will take place on Sunday 2nd April 2017. It is again based around Castor Village Hall and School Playing Field. It is PACTRAC's only "open event" of the year and we regularly have over 80 PACTRACers in one place at the same time. Please volunteer to help. It is a great social occasion, with both Senior and Junior sections mixing together.
Further details of the event including how to enter are here: http://pactrac.co.uk/events/4181/
Please volunteer to help here http://pactrac.co.uk/forums/topic/757/#new-posts
August swimming.
August Roadworks might affect some heading to/from swimming http://www.oundle.gov.uk/news/2017/08/roadworks---a605-barnwell-to-oundle
Monday 14th from 8:00pm Barnwell - Oundle RAB.
Friday 18th Barnwell - Oundle RAB.
Friday 18th from 8:00pm Oundle RAB - Warmington RAB.
Monday 21st from 8:00pm Warmington RAB.
Thursday 24th from 8:00pm Oundle RAB.
=======================
NVSC (who provide our Monday and Friday coaches) have a summer break in August.
We will try to get a coach for the following dates, but if not, their will be a session on the board.
Currently this does mean that, with no coach on poolside, any juniors who want to swim will have to bring a responsible adult, on poolside, so that they can join the session.
Dates affected are:
Mon 7th Aug.
Fri 11th Aug.
Mon 14th Aug.
Fri 18th Aug.
Mon 21st Aug
Fri 25th Aug.
Mon 28th August is a Bank Holiday when the pool will be shut anyway.
==================
Please note that there is no swim session at Oundle next Monday (29th May) as it is a Bank Holiday. Enjoy the extra rest day.
===================
message just received from swimming pool 19th January 2017.
"Dear All,
Due to a gas fault in Oundle we regret to inform you the swimming pool may be closed for up to 4 days. We will contact each club individually and will attempt to provide 24hrs notice before each respective club session once we are provided more information from both the National Grid Command Centre and Western Power.
If you have any questions please reply to this email directly at sportscetre@oundleschol.org.uk or call 01832 277 201 / 208 / 195
Kind regards,
Oundle School Swim Team"
Will update when we find out more
Guy Gooding - Funeral 26th January.
Some of you will know already that Guy Gooding passed away on Tuesday evening. Very sad news. He was fit and healthy last week, was taken ill on Sunday with sepsis, and despite him being a real fighter, he quickly deteriorated.
Guy joined PACTRAC in the early 1990's; and was a regular points scorer when we won the Frostbite League in both 1996-97 and 1997-98, competing in all but one of the 11 events.
The club wishes to send condolences to Wendy.
Merry Christmas
Merry Christmas to all, we hope Santa brings you all the tri gifts you asked for :-)
Here is the club training schedule over the Xmas break and for January, in case any of you are stuck for anything to do https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B4U7OkkoamN_WWdLeng4cmZfY2c
Christmas Swimming.
The Committee are currently looking at ways to see how we can reduce the shortfall on pool hire. (We make a loss and essentially need more people to swim!) As such we were concerned at the possibility of low attendances over the Christmas period. We asked for a commitment from the members to ensure that the Christmas sessions would be viable; and we're pleased to say that we have had enough expressions of interest to make it worth our while putting on two swims between Christmas and the New Year.
We have coaches in place for both Wednesday 28th and Friday 30th December, and now just need the members (you) to turn up and make our financial commitment pay for itself. Thank you to those that have brought this decision to fruition.
All of our normal swimming sessions will take place over Christmas, except:
Friday 16th December - NO swimming.
Monday 26th December - NO swimming.
Monday 2nd January - NO swimming.
PACTRAC Trophies 2016.
Congratulations to the 2016 winners.
Club Champion.........Paul Vernon
Female Champion.....Abi Schofield
Mini Series.................Paul Vernon
Female Mini...............Christina Cork
Vet.............................Paul Vernon
Female Vet................Christina Cork
Super vet...................Chris Pike
Female Super vet......Sue Burnett
Junior.........................Katie Tasker
Standard distance......Paul Vernon
Duathlon...................Paul Vernon
Novice......................Aaron Godden
Most Improved...........Debora Leininger
Outstanding Perf........Paul Lunn
Pactracer of Year.......Georgina Jennings
Youth Trophy..............Josh Mould
Mid-Distance..............Mark Weathersby
How do you get to win a Trophy in 2017.
http://pactrac.co.uk/media/files/2016_PACTRAC_Trophies.docx
The Club Championships in 2017 will be your best 4 races from: your best 3 Mini-Series, the Mid-Distance (1st May) and the Standard Distance (9th July).
Prize Presentation and Christmas Party.
Christmas party!!!!!
All members welcome, along with family and friends too!
It will all take place at The Farmers in Yaxley on Saturday 19th November, with a format as follows:
AGM: 6pm
Carvery and dessert meal: 7pm
Junior Awards: 8pm
Senior Awards: 8:15pm
Followed by a disco!
Per adult it is £25 in total, child £15.
£5 deposit to be given to Abi either in person, post or bank transfer. (The AGM is free!!!)
Not long left now and we need a minimum of 50 people, so of course family and friends are welcome too 😊
Email abischofield@hotmail.co.uk to reserve your places.
Oct: Paul L Qu's for Kona with 8:57 in Barcelona IM / Roger in Kona / Antony 1st in AG / Paul V 2nd at Oulton Park and 1st (English Champion) at Bedford / Steve competes in Majorca.
Paul Lunn competed in Ironman Barcelona over the distances of:
swim 2.4 miles in the sea.
bike 112 miles
run 26.2 miles.
This is Paul's 3rd Ironman triathlon of the year - an amazing
achievement in itself - and the 2nd time that he has done a sub 9-hour
time. Previously his fantastic performances have not quite given him a
qualifying slot for the World Ironman Championships in Hawaii in
October 2017. This time it was different and Paul qualified for his
first ever visit to Hawaii next year. He finished 2nd in his Age Group
and 10th overall amongst the Age Groupers, once you strip out the 26
professional athletes ahead of him.
He was absolutely exhausted at the end, having raced hard for nearly 9-
hours with no let-up. But it was all worth while when he crossed the
line and achieved his dream of qualifying to race in Kona.
Paul will now be taking a couple of weeks off before recommencing
training for next year.
36. Paul Lunn 1:00:38 4:35:49 03:20:44 = 8:57:11 AG 2nd.
--------------
Meanwhile, Roger Canham is in Hawaii for the 2016 World Ironman
Championships this weekend.
-------------
PACTRAC had 4 competitors at the Bedford Triathlon, held at Robinsons
Pool, with 2 winning their Age Group.
swim 400m in Robinsons Pool.
bike 15 miles around the villages north of Bedford.
run 3 miles in Bedford Park.
6. Antony Brown 1:10:39 Age Group 1st.
91. Sue Davys 1:33:22 AG 1st.
97. Terry Murphy 1:35:43 AG 2.
175. Gerald Farrow 2:10:18 AG 11.
------------
Paul Vernon came a great second overall in the Oulton Park Duathlon at
the famous Race Track. The race started on the starting grid and the
transition was in the pits.
He was beaten only by an elite category duathlete, after a great second
run, that saw him taking time back.
Run 5.6 miles - 2 laps.
Bike 24.25 miles - 9 laps.
Run 2.5 miles - 1 lap.
2. Paul Vernon 28:21 57:51 13:46 = 1:39:58.
Non-Pactrac.
36. Claire Steels 32:06 63:06 16:16 = 1:51:28 1st lady
overall.
===============
Roger Canham competed in Kona, on Saturday, in the World Ironman
Championships, which are held annually in Hawaii.
Distances are:
swim 2.4 miles in the sea.
bike 112 miles - out and back in the wind and humidity of the lava
fields.
run 26.2 miles.
711. Roger Canham 1:07:46 5:34:42 3:41:50 = 10:24:18 AG 33.
Roger said "It's always hot and always windy and was tough out there. I
fell apart on the marathon."
====================
The NiceTri Duathlon took place at Bedford Autodrome with Paul Vernon
winning overall in 1:50:46.
Paul led this European Championship qualifying race by nearly 2 1/2
minutes after the first 5.5 mile run. However, he came into T2 neck-and-
neck after Nic Pillinger caught him back on the bike section. Paul,
soon pulled away again on the final 3-mile run, and took the victory by
over a minute at the end.
Paul had already qualified for the European Sprint Duathlon
Championships, in an earlier race at Clumber Park; and has now
qualified for the European Standard distance Championships too. Both
will be held in Soria, Spain in April.
1. Paul Vernon 29:29 62:28 18:48 = 1:50:45 Age Group 1st.
Olivia Corner competed in the TriStar 2 race and won her Age Group.
1. Olivia Corner 5:33 13:37 4:52 = 24:02.
---------------------
Meanwhile, Steve Hope was finishing a busy season, with his 18th
triathlon this year - this time at the Challenge Peguera half-Ironman
distance triathlon, in Majorca.
swim 1.2 miles in the warm, salty, choppy sea. A beach start, and two
waves literally went over my head before I even started to swim.
bike 56 miles - 2 laps into the mountains.
run 13.1 miles - 4 laps with a couple of long drags per lap.
324. Steve Hope 5:47:27 AG 9th.
------------------
This weekend sees Sean Beard tackle the Frankfurt marathon, whilst the
week after, Roger Canham is racing in China, trying to qualify for the
World Ironman Championships for a 9th time.
Sept: 4 PACTRACers in ETU Middle / Paul L wins Gold / Kate exorcises her Ghosts / Steve completes the Eeyore Challenge / 5 in Mexico where Georgina wins SILVER / Dave in Croatia / James runs over100
Simon Hoppe won the North Norfolk Triathlon and has
a separate report. Some details can be found here http://www.wellsharbour.co.uk/northnorfolktriathlon.htm
------------
The Austrian Tyrol provided a stunning backdrop as the Challenge
Walchsee-Kaiserwinkl Triathlon hosted the 2016 European Middle Distance
Triathlon Championships in Austria.
More than 250 British triathletes were representing their country,
including 4 PACTRACers. Unfortunately, Robin Brookes was injured and
knew that his leg wouldn't hold out for the run; so he wisely went out
their knowing that he would only be competing in the swim and bike
legs. The other 3 all finished. Andy Gregg was the fastest of the trio
in 4:56:16 whilst Tristan Matthews had the best Age Group position in
35th. Christina Cork was happy and very pleased to finish. She was 5th
off of the bike in her Age Group, before "cramp put paid to anything
more than a shuffle".
swim 1.2 miles in the lake.
bike 50 miles in the mountains.
run 13.1 miles in melting hot conditions around the lake.
Tristan Matthews 32:51 2:39:43 1:49:07 = 5:01:41 AG 64.
Christina Cork 35:10 2:53:53 2:18:36 = 5:47:39 AG 33.
Andy Gregg 39:14 2:38:50 1:38:12 = 4:56:16 AG 33.
Robin Brookes 32:02 2:43:57
-----------------
The Vitruvian Triathlon at Rutland Water at the weekend took place in
not so friendly, rather sodden conditions.
This race was the Triathlon England National Middle-distance
Championships, and attracted a top field from across the country.
Paul Lunn won a GOLD Medal at the Vitruvian in
the English National Championships in his Age Group.
The distances were:
swim 1.2 miles in Rutland Water.
bike 56 miles - 2 laps around Oakham, Uppingham and Ketton.
run 13.1 miles around parts of the lake.
Paul Lunn finished 6th overall just 1:37 minutes from a podium place,
and easily winning his Age Group.
6. Paul Lunn 30:52 2:09:58 1:21:14 = 4:02:04 AG 1st.
108. Giles Cooper 33:55 2:30:55 1:33:29 = 4:38:19 AG 5.
162. Steve Coombes 41:01 2:37:43 1:34:33 = 4:53:17 AG 25.
199. Daniel Fitzjohn 42:25 2:41:37 1:34:10 = 4:58:12 AG 35.
358. Adrian Whitby 39:54 2:51:30 1:48:02 = 5:19:26 AG 68.
466. Robin Laukaitis 32:08 3:07:09 1:58:01 = 5:37:18 AG 30.
656. Simon Taylor 53:52 3:02:13 2:16:37 = 6:12:42 AG 22.
------------------
Kate Armstrong competed in the Chillswim Coniston End-to-end 5.25 mile
swim. Kate tackled this event last year, but did not finish it due to
the cold conditions. This year the event took place in a much better 16
degrees, so the elements were much more favourable. She hadn't even
noticed that it was raining, until she got to the second feed station,
and the volunteers were all wearing rain ponchos and were soaked
through.
349. Kate Armstrong 3:20:51 AG 7.
509 finished with another 7 starting but not finishing. Thankfully,
Kate managed to exorcise a ghost this year.
--------------------
Steve Hope competed in a couple of running races on the continent:
04 Sep. Haarlemmermeer, Holland. 1/2 marathon - 1:39:02.
11 Sep. Ypres, Belgium. marathon - 3:59:45.
Both were on flat courses, with the Ypres marathon being all one-way
from the coast at Niewport, following the WW1 front line to Ypres.
The next two races in the "Eeyore Challenge" to complete 4 races in 4
weekends, all abroad, are:
18 Sep. Belfast, NI. 1/2 marathon.
25 Sep. Basel, Switzerland. marathon.
Other running results:
Greater Cambridge 10k
52nd. Aaron Godden 40:45
=====================
PACTRAC had 5 members competing for Great Britain in the World Age
Group Triathlon Championships in Cozumel, Mexico, at the weekend.
Georgina Jennings added a SILVER MEDAL to her collection. She was a
minute down after the swim, and although she had the fastest bike leg,
it wasn't enough to hold off the challenge from the top American
athlete, on the run. Georgina was over 10-minutes ahead of the Bronze
medal winner. The heat and humidity took it's toll on all of the
athletes, but Georgina had a good race and won a well deserved medal.
Simon Hoppe came 11th in his Age Group, just outside the top ten and 2:
18 from a Podium spot. Fresh from his recent win in the North Norfolk
Triathlon at Wells, Simon is back on form.
3 members competed in the Sprint Distance over a 750 metre swim, 12.5
mile bike and 3 mile run:
11. Simon Hoppe 10:49 32:47 19:55 = 63:31
16. Susie Freeman 12:15 36:32 24:42 = 73:29
2. Georgina Jennings 22:11 43:47 33:14 = 99:12
2 members competed in the Standard distance over a 1500 metre swim, 25
mile bike and 6.25 mile run:
35. Simon Pauffley 31:20 73:21 53:42 = 2:38:23
43. Abi Schofield 24:21 81:05 55:36 = 2:41:02
Both Susie Freeman and Simon Pauffley were competing for GB for the
first time.
Abi said "Today was amazing but incredibly tough." She had a great swim
with a strong current making it difficult. Some swimmers in later waves
didn't finish in the choppy conditions. Abi then suffered in the heat
on the run, as did many others, and found herself taking ice at every
opportunity.
---------------------
Dave Patmore-Hill competed in the Ironman 70.3 in Pula, Croatia.
The distances were:
swim 1.2 miles.
bike 57 miles.
run 13.1 miles.
Dave got quicker as the bike went on, and held a very good pace on the
run.
He said: "Well that was pretty scary today at Ironman Croatia. The swim
was terrible with tough sea conditions; we had thunder and lightning on
the bike with a deluge of rain and the run course was part river with
the torrential rain! But for a bad swim I am happy with it." Dave had
one of his better bike rides and yet again pulled out a great half
marathon. He said that it was "great fun but one of the hardest races
I've done and one of the most enjoyable."
119. Dave Patmore-Hill 40:36 2:47:33 1:31:15 = 4:59:24 Age Group 21st.
------------------
Steve Hope completed the Belfast half-marathon in 1:40:09. He competes
in the Basel Marathon this weekend to complete 4 races in 4 weekends,
all abroad.
---------------
From 255 entries, PACTRAC's James Steventon finished 19th in the
Equinox 24 hour Solo run at Belvoir Castle nr Grantham. James completed
16 laps
"I was so pleased with my performance as I didn’t know if I was going to
reach my goal of 100 miles until just 6 miles to go. I had a pretty
rubbish triathlon season this year, but this is what I’ve been working
towards. Definitely the hardest thing I’ve ever done."
---------------------
Amy Hayes swam the Oxford lock to lock 10k swim in 3:22:45.
----------
In the Rutland Water half-marathon:
65th. Nick Park 1:50:32
=====================
Tony Moran completed his first Ironman at Ironman Wales in Tenby.
swim 2.4 miles in the sea.
bike 112 miles on an undulating course.
run 26.2 miles.
1285. Tony Moran 1:19:42 8:01:11 5:26:20 = 14:47:13 AG 201.
-----------------
The BRJ Duathlon took place from Abbots Ripton, over the sprint
distance of:
run 3 miles
bike 12.5 miles
run 3 miles.
The event took place on quiet roads and tracks, with an out and back,
flat run.
37. Paul Jephcott 77:09.
48. Rob Stokes 79:36.
---------------
3 PACTRACers competed in the Roade Triathlon, near Northampton. The
distances were swim 414 metres in the pool, bike 12 miles and run 3
miles.
96. Nicholas Partridge 8.25 42.04 26.17 = 76.46
103 Adrian Chambers 9:23 44:58 23:08 = 77:29
165. Debora Leininger 11.02 51.43 27.18 = 90.03
---------------
Steve Hope completed the Basel Marathon, in Switzerland, in 3:46:47.
This completes his personal "Eeyore Challenge" of 4 races in the 4
weekends of September - and all abroad. It was supposed to be 4 half-
marathons, but somehow I got persuaded to turn two of them into full
marathons.
04/09 Harlem half-marathon, Holland 1:39:02
11/09 Ypres marathon, Belgium 3:59:46
18/09 Belfast half-marathon, N.Ireland 1:40:09
25/09 Basel marathon, Switzerland 3:46:47.
2 laps around the city streets, mostly flat. Enjoyable, but hanging on
towards the end and ran all the way.
-------------
Amy Mellor competed in the British Long Distance Swimming Association's
2.8 mile Swimming Championship's in the River Great Ouse at Lynn Regis,
Kings Lynn. Returning to competition after over a year off, Amy was the
2nd female, and just 20 seconds behind the winner.
Aug: Giles goes Ultra / Steve, Sue, Jonathan and Kim win AG / Nathan with the Elites / Jon swims the ENGLISH CHANNEL in 11:59 hrs / 21 PACTRACers swim across RW / Paul J in Ghent /
Giles Cooper completed the Dixons Carphone Race to the Stones 2016
(62.5 miles non stop) in the time 13:17:47.
A really hard race, where he finished 137th out of 956. AG 11th.
1st half 6:01:59 hrs (81st).
2nd half 7:15:48 hrs (171st).
Giles Cooper: "My problems were all nutritional. I managed just 2 gels
in the first half of the race. Thereafter, I got through on coke and
some fantastic support from the marshals and other competitors -NEVER
AGAIN!!!"
--------------------------
The local Cambridge Triathlon took place from Mepal Leisure Centre and
lakes, near Chatteris.
Jon Crowley came 7th overall in the Sprint race (swim 750 metres, bike
13.5 miles, run 3 miles)
7. Jon Crowley 13:06 37:47 21:27 = 1:12:20 Age Group 3rd.
4 PACTRACers competed in the Standard Distance race (swim 1500 metres,
bike 27 miles, run 6.25 miles) with two winning their respective Age
Groups.
29. Steve Hope 30:26 78:27 46:59 = 2:35:52 AG 1
30. Charlie Brookes 27:42 79:32 49:08 = 2:36:22 AG 7
65. Gary Shoemake 32:00 84:13 50:10 = 2:46:23 AG 16
102. Sue Davys 35:52 91:11 57:11 = 3:04:14 AG 1.
==================
Two PACTRACers competed in the Desford Sprint Triathlon, just to the
west of Leicester.
In the Sprint distance over the distances of: swim 400 metres, bike 11
miles and run 3 miles, Steve Hope won his Age Group for the 4th time
this season in local triathlon's.
10. Steve Hope 7:34 33:28 21:52 = 62:54 Age Group 1st.
Jonathan Oakey won the Youth race by 2:34 minutes. The bike and run
were all on the grass field in sunny, dry conditions. He won this race
last year too, and retains his number one status.
Distances were: swim 400 metres, bike 5-miles, run 2-miles.
1. Jonathan Oakey 6:18 19:14 11:40 = 37:12.
-------------------
In the London Triathlon, Pedro Polson (swim) and Andrea Robinett (bike
& run), took part in the Standard distance team relay, finishing 64th
in a strong field.
64. 24:40 82:56 56:43 = 2:44:19.
==================
The National Standard distance Triathlon Championships were held at
Liverpool at the weekend.
Distances were:
swim 1500 metres in the Dock - in salty, warm water filled with lots of jellyfish.
bike 25 miles - 4 laps on closed roads.
run 6.25 - 2 laps, flat.
Aaron Godden comfortably finished his 'A' race of the season in his best performance yet.
282. Aaron Godden 27:33 73:52 41:09 = 2:22:34 AG 35.
358. Andrea Robinett 24:48 76:39 44:27 = 2:25:54 AG 10.
395. Steve Hope 28:01 75:54 44:18 = 2:28:13 AG 15.
Mark Wethersby chose to compete in the accompanying sprint distance,
over half the distance. He finished an impressive 4th overall, having
already won the Cardiff Sprint Triathlon outright, earlier in the
year.
Mark was pipped by 1 second for 3rd spot, losing out on the sprint
finish.
4. Mark Weathersby 13:55 37:56 18:55 = 1:10:46 AG 2nd.
Nathan Tweedie had a great swim, holding his own in the Elite section.
He was 5th away on the bike and managed to stay with the leading group
of 16. They established a good lead over the second group, which gave
them a cushion at the start of the run.
16. Nathan Tweedie 9:11 31:09 17:20 = 57:40
-------------
5 senior PACTRACers finished the Whittlesey Triathlon.
Distances were:
swim 200 metres in the pool.
bike 2.5 miles - 5 laps on the grass.
run 1.25 miles - 5 laps on the grass.
11. Nicola Goy 4:17 18:05 11:03 = 33:25 AG 1st. 2nd Lady.
12. Daniel Richardson 6:12 16:28 10:45 = 33:25 AG 7.
23. Helen Stevens 4:12 18:17 14:41 = 37:10 AG 5.
28. Debora Leininger 4:48 22:34 13:02 = 40:24 AG 13.
38. Gerald Farrow 8:10 23:25 16:22 = 47:57 AG 2.
The event was also an Eastern Regional League event for the Juniors.
There was a really good turn out from the PACTRAC Juniors with 19
members competing at Whittlesey. This was the 1st event for a number of
the Juniors. With so many racing there were many excellent performances
& PB’s.
With Softer ground the cycle course was challenging and was able to sap
the spring out of the stride of many competing.
There were 2 outstanding performances - in Tristar 2 boys Connor Walker
continued his good form to finish 3rd in a quality field. He posted the
fastest swim time and with a slightly faster transition he could have
finished further up the podium.
In Tristar 3 Girls Katie Tasker won by the narrowest of margins to beat
the current Regional Champion by 0.3 seconds in a highly competitive
race. The shorter distances tend not to suit Katie but she was able to
raise the tempo on the bike enough to open a lead. It was a good bit of
pacing that enabled her to retain her lead and to hold on to victory,
in a sprint finish. She was in the lead by 7.9 seconds with just the
run to go. Katie was caught by second placed Helena Dyce but managed to
put in a great sprint for the line.
TriStart:
5. Sophie Pickering 1:24 5:01 2:06 = 8:31
5. Eden Hewitt 1:39 4:56 2:13 = 8:48
9. George Milton 1:18 7:40 1:53 = 10:51
TriStar 1:
17. Isabelle Lock 2:23 10:05 4:24 = 16:52
26. Lois Walker 2:37 11:15 4:50 = 18:42
7. Safford Hewitt White 2:03 6:56 4:04 = 13:03
18. Joseph Pickering 3:00 8:07 4:02 = 15:09
TriStar 2:
7. Olivia Corner 3:01 9:24 5:42 = 18:07
13. Evadne Dawson 2:33 10:44 6:59 = 20:16
17. Lottie Tasker 3:37 11:18 6:45 = 21:40
20. Chloe Moore 3:30 13:21 7:55 = 24:46
21. Libby Mellor 3:29 14:09 7:41 = 25:19
3. Connor Walker 2:19 8:30 4:44 = 15:33
9. Samuel Oakley 3:13 9:19 4:37 = 17:09
17. Toby Cooke 3:21 9:33 6:13 = 19:07
18. Louis Dawson 3:06 10:23 5:54 = 19:23
TriStar 3:
1. Katie Tasker 3:21 10:04 6:40 = 20:05
5. Luke Welch 3:22 10:21 6:58 = 20:41
Youth:
4. Matthew Wouldham 2:47.3 11:54.3 0:21.3 8:34.3 24:24.4
==================
In the Monster Standard Distance Triathlon at Ely, PACTRAC's girls came
1st and 4th in their respective Age Groups.
The distances were:
swim 1500 metres in the River Great Ouse - mostly against the current.
bike 26 miles - 1 lap on sometimes rough roads.
run 7 miles - 3 laps with 3 hills per lap.
23. Kim Bell 19:08 84:54 58:18 = 2:42:18 AG 1st.
46 Abi Schofield 22:49 95:10 60:56 = 2:58:53 AG 4th.
---------------
Last Friday, PACTRAC's Jonathan Ratcliffe swam the English Channel in
11:59 hours. He had to wait over a week to finally have his slot
confirmed, took the opportunity at midnight and became the 59th solo
swimmer to make it across, so far this year.
The Channel Swimming Association's Facebook page announced the news
here https://www.facebook.com/132029483530840/photos/a.157182627682192.39533.132029483530840/1148766931857085/?type=3&theater
The Channel Swimming Association's official webpage acknowledgement is
here http://www.channelswimmingassociation.com/swims/
More details are on the PACTRAC Forum here http://pactrac.co.uk/forums/topic/732/#new-posts
--------------
Inspire2Tri organised a swimming race across Rutland Water with an
option of either a 2km (1 way) or 4km (both ways) swim.
The event took place from Whitwell, with the 2km Starting at Normanton
Church, whilst the 4km Started and returned to Whitwell.
PACTRAC had 21 swimmers over the two distances.
2km.
40. Martin Thorpe........42.36
59. Sue Drake............46.14
81. Sue Davys............49.42
4km.
14. Simon Guerin.........62.03
23. Abi Schofield........63.27
28. Pedro Polson.........63.50
42. Laura Hardy..........65.22
54. Sam Smith............68.06
63. Sean Pooley..........69.15
105. John Luckins.........75.39
106. Christina Cork.......75.40
121. Mark Daniels.........77.30
142. Jayne Row............80.37
145. Chris Waghorn........80.54
156. Sean Whittaker.......82.06
186. Oliver Herbage.......85.32
197. David Pooley.........86.30
206. Kate Armstrong.......89.00
237. Paul Jephcott........96.44
249. Mark Bedford.........99.50
254. Louise Alexander....101.13
--------------
PACTRAC had 6 runners in the Kimb:olton Half Marathon at the weekend.
Aaron Godden led the team home in 1:30:21 whilst Andy Gregg and
Tristan Matthews cycled 45 miles to get there, in preparation for the
European Middle-Distance Triathlon Championships in Austria in two
weekends time; where they will be representing GB along with PACTRAC
club mates Christina Cork and Robin Brookes.
Aaron said "Sub 90:00 minutes for the half-marathon is still a key goal."
Tristan commented that it was "the last big training day today, and a
tough day at the office; finished with a 1:31 half marathon and pleased
with that."
37. Aaron Godden 1:30:21
41. Andy Gregg 1:31:08
50. Tristan Matthews 1:31:52
67. William Barfield 1:34:25
149. Michael Brown 1:45:19
418. Paul Hodgson 2:16:16
==================
One more triathlon to report from the weekend.
Paul Jephcott travelled to Ghent in Belgium to take part in the Middle-
Distance Triathlon on Sunday - part of the Belgium National Series, so
the standard was high with an impressive field.
Paul said "Inspired, yet again, by the Brownlees, the triathlon ( 1.2
mile swim, 56 mile bike, 13.1 mile half marathon run) was just
excellent."
"Despite the on-off lashing rain and strong winds, it went ok. The swim
including 200 metres of carpeted track back to transition was 35 mins;
my average bike speed for 56 miles was 18.8mph (good for me) but I was
very tired for the run so 2 hours 10 wasn't my best. Total time 5.41
which was just about faster than the relay team from Bushfield Joggers
(Mandy Walker/Mike Daniels/Jenny Orr). Great day, well organised,
closed roads, interesting course, shame about the weather!"
"The event was extremely well organised, had an interesting bike and
run route, closed roads, was extremely supporter friendly, plus very
social between competitors ( also a highly sensible 10.30 start time).
Three firsts: swimming in a canal; treading water at the end of the
swim whilst waiting for the next person to climb out via the ladder
onto the wharf, and cycling on cobbled streets in lashing rain. Great
event!"
246. Paul Jephcott 35:59 2:58:28 2:07:56 = 5:42:23
Team Bushy.
253. TEAM BUSHY 40:07 3:14:27 1:57:24 = 5:51:58
July: Robin 2nd AG at Holkham half / Katie selected for ER / Jonathan in the Elite SuperSprint / Paul V and Christina win Mini-Series Trophies / Paul L 8:50 at Roth!!! / 3 at Outlaw / 3 AG wins at Kim
Jonathan Oakey finished 4th in his Age Group in the sprint triathlon
at Chatsworth House. Jonathan had the 9th fastest swim from 595 finishers
in the cold waters of the River Derwent. The river Nene last week was a
balmy 18.5 degrees, so the 12 degrees on Sunday was a surprise to many,
who took longer than expected to acclimatise.
Distances were:
swim 750 metres - out with the current, and back with it.
bike 14 miles - 1 hilly lap.
run 3 miles - out up the hill and back, on grass, track and mud.
42. Jonathan Oakey 11:32 38:50 23:08 = 73:30 AG 4.
69. Mark Weathersby 15:09 38:01 22:26 = 75:36 AG 12.
273. Nick Forscutt 16:36 46:18 24:14 = 87:08 AG 11.
320. Steve Hope 17:47 45:19 26:44 = 89:50 AG 15.
595
----
------------------------------
14 PACTRACers took part in the inaugural Outlaw Half Holkham Triathlon
at Holkham Hall, Wells-next-the-Sea, in Norfolk - 8 individuals and 2
teams of 3.
Robin Brookes came 2nd in his Age Group, having been caught by his Age
Group winner, half way through the run.
The distances were
swim 1.2 miles - an out and back course, held in the lake.
bike 56 miles - 1 lap including the coastal road, and Sandringham.
run 13.1 miles - 3 laps entirely within the grounds of the estate,
finishing in front of the house.
81. Robin Brookes 34:31 2:45:28 1:46:17 = 5:06:16 AG 2nd.
285. Antony Brown 34:12 2:43:11 2:22:04 = 5:39:27 AG 16.
432. Nick Park 40:22 3:09:15 2:07:53 = 5:57:30 AG 73.
550. Louise Alexander 44:42 3:17:49 2:12:13 = 6:14:44
639. Kevin Fletcher 42:31 3:36:27 2:08:09 = 6:27:07 AG 72.
699. Sue Davys 44:20 3:21:54 2:29:17 = 6:35:31 AG 5.
724. Jim Carmichael 37:29 3:11:39 2:49:59 = 6:39:07 AG 118.
912. Emma Goldberg 46:46 4:27:00 2:39:32 = 7:53:18 AG 43.
Relay teams of 3.
34. Roger Canham's team 34:35 2:51:14 1:26:31 = 4:52:20 6th team.
48. Giles Cooper's team 33:54 2:43:18 1:39:27 = 4:56:39 7th team.
-------------------
PACTRAC Junior, Katie Tasker has been selected for the Girls Tristar 3,
Eastern Region team, at the Inter Regional Championships, on 4th
September, at Strathclyde Country Park in Glasgow. Only 3 per Age Group
were selected from each of the 12 regions. Racing will be in open water
with wetsuits, and will be draft-legal on the bike, to get the best
juniors used to racing at the elite level.
-------------------
Only 9 competitor's lined up for the 7th PACTRAC Mini Series race of
the season. Once again, the rains came down in the afternoon, and
again just prior to the start, which put many off.
Abi Schofield led the swimmers out, 15 seconds ahead of Andrea Robinett
and Susie Freeman. Sean Beard was 8th out of the water, over a minute
and a half down; but he had the fastest bike split of the night and
came in, off the bike 1 3/4 minutes ahead of Andrea with Abi 23
seconds further back in 3rd.
Sean moved further ahead on the run, and was the only athlete to beat
the hour, whilst Abi moved back into 2nd place to finish a minute
ahead of 3rd placed Andrea.
====================
The 8th of PACTRAC's 10 Wednesday night Mini-Series Triathlon's took
place at Oundle last Wednesday night.
Distances were the same as always, although the traffic lights on the
bike course made things interesting.
swim: 400 yards.
bike 10 miles.
run 3.5 miles.
This was only the 2nd decent evening we have had out of the eight so
far. 6 of the last 8 Wednesday afternoons have seen rain and general
inclement weather, resulting in lower numbers for the evening races.
20 people turned up on Wednesday on a much better night for racing,
although with a little wind about, only 2 PB's were recorded on the
night.
Wayne Stainsby led Simon Guerin out of the pool, with Steve Hope and
Junior, Hannah Bassett 36 seconds down. Paul Vernon followed just
behind in 5th place. Paul soon led the chase on the bike, and took the
lead at Glapthorn. He extended his lead and came into T2 off the bike,
1:23 minutes ahead of Wayne with Simon holding onto 3rd a further
minute behind.
Paul then had the fastest run of the night to come home 3 minutes ahead
of Wayne, with a big gap to Nick Forscutt, who moved up to 3rd place on
the run.
This was Paul Vernon's 5th Mini-Series win of the year, and with that
he takes the Mini-Series Trophy with a maximum of 50 points from his
best 5 races.
Christina Cork currently leads the ladies Mini-Series with 37 points
from Susie Freeman 34 and Hannah Bassett 33. Their are still 7 ladies
in contention.
-------------------
Ros Goatly entered the Foremarke Hall sprint triathlon - a good race
but very muddy.
swim 400 metres in the pool.
bike 12.5 miles.
run 3 miles.
82. Ros Goatly 7:56 45:06 26:00 = 79:02 AG 4th.
--------------
Aaron Godden entered the Norwich Sprint Triathlon at Whitlingham
Country Park, coming home in the top 10%.
Swim 700 metres in the lake.
Bike 11 miles.
Run 3 miles in the park.
16. Aaron Godden 14:43 34:35 21:36 = 70:54 AG 5th.
----------------
Jonathan Oakey has competed with the best Youth's in the country in the
Super-Series this year. The latest round was at Eton Dorney, the
iconic Olympic venue, with clean, calm lake waters. Jonathan finished
39th out of 62 competitors. The standard is very high, drafting is
allowed on the bike and it is a great learning curve for our best up-
and-coming Youths and Juniors.
Jonathan had a good swim, but the lead bikers had already established
their group and worked well together to pull away. Jonathan did a lot
of work on the front of the next bike group, as he tried in vein to
catch the leaders.
He worked hard on the bike, only to then see fresher athletes pull away
from him on the run section.
Youth SuperSprint Triathlon (15-16 year olds): Swim 400 metres, bike
6.5 miles, run 1.5 miles on fast, flat closed road bike and run
courses.
39. Jonathan Oakey 5:15 18:58 10:43 = 34:56
================
In the 9th Mini Series Triathlon of the 10-race series, Paul Vernon
again showed his domination of the series.
On a sunny evening, 24 athletes lined up for the 400 yard swim, 10 mile
bike and 3.5 mile run.
Paul Vernon won his 6th Mini-Series race this year; this time by over 4-
minutes from Youth Jonathan Oakey, who recorded his 4th second place -
all to Paul Vernon.
Jonathan was first out of the water, with Tom Dyke 36 seconds behind.
Wayne Stainsby followed 10 seconds further back, just ahead of Simon
Guerin and Rob Hammond.
Paul was 1:25 minutes adrift out of the water, but a super-fast bike
leg saw him storm into the lead, and he came into T2 (the second
Transition), 1:43 minutes ahead, with Jonathan 2nd and Wayne just ahead
of Rob in 3rd.
Paul had the fastest run of the night too, and extended his lead to 4:
12 minutes by the finish. Jonathan had an 18-second cushion over Wayne
going into the run, and the pair matched one another, Jonathan coming
home 19 seconds clear.
First lady was another Youth, Hannah Bassett, who was one of only 4
athletes to record a PB.
This is from the PACTRAC website, ahead of the last race in this year's
series, which takes place tonight, 20th July.
"Congratulations to Paul Vernon who has won the men's Mini Series
Trophy:
1. Paul Vernon 10... 10... 10... 10... 10... =... 50
2. Jonathan Oakey 9... 9... 9... 9... =... 36
3. Sean Beard 9... 8... 8... 10... =... 35
It's all to play for in the ladies Trophy:
Hannah Bassett.... 10...6...9...8...10..=..43
Sue Burnett.......... 5...7...8...9...9..=..38
Christina Cork.... 7..10..10..10..=..37
Susie Freeman...... 10...8...8...8..=..34
Abi Schofield...... 10...9..10..=..29
Andrea Robinett.. 10...9...9..=..28
Kate Armstrong.... 9...4...7..=..20
Hannah is in the lead, with just one event to go. It's your best 5 to
count, so if Hannah wins on Wednesday, she will get 10 points to
replace her lowest score of 6, giving her 47 points.
Sue needs to win to improve her tally to 43 points, which could see her
become joint leader.
Christina has only registered 4 results, so all of her points on
Wednesday will count. A 4th place giving her 7 points could be enough
to see her take the lead.
Susie Freeman also has just 4 results, so a 2nd place could put her
equal with Hannah - unless Christina ousts them both."
--------------
PACTRAC held their Standard Distance Triathlon at Oundle on Sunday.
This replaced the Long Course Triathlon, which has been a regular
fixture for the last few years. The distances were, therefore, shorter
but it was still a long race in Sunday's heat. The sun came out a
little earlier than expected.
swim 1800 yards in Oundle's 50-yard pool - 36 lengths.
bike 30 miles - 3 laps of the Mini-Series course around Glapthorn and
the Benefields.
run 6.25 miles on a new course - out to Glapthorn and Cotterstock,
taking in a Bridleway and finishing with a lap of the athletics track.
Paul Vernon won the race and with it the Club Championship Trophy for
2016. He has the maximum points of 400 from this race and his best 3
Mini-Series results. He didn't compete in the mid-distance race back in
May, so needed a good result here to clinch the title.
Abi Schofield was first out of the water, nearly 90 seconds ahead of
Simon Hoppe, with another 2 minutes back to Rob Hammond and another
minute to Mark Weathersby. The field was quite spread out after the
long swim.
The race at the front was closely fought, with Paul coming out of the
swim 3:51 minutes down on Simon. However, the pair had fast bike splits
and Paul was only able to pull 40 seconds back on the bike. However,
once he had his running shoes on, he was able to take up the chase with
real venom; eventually catching Simon just before Glapthorn on the way
back after 4 miles. Paul then extended his lead to finish with a
winning margin of 2:17 minutes.
Such was the intensity of the race at the front, that it was a further
8 minutes before Rob Hammond came home for a fine 3rd place, holding
off Mark Weathersby (recent overall winner of the Cardiff Triathlon) by
2-minutes.
Again, from the PACTRAC website:
"CLUB CHAMPIONSHIPS (Best 4 from 5 being the Mid-Distance, Standard-
Distance and your best 3 Mini-Series).
With just 1 event to go (tonight's final Mini-Series of the year), we
have just 17 members who have either completed 4 events or who can
attain more than 300 points.
Paul Vernon........100.000......100.000......100.000......100.000..=..400.000 VET
Mark Weathersby....100.000.......94.3614.....100.000.......88.7889..=..383.1503 SENIOR
Aaron Godden........84.1667......91.8925......87.6783......85.5373..=..349.2748 VET
Simon Guerin........89.0625......89.6862......83.6337......83.9163..=..346.2987 SENIOR
Abi Schofield.......88.0410......83.3239......81.1570......93.0436..=..345.5655 SENIOR FEMALE
Susie Freeman.......86.4414......83.9087......81.6423......90.9912..=..342.9836 SENIOR FEMALE
Josh Mould..........91.8925......87.8510......84.6860......78.1766..=.. 342.6061 JUNIOR
Steve Hope..........84.8588......86.1601......85.0960......85.054...=..341.1689 SUPERVET
Chris Waghorn........82.5259......83.4214......78.2252......90.8705..=..335.043 VET
Christina Cork.......80.8156......81.8788......83.4908......81.5556..=..327.7408 VET FEMALE
Paul Jephcott........79.2648......78.3584......77.9909......75.6559..=..311.27 SUPERVET
Sue Burnett.........76.2825.....78.0904......76.1050......75.0871..=..305.565 SUPERVET FEMALE
Georgina Jennings..67.9613......67.4818......69.7956......68.6156..=..273.8543 SUPERVET FEMALE
Chris Pike......................86.0499......85.9114......88.2626..=..260.2239 SUPERVET
Charlie Brookes.................90.3910......83.7969......82.3465..=..256.5344 VET
Debora Leininger.....51.1725....55.8397......57.3808......54.6589..=..219.0519 SENIOR FEMALE
Nicholas Partridge..............77.7652......69.0625......65.4126..=..212.2403 VET
Club Champion: Paul Vernon.
Vet: Paul Vernon.
Supervet: either Steve Hope or Chris Pike.
Ladies:
Club Champion: Abi Schofield or Susie Freeman.
Vet: Christina Cork.
Supervet: Sue Burnett.
Tonight's Mini-Series will determine the last 2 of the major trophies
plus the Ladies Mini-Series winner.
------------
Meanwhile Paul Lunn did the race of his life at Challenge Roth,
Germany. Challenge is a rival series to Ironman that uses the same
distances.
Swim 2.4 miles
bike 112 miles
run 26.2 miles.
Roth is a fast course where records are broken. Last weekend, Jan
Frodeno, the 2008 Olympic Champion, broke the world record for the
distance. Paul Lunn came 27th overall and smashed the 9-hour barrier.
This is no mean feat, and was a superb achievement.
The results are here: http://datev-challenge-roth.r.mikatiming.de/2016/?pid=list
"Jan Frodeno presented DATEV Challenge Roth with the best 15th
anniversary present possible – a sensational world record over the
140.6 mile distance. Frodeno’s time of 7:35:39 undercut Andreas Raelert’
s former record of 7:41:33 by almost six minutes on the same course.
Frodeno announced half a year ago that he had Raelert’s record in his
sights at DATEV Challenge Roth. And when a man of this calibre
announces something then in his own words, “you do everything possible
to make it happen”.
On the day the 2008 Olympic Champion and current Hawaii Ironman World
Champion, not only faced the largest field on the long distance
triathlon circuit but also perfect conditions: high cloud, warm
temperatures and practically no wind.
Frodeno led from the start in a race against the clock although it was
not lonely. Hundreds of thousands cheered him on towards his new world
record as he became the first male Hawaii Ironman World Champion to win
at Roth. Frodeno was in a class of his own in the swim and also had no
competition on the bike, despite a trip into a ditch on the second lap.
“But that probably brought me more time thanks to the extra adrenaline
surge I got from the crash,” said Frodeno afterwards.
During the run he experienced “many highs and lows” in the final miles
but in the end, it was the highs that prevailed. And in his first
interview at the finish line he said, “Now I understand why this is the
greatest of all races”.
PACTRAC's Paul Lunn was 5th in his Age Group in 8:50:53 and 12th
overall Age Grouper, if you strip out the 15 Pro's ahead of him. He was
the 2nd GB athlete to Joe Skipper, the pro who came 2nd overall. Paul
was only 7 minutes behind the leading amateur. Paul has now entered
Ironman Frankfurt next year, to try to qualify for the World Ironman
Championships, which are held in Hawaii, in October each year.
It all clicked together and Paul had a fantastic race. He said
"yesterday was a good day". He competed in a 70.3 half-ironman in
Barcelona in May, even though he had a hip problem, so has clearly come
through the season well, and joins a very exclusive club. Paul was
targetting a sub 9-hour time and did incredibly well to achieve it.
Everything has to go right. It's easy on paper, but to go and do it is
another thing. His 3:05:01 marathon time after being on the limit for
nearly 6-hours beforehand is testament to the true grit and
determination of a fine athlete.
27. Paul Lunn 1:00:53 4:44:59 3:05:01 = 8:50:53
--------------------
The Pitsford Triathlon took place over the weekend at Brixworth Country
Park in Northants NN6.
Standard Distance:
swim 1500 metres in Pitsford Reservoir, the home of Northampton Sailing Club.
bike 25 miles - a loop around country roads.
run 6.3 miles around the lake.
PACTRAC had 2 athletes racing and recorded a 5th and 6th in their
respective Age Groups. Pedro Polson also raced in the Sprint distance
race back in May, but the water was much warmer on Sunday.
32. Steve Giles 32:53 72:19 42:22 = 2:27:34 AG 6.
118. Pedro Polson 23:03 84:25 65:07 = 2:52:35 AG 5.
================
In the last PACTRAC Mini-Series of the season, Jonathan Oakey finally
got the win that he deserved. Having finished second behind Paul Vernon
on 4 previous occasions this year, Jonathan took full advantage of
Paul's absence (Paul was marshaling tonight), to win his first ever
Mini-Series race. He didn't have it all his own way though, and won a
very tight battle with Mark Weathersby by just 8-seconds.
Jonathan led out of the pool in 4:54 minutes with a 20 second cushion
over Abi Schofield and Tony Daniels. 7 swimmers came out in under 6
minutes.
However, the competition on the bike was hot, and first Tony, then Mark
Weathersby and then Tristan Matthews all moved ahead of Jonathan, who
kept in contention. Jonathan had the fastest run of the night and
reeled them in, one by one. His final victim was Mark, who he caught
with 1/4 mile to go and pulled away slightly before the finish.
Steve Giles and Andy Gregg came in, off of the bike, 10 seconds apart
and maintained that gap throughout the run; both just catching Tristan
in the final stages.
------------
Men's Mini Series Trophy (best 5 to count)
Mens Mini-Series:
1. Paul Vernon..... 10... 10... 10... 10... 10... =... 50
2. Jonathan Oakey. 9... 9... 9... 9...10... =... 46
3. Sean Beard...... 9... 8... 8... 10... =... 35
Ladies Mini Series:
Christina Cork.......... 7..10..10..10..9..=..46
Hannah Bassett.... 10...9...8...10...7..=..44
Susie Freeman...... 10...8...8...8...8..=..42
Abi Schofield......... 10...9..10..10..=..39
Whereas the Men's Trophy had already been decided, any one of 4 could
still have won the Ladies Trophy. Christina Cork had only competed in 4
races previously, so all of her points counted, and she took the Trophy
by 2 points from up and coming Junior, Hannah Bassett.
-------------
The final Club Championship Trophies were also decided. This is your
best 4 results from 5 races; the club's Mid Distance Triathlon in May,
Standard Distance Triathlon in July, and your best 3 Mini Series races.
Male Senior: Paul Vernon.
Male Vet: Paul Vernon.
Male Supervet: Chris Pike.
Female Senior: Abi Schofield.
Female Vet: Christina Cork.
Female Supervet: Sue Burnett.
Abi Schofield confirmed her win ahead of Susie Freeman in the Ladies
Trophy. The other Trophy that was still up for grabs was the Men's
SuperVets Trophy between Steve Hope and Chris Pike. Although Steve won
the individual battle tonight, it wasn't enough over the season to hold
off Chris, who had only previously competed in 3 of the races, so all
of his points were to count.
Paul Vernon exerted his supremacy over the season long competitions and
won both the Club Championship and Mini Series Trophies. Chris Pike is
a new name on the Honours Board, whilst it is Sue Burnett's first
Trophy since winning the Ladies Club Championship Trophy way back in
1990 ! Christina Cork wins the Female Vets Trophy to add to her Mini
Series Trophy.
------------------
The 3 PACTRAC Juniors had a good day at Upminster on Saturday, at
TriSport Epping's Junior Triathlon.
TS2 Girls - Olivia Corner narrowly missed out on the Podium to finish
4th. Her swim is improving and after an assured Bike and run, she came
in, in a highly creditable 4th place.
TS3 Girls - Katie Tasker came out of the water in 3rd place, but soon
made head way on the field, to open up a significant gap. She was then
able to extend this to win the race comfortably, securing her 4th win
of the season
Youth Boys - Matt Wouldham gave a strong performance in the swim to put
himself in contention. He was then able to build a significant lead on
the bike. With good even pace setting he was able to keep the remaining
field at bay to win.
------------------
PACTRAC had three 1st places in their respective Age Groups at the
Kimbolton Sprint Triathlon on Sunday.
Distances were:
swim 400 metres - in the school pool.
bike 12 miles - 1 lap on quiet country roads.
run 3 miles - 3 laps on the school fields.
10. Steve Hope 7:54 36:55 21:14 = 1:06:03 Age Group 1st.
29. Ros Goatly 8:14 39:27 25:07 = 1:12:48 AG 1st. 2nd lady overall.
36. Angela Wallis 9:37 40:33 24:27 = 1:14:37 AG 1st.
103. Gerald Farrow 15:35 54:59 40:14 = 1:50:48 AG 4th.
------------------
PACTRAC had 14 juniors in action at the Kimbolton Junior Triathlon.
Tristar 8.
7. Franklin Phillips 1:25 4:48 1:53 = 8:06
12. George Milton 1:31 4:49 1:57 = 8:17
Tristar 1.
9. Safford Hewitt-White 2:08 5:30 3:38 = 11:16
Tristar 2.
1. Connor Walker 2:26 6:34 4:30 = 13:30 WINNER
Connor was 2nd after the swim, dropped to 3rd on the bike, and then
pulled into the lead on the run. The second placed athlete started the
run 23 seconds in arrears, and gained 22 seconds back on the run,
leaving Connor to sprint home, with just 1-second to spare.
15. Olivia Corner 3:02 6:51 4:42 = 14:35
47. Louis Dawson 3:27 8:14 5:04 = 16:45
55. Toby Cooke 3:37 7:57 6:01 = 17:35
63. Kirsten Loutit 3:05 9:01 6:22 = 18:28
74. Libby Mellor 3:33 10:37 5:55 = 20:05
75. Chloe Moore 3:59 9:39 6:32 = 20:10
TriStar 3.
8. Luke Welch 3:31 7:32 6:24 = 17:27
41. Archie Stewart 3:54 9:30 8:11 = 21:35
Youths.
1. Matthew Wouldham 3:41 8:34 7:11 = 19:26 WINNER
Matthew led from the start, all the way to the finish, to win by 51
seconds.
11. Rhiannon Loutit 4:17 10:41 8:20 = 23:18
-----------------
The National Water Sports Centre at Holme Pierrepont was the venue for
the Outlaw Triathlon. This was a full Ironman-distance triathlon over
the distances of:
swim 2.4 miles in the Rowing Lake - out and back.
bike 112 miles - 3 loops on a fast, flat course.
run 26.2 miles - 3 loops.
1100 athletes entered this prestigious event.
330. Andrew Chapman 1:06:23 5:56:48 4:52:38 = 11:55:49 AG 45.
469. Peter Tebb 1:22:15 6:56:12 4:14:27 = 12:32:54 AG 42.
Peter had a very disciplined event, pulling back 227 places on the run.
603. Matthew Roach 1:20:26 6:26:09 5:23:29 = 13:10:04 AG 81.
-----------------------
The Bedfordshire Sprint Triathlon took place at Box End, near Bedford.
The distances were:
swim 750 metres in the lake.
bike 12.5 miles on undulating roads.
Run 3 miles - on grass.
Jonathan Oakey was 2nd out of the water overall, in 10:51 minutes; and
held on for 4th place overall and first in his Age Group.
4. Jonathan Oakey 10:51 33:16 21:00 = 65:07 AG 1st.
24. Simon Guerin 12:06 35:11 27:02 = 74:19 AG 8th.
June: Jonathan Qu's / 3 Podiums at Stafford 70.3 / Georgina 1st / 27 PACTRACers compete at Dambuster / PACTRACers in Venice, Nice and Luxembourg / Paul V Qu's for Worlds /
PACTRAC had some good results at the Nottingham Triathlon, with
Jonathan Oakey finishing 29th overall and 5th in his Age Group (U20).
Jonathan Oakey 61:24
Jon Crowley 64:16
Mark Wethersby 64:19
Jonathan Oakey qualified for the European Sprint Triathlon
Championships next year in his under 20 Age Group. These will
be held in Dusseldorf and it will be his first time representing GB..
-----------
Mark Wethersby took the honours In the third Pactrac Mini Series.
Jonathan Arnold led Ben Garton out of the water, with Susie Freeman
following 42 seconds later ahead of Tom Dyke. Mark was another 23
seconds behind, but he soon picked up the athletes in front, and came
into T2 1:40 minutes ahead of Sean Beard. Mark then pulled another 31
seconds out of Sean on the run to come home 2:11 ahead. This was Mark's
first Mini Series win, having recorded a second place in Mini 1, two
weeks earlier.
-----------
Steve Hope competed in Challenge Venice. This was an ironman-distance
race, organised by rival company Challenge.
The distances were:
Swim 2.4 miles in the sea from Venice, directly following the causeway
to the mainland at Mestre.
bike 112 miles - out, 3 laps and back, all on fast, flat rouds, but you
had to constantly watch for rough patches of road.
run 26.2 miles - 5 laps all around the large park.
I had a decent swim, a great bike and a poor run. I slowed on the run,
but ran all of the way and have to be satisfied with the result.
301. Steve Hope 1.08.31 5.30.16 4.54.01 = 11.32.48 Age Group 12.
------------
2 members competed in Ironman Nice over the classic distance of:
swim 2.4 miles in the Mediterranean Sea.
bike 112 miles with some long and tough climbs.
run 26.2 miles.
Paul Lunn came 6th in his Age Group and narrowly missed out on a podium
place.
41. Paul Lunn 1.01.47 5.18.20 3.07.55 = 9.28.02 Age Group 6th.
1114. Daniel Fitzjohn 1.23.56 6.36.39 3.50.52 = 11.51.27 AG 236.
------------
Georgina Jennings was the only Pactrac representative in the Beccles
Sprint Triathlon. Georgina came 2nd in the over 55 Age Group. She had a
good bike section which gave her a lead of 2:20 minutes going into the
run. If the run had been the usual 3 miles she would probably have come
first, but it was an over-distanced 4.5 miles and she came home a
gallant second,
86. Georgina Jennings 11.44 44.35 43.24 = 1.39.43
=====================
The PACTRAC Juniors competed in the Walden Triathlon at the weekend.
This was a Regional qualifier for the Eastern Region, with .
some very competitive racing at a well organised event.
TS3 - Katie Tasker came 3rd - a good performance as she was not at
her absolute best.
She was in 2nd place half way through the run. This result puts her in
a good position for selection but she will need another quality
performance at Cambridge later this month to secure selection.
TS2 - Olivia Corner came 5th and was the best 'Younger Year'
competitor. She did not 'fire' on the bike as she can and finished 30 seconds off the
podium.
She had a much better swim and a good run. All is not lost as the Cambridge
course will suit her more.
Toby Cooke had a good race and finished in Mid division a much improved
swim helped his cause greatly.
Chloe Moore found the run tough. She is
making progress and enjoyed her race.
TriStar 2.
23 Toby Cooke 3:27 15.26 10:13 = 29:06
TriStar 3.
3 KatieTasker 4:39 18.28 12:10 = 35:17
TriStar 2 female.
5 Olivia Corner 3:28 14.36 8:57 = 27:01
33 Chloe Moore 4:54 19.29 15:08 = 39:31
======================
4 members of PACTRAC competed in the Half-Ironman 70.3 in
Staffordshire.
The distances were:
swim 1.2 miles in Chasewater Lake.
bike 56 miles on closed but often rough roads, with lots of turns.
run 13.1 miles - 3 laps based around the lake.
Roger Canham came first in his Age Group and qualified to compete in
the Half-Ironman 70.3 World Championships in Mooloolaba, Queensland, on
Australia's Sunshine Coast, on 4th September.
Robin Brookes and Terry Murphy just missed out, both recording 3rd
place in their respective Age Groups. This is Terry's first venture
into long-distance triathlon's, and he sought the advice of a coach to
follow a set training regime, that saw much improvement in all 3
disciplines.
57. Roger Canham 32:40 2:36:42 1:28:14 = 4:45:09 AG 1st.
179. Robin Brookes 33:34 2:43:55 1:42:19 = 5:08:50 AG 3.
275. Giles Cooper 35:08 2:54:44 1:44:12 = 5:22:04 AG 8.
1554. Terry Murphy 52:11 3:19:37 2:28:47 = 6:55:18 Age Group 3rd.
=---------------------
Georgina Jennings was PACTRAC's sole representative in the Sudbury
Sprint Triathlon organised by the local Sudbury Triathlon Club.
Georgina managed to win the 60+ Age Group by 1 minute. She was the
first over 60 year old, male or female, and competed against athletes
10-years her junior. She went into the run with a near 3-minute cushion
and ran well.
swim 400 metres in the pool.
bike 13.5 miles.
run 3 miles.
45th. Georgina Jennings 9:26 46:28 29:21 = 85:15 Age Group (over 60) 1st.
-----------------------
Dave Patmore-Hill competed in the IRONMAN 70.3 in the Moselle Region of Luxembourg.
swim 1.2 miles in the Mosel river on the boarder between the Grand-Duchy of Luxembourg and Germany.
bike 56 miles along the vinyards and through the hilly countryside.
run 13.1 miles through the Mosel valley around the town of Remich and along the riverside.
Actually, due to the high river conditions, the race was changed to a
Duathlon, with the swim being replaced by a 3-mile run. Dave came into
T1 in 3rd place in his Age Group, before dropping a few places on the
bike in poor conditions.
Dave said: "I was really pleased with some of today's efforts at
Ironman 70.3 Luxembourg. Going into the race I have done nil duathlon
training as I was expecting a triathlon. It was a 3 mile first run
which I completed in 17.57. This put me in 3rd place, going out on the
bike, but I had dropped to 58th coming back in; before running back up
to 21st. I had a terrible 2nd transition as I couldn't find my run kit,
which added another 3 mins onto transition, so the finish time of 4.37
hours could have been better.
I'm pleased with the start to the season's racing, but need to get more
effort on the bike and I'm sure a podium will be here this year."
----------------------
Beth Brooks competed in the Great East Swim at Alton Water. She said
"Feeling proud. So pleased! 2 miles in 58.20, in quite rough
conditions. It was pretty warm in the lake though at 18°c, which was
warmer than the air temperature on the bank! Thoroughly enjoyed this
morning at Alton Water." She is already thinking of doing the 3-mile
swim next year.
=======================
Since 2002 the Dambuster Triathlon has become a well established,
national standard event, on the triathlon calendar.
This year the event, held at Rutland Water, was an Age Group
qualification event for the World Triathlon Championships later this
year, in Mexico, in September.
The 15th Dambuster Triathlon proved to be a hard days racing in
overcast, cold, windy conditions.
Swim 1500 metres - in Rutland Water. One lap of a spectator-friendly,
tried and tested course, starting in front of the Harbour Bar.
Bike 26 miles - around Oakham, Uppingham, Morcott and Empingham. A good
testing course, well suited to strong bikers. Their are 4 big hills,
including the triple hills of the Rutland Ripple between Oakham and
Uppingham. Their is also the long hill at Steadfold Lane, near to
Ketton Cement; with the rest of the course, surprisingly undulating,
but on good road surfaces.
Run 6.25 miles - including crossing the dam and back twice, so you can
see the competition for much of the run.
750 athletes finished this prestigious triathlon, including 27
PACTRACers. 3 finished in the top 10 in their Age Group, with only one,
Paul Vernon, qualifying for the World Championships in Mexico. However,
Paul has a young family and has decided not to travel.
Chris Waghorn in his first venture at this distance said "I'm Done. Too
exhausted to say much more than that. Mission accomplished."
17. Paul Vernon 26:32 66:09 34:59 = 2:07:40 AG 3rd.
68. Mark Weathersby 27:28 70:34 38:42 = 2:16:44 AG 14.
97. Jaap Flikweert 25:10 73:32 40:50 = 2:19:32 AG 9.
126. Wayne Stainsby 26:17 76:10 40:06 = 2:22:33 AG 23.
177. Richard Nixon 24:05 75:45 46:47 = 2:26:37 AG 24.
190. Giles Cooper 27:54 77:05 42:38 = 2:27:37 AG 16.
205. Chris Pike 28:07 76:22 44:04 = 2:28:33 AG 19.
232. Simon Pauffley 26:38 79:43 44:22 = 2:30:43 AG 7.
233. Daniel Fitzjohn 32:39 77:14 40:52 = 2:30:45 AG 35.
239. Peter Harris 29:53 74:47 47:09 = 2:31:49 AG 26.
247. Simon Guerin 24:38 78:53 49:00 = 2:32:31 AG 34.
257. Gary Cooper 26:14 79:39 47:18 = 2:33:11 AG 38.
264. Andy Gregg 34:05 77:26 42:23 = 2:33:54 AG 40.
282. Charlie Brookes 26:50 82:05 46:12 = 2:35:07 AG 43.
297. Richard Ardern 29:05 84:42 42:13 = 2:36:00 AG 48.
391. Gary Shoemake 29:13 83:49 49:07 = 2:42:09 AG 62.
417. David Naylor 28:22 86:38 49:21 = 2:44:21 AG 47.
468. Martin Etchells 25:12 89:40 52:38 = 2:47:30 AG 24.
476. Jonathan Webb 30:44 88:48 49:06 = 2:48:38 AG 75.
487. Mark Stevens 20:39 94:13 54:44 = 2:49:36 AG 64.
489. Paul Jephcott 32:25 87:27 49:50 = 2:49:42 AG 25.
518. Chris Waghorn 28:08 93:05 51:01 = 2:52:14 AG 84.
552. Pedro Polson 24:08 92:58 57:31 = 2:54:37 AG 28.
561. Simon Taylor 35:43 87:06 52:41 = 2:55:30 AG 29.
598. Andy Rawlins 34:02 97:28 47:33 = 2:59:03 AG 100.
603. Kate Armstrong 33:38 97:32 48:12 = 2:59:22 AG 38.
653. Sue Davys 34:33 93:44 57:51 = 3:06:08 AG 42.
====================
PACTRAC held their 5th Wednesday night Mini Series Triathlon last
Wednesday. Plenty of rain for the 4th time out of 5 and the threat of
lightening again suppressed the number of competitors.
The course and distances were the same:
swim 400 yards in Oundle's 50-yard pool.
bike 10-miles around Glapthorn and the Benefields.
run 3.5 miles - out to Glapthorn and back.
Paul Vernon won his 3rd Mini Series race of the year, this time by 3
1/2 minutes from Jonathan Oakey.
Paul won in a season's best time of 49:06 with runner-up Jonathan
recording another PB.
Jonathan was first out of the water, nearly 1/2 minute up on Abi
Schofield, who had Susie Freeman in close attendance. Dave Allsop was
the next out. He had 1/2 minute head start on Paul at this point and
over a minute on Sean Beard.
Paul had the fastest bike split of the night and came into T2 81
seconds ahead of Jonathan. Further back, Dave had been almost caught by
Sean, and came in just ahead of him.
Christina Cork, Abi and Susie had a battle for first lady, with
Christina riding away from the other two, and then holding them off on
the run, as the other two gradually caught back. Only 48 seconds
separated them at the finish.
Paul Vernon also had the fastest run of the night to take a good lead
in the overall Mini Series, with 3 wins so far. It is your best 5 races
that count. Jonathan was a well deserved 2nd, with Sean pulling away
from Dave for 3rd.
Only 3 PB's were recorded on a damp night, but the racing was
competitive as usual.
May: 6/6 AG wins for Jim / Paul 2nd in 70.3 / Kim first lady / Paul V English Champion / Georgina British AND European Sprint Champion / Roger Qu's for Kona / Nicola wins Gold / Dave wins Silver.
In the Stockton Duathlon, on a flat, fast and fully closed-
road town centre course, Jim Fell won his Age Group for the 6th
consecutive Duathlon this year. Jim suffered a fall on the run, but
held on to win his Age Group by 16:53 minutes. He is now the English
Duathlon Champion. Unfortunately, the resulting injury means that he
won't now be competing in Spain next month in the World Duathlon
Championships. George Prodrick will be there for Pactrac, and another
local, Claire Steels will also be in Spain.
199. Jim Fell 2:37:51 AG 1st (70-74 years).
---------------
Jonathan Oakey came 8th
overall and 2nd in his Age Group at the Leicester Sprint Triathlon.
Distances were: swim 400 metres, bike 12.5 miles, run 3 miles. Jonathan
was caught 1-mile into the last run to come home 2nd in his Age Group.
8. Jonathan Oakey.... 6:14 38:37 18:41 = 63:32 AG 2nd.
----------------
In the Half-Ironman 70.3 in Majorca, Pactrac were represented
by Paul Lunn (2nd in Age Group) and Robin Brookes (7th in Age Group).
The race covered:
swim 1.2 miles in Alcudia Bay.
bike 56 miles into the mountains.
run 13.1 miles - flat along the coast road and through the town.
Majorca suffered torrential rain on the day, and
the athletes got soaked from the start to the finish. Paul said: "It
was pretty miserable out there". Robin said: "It rained for the entire
race, but it was still warm ... the downhill was a bit scary".
Paul competed in this big International race for the 6th time, and now has a
2nd place Trophy to go with his previous 1st and 3rd Trophies. His next race
will be the full Ironman over twice the distance, in France in 4 weeks time.
48. Paul Lunn 30:28 2:40:31 1:29:27 = 4:40:26 Age Group 2nd.
464. Robin Brookes 32:06 3:09:25 1:39:01 = 5:20:32 AG 7th.
-----------------
The Monster Mojo - (swim 1.2
miles, bike 51 miles, run 13.1 miles) and the Monster Mojito - (swim 1
mile, bike 24 miles, run 6.25 miles) took place from the Peterborough
Rowing Lake, Thorpe Meadows, Peterborough on Sunday.
Pactrac had 12 competitor's finish at Peterborough in these early season races.
Wayne Stainsby came 6th overall in the Mojito, with Kim Bell coming 9th
overall and first lady. Abi Schofield was 3rd lady overall, whilst Kate
Armstrong also won her Age Group.
34 Sean Pooley 32:49 2:29:59 1:46:27 = 4:49:15
35 Daniel Fitzjohn 41:03 2:32:15 1:36:50 = 4:50:08
57 Michael Shadwell 33:19 2:41:58 1:57:17 = 5:12:34
97 Nicky Bailey 43:00 3:07:44 2:19:58 = 6:10:42
6 Wayne Stainsby 25:27 64:40 40:54 = 2:11:01
9 Kimberley Bell 19:07 68:11 45:23 = 2:12:41
26 Abi Schofield 23:11 74:49 46:30 = 2:24:30
49 Susie Freeman 24:29 76:14 50:22 = 2:31:05
58 Peter Tebb 30:45 76:34 45:29 = 2:32:48
62 Paul Jephcott 31:40 71:16 51:18 = 2:34:14
89 Kate Armstrong 31:47 81:52 49:56 = 2:43:35
112 Terry Murphy 40:22 81:13 60:19 = 3:01:54
--------------------
The Grafham Water Standard Distance Triathlon was the English National
Standard Distance Triathlon Championships, as well as being a World
Championship qualifying race. Paul Vernon won his Age Group to become
the English Champion. He also qualified for the World Championships, in
Mexico, in September, as has Simon Pauffley, both for the first time.
swim 1 mile.
bike 25 miles
run 6.25 miles.
Andrew Chapman had a good race for 16th in Age Group, on a hot day.
Paul Vernon stormed the run, to move into first position in his Age Group,
taking it by 41 seconds.
13. Paul Vernon 25:13 56:40 36:08 = 1:58:01 AG 1st.
139. Andy Chapman 25:11 63:22 46:32 = 2:15:05 AG 16.
184. Simon Pauffley 25:06 67:50 48:13 = 2:21:09 AG 3.
259. Simon Guerin 24:41 67:49 58:54 = 2:31:24 AG 31.
324. Pedro Polson 23:26 75:06 65:34 = 2:44:06 AG 17.
====================================
PACTRAC had 3 members racing in the Big Cow Triathlon, held at Emberton
Park, Olney, nr Milton Keynnes on Sunday. This race hosted the British
Sprint Distance Triathlon Championships, in which Georgina Jennings
retained her GOLD MEDAL from last year.
Georgina's best discipline was the bike, whilst Jon Crowley had a
better swim, and Mark Weathersby a good run.
The distances were:
swim 750 metres in the lake - 1 lap.
bike 12.5 miles - 1 lap of rolling countryside around Olney.
run 3 miles - 2 laps around Emberton Country Park.
Georgina is working towards the European Sprint Championships in Lisbon
in 2-weekends time, along with clubmates Simon Hoppe and Steve Hope.
She is hoping to retain her Gold medal from Geneva last year.
69. Mark Weathersby...... 13:09.... 34:12.... 19:29..=.. 66:50.. AG 9.
109. Jon Crowley........... 12:00.... 35:23.... 21:30..=.. 68:53.. AG 13.
397. Georgina Jennings.... 17:12.... 46:32.... 33:09..=.. 96:53.. AG 1st.
------------------
May 14th 2016 Ironman Texas North American Championships.
Swim 2.4 miles.
Bike 95 miles.
Run 26.2 miles in temperatures of 95oF and 80% Humidity.
175. Roger Canham 1:12:43 4:16:18 3:44:11 = 9:13:12 AG 6th.
Roger Canham entered Ironman Texas, hoping to qualify for the Ironman
World Championships in Kona, Hawaii for an 8th consecutive year.
Roger was looking for a qualification spot for Kona early in the year,
in order to allow him to have the rest of the summer building up to
the Big Island race.
Roger writes: "Three weeks out from the race it looked almost a
certainty that they would pull the race, as the bike course flooded.
At the eleventh hour they came up with a 95 mile route with nearly 90
turns! (It should have been 112 miles).
48 hours before the start, the water quality in the lake dropped and
so they had to change the swim course as well.
That meant moving a whole transition area, so now both Transitions
were in different places.
To cap it all it was a non-wetsuit swim, as the water temperature was
81oC.
Out on the bike and the pace was really hot right from the mount line.
The rolling swim start meant athletes were well spaced out on the
flattish course, and we all slowed into the multiple corners.
I slotted into a fast-pace line of about 10 bikers all riding legally
but hard, gobbling up the miles in excess of 24 mph. By half way the
temperature started to rise, the corners tighten and a light head wind
started to pick up, nothing problematic but knocking off a couple of
mph. I kept trying to push the pace but the second half was feeling
much harder, as the conditions started to bite and I struggled to
digest my nutrition.
Off the bike and I am normally excited to crack on, reeling in the age
groupers over the next 26.2 miles; but not this time. My stomach was
complaining, my quads were creaking and I felt hot and heady. These
sensations were new territory, but as always I was sure that once I
got the feet rolling I would quickly shake the bike off and tick off the
miles. After a couple of miles the usual spring did not return to my
legs, they were just sore and I hadn’t managed to make a start on
properly fueling, my stomach had pretty much shut down. The soreness
turned to quasi cramp as I started to hobble rather than run and the
lack of fuel going in and high heart rate started to worry me. By the
end of the first 8-mile lap I should have been locked into my running
flow and hoovering up my competitors, but instead I was in melt down
on every level. I decided to stop at the next aid station and have one go
at pressing the reset button before bailing out. I just stood still as
the volunteers poured cups and cups of cold water over me, taking my
breath away but felt massively better. Once my heart rate came down
and I felt in control I sauntered off, resolving to keep my core
temperature under control and start to eat at every aid station. The
next couple of miles felt much better, I was fueling, controlling my
temperature but my legs were still in pieces. I just couldn’t get any
rhythm, my trusty running legs just weren’t firing. I knew the sort of
run split I needed so I just did my best to come close to it and hope
that it was a tough run for everyone. I hobbled along at the required
pace but no flow - just lock down the brain and move forwards a step
at a time. I managed to turn my mind from one of despair to mild optimism
that I could make it, just.
Had I snatched success from the jaws of defeat? Boom!, the lightning
cracked overhead, an instant crash of thunder, the heavens opened and
the rain poured down. More lightning, more thunder more wind and then
hail stones. I dipped my head so my cap protected my face and resolved
to fight to get to the line. It was surreal, chaos all round, aid
stations being blown away, athletes running scared and rivers of water
on the streets. As I rounded the last couple of turns the barriers
were being blown over so I had to pick my way through the debris to get to
the finish line, fully expecting at any minute to be struck by a
scaffold pole of something similar. Even the commentator was in
hiding, and I needed to get under cover and out of danger.
I was proud I hadn’t given in to the challenges despite the battering
my cramping legs had taken. After an hour or so I decided to find my
position in the field and was thrilled to learn I was 6th across the
line and I was pretty sure there were 6 slots on offer for Kona. The
"war stories" started to slowly filter through as it transpired that
the race director had suspended the race 5 minutes after I had crossed
the line, with athletes being held in shelters in groups of up to 400
at various points around the course, as the storm raged on. After
about 40 minutes the race was restarted but of course it was mayhem as the
huge groups now set off to complete their races.
At midnight the organisers had 12 hours to figure out how they were
going to correct the results to reflect the temporary suspension of
the race; there podiums to fill and slots to allocate. For the slower
groups there were likely no finishers ahead of the clock being
stopped.
So, they made up a rule and applied it the way they felt dealt with
the majority of athletes. I crossed the line 6th and they confirmed that,
but they awarded the slot to the guy who came across the line 8th as
he was ahead of me at mile 22. How do you figure that one out. I have
made an appeal and I'm sitting here wondering if they will do the right
thing."
A great effort from Roger, who is waiting to hear still, if he has
qualified (HE DID). The Ironman World Championships in Kona are the mecca of
Triathlon, and are as prestigious in triathlon terms as the Olympics.
---------------------
John Crowley came 8th overall at the Sprint Triathlon in Grantham,
with a good swim, followed by a fast bike section that moved him up the
field.
swim 400 metres.
bike 11.25 miles.
run 3 miles.
8. Jon Crowley 7:16 29:10 20:50 = 57:16
=========================
The 2nd PACTRAC Mini-Series Triathlon took place at Oundle, with a mix
of experienced and Novices.
Simon Guerin led the swimmers out of the pool, half-a-minute ahead of
Dan and Hannah Bassett. Jaap Flikweert was next and he soon established
a lead on the bike, coming into T2 65 ahead of Simon. Jaap then had the
fastest run of the day to win by nearly 3-minutes from newcomer, Ricky
Dear. Ricky had been 9th out of the pool, moved up to 4th off the bike
and then had the 2nd fastest run of the night. Andy Gregg had the 3rd
fastest run to move himself up to 3rd overall. First lady was Junior,
Hannah Bassett in a new PB time of 64:40.
Results are on http://www.pactrac.co.uk
------------
4 PACTRACers competed in the European Triathlon Sprint Championships in
Lisbon.
Distances were:
swim 750 metres in the sea protected by the Marina.
Bike 13.4 miles - out and bac k along a closed-road Motorway, with a
good tail-wind out and much harder going on the way back.
run 3 miles - 2 laps based around the huge indoor stadium with a couple
of dog-legs.
Georgina Jennings retained her GOLD MEDAL (from Geneva) in the 70-74
year Age Group. Georgina won by nearly 9 minutes. Simon Hoppe came 6th
in his Age Group, to maintain his record of never having been outside
of the top ten in the European Championships.
Henry Morton recorded the fastest PACTRAC time in 65:10 for 14th his
Age Group, whilst Steve Hope exceeded all expectations and also recorded 14th.
Results:
1st. Georgina Jennings 97:13
6. Simon Hoppe 66:19
14. Henry Morton 65:10
14. Steve Hope 76:56
-----------------
Nicola Latty and Amy Mellor competed in the European Masters Swimming
Championships at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, with Nicola taking
the Gold Medal in the 200 metre Butterfly.
Nicola recorded a time of 2:34.84. She was 2nd after the first 50
metres, had a slight lead after 100 metres, and then pulled away to win
by 6.75 seconds. A great swim and a great Gold Medal, she was only 4
1/2 seconds away from an Event Record in her Age Group.
-------------------
Newmarket Leisure Centre, Newmarket.
SuperSprint Triathlon:
Swim 300m in the pool.
Bike 14 miles. Out, 2 short loops, and back.
Run 2.5 miles. 2 laps.
Ros Goatly came 5th female and 1st in her Age Group in a time of 69:28.
47. Roz Goatly 5:23 44:49 19:16 = 69:28
==================
The first PACTRAC Mini-Series of this summer took place at Oundle on Wednesday.
The distances and course remain the same as in previous year's:
Swim 400 yards in Oundle's 50-yard pool.
Bike 10 miles - 1 loop around Glapthorn and the Benefield's.
Run 3.5 miles - out to Glapthorn and back.
Last year, due to insurance difficulties, the Mini-Series was
restricted to club members only, but these have now been resolved, and
non-members can compete again. Even so, the inclement weather, with
puddles on the roads, meant that just 14 competitor's started this
first race, in the current series of 10.
Tom Dyke, was first out of the water, quickly followed by Andrea
Robinett, both competing in their first Mini-Series event. The eventual
top-3 were next away, between 13 and 41 seconds behind. The order
sorted itself out on the bike, with Paul Vernon coming in ahead of Mark
Weathersby and Wayne Stainsby. Paul then ran away with the win to come
home nearly 3-minutes ahead of Mark, with Wayne less than a minute
behind in 3rd.
Results are on http://www.pactrac.co.uk under "races", "race results".
--------------
Steve Skelhon competed in Ironman Lanzerote. This race is considered by
many to be one of the toughest Ironman events in the world.
swim 2.4 miles - 2-laps with a short run between the two laps in
Puerto del Carmen.
bike 112 miles - a very challenging course with strong winds. All
around the island, with over 2551 m. of climbing, including up to the
top of Mirador del Rio, allowing some great views for those that had
the time to look.
run 26.2 miles - 3 laps along the flat sea front of Puerto del Carmen,
towards the airport and back, under the intense Lanzarote sun.
It was an extremely windy day with rising temperatures as the race went on.
1020. Skelhon, Steve 1:06:33 7:16:38 5:04:07 = 13:27:18 AG 91.
--------------
Barcelona 70.3
swim - one-loop in the Mediterranean Sea from the beach of Calella (30-
miles from Barcelona).
bike - 56 miles heading inland on closed roads.
run - two-laps along the coast to Pineda.
Abi Schofield upped the distance to compete in her first half-ironman -
the Barcelona 70.3 Abi had a good swim.
"I thought I knew pain, but it turns out that today showed me a new
level! Amazing swim & bike... shocked to say the run was pure agony."
846. Schofield, Abi 30:51 3:18:12 2:08:11 = 5:57:14 AG 11.
--------------
The "Grafman" Middle Distance Triathlon, held at Grafham Water,
incorporated the 2016 British Age Group Middle Distance Championships.
Distances were:
swim 1.2 miles in Grafham Water.
bike 56.7 miles - 1 lap with a few out and back legs.
run 13.1 miles - out and back twice in each direction.
In a tough race with nearly 50 non finishers, Dave Allsop won a SILVER
MEDAL in the National Championships in the 50-54 year Age Group. He
started the run in a neck and neck tussle with the eventual winner,
holding off any challenge from behind, with a great run.
46. David Allsop 33:08 2:32:36 1:32:44 = 4:38:28 AG 2nd.
128. Robin Brookes 33:25 2:42:34 1:42:51 = 4:58:50 AG 5th.
131. Steve Giles 41:13 2:43:51 1:34:02 = 4:59:06 AG 16.
175. Andy Chapman 33:37 2:40:01 1:53:52 = 5:07:30 AG 33.
192. Chris Pike 38:04 2:49:02 1:43:26 = 5:10:32 AG 14.
242. Richard Nixon 30:40 2:45:32 2:03:31 = 5:19:43 AG 38.
605. Rebecca Carey 37:53 3:25:34 2:21:13 = 6:24:40 AG 13.
----------------
Simon Pauffley competed in the Southport Triathlon over the Standard
distance of:
swim 1500 meters.
bike 25 miles.
run 6.25 miles - 2 laps.
99. Simon Pauffley 25:33 75:32 43:55 = 2:25:00 AG 7th.
------------------
Susie Freeman raced at Eton Dorney in the Sprint Triathlon over the
distances of:
swim 750 metres in the lake.
bike 12.5 miles.
run 3 miles.
201. Susie Freeman 12:30 43:08 23:34 = 79:12 AG 4th.
Turbo Training Starts October 20th
WINTER TURBO TRAINING STARTS THURSDAY 20TH OCTOBER
VENUE : OUNDLE SCHOOL SPORTS HALL
START : 7PM
COST: £5 per session
Following on from the success last year, we will be again running the turbo sessions over the winter.
These are coached sessions, shared between Pactrac and The Gorilla Firm riders. This year we will be running 25 sessions every Thursday starting on October 20th until April next year. The sessions are coached from the floor, not a bike so you will get good feedback and instruction.
The focus of these will be to improve bike power and pedal efficiency over the winter period. In conjunction with the weekly Saturday club ride these will improve your cycling fitness for next season.
We will be referring to everything in zones, so it doesn't matter if you are using perceived exertion (effort), heart rate or power it standardizes it all for everyone.
Equipment needed for the sessions:
Bike (with correct skewer for turbo)
Turbo trainer
Towels x2 (one for you, one for the floor!)
Drink
Computer with cadence sensor and heart rate sensor (HR is optional but strongly advised)
Power meter (optional)
*A good sense of humor :-)
*Poor hearing for my dodgy music :-)
*Plenty of enthusiasm :-)
An outline of the plan, plus the RPE chart for the training zones for this season is in the training guidance page here: http://pactrac.co.uk/page/281/
Our new club kit is now available to purchase directly from the VO2 webshop.
We are pleased to let you know that you can order all your club kit online, directly from VO2. This is a new range of kit with a different style, those of you who have some of the VO2 kit already know that the quality is good. The club will be holding a small selection of tri suits for SIZING ONLY - please note these are not for purchase. You can place all your future kit orders online directly at http://www.vo2sportswear.com/products/custom-kit/club-kit/pactrac/.
If you fancy a bargain, Steve Hope has a small and limited selection of the old kit, so feel free to contact him for further details on that.
One thing I will repeat is that we will not be stocking tri suits for purchase. Please don't put yourself in a desperate rush next year as you need a tri suit and don't have one - plan early to avoid disappointment!
-----------------
We do currently have a good stock of running tops, but a very, very limited stock of cycle kit and trisuits.
Standard Distance Triathlon - Sunday 17th July.
The traditional long course event has been replaced this year by a Standard distance triathlon at Oundle on Sunday 17th July.
The distances will be:
swim 1800 yards - 36 lengths of the pool.
bike c30 miles - 3 laps of the Mini Series.
run 6.25 miles (10km) - a new course finishing on the athletics track.
Again non-members can compete. We will require an organiser (otherwise I'll have to organise and compete), preferably somebody who is not chasing Club Championship Trophies. Can we have a quick show of hands on Facebook (their's no commitment to compete) just to check the viability of the event.
Finally, we will require a few marshal's, so if you are free on 17th July (the event starts at 8:00am) please can you put your name down, either on the Forum or on the website race page.
----------------
We have just 3 Mini Series Triathlons left this season. Non-members can compete in two races before being asked to join the club, so if you have any friends (?) who would like to give triathlon a go, please bring them along (kicking and screaming if necessary).
So far the Mini Series has been very poorly attended. The weather has been pretty poor, but with only 3 left, now is the time to bite the bullet. Trophies are at stake and the current leaders are on the Forum, which will be updated each week.
Next Wednesday, 6th July, sees the last of the Novice Mini's - with a 200 yard swim option. This is as well as the usual 400 yards for the regulars. It's £10 for everybody, members and non-members alike.
No swim session Monday 30th May
Dear Pactracer's,
Please note that there is no swim session this Monday (30th May) as it is a bank holiday. Enjoy the extra rest day, see you all soon.
Paul wins the PACTRAC Peterborough Duathlon by 7:27 minutes. Paul, Andrea and Paul win ER Duathlon Championship Trophies.
The PACTRAC Peterborough Duathlon took place from Castor on Sunday.
The distances were:
Run 4-miles - 3-hills including Loves Hill in Castor. The route ran around the top triangle in Ferry Meadows, before returning to Castor.
Bike 18-miles - out and back to Helpston Heath, with a loop around Helpston, Bainton and Ufford.
Run 2.5 miles - out to Milton Ferry Bridge and back.
All 3 sections involved a climb and descent of Loves Hill in Castor.
87 athletes plus one team of two finished this challenging race, which was a great introduction to multi-discipline sport for local athletes, as well as being a good test for
seasoned competitor's.
PACTRAC's Paul Vernon won the race by 7:27 minutes and was in a class of his own. Paul is a medal winner in National competition's, as well as winning all 6 Frostbite running races in the 2014-15 season. Paul was the fastest athlete in all 3 disciplines, and constantly extended his lead.
15 PACTRACers competed with another 50 volunteers around the course, making for a great day's racing.
This event was also the BTF Eastern Region Duathlon Championships and PACTRAC came away with 3 of the 6 Trophies on offer.
Paul Vernon (male vet), Paul Jephcott (male SuperVet), and Andrea Robinett (female senior) all won Trophies as Eastern Region Champions.
This is the second year that PACTRAC have promoted this local event, and we had 30 more entrants than last year.James Corlett moved into 2nd place on the bike, with Steve Green in 3rd. Matt Waterfield then moved into 3rd on the final run, to push Steve back into 4th verall. Angela Joiner-Handy was first female in 9th place overall, and she and Paul Vernon, both received a pair of AlphaWoolf running shoes from sponsor's AlphaWoolf. Jim Fell won his Age Group for a full set of 5 Age Group wins from 5 Duathlon's this year.
The results are here http://pactrac.co.uk/page/279/
------------------
Duston kids Triathlon.
A great introduction for kids in an early season triathlon. The entire event was within the safety of the school grounds and swimming pool.
TriStart - Age 8yrs: 50m Pool Swim | 0.5 mile Bike | 1/4 mile Run
TriStar 1. - Age 9-10yrs: 100m Pool Swim | 1 mile Bike | 1/2 mile Run
TriStar 2. - Age 11-12yrs: 150m Pool Swim | 1.5 mile Bike | 3/4 mile Run
TriStar 3. - Age: 13-14yrs: 200m Pool Swim | 2 mile Bike | 1 mile Run
The kids displayed great courage, in utterly foul and freezing weather. A 1st ever podium place was recorded by Sophie Pickering and a well deserved 2nd place for Hannah Basset.
TriStart.
3. Sophie Pickering 1:49 5:58 2:06 = 9:53
TriStar 1.
24. Joseph Pickering 3:11 8:24 4:33 = 16:08
TriStar 2.
5. Olivia Corner 3:08 9:34 5:14 = 17:56
43. Chloe Moore 4:09 12:27 7:36 = 24:12
Youth.
2.
Hannah Bassett 4:46 14:21 9:07 = 28:14
--------------
In the first senior triathlon of the year, the Duston Triathlon, on Sunday,
Mark Weathersby came 8th overall and 1st in his Age Group.
8. Mark Weathersby 6:46 33:45 18:48 = 59:19
153. Nicholas Partridge 7:52 44:33 28:52 = 81:17
---------------
More Junior results:
In the National Prep Schools Cross Country Championships, Olivia Corner was part of the Kimbolton School team that secured a Silver medal in second place and missed out on 1st place by only 1 point!
Jonathan Oakey has qualified to race in the National Youth Super Series, after completing a performance assessment, at the weekend. This is a prestigious series for the best young triathletes in the country, and is a draft-legal series comprising of 5 of the most
high-profile youth triathlons.
---------------
In the Brighton Marathon:
1433. Emma Walker 4:29:00.
17 Juniors at Scampton. Dave in IM Africa.
17 PACTRAC Junior's competed in the RAF Scampton Junior
Duathlon at the weekend.
Flo Brill came a gallant third. She was
catching the two in front on the final run, but ran out of time and
finished just 15-seconds down and only 5-seconds behind 2nd place.
Safford Hewitt-White was in a group of 3 chasing hard for a Podium
spot, but just missed out this time.
TRI STAR 1
6. Norah Brill 4:57 10:23 1:46 = 17:06
19. Calleigh Coull 5:38 11:23 1:48 = 18:49
5. Safford Hewitt-White 4:56 9:13 1:35 = 15:44
TRI STAR 2
3. Flo Brill 5:43 14:50 2:01 = 22:34
6. Olivia Corner 6:19 16:12 2:19 = 24:50
29. Lottie Tasker 7:51 18:15 2:47 = 28:53
36. Libby Mellor 7:49 21:02 3:01 = 31:52
37. Chloe Moore 10:39 23:04 2:23 = 36:06
28. Joe Garner 6:07 16:55 2:10 = 25:12
31. Tommy Armitage 7:14 16:12 2:40 = 26:06
32. Louis Dawson 6:32 17:08 2:32 = 26:12
46. Toby Cooke 7:15 18:02 2:39 = 27:56
Tri
Star 3.
6. Katie Tasker 7:35 17:39 2:58 = 28:12
27. Sam Garner 7:21 20:13 3:01 = 30:35
37. Archie Stewart 9:41 20:52 3:39 = 34:12
YOUTH's
5. Hannah Bassett 12:10 24:39 4:47 = 41:36
5. Jonathan Oakey 10:34 22:05 4:15 = 36:54
-----------------
In the Manchester Marathon, Giles Cooper recorded a
time of 3:27:05.
1584. Giles Cooper 3:27:05 (1:37:44 and 1:49:21) AG 113.
-----------------
PACTRAC's Dave Allsop competed in the African Ironman Triathlon
Championships in Port Elizabeth, South Africa.
Dave finished in 11:34:22 over the classic Ironman distances of:
swim 2.4 miles in the ocean from Nelson Mandela Bay. The water
temperature was in the mid-70's and the seas were fairly calm.
bike 112 miles - 2 fast, flat laps - along the coast, followed
by slightly more undulating inland countryside.
run 26.2 miles - 4 laps.
423 Dave Allsop 1:10:32 6:00:40 4:23:10 = 11:34:22 AG 34th.
Jim Fell National Champion. Amy PB's in Paris Marathon.
Amy Hayes competed in her 2nd marathon in 4 months.
Following on from her exertions in Hawaii in December (3:57hrs), she
persuaded husband Brad to have a go in Paris.
"When I registered I put
in an anticipated finish of 4:15-4:30. That was some time ago, and I've
now amended that to 3:35. I like reaching goals, so I usually set very
reachable goals. Haha! I'm still not sure I have a 3:35 marathon in me.
But, there's only one way to find out!"
"The first half felt like
Cambridge (half-marathon). The second half felt like that wretched 15
miler I did the week after Cambridge."
"I stuck comfortably with the 3:30 pacer until mile 13, where I got a nearly full water bottle chucked in my face. It cracked my cheek bone pretty hard; but my legs were good
and my cardiovascular was good"
"A 10 minute PB actual finish time for
the 2016 Paris Marathon.
Now...croissants, pastries, macarons. I've got
some calories to replace."
9777. Amy Hayes 3:47:27
34903 Brad Hayes 5:05:33
--------------
The National Duathlon Championships were held
at Windsor on Sunday, and Jim Fell won his Age Group for the 4th time
in 4 Duathlon races this year. Jim won by a comfortable margin of
nearly 9 minutes. This represents a significant on-going improvement
for Jim, who is now the NATIONAL CHAMPION.
In his last race, Jim had
to carry his winnings, a crate of Alcohol-Free Beer, half-a-mile to his
car. At Windsor it was mud: "If anyone collects soil samples, we have
kilograms on our shoes and bike!"
The distances were:
run 6.25 miles.
bike 25 miles.
run 3 miles.
Claire Steels (not PACTRAC) also won her
Age Group for the 4th Duathlon in a row, and won a Bronze Medal in
these National Championships.
Claire said "Gold in Age Group at the
British Champs and 3rd lady overall! Time for a rest before the
European Championships in Germany!!" "An interesting race today!
Toughest race to date with 'tiny' bit of mud and cross country! But at
least we got a break when they stopped the race for royalty going to
Windsor Castle!
Great to see so many familiar faces though and well
done everyone! Germany here we come!" (These are in two weeks time)
Sean Beard started his comeback from injury with his first Duathlon of
the year.
116. Sean Beard 41:30 74:36 22:45 = 2:18:51 AG 7.
371. Jim Fell 50:38 88:10 29:43 = 2:48:31 AG 1st.
other:
59 Claire Steels 40:54 70:26 21:56 = 2:13:16 AG 1. (3rd lady).
-------------
The Entry Deadline for
the PACTRAC Peterborough Duathlon which takes place on Sunday 17th
April from Castor, is this Monday 11th April. Over 80 athletes have so
far entered and organisers expect a field of 100, many competing in
multi-discipline sport for the first time. Entries are still open on http://pactrac.co.uk/events/4181/
IMPORTANT SWIM CHANGES FOR JULY / AUGUST: Wednesday's temporarily 7:00 - 8:00pm. Monday changes.
To confirm the message below, here are the new swim times for July and August:
Wed 20/07....7:00 - 8:00pm Mini-Series 7:30pm.
Fri 22/07....7:30 - 8:30pm.
Mon 25/07....7:00 - 8:30pm.
Wed 27/07....7:00 - 8:00pm.
Fri 29/07....7:30 - 8:30pm.
Mon 01/08....7:00 - 8:30pm.
Wed 03/08....7:00 - 8:00pm.
Fri 05/08....7:30 - 8:30pm.
Mon 08/08....7:00 - 8:00pm.
Wed 10/08....7:00 - 8:00pm.
Fri 12/08....7:30 - 8:30pm.
Mon 15/08....7:00 - 8:00pm.
Wed 17/08....7:30 - 8:30pm.
Fri 19/08....7:30 - 8:30pm.
Mon 22/08....7:00 - 8:00pm.
Wed 24/08....7:30 - 8:30pm.
Fri 26/08....7:30 - 8:30pm.
Mon 29/08....BANK HOLIDAY CLOSED.
Wed 31/08....7:30 - 8:30pm.
Fri 02/09....7:30 - 8:30pm.
Mon 05/09....7:00 - 8:30pm.
-------------
Apologies for the misunderstanding re swim times at the pool on Monday 18th July. Oundle Pool changed the time without informing anybody. It appears that the change occurred for no apparent reason!
We can keep our 7:00 to 8.30pm on Monday going forward, (although we will only have an hour whilst NVSC swimmers are on their August break).
We will return to normal on Monday's from next week (7:00 - 8:30pm) - apart from one hour sessions only on 8th,15th,22nd August. The pool will be closed on Bank Holiday Monday, so we will be back to 1.5 hours from 5th Sept.
Whilst we will have sessions on the board in August, at present there are no coaches to deliver them.
Wednesday night's will currently continue without a coach.
Please be aware that in the absence of a coach, juniors can only attend if they have a responsible adult present with them.
We are currently looking for a Wednesday night coach going forward, if anybody can recommend one.
----------------
Wednesday's swim sessions will be half-an-hour earlier for 6-weeks from 6th July. The last 3 Mini-Series events (6th, 13th and 20th July) will be unaffected, except to note that anybody turning up for a swim-only will have a shorter time from 7:00 - 7:25pm and maybe again from 7:45 - 8:00 (if their is only one triathlon wave).
The normal Wednesday swim will then be from 7:00 - 8:00pm on Wednesday's 27th July, 3rd and 10th August.
We will then go back to our normal swim time, 7.30 - 8.30pm from Wednesday 17th August.
-----------------
Due to the Bank Holiday, their will be no swimming at Oundle on Monday 30th May.
--------------
Due to unforeseen circumstances the pool will be closed on Friday 20th May 2016.
Back to normal from Monday.
----------------
Some of you will know that a significant amount of the club funds go to subsidising the swimming at Oundle. Without 24 swimmers in the pool we run at a loss which at times can amount to over £100 per week across the three sessions. We view the facility to have a coached swim session three times per week as an important asset for the club and a hub for its activities. However, the committee recognises that it must do its best to minimise the subsidy the club makes to ensure the sessions continue.
Some will know that in an attempt to reduce our costs we trialled reducing the Monday session from 90 minutes to 60 minutes but the feedback from the members swimming this session was that they very much wanted it reinstating. This will be done FROM NEXT MONDAY 11th APRIL.
We believe that at £4 per coached session, the swimming offers excellent value but we must attempt to streamline administration to help mitigate our costs. To this end we would like to keep the session cost at £4 but this will now only be for those buying tokens. In addition, we would like the tokens to be bought in multiples of x5 in order to reduce the administration.
For members unable to commit to regular swimming, but who would still like to turn up and pay on the night, we will be increasing the ‘cash on the night’ fee to £5. This again will hopefully reduce administration and the amount of change required to make this facility function smoothly.
Finally, in an effort to bring the Standing Order costs more in line with the above fees we would like to increase the x3 weekly sessions to £32.50 per month, x2 sessions £23 per month and one session per week to £13 per month. Paying by Standing Order is by far the least cost option from an administration perspective and from a swimming perspective.
The coached swim sessions are both excellent quality and excellent value and we would encourage all members to take advantage of the opportunity the club is offering.
The above changes will take effect from May 1st; with Monday's 90-minute swim resuming from next week, 11th April.
Also please note that Bristows will no longer be selling Tokens from their shop in Orton Waterville, Peterborough. These will now only be available from poolside sellers.
If members have any specific feedback on the above and additional suggestions to improve on what we offer and the costs then please by all means get in touch with the committee. It’s your club and your swimming sessions.
Thank you.
Your Committee.
PACTRAC Peterborough Duathlon - Sunday 17th April 2016.
Entry Deadline extended until 11th April.
Their is still time to enter the PACTRAC
Peterborough Duathlon which takes place from Castor on Sunday 17th
April. This is PACTRAC's big open event for the year.
More details and on-line entry can be found on http://pactrac.co.uk/events/4181/
Distances are:
Run 4-miles - including the Milton Ferry triangle at
the top end of Ferry Meadows.
Bike 18-miles - out to Helpston Heath,
with a loop around Helpston, Bainton and Ufford.
Run 2.5-miles - out to Milton Ferry Bridge and back.
All 3 sections include the incline of Loves Hill at Castor.
Last year saw 63 athletes finish the event, and
entries so far have just gone past that figure. Organiser's expect
around 100-competitor's for this local event that is a good
introduction to multi-discipline racing in a friendly atmosphere.
"The PACTRAC Peterborough Duathlon takes place for the second year,
from Castor, on Sunday 17th April 2016. The event will take place
around the School Playing Field and Village Hall, with athletes using
the roads to the east, including Water Lane and Loves Hill. This is an
ideal opportunity for local people to take part in a multi-discipline
race, in a safe, friendly environment, alongside other first time multi-
sport athletes.
The event involves a 4-mile run, 18-mile bike and a final 2.5-mile run.
The distances are challenging, with the event
catering for all abilities. Further details and on-line entry can be
found at http://www.pactrac.co.ukand organiser, Steve Hope, can answer
any questions that you have on sjhope@tiscali.co.uk "
Jonathan first, Colin second. Mark does a PB.
Jonathan Oakey raced in Cumbria in the Ambleside Duathlon
Dash, on a course that was a little hillier than he's used to. He chose
to race in the shorter Novice race over the distances of: run 2-miles,
bike 8-miles, run 1-mile. Jonathan came first. After a neck-and-neck
first run, he had faster Transitions than his nearest competition, and
won by 24-seconds overall.
1. Jonathon Oakey 9:50 27:00 7:45 = 44:35.
-------------------
Ulveston Pool Triathlon.
Colin Benn
competed in this undulating triathlon in the Lake District.
swim 400 metres
bike 12.5 miles.
run 3.5 miles.
136. Colin Benn 8:51 51:58 30:20 = 91:09 AG 2nd.
----------------
Well done to Chloe
Moore who completed in the Dinton Duathlon near Reading.
TriStars 2
(11-12 years)
61. Chloe Moore 8:55 24:49 3:52 = 37:36.
---------------
Mark Wethersby competed in the IAAF World Half-
Marathon Championship in Cardiff. "All turned out good and I set a new
PB of 1:19:09".
---------------
This weekend sees PACTRACers
competing abroad in both the Paris Marathon (Amy Hayes) and a half-
marathon in Holland (Jaap Flikweert and Mariska Niemeijer), as well as at the National Duathlon Championships in Windsor.
Jim first again, Olivia second, Katie third.
Paul Jephcott competed in the Suffering Obstacle Spring
Race at Rockingham Castle. Paul finished the gruelling course in 4:28:15.
Paul said: "This was very very muddy." "14 miles , 40 obstacles,
lots and lots of mud. Exhausted and filthy, but smiling".
James Steventon meanwhile, competed over 2 courses, back to back, finishing
in 9:48:36.
James completed the Pain and Suffering course in 4:40:43
followed by the Suffering course in 5:07:53.
------------------------
Jim Fell competed in the Clumber Park Duathlon.
"Jim was first in
his age group at a very cold and windy Clumber Park Duathlon. He
received a trophy, a voucher for £20 AND a crate of non-alcoholic beer
that he had to carry half a mile to the car park!
Claire Steels (not PACTRAC), was the first lady home again. Claire said: "Another weekend
and another race! 1st lady home and age group winner in the standard
distance at Clumber Park! A great event."
Jim once again beat his
main rival (who was beating Jim last year), by over 5-minutes. Jim's
biking has improved, and with his superior running, he is now able to
compete at a National level in his Age Group.
Distances were: run 6.25 miles, bike 25 miles, run 3 miles.
49. ADAM MADGE 9 37:24 68:41 19:32 = 2:05:37 AG 9.
298. JIM FELL 1 49:34 82:32 26:30 = 2:38:36 AG 1st.
53. CLAIRE STEELS 1 38:40 67:55 19:25 = 2:06:00 AG 1st.
In the Sprint Duathlon, Paul Vernon "Came 4th overall, 1st in AG. Was a bit of a pain, as I started in a different wave from the first group, so always chasing. Better get used to it now I'm in the old man cat."
Paul was just 1:16 behind the winner and 27 seconds from a Podium spot.
4. Paul Vernon 16:18 32:00 8:37 = 56:55 AG 1st.
------------------------
2 athletes competed in the Stathern Duathlon in the Vale of Belvoir.
Distances were: Run 3-miles, Bike 11.25 miles, Run 3-miles.
11. Jonathan Crowley 21:21 35:50 22:46 = 79:57
52. Chris Troop 26:06 37:06 27:11 = 90:23
------------------------
PACTRAC Juniors:
A large number of members have been racing in
numerous X-Country events, the most notable one being Flo Brill, who
finished 15th at the National County Champs in Birmingham in the U-13
Girls race. She has also got an invite to run in the London Mini
Marathon prior to the senior event in April .
Olivia Corner as part of a team from Kimbolton U-11 Girls got a silver medal in the National
Schools Championships.
Katie Tasker came 3rd in the Bedford Duathlon. this was Katie's first time out in this category and she was beaten by 2 good athletes. She managed to average over 20mph on the
bike.
NO Swimming Bank Holiday Friday or Monday.
There will be NO swimming at Oundle Pool over Easter, i.e., Good Friday 25th March and Easter Monday 28th March.
Wednesday 30th March and Friday 1st April - we will be half-an-hour earlier, so from 7:00 to 8:00pm.
We are currently looking at the extra half-hour swim on Monday's, and will hopefully have some positive news very shortly.
We will also, very shortly be getting some extra coaching staff in, on Wednesday's to help out. Further details to follow.
3 win Age Group at Dambuster Duathlon and qu for World's.
3 PACTRACers qualified for the World Duathlon Championships
to be held in Aviles in Spain in early June. All 3 won their respective
Age Groups, with Paul Vernon also finishing 4th overall in the race.
Jim Fell has qualified to represent Great Britain for the 3rd year in a
row, whilst George Prodrick will be making his international debut.
Robin Brookes finished 3rd in his Age Group, and also qualified, but
has had to decline the invitation.
(Not PACTRAC, but ...) Claire Steels had a great race to finish first
lady overall. She came into T1 tying neck and neck for first place,
and just came out of T1 ahead. However, she was convinced that their
was another girl ahead, and spent the whole of the 26-mile bike ride
chasing a non-existent competitor. Claire only fully realised that she
was in first place at the second run turnaround, and came home to win
by over 3 minutes. She has made tremendous improvements on the bike
already this year.
It was a cold, wet morning, but had warmed up from the previous evening
where sleet and frozen ice began to settle.
George said: "It was hard won, due to the adverse weather conditions,
but a great achievement for both myself and Jim".
Claire said: "I'm so happy with the race today!!!
Last year the Dambuster destroyed me!! This year I got my own back and
I even enjoyed the last run! Very surprised but delighted with 1st
female home!!".
The distances were:
run 6.25-miles - out and back.
bike 26-miles - 1 circuit including the triple hills of the Rutland
Ripple between Oakham and Uppingham, plus the Rookeries hill by Ketton
Cement.
run 3-miles - out and back.
4. Paul Vernon.............33:30 69:26 16:40 = 1:59:36 AG 1st.
61. Adam Madge.........36:20 80:22 18:11 = 2:14:53 AG 9.
109. Andy Gregg.........41:07 80:40 19:33 = 2:21:20 AG 20.
147. Daniel Fitzjohn....41:06 85:22 20:10 = 2:26:38 AG 25.
149. Robin Brookes......41:00 85:22 20:26 = 2:26:48 AG 3.
165. Richard Nixon......46:48 80:02 22:25 = 2:29:15 AG 33.
248. Steve Hope.........46:23 92:42 22:09 = 2:41:14 AG 15.
297. Jim Fell..............49:15 94:57 25:13 = 2:49:25 AG 1st.
332. Andrew Rawlins...49:05 103:58 26:55 = 2:59:58 AG 65.
352. John Morris........49:59 108:10 25:45 = 3:03:54 AG 35.
356. Sue Davys..........54:56 103:28 27:39 = 3:06:03 AG 6.
381. George Prodrick....61:23 105:36 31:14 = 3:18:13 AG 1st.
others:
41. Claire Steels......38:24 75:16 18:36 = 2:12:16 AG 1st. First lady.
Paul and Jim qualify for 2017 European Duathlon Champs.
3 PACTRACers raced in the early season Duathlon at Grafham
Water. This was a qualifying race for the European Duathlon
Championships next year.
Two athletes won their respective Age Groups and so have qualified
at the first attempt. The dates and venue have not yet been announced.
Distances were: run 6.25 miles, bike 25 miles, run 3 miles.
Paul Vernon won his Age Group by 4:37 minutes having taken the lead
from the off. He was also 2nd in the overall race, moving up to 2nd
in the bike section and holding onto it.
Jim Fell also used the bike to his advantage, moving up to first in
his Age Group on the bike and then holding on to win it by 4:18 minutes.
Jim has made good strides and is now catching younger athletes that he
would not have thought possible just a year ago. He commented that "It
was very windy on the bike".
Local girl Claire Steels also won her Age Group, and came home first lady
overall by a huge 2:01 minutes. She was 38 seconds down after the first run,
but beat the second placed girl by 2:02 on the bike, showing a big improvement
to that side of the sport.
---------------
2. Paul Vernon 36:32 62:50 18:27 = 1:57:49 AG 1st.
76. Richard Nixon 49:54 70:54 25:50 = 2:26:38 AG 9.
115. Jim Fell 54:46 83:52 29:06 = 2:47:44 AG 1st.
Others:
1. Claire Steels 42:25 70:21 22:10 = 2:14:56 AG 1st.
Jim goes Dopey in Disney.
Jim Fell completed the Dopey Challenge in Disneyworld Florida.
Thousands of runners lined up to compete in 1 or more of the following
races:
Thursday - 5k run
Friday - 10k run
Saturday -half marathon 13.1 miles
Sunday - marathon 26.2 miles.
That's 48.6 miles covering 4 races in 4 days. Disney have called this The Dopey Challenge, and 6,576 runners lined up to do all 4 races. Thousands of others
did just 1 or 2 races.
Further details can be found on http://www.rundisney.com/disneyworld-marathon
Jim completed Thursday's 5k in 23:37 a new Werrington Joggers Age Category record.
Jim then completed Friday's 10k in 48:17 (23:28 + 24:49) creating not only a new Werrington Joggers over 70s record for the 10k, but also for the 5k in the same race. Jim finished 346th overall and first over 70 in the race.
On Saturday Jim finished the half marathon in 1:54:48 taking it a little easier, bearing in mind the full marathon to come just 22 hours later. Ken Popple's club half marathon record still stands for the time being.
Jim then set a new Werrington Joggers Age Category record for the marathon on Sunday, giving him 4 new club records in 4 days. Jim came 2nd in his Age Group in the
marathon in a time of 4:49:35 and narrowly missed out on the top spot by 33 seconds, having led all the way to the 26 mile mark.
Jim won his 70+ Age Group in the Dopey Challenge, having meticulously planned his
tactics, training and potential jet lag. He even arrived in Florida just 2 days before the first race, so that he would be used to getting up at 3:00am for the races
(-5 hours time difference).
The Dopey Challenge is a lot of running with the accumulated fatigue and risk of
injury. Jim managed to avoid any real injury, and completed the first 13.1 miles in 2:08. The second half was where it got really hard, with his quadriceps
getting tight. This may have been partly due to the high humidity. The marathon started at 5:30am at well over 90% humidity.
The humidity at 4:00am was recorded at 100%. Everybody's kit was soaked, and breathing was heavier than normal for the same pace.
There were 6,576 entered into the Dopey Challenge, and Jim won his Age
Group. He did say "never again.
---------
Also in the 5k was Lorna Hope, competing in her first ever running race. Disney's 5k has many first time runners and is a great place to start out on your
running adventure. Lorna finished strong in a time of 46:41.
----------
Not quite as daft as Jim, Steve Hope competed in just the marathon.
He had to manage a recent injury, so was happy to run the
whole way round without walking. Like Jim, the quads got very tight,
maybe due to a slight change in running style, maybe to the very high
humidity or maybe because 26.2 miles is a long way. More niggles
appeared between 5 and 10 miles, but these were contained with a jog /
shuffle style that was designed to restrict the original injury. Even
so, the pace gradually got slower as the quads got tighter and tighter,
and I don't think that they would have held on for much more than the
26.2 miles. Happy to have finished and to have ran all the way.
Results.
5k
Jim Fell 23:37
Lorna Hope 46:30
10k
Jim Fell 48:17
Half-marathon
Jim Fell 1:54:48
Marathon
2748th. Steve Hope 4:29:02
4,401st. Jim Fell 4:49:35
19,838 finishers.
Dopey Challenge
Jim Fell 1st in Age Group.
Pactrac Group Rides
It has been mentioned that some pactracers may be put off joining the group rides as they feel they are too slow, or too fast for them. Recently, I created some guidance around this by creating groups so that members of similar ability can get together and all join in on the same published route.
We have defined 3 groups (Devils, Inters, Alphas), and set out some advice so that you can all determine which group you would ride in normally. Please note: this may change depending on the time of year, level of training, taper, recovery etc, so it it is a guide, not a rule.
It seems as though some may have missed this communication, so i'll post it again here, and on the forum:
The link below is posted on the pactrac website under About>Training Guidance.
http://racetriathlon.com/media/files/Cycle_Groups_Pactrac.pdf
The intention is that when a ride is suggested or posted, come forward and indicate which group you would like to ride in - I advise doing that even if you are only a 'maybe' for the ride. That will encourage others of similar ability to come forward also - this gets more people turning up, and bigger grous are more social, more efficient, and will make you a better rider.
If anyone needs any further information or advice on this, please reach out to any of the coaching team.
Peterborough Telegraph SPOTY - More accolades for PACTRAC members
Katie Tasker came a very impressive second place in the Peterborough Telegraph Sportsgirl of the year award. Well done to Katie.
-----------
Time to vote for your club members again.......
A number of members of the club have been nominated for the Peterborough Telegraph Sorts Person of the year in a range of Categories..
http://www.peterboroughtoday.co.uk/…/2015-sports-awards-jun…
The voting process is not as straight forward to text as you would imagine so something about the instructions (more on the website)
send a Text to 65550
PETAWARDS JSW Katie Tasker SW Georgina Jennings (Then your address)
Xmas Swimming Session 30th December
There will be a swimming session at Oundle pool over the Christmas period on Wednesday 30th December (7:30 - 8:30pm)
There is a session plan (in the folder poolside), but this will NOT be a coached session. Juniors (under 18) are permitted to swim if a parent remains on poolside during the session.
We are back to usual from 4th January in the New Year.
Paul wins AG in 70.3 Turkey. Tracy wins Snowdon Marathon. Jim in Adelaide. Roger 7th in Hawaii. Duathlon and Prize Presentation.
Paul Lunn competed in the Gloria 70.3 Half-Ironman Triathlon in
Belek, Antalya, Turkey, and finished his season with a brilliant first
place in his Age Group.
Distances were:
swim 1.2 miles - in the calm waters off the Mediterranean coast from
Belek Beach.
bike 56 miles - a one-loop course through forests and orange
plantations.
run 13.1 miles - a half marathon around the golf course, followed with
a finish in the Sports Arena.
This was the first IRONMAN 70.3 in Turkey, and attracted 1,000
athletes.
Professional, Frederik Van Lierde, won this inaugural IRONMAN 70.3
Turkey in 3:53:48, with a strong Age Group win from Paul Lunn. Despite
injury earlier this year, Paul has worked hard to come back stronger
and he showed that in turkey. He won his Age Group by a big margin, and
was the 3rd Age Grouper overall!
Paul said: "That was one good solid day today, in perfect conditions.
The bike course had some shocking sections, and the run was long."
Paul was 12th out of the water in his Age Group, but had the fastest
bike and fastest run to come home in a superfast time of 4:14:01.
Paul qualified for the Ironman 70.3 World Championships in Australia
2016. He was 21st overall in a class field of international athletes,
of whom only 3 managed to beat the 4-hour mark. Paul was the 3rd
fastest Age Grouper competing, whilst the other 18 ahead of him were
all professionals. Another 6 pro's finished behind him.
Result:
21. Paul Lunn 27.08 2.24.43 1.22.10 = 4.14.01 AG 1st.
-------------------
PACTRACer Tracy McCartney, competing for her first claim running club,
NVH's, was the first lady home in the annual Snowdon Marathon. Tracy's
time of 3:08:44 was on a course with over 3,000 feet of climbing. She
was competing in a field of 484 females and came home first with an
average speed of 7:12 minutes per mile. Tracy finished 51st overall
from 1,838 finishers on this tough course.
---------------
Roger Canham competed in the World Ironman Championships in Hawaii
for the 7th time.
327. Roger Canham 1:11:47 5:26:53 3:21:26 = 10:00:06 Age Group 7th.
" ... 72 hours later I am still smiling, thrilled with the result that seemed
so unlikely at almost every point of the race. It really never is over
until it’s over, ironman is unique in that respect and the Big Island
doubly so. I am so grateful to have the opportunity to race on Kona and
never take it for granted, it’s very special."
Roger's Report is here: http://pactrac.co.uk/forums/topic/697/#new-posts
--------------------
2 local athletes competed in the World Duathlon Championships in
Adelaide, Australia.
Claire Steels WON the women’s 25-29 Age Group in the Sprint race, and
was on the podium ahead of two other British girls. Claire won in a
time of 1:06:21. Harriet Enoch was second in 1:07:54, with Rebecca York
picking up bronze with her 1:08:24. The Sprint Distance covers a 3 mile
run, 12.5 mile bike and a final 1.5 mile run.
PACTRAC's Jim Fell Did the Standard Distance Duathlon (run 6.25 miles,
bike 25 miles, run 3 miles).
Jim said:
"The first run went well. Target 50 minutes. Actual 50:03.
The Transitions were long, because you had to run all of the way around
the outside - about 2.5 minutes.
The Bike leg was about 10 minutes quicker than last year, but by this
time it was well over 30 degrees.
I struggled on the last run, with it being so hot, and came home 18th
out of 23 starters.
The lesson learnt was to come out at least a week beforehand, to get
used to the time difference and the temperature - it was up to 35
degrees."
18. Jim Fell 50:03 86:24 31:41 = 2:48:08.
Jim did the same race in Pontevedra, Spain last year in 2:57:20. He was
quicker in all 3 disciplines this year.
---------------
PACTRAC held their annual Duathlon, AGM and Prize Presentation at
Woodnewton on Sunday.
15 competitors entered the Duathlon which was won by Paul Vernon, who
led from the gun. Paul missed out on a PB for this course and a new
Course Record, by just 1-second. His time of 50:33 saw him win
comfortably by over 5-minutes from Mark Weathersby, with Andrew Chapman
holding off 2 juniors, Jonathan Oakey and Josh Mould, for third place.
Paul's time of 50:32 from 2013 remains the Course Record.
Distances were: run 2 miles, bike 11 miles, run 2 miles.
At the Annual Prize Presentation, 19 Trophies were awarded:
Club Champion: Simon Hoppe - for a record 12th time, extending back to
1990 !
Vet Champion - Simon Hoppe.
Super-vet Champion - Antony Brown.
Female Champion - Christina Cork.
Female Vet Champion - Christina Cork.
Female Super-vet Champion - Sue Davys.
Mini-Series: Nathan Tweedie.
Female Mini-Series: Abi Schofield.
Youth Champion: Jonathan Oakey.
Junior Trophy: Katie Tasker.
Long Course: Paul Lunn.
Biathlon: Sue Davys.
Duathlon: Paul Vernon.
Run, bike, run: Steve Giles.
Novice: Josh Mould.
Most Improved: Jonathan Oakey.
Outstanding Performance: Nathan Tweedie.
Pactracer of the Year: Sam Fielding.
Off-Road Triathlon: Simon Hoppe.
Simon Hoppe came away with 3 Trophies, whilst Christina Cork, Sue
Davys, Jonathan Oakey and Nathan Tweedie all took home 2 apiece.
Sam Fielding won the PACTRACer of the Year Trophy for her sterling work
in taking the Junior Section forward. We now have over 30 Juniors
regularly training at the Stanground sessions.
The best Novice Trophy went to Josh Mould who in 11 Mini-Series races
has produced 10 PB's taking his time down from an initial 71.20 to
58.55.
Nathan Tweedie won the Outstanding Performance Trophy. Nathan came 3rd
in the very prestigious Junior Elite Triathlon in London. At other
races in the Series, he was coming home in around 30th spot, when
suddenly he had a great race in London and came 3rd against the best
Juniors in the country.
Nathan had some tough competition, as PACTRAC had many top performances
throughout 2015 including:
Roger Canham - Ironman South Africa. Age Group 1ST.
Roger Canham - Ironman World Championships, Hawaii. AG 7th.
Nicolas Kernick - PACTRAC Peterborough Duathlon 1st.
Paul Vernon - Anglian Water Duathlon, Grafham Water 1st.
Paul Vernon - BRJ Duathlon 1st.
Paul Vernon - Oulton Park. English National Age Group Duathlon
Champion. GOLD MEDAL 1st.
Nathan Tweedie - NiceTri Sprint Aquathlon 1st.
Nathan Tweedie - GB Team in Portugal and Bulgaria.
Nathan Tweedie - Tallington Triathlon 1st.
Nathan Tweedie - London Triathlon, Junior Elite 3rd.
Jonathan Oakey - East Midland Youth Series 1st.
Simon Hoppe - NiceTri British Sprint Championships BRONZE MEDAL 3rd.
Simon Hoppe - Tallington Sprint Triathlon 1st.
Simon Hoppe - World Championships in Chicago Age Group 8th.
Wayne Stainsby - Xscape@Bedford Sprint Triathlon 1st.
Antony Brown - NiceTri British Sprint Championships BRONZE MEDAL 3rd.
Antony Brown - Grafman English National Middle-distance Championships
GOLD MEDAL 1st.
Antony Brown - Liverpool National Championships SILVER MEDAL 2nd.
George Prodrick - Oulton Park English National Age Group Duathlon
Championships. GOLD MEDAL 1st.
Paul Lunn - St.Neots Tri 1st.
Paul Lunn - 70.3 Turkey 21st o/a and Age Group 1st.
Kim Bell - GB Team in Egypt, Portugal, Germany and the Czech Republic.
Katie Tasker - Eastern Region Tristar2 Series WINNER.
Katie Tasker - won 8 triathlon races on the trot.
Abi Schofield - 48-hour Treadmill run in Guernsey. Abi now holds the
British ladies half-marathon Treadmill record, the British and WORLD
Marathon records as well as the British 24-hour record, covering 111.9
miles.
Tracy McCartney - Man vs Mountain 24th / 1210 1st lady.
Tracy McCartney - Snowdon Marathon 1st lady.
Georgina Jennings - World Championships in Chicago SILVER MEDAL 2nd.
Georgina Jennings - NiceTri St.Neots British Sprint Championships GOLD
MEDAL 1st.
Georgina Jennings - Priory Park Triathlon 1st lady.
Georgina Jennings - European Championships in Geneva GOLD MEDAL 1st.
And that's just 15 of the PACTRACers who had some extraordinary success this
year.
Aug: Nathan 3rd in London in Junior Elites! Jonathan wins EM Youth Series (and qualifies with Katie for IRC's). Kim in the Czech Rep, DPH in Bulgaria, Roger & Robin (& Harold) in 70.3 World Champs.
At the Cambridge Sprint Triathlon, held at Mepal near Chatteris,
all 3 PACTRACers came away with first in their Age Group. Ros
Goatly was 4th female overall, Jo Annis won her first ever Age
Group race, whilst Georgina Jennings had a good swim and bike,
but suffered from calf problems on the run, and still managed
to win the over 50s prize, beating girls 20-years younger.
Georgina is looking to recover, before the World Championships
in Chicago in September, where she is looking to add to her
British and European Titles.
It was a good weekend for racing, without last weekends rain.
26. Ros Goatly 1:21:48 Age Group 40-44 1st. 4th female.
58. Joanne Annis 1:36:55 AG 45-49 1st.
64. Georgina Jennings 1:39:57 AG 50-75 1st.
-------------
Junior, Jonathan Oakey recorded another first place, this time in the
Youth Race at the Desford Triathlon which forms part of the East
Midlands Series. Jonathan has now won his Age Group in the series.
His time of 36:44 gave him a winning margin of 40-seconds.
------------
Nathan Tweedie had a great weekend at the London Triathlon, coming
away with a
Bronze Medal in the Junior Elite Sprint race in a time of
1.00:52.
Nathan was 31st in the Junior Super Series going into this race, so
this is a huge result for him, having finished 33rd at Blenheim and
37th at Liverpool.
Last week he won the Serpentine River Nene Swim 3 mile race from
Oundle, in a time of
1.09:05, breaking the previous record by nearly 4 1/2 mins (1.13:30).
He
now holds the records for the 1, 2 and 3 mile events.
His next race is the British Triathlon U20's Festival at Mallory Park 5-
6
Sept which is the final race in the British Triathlon Junior Super
Series.
Distances in London were:
swim 750 meters in the Docks.
bike 16 miles.
run 3 miles.
From 70 competitor's in the Elite 17-19 year Age Group, Nathan was 3rd
overall, and 3rd= out of the water. He was 22 seconds behind to a swim
specialist. However, Nathan was soon able to establish his position in
the first group on the bike.
3. Nathan Tweedie (M17-19) 9:01 32:40 19:11 = 60:52
8 competitor's came into T2 in the lead bike group, with another 7 in
the second group, a minute behind. A third group were a further minute
down at this point, so it was now down to the leading 8 to fight it
out.
Sam Dickinson gained a 5-second advantage in Transition and shot away
to record the fastest run of the day in a time of 17:44. Nathan soon
established himself in 3rd place, and held onto it throughout the 3-
mile run, to the finish.
A brilliant race for Nathan, who moves up in the overall standings for
the Elite Juniors.
-----
2 PACTRACers competed with thousands of others, in the accompanying
open Age Group races, in what is now the biggest triathlon in the
world.
934. Andrew Russell 29:20 75.36 55:29 = 2:40:25 Age
Group 85.
2802. Nicholas Partridge 33:23 83.02 75:28 = 3:11:53 Age Group
355.
Nicholas said "I'm very pleased with my time. A year's preparation has
gone into competing in this Standard Distance Triathlon at the
Excel".
-----------
PACTRAC held their annual Long Course Triathlon from Oundle at the
weekend. 12 athletes competed for the Trophy on a humid day.
Distances were:
swim 1800 yards - 36 lengths of the pool.
bike 38 miles - 4 laps of the Mini-Series course around Glapthorn and
the Benefields.
run 10 miles - out to Glapthorn, a loop around the village, and back -
x2.
1st Paul Lunn 25:54 1:29:58 1:01:11 = 2:57:03
2nd Sean Pooley 26:56 1:40:05 1:16:02 = 3:23:03
3rd Luke Starsmore 30:16 1:47:37 1:14:23 = 3:32:16
4th Steve Skelhon 28:24 1:46:01 1:20:55 = 3:35:20
5th Steve Hope 28:02 1:52:34 1:15:24 = 3:36:00
6th Andy Gregg 36:36 1:49:12 1:10:50 = 3:36:38
7th Chris Pike 32:12 1:49:16 1:16:04 = 3:37:32
8th Duncan Philp 37:57 1:52:08 1:30:00 = 4:00:05
8th Christina Cork 29:03 1:49:08 1:41:54 = 4:00:05
10th Laura Johnson 28:57 2:20:44 1:33:37 = 4:23:18
10th Paul Jephcott 36:30 2:13:22 1:33:26 = 4:23:18
12th Nicholas Forscutt 32:57 1:47:04 DNF.
Last year saw torrential rain and thunder storms, so the bike section
had to be cancelled and it became a swim,run. Paul Lunn came back this
year to try again, and this year took the Course Record. Once again, we
had the more usual hot and humid conditions for this race.
Paul Lunn won the Trophy by leading the race from the "off". Sean
Pooley and Steve Skelhon tried to hang on behind Paul in the swim, but
dropped back after a few lengths, and Paul had the rest of the race to
himself, for an emphatic victory.
This was the 8th annual running of this event since 2008; and Paul took
6:10 minutes off of Simon Hoppe's 2012 Course record. He set a new
standard on the bike split by 4 1/2 minutes and on the run split by 3
minutes. This is always a tough race, and the humidity never helps.
This was the final race of the Club Championship Series. Your best 3
races from 5 club races count. Paul Lunn missed all of the Mini-Series
this year through injury, so didn't manage to get 3 races in. Simon
Hoppe wins the Club Championships again this year. He was challenged by
both Nathan Tweedie and Paul Vernon, but none of those 3 competed in
the final event. Simon is also the club over 40 Champion, whilst Antony
Brown retains the >50 Trophy. In the ladies Championship, Christina
Cork confirmed her lead and takes the main Trophy as well as the >40
Trophy, with Sue Davys retaining the >50 Trophy. The Trophies will be
presented at the annual AGM / Duathlon / Prize Presentation at the end
of October.
-------------
Two distances were available in the Monster Triathlon's at Ely:
The Monster Half covered the distances of;
swim 1900 meters in the River Great Ouse.
bike 52 miles - 2 laps of the local countryside.
run 13.1 miles - 4 laps including a nasty hill around the
Cathedral.
40. Steve Giles 38:27 2:27:47 1:25:57 = 4:32:11 AG 5.
63. Chris Pike 33:15 2:32:15 1:37:14 = 4:42:44 AG 6.
100. Richard Pike 33:02 2:34:17 1:52:50 = 5:00:09 AG 9.
-----------------
The Monster Olympic was over:
swim 1500 meters in the River Great Ouse.
bike 27.5 miles - 1 lap around the local villages.
run 7.5 miles - 2 laps including a nasty hill around the Cathedral.
PACTRAC had 3 competitor's in the top 9, the best placed being Jaap
Flikweert in 6th overall. Richard Moys was 3rd in his Age Group.
Wetsuits were optional, with Amy being the only one in the river who
skipped the wetsuit.
6. Jaap Flikweert 23:00 75:18 49:47 = 2:28:05 AG 4.
8. Richard Moys 23:59 76:19 52:09 = 2:32:27 AG 3.
9. Jon Dundee 24:06 76:14 52:18 = 2:32:38 AG 5.
92. Amy Hayes 29:18 109:53 63:11 = 3:22:22 AG 5.
103. Nicholas Partridge 32:10 96:19 79:59 = 3:28:28 AG 32.
There is a photo going around of Amy Hayes finishing the
Monster Olympic Triathlon
https://fbexternal-a.akamaihd.net/safe_image.php?d=AQB-dzshbQuoK-vh&w=470&h=246&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.tri247.com%2Fext%2Fpic%2Fmonstermiddle2015.jpg&cfs=1&upscale=1&sx=0&sy=0&sw=625&sh=327
-----------------
Paul Vernon came second at the Kimbolton Half-marathon, over an
undulating course, that finished by the Castle.
2. Paul Vernon 1:13:08.0 AG 2.
142. Steve Hope 1:41:45.4 AG 19.
------------------
The 1.25 mile Rutland Swim started at Normanton on the South Shore, and
finished at Whitwell on the North Shore. This was the first official
swim across the lake in 40-years. Half a dozen PACTRACers took apart in
the "field" of 150 swimmers, with PACTRAC's Abi Schofield coming out as
1st lady. No times are available at the moment.
Abi's time in the RutlandSwim is the only one available at the moment
- 25:41 mins.
------------
PACTRAC's Kim Bell once again represented GB in the Elite
Competition, in the ETU European Cup race in Karlovy Vary, in the Czech
Republic. In the women's event, Kim was the 2nd Brit in 17th overall.
Kim led the swim and came out in the lead, just 3-seconds ahead of the
chasing pack. However, problems on the bike, ensured that she was
unable to keep with the lead pack, and she came home a gallant 17th.
Distances were: swim 1500 meters, bike 25 miles, run 6.25 miles.
17. Kim Bell 18:37 79:50 43:46 = 2:22:13
--------------
Dave Patmore-Hill competed in the Half-Ironman 70.3 in Budapest.
swim 1.2 miles - in the calm Danube Bay.
bike 56 miles - mostly flat.
run 13.1 miles - through the historical old town.
Dave had a good all-round performance, moving up from 17th in his Age
Group in the swim, to 12th on the bike and 6th on the run.
Dave had a broken Head Set just before the final bike check-in, but the
mechanics managed to fix it in time.
128. Dave Patmore-Hill 30:15 2:38:40 1:29:30 = 4:38:25 AG
6th.
---------------------
PACTRAC had 3 teams in the National Relays at Holme Pierrepoint in
Nottingham.
Each competitor had to swim 500 meters, bike 9 miles and run 3 miles,
but you competed in turn, so had a rest between disciplines, whilst
your team mates were doing their bit. Once all 4 team members had
completed the swim, the first member then raced on the bike before
tagging team member two etc. In effect you had 3 separate time trials
full on. 166 teams competed in the Open Race on Saturday afternoon.
14th. Pactrac Piranhas 36:02.... 1:35:55.... 1:22:14....=..3:34:11
Nicholas Forscutt 8.54....24.23....18.12....=..51.29
Sean Pooley 8.25....22.23....19.32....=..50.20
Craig Mills 9.06....24.59....23.21....=..57.26
Luke Starsmore 9.37....24.10....21.09....=..54.56
26th. Pactrac Pirates 35:08.... 1:41:42.... 1:26:01....=..3:42:51
Jon Crowley 7.19....23.46....19.39....=..50.44
Ros Goatly 9.33....26.36....26.22....=..62.31
Abi Schofield 8.15....27.54....20.56....=..57.05
Sean Beard 10.01....23.26....19.04....=..52.31
44th. Pactrac Panthers 37:42.... 1:47:26.... 1:29:02....=..3:54:10
Susie Freeman 7.40....27.19....21.48....=..56.47
Chris Waghorn 9.50....28.21....24.53....=..63.04
Steve Hope 9.06....25.46....21.37....=..56.29
Adam Madge 11.06....26.00....20.44....=..57.50
166 teams competed, so we were all up there and competing in the top
30% of the field.
--------------
PACTRAC had a large contingent of 20 Juniors competing in the 2nd WiTri
Whittlesey Triathlon.
Lois Walker in Tristart, competed for the 1st time and provided a
creditable performance finishing mid-table in her event.
In the TriStar1 (TS1) event, Olivia Corner was not able to capture her
recent good form due to a foot injury, but still finished a highly
creditable 4th. Marcus Amps-Woodward competing in his 1st event had a
solid performance and finished with a strong run.
There was a real battle between Toby Cooke, Louis Dawson & Archie
Stewart in the TriStar2 (TS2) boys race with Toby narrowly pipping the
other 2 by 2 seconds. Katie Tasker had another solid race but was not
helped by the 'shorter' distance to come 2nd in the TS2 girls race.
For the TS3 race Sam Garner and Rhiannon Loutit both battled hard in
very hot conditions to record personal bests.
We had 4 competitor's in the Youth race, with Jonathan Oakey finishing
a close 2nd, closely followed by Liam Stokes in 4th, Daniel Amps-
Woodward in 7th & Oliver Seekins in 9th.
Jonathan Oakey & Katie Tasker have both qualified to race in the IRC
(Inter Regional Championships) for the National title in their Age
Groups, at Mallory Park in Leicestershire on 6th September. This is the
1st time that 2 PACTRAC Juniors have qualified for this event. This
will involve a swim in the lake, before cycling around the Motor Racing
Circuit and running down the pit lane to the finish. Both are very
excited about this event and look forward to representing their region
in the National Championships.
Senior race:
11. Emma Walker 4:17 16:21 11:49 = 32:27 AG 4.
TriStart
11. Lois Walker 1:32 6:23 2:32 = 10:27
8. Joseph Pickering 1:39 5:10 2:06 = 8:55
TriStar 1
4. Olivia Corner 2:12 6:51 3:48 = 12:51
12. Lottie Tasker 2:43 9:10 4:28 = 16:21
7. Bert Papworth 1:49 6:57 4:00 = 12:46
13. Safford Hewitt- White 2:16 7:41 4:03 = 14:00
19. Marcus Amps-Woodward 2:45 7:49 4:36 = 15:10
TriStar 2
2. Katie Tasker 2:38 8:06 5:24 = 16:08
23. Kirsten Loutit 3:06 11:20 8:49 = 23:15
17. Connor Walker 2:41 9:28 5:59 = 18:08
24. Joe Garner 3:36 10:42 5:48 = 20:06
26. Toby Cooke 3:55 10:26 6:24 = 20:45
27. Louis Dawson 3:57 10:08 6:41 = 20:46
28. Archie Stewart 3:13 10:11 7:25 = 20:49
TriStar 3
11. Rhiannon Loutit 3:32 12:57 8:28 = 24:57
8. Sam Garner 4:36 12:39 7:54 = 25:09
Youth
2. Jonathan Oakey 3:06 10:33 8:04 = 21:43
4. Liam Stokes 2:50 11:44 8:06 = 22:40
7. Daniel Amps-Woodward 3:55 13:04 9:32 = 26:31
9. Oliver Seekins 3:18 12:46 10:43 = 26:47
-----------------
Paul Lunn recorded a 10 mile TT PB on Saturday in 20:30
-----------------
PACTRAC had 6 Juniors racing in the Ipswich Triathlon, with Jonathan
Oakey (OAKEY) and Katie Tasker returning to winning ways.
Jonathan turned in a fantastic performance to beat some
highly fancied competition.
Katie Tasker had her best performance for a while to win by over 30
seconds.
Olivia Corner was head to head with her main rival, as they raced to
the line, narrowly being pipped on the finishing line.
Bert Papworth had a really strong swim and came a creditable 6th.
Connor Walker benefited from the experience and his swim time was good,
before dropping back slightly on the hills on the challenging bike and
run course.
Lottie Tasker, despite coming off her bike in T2, picked herself up and
finish well.
From 6 entrants, we had 2 x 1sts and a 2nd in the respective Age Groups
– More silverware for the PACTRAC Juniors, which included 3 who had the
fastest bike splits.
All bodes well for this weekend’s racing where Katie & Jonathan race
for National titles on Sunday at Mallory Park.
Category
TS1 - Girls
2. Olivia Corner 2:22 5:37 4:59 = 12:58
19. Lottie Tasker 3:03 7:38 6:56 = 17:37
TS1 Boys
6. Bert Papworth 2:05 5:35 5:26 = 13:06
TS2 - Girls
1. Katie Tasker 3:23 9:18 08:8 = 20:49
TS2 - Boys
17. Connor Walker 3:24 11:07 9:06 = 23:37
Youth - Boys
1. Jonathan Oakey 5:51 14:18 9:39 = 29:48
-----------------------
The Vitruvian Triathlon took place at Rutland Water on Saturday.
Distances were:
swim 1900 meters in Rutland Water from Whitwell.
bike 53 miles - 2 hilly laps around Oakham, Uppingham, Morcott, Ketton
and Empingham.
run 13.1 miles - over the Dam to Normanton Church and back.
Christina Cork recorded our best Age Group position. Christina moved up
to lead her Age Group on the bike, but was caught by one girl on the
run, to finish a great 2nd in her Age Group.
Abi Schofield just missed out on a Podium in 4th spot.
We had athletes in 3 of the Relay Teams, with Dave Patmore-Hill doing
the swim for the winning Erdinger team.
Emma Cranfield did the swim for the 3rd placed Rutland Posse team.
Pedro Polson also did the swim for Team Polson.
73. Richard Nixon 33:03 2:26:26 1:45:12 = 4:44:41 AG 9.
155. Abi Schofield 29:59 2:58:32 1:30:57 = 4:59:28 AG 4.
177. Daniel Fitzjohn 43:33 2:40:49 1:39:36 = 5:03:58 AG 33.
210. Steve Skelhon 36:11 2:39:02 1:53:54 = 5:09:07 AG 22.
279. Christina Cork 36:45 2:35:57 2:07:20 = 5:20:02 AG 2.
390. Paul Frampton 42:03 2:44:14 2:07:20 = 5:33:37 AG 64.
457. Andrew Russell 38:53 2:40:44 2:28:09 = 5:47:46 AG 74.
467. Simon Taylor 50:28 2:48:57 2:09:58 = 5:49:23 AG 54.
6. Team Erdinger 34:29 2:26:21 1:14:12 = 4:15:02 1st team
48. Team Anderson 33:16 2:37:27 1:27:33 = 4:38:16 3rd team
139. Team Polson 32:29 2:53:43 1:30:12 = 4:56:24
--------------------
The World 70.3 Half-Ironman Championships came to Europe for the first
time, and were held at Zell Am See-Kaprun in Austria.
Distances were:
swim 1900 meters in the lake.
bike 56 miles providing athletes with stunning views of the Austrian
Alps.
run 13.1 miles circumnavigating the lake.
2 PACTRACers, Roger Canham and Robin Brookes, had qualified for the
race, whilst ex-PACTRACer Harold Frobisher, now living in the USA, also
competed. Harold came just outside of the top ten in his 60-64 year Age
Group, moving up the field on a tough run course. He joined PACTRAC
back in 1985 and helped to form it into the club it is today.
Robin Brookes said "It was tough on the run course in that heat."
445. Roger Canham 30:37 2:36:14 1:40:46 = 4:47:37 AG 13.
1279 Robin Brookes 34:52 3:02:13 1:47:56 = 5:25:01 AG 90.
1342 Harold Frobisher 37:14 3:11:41 1:39:47 = 5:28:42 AG 11.
-------------------
Daventry Sprint Triathlon.
swim 400 meters
bike 12.5 miles
run 3 miles
62. Ros Goatly 7:31 44:34 22:45 = 74:50 AG 3rd.
-----------------
In the Castle Chantilly Half-Ironman distance race in France, Neil
Tandy was heading for a top-5 position overall, but had to pull out on
the run. A shame, as this would have been a great result for Neil.
------------------
Nathan wins the Mini-Series in the final event by just 16 seconds.
Mini-Series 1.
PACTRAC held their 1st Mini-Series Triathlon of 2015 at Oundle pool
last Wednesday.
Swim: 400 yards - 8 lengths of Oundle
Pool.
Bike: 10 miles - 1 loop around Glapthorn and the Benefields.
Run: 3.5 miles - out to Glapthorn and back.
Nathan Tweedie recorded his 3rd Mini-Series win, following on from his
two wins last year.
In last year's Mini-Series 9, he reduced his own Swim Course record
down by 1-second to 4:02 minutes. On Wednesday, Nathan equalled that
feat, with another 4:02.
Nathan also recorded another PB; his 49:05 reducing his time by 3
seconds, taking him ever-closer to the 49-minute barrier that has only
been broken by Matt Gunby, Josh Daniels and Simon Hoppe in the past.
On Wednesday, Nathan was 1 minute slower on the bike due to the
excessive winds, but 1 minute quicker on the run, to record an overall
PB by just 3 seconds. On a better night for cycling, he is due to break
that 49-minute barrier soon.
26 athletes started this race, with over half - 14 coming out of the
water in under 6-minutes. Nathan had a lead of 11 seconds from GB
athlete, Kim Bell; with Simon Hoppe, a minute down at this stage, just
ahead of Liam Stokes and Abi Schofield. a long gap of 23 seconds
ensued, before the next 9 athletes all came out within 20 seconds of
each other.
It was a windy night for biking, with Simon making up just 8 seconds,
and Matt Greenhill moving up into 3rd position. Nathan had the fastest
run of the night to pull away and win by nearly 3 minutes. Simon held
onto 2nd, with a fast run from Wayne Stainsby pushing Matt back into
4th.
Sean Beard was over 3 minutes behind in the swim, but moved up to 11th
on the bike and 5th after the run.
6th and 7th went to Rob Hammond and Stefan Lawrence who had the same
swim and run times, with just 18 seconds separating them on the bike.
1st lady was Kim Bell in 11th position, returning from International
Duty with the GB Elite Squad to knock 2:28 off of her PB.
Another promising Junior is Liam Stokes, who recorded 58:37 for 12th
place in his first Mini-Series. 14 athletes beat the hour on a windy
but dry night.
This Wednesday sees the Novice-only Mini-Series, where other juniors
are expected to make their debuts.
–---------------------------
PACTRAC held their annual Novice Mini-Series at Oundle last
Wednesday. The distances and Course were the same as usual:
swim 400
yards in Oundle Pool - 8 lengths.
Bike 10 miles around Glapthorn and
the Benefields on this undulating, sporting course, with 2 uphills, and
2 fast descents.
run 3.5 miles out to Glapthorn and back.
We had 20
Novices competing on another windy but dry night. 18 of the 20 did
Personal Best times, because they were either competing for the first
time or have only recently started competing in the Mini-Series (within
the last year); but all have just started out on their triathlon
journey.
Liam Stokes led the swimmers out with Jonathan Oakey right
on
his tail. Another 3 swimmers soon followed before a gap of nearly 1
1/2
minutes to 6th placed Nicholas Partridge. Marcus Widdess was just
12
seconds behind Jonathan, but moved into the lead on the bike, coming
into T2 39 seconds ahead. Fastest cyclist on the night was Nigel
Tomlinson who moved into 3rd spot, over 2 minutes behind the leading
two, with Liam holding onto 4th, a further 43 seconds behind.
Jonathan
had the fastest run of the night by 2 minutes and overtook Marcus as
the pair left Oundle on their way to Glapthorn and back. Liam moved
back up into 3rd and Josh Mould moved up to 4th, finally catching Robin
Laukaitis in a sprint finish.
The top 4 athletes were all Juniors
ranging from 15 to 18 years of age. Nathan Tweedie won the first Mini-
Series of the year, last week, and he is in his last year as a Junior.
Some promising talent is pushing through behind him.
The first
lady
was Amy Young in 11th place. Amy only started in the sport last
year
and was the most experienced Mini-Series athlete in the race,
producing
a PB in this, her 9th attempt.
–------------------
PACTRAC held their 2nd Mini-Series (plus the Novice race) at Oundle
last Wednesday.
Nathan Tweedie smashed his own swim record, bringing it
down from 4:02 to 3:56. He came out of the water 1:21 ahead of the next
swimmer, Abi Schofield.
Nathan's best swim times have been:
2012 - 4:12
2013 - 4:07
2014 - 4:02.
So far in 2015 he has recorded 4:02 and 3:56 showing that even with
having to train for 3 disciplines, he is still improving in the swim.
Nathan was only 1 second away from his best bike time to come into T2
in just 27:34. When Matt Gunby broke the Course Record back in 2009 he
recorded 27:23 for the first 2 disciplines.
However, Nathan suffered with cramp on the run and the race was won by
Paul Vernon in a PB of 48:25. Paul joined an elite group of athletes
who have recorded sub-49 minute times:
Josh Daniels (3 times), Matt Gunby, Simon Hoppe and now PAUL VERNON.
Paul recorded the 5th fastest time ever on the course
2009 Matt Gunby 0:04:43 0:22:40 0:19:11 = 46:34
2010 Josh Daniels 0:04:07 0:23:49 0:19:27 = 47:23
2008 Josh Daniels 0:04:24 0:22:47 0:20:19 = 47:30
2010 Josh Daniels 0:04:09 0:23:22 0:20:00 = 47:31
2015 Paul Vernon 0:06:18 0:22:32 0:19:35 = 48:25
2009 Simon Hoppe 0:04:52 0:22:28 0:21:28 = 48:48
Paul was only 4 seconds off of taking Simon Hoppe's bike course record,
as he recorded the 2nd fastest bike split ever, even with a bit of wind
around.
This was also the 5th time that Paul has gone under 20 minutes for the
run, as he recorded the 3rd fastest run-split for the course, 24
seconds behind Matt Gunby's record, with only Josh Daniels having also
gone faster.
Nathan led the swimmers out in a Course Record time of 3:56. Abi
Schofield followed 1:21 minutes later, with a steady stream of 8
swimmers out in under 6-minutes. Paul Vernon was 11th= at this point.
Paul then had the fastest bike split, by over a minute, but was still 1:
16 minutes behind Nathan at this point. Wayne Stainsby moved up to 3rd,
a further 1:21 behind, whilst Rob Hammond held onto 4th place only
another 18-seconds adrift.
However, with Nathan suffering from cramp, he managed to hold Paul off
until the return run, back to Oundle. He hung on gallantly to finish,
thereby assuring the swim record, but was also overtaken by Wayne with
400 meters to go. Nathan's day will come, as he has already ran a 20:24
this year.
First lady was Abi Schofield, who managed to catch Christina Cork on
the run. Third lady was Sue Burnett who held off another promising
Junior making her debut, Hannah Bassett, in a sprint finish. Hannah was
delighted to beat her dad, Dan. No doubt, there will be some battles
ahead between these two, but Hannah's running may make her difficult to
beat.
–-------------------
In the 3rd PACTRAC Mini-Series Triathlon of this year, Nathan Tweedie
did a Personal Best time by 1:43 minutes to win the race by nearly 4-
minutes from Sean Beard, who also recorded a new PB.
Nathan's time of 47:22 is the 2nd fastest ever on the course, and only
48 seconds behind Matt Gunby's Course Record. Sean's PB is an
improvement on his previous 2008 time by 7 seconds, largely due to a
much improved swim.
Nathan led the swimmers out in a superfast 4:01, 17-seconds ahead of
Junior, Jonathan Arnold, making his debut. Liam Stokes made it 3
Junior's in the top 3, with Abi Schofield just ahead of Richard Moys in
4th. Sean was out in 21st position, over 2 1/2 minutes behind Nathan.
Nathan easily held onto his lead on the bike, coming in 2:44 ahead of
Jaap Flikweert. 8 cyclists recorded sub 31 minutes into T2, including
Sean who moved up to 8th. With Nathan and Sean having the fastest 2 run
splits, Nathan extended his lead to 3:54 over Sean. Steve Giles and
Chris Brennan moved up the field on the run, and were only separated by
8 seconds at the finish.
19 athletes beat the hour, with 15 recording PBs.
Results are on http://www.pactrac.co.uk
–-----------------
PACTRAC held their 4th Mini-Series Triathlon of the season at Oundle
last Wednesday.
The usual course and distances apply: swim 400 yards,
bike 10-miles, run 3.5-miles.
Paul Vernon won his 2nd Mini-Series race this year - with Nathan
Tweedie having won the other 2. (In their only head-to-head, Paul won
Mini-Series 2 with Nathan having calf problems on the run.). The best 5
results count for the Trophy.
Sean Beard came 2nd for the second consecutive week. The top 3 athletes
in the Novice Mini (all Juniors), were all competing again, and
finished in the same 1-2-3 with Jonathan Oakey 3rd overall and Marcuss
Widdess 5th overall, both in PB times, whilst Liam Stokes was a minute
down on last weeks PB.
Jaap Flikweert completed his first triathlon this year, finishing the
run without any niggles in 4th place.
Liam Stokes was first out of the water in 4:52 just ahead of Jonathan,
with Marcus 3rd. The Juniors were showing the way, but Tony Daniels was
right on Marcus's feet. Paul Vernon was 1 1/2 minutes behind with Sean
a further 30 seconds down. Paul then had the fastest bike of the night
and came into T2 15 seconds ahead of Tony. Jaap and Sean were nearly a
minute and a half behind, with Steve Skelhon hard on their heels in his
first Mini-Series race, and Jonathan and Marcus just 10 more seconds
behind.
Paul had the fastest run of the night to extend his lead over Sean who
had the 2nd fastest run. Jonathan moved up 3 places on the run to
secure 3rd place overall from Jaap in a sprint finish.
14 athletes beat the hour, whilst 1st and 2nd lady also went to a
sprint finish. Another PACTRAC Junior, Hannah Bassett (in her first
season against the seniors), led Sue Burnett (a PACTRACer back in the
1980s and '90s) by 27 seconds after the swim. Sue had a faster bike by
44 seconds, and caught Hannah on the downhill sections on the return to
Oundle. Sue had a 17 second lead going into the run, but just couldn't
hold off the up-and-coming Hannah, who had a faster run by just 22
seconds, catching Sue in the last 1/4 mile and sprinting ahead to take
the accolades by just 5-seconds.
–-----------------
The 5th Mini-Series Triathlon incorporated the 2nd Novice Triathlon
and had 34 competitors. 15 beat the hour with 16 PBs on the night but
only 4 PBs amongst the top 15.
Nathan Tweedie held the lead in the Series (best 5 to count) by virtue
of having completed 4 races so far (winning 2), to Paul Vernon's 3, but
Paul has won all 3 of his outings so far this year.
Paul Vernon won this 5th encounter by over 2 minutes from Nathan, with
Sean Beard taking his 3rd top 3 position of the series.
Nathan led the swimmers out in 4:06 with Jonathan Arnold 2nd in 4:23
and Jonathan Oakey 3rd in 4:57. All 3 are Juniors. Abi Schofield was
just 11 seconds further back. Paul Vernon was in 15th place just over 2-
minutes behind Nathan.
Paul had the fastest bike split of the night by a long way, and came
in, off of the bike in 1st position, just 9 seconds ahead of Nathan. It
was over a minute before Peter Harris came in, with 5 competitors all
within 7 seconds of each other.
Paul had the fastest run of the night too, and completed his 2nd sub 49-
minute race of this year's Series, just 11 seconds behind his PB from 3-
weeks ago. Paul had the 6th fastest bike split ever on this course, as
well as the 6th fastest run split and finished with the 7th fastest
time ever on this course. His bike split was only 14 seconds shy of the
record.
Nathan came home 2nd, whilst Sean Beard had the fastest run of the 5
who came in off the bike almost together, and he recorded a fine 3rd
place. Junior, Jonathan Oakey knocked a further 22-seconds off his PB
to finish 6th. Abi Schofield was overtaken by Christina Cork on the
bike, but regained the lead on the run to finish 1st lady in 10th place
overall. Dan Bassett beat daughter Hannah, another Junior, for the
first time in 3 attempts.
–--------------------
PACTRAC MINI-SERIES 6 AT Oundle.
Just 20 competitor's lined up on a very hot night. Most of the regulars
were put off by the extreme heat, but 4 of PACTRAC's 5 competitor's who
will be competing for GB in Geneva this weekend were relishing the
opportunity to get some early acclimatisation for the expected heat
wave in Europe.
We had a water station out on the course, for the first time this year,
and it was needed, even for such a short distance race.
Henry Morton led the swimmers out, 15 seconds ahead of Abi Schofield.
Simon Hoppe and Tony Daniels were right on her heals. Henry managed to
hold the gap on the bike, with Simon gaining another 30 seconds on
Tony, now in 3rd. There was a further gap of 95 seconds to Craig Mills
in 4th.
Henry had the fastest run of the night to win by nearly a minute from
Simon. Dave Allsop moved up into 3rd place, and Abi who had dropped to
10th after the bike, moved back up to 4th overall on the run. Both
Henry and Abi did PBs and look good for Geneva this weekend.
Both Dan Bassett and daughter Hannah did PBs with Dan just holding on
to make it 2-2 in the family rivalry.
–-----------------------
Last Wednesday saw the 7th Mini-Series Triathlon of this year's
series, held at Oundle, over the usual course and distances (400 yards,
10 miles, 3.5 miles).
Nathan Tweedie led the swimmers out, 28 seconds ahead of newcomer
Thomas Lane. The swimmers were quite spread out, with 11 beating 6-
minutes, and Paul Vernon 14th in 6:10.
Paul was 2 minutes behind Nathan, but had the fastest bike split on the
night by 1:19 minutes from Jaap Flikweert, who moved up to 4th. Tony
Daniels was 3rd off the bike, but now nearly a minute behind Paul. Paul
had moved to just 32 seconds behind Nathan for the start of the run, as
11 athletes came into T2 in under 32 minutes.
However, Paul and Nathan kept a similar distance apart throughout the
3.5 mile run, with Paul gaining just 6 seconds to come home 26 seconds
behind a triumphant Nathan. This is Paul's 3rd sub 49 minute Mini-
Series, all done this year. Nathan recorded his fastest ever run on the
course to keep Paul behind.
The Mini-Series Trophy is up for grabs between these two. Both have now
won 3 races, but with Henry Morton winning last week, they cannot win 5
each. With your best 5 to count, both also have 1 second place. Nathan
currently leads by virtue of his 3rd place in Mini nr.2 but Paul has a
race in hand:
1. Nathan Tweedie 47 points.
2. Paul Vernon 39 points.
There are still 3 races to go including tonight (Wednesday).
3rd home was Richard Moys who was 4th out of the water and had a solid
race all-round; whilst 4th was junior, Jonathan Oakey, in another new
PB, his 4th in 4 races. Jonathan was catching Richard, but ran out of
road to come home just 9 seconds adrift.
14 athletes beat the hour, with junior, Josh Mould, just outside but
recording his 7th PB from 8 races.
Further back Paul Jephcott came from 1:24 behind at the end of the bike
to catch Oliver Herbage, with the pair crossing the line together in a
sprint finish. Laura Johnson was the only female racing tonight.
–--------------------
PACTRAC Mini-Series 8.
In the 8th of 10 Mini-Series Triathlons from Oundle, Nathan Tweedie
recorded his 4th win so far. Nathan now has 49 points with Paul Vernon,
who didn't compete tonight, on 39 with 1 race in hand. With 2 Mini-
Series left, it's still all to play for.
Abi Schofield won the ladies Mini-Series Trophy without even competing
in Mini-Series 8. 3 of her rivals also didn't compete, whilst Sue
Burnett needed a win but came 2nd. With 2 races to go, Abi wins this
year's Trophy.
Nathan was first out of the water, 72 seconds ahead of Robin Laukaitis,
with Susie Freeman just 12 seconds further back, 14 seconds ahead of
Jon Crowley, who had a gap of 16 seconds over 6 chasing athletes.
Nathan had the fastest bike of the night, to extend his lead, whilst
Sean Beard had the 2nd fastest, to move up to 5th overall. Mark
Weathersby came in off of the bike in 2nd place, nearly 3-minutes down
on Nathan. 5 further athletes were within a minute of Mark. Sean then
made some in-roads into Nathan's lead on the run, with Nathan easing up
because of some big Junior races coming up. Nathan won by 2:07 minutes,
whilst the quickest run of the night saw Adam Madge, in his first year
in triathlon, moving up to 9th. Susie Freeman was first lady, whilst
Junior, Josh Mould, beat the hour for the first time, to record his 8th
PB in 9 races. He's come a long way since his debut 1:11:20 last year,
and tonight took nearly 90 seconds off his best bike time.
–-----------------
Mini-Series 9.
Richard Moys won the penultimate Mini-
Series Triathlon for the year. Richard
won his first Mini-Series race
last year, and in 3 races so far in 2015
has come 6th, 3rd and now 1st
again.
Richard led out of the water,
followed 38-seconds later by
Antony Brown, who was using this race as a
sharpener for Sunday's
National Championships in Liverpool (last
Sunday). Antony took over the
lead on the bike with his usual superfast
23:47 split to come into T2 a
minute ahead. However, Richard had the
faster run, and he gradually
really Antony in just before Oundle on the
return leg. Scott Lloyd had
the fastest run of the night, to haul
himself up into 3rd place, whilst
Susie Freeman was again the first
lady home.
Dan Bassett just held off
his daughter Hannah (aged 13), to
take the family honours 3-2 in their
head-to-head's to date.
Neither
Nathan Tweedie nor Paul Vernon
competed, so with 1 race to go
(tonight), Nathan still leads with 49
points whilst Paul has 39 with 1
race in hand (it's the best 5 to
count). Paul needs a win tonight to
take a share of the honours and the
Trophy.
–------------
The PACTRAC Mini-Series came to a fitting end on Wednesday, with the
two leading contenders fighting it out head-to-head. Nathan Tweedie
went into this final race on 49 points with 4 wins and a 2nd so far for
his best 5. Paul Vernon had a race in hand with 3 wins and a 2nd for 39
points. All of Paul's points tonight would, therefore, count, whilst
Nathan could only improve with a win. Paul needed to win to gain a
share of the Trophy with Nathan, otherwise Nathan would win the Trophy
outright.
The ladies Trophy had already been settled, with Abi Schofield having
an unassailable lead, and Abi was fittingly the first lady home
tonight. She now has the maximum of 50-points.
Nathan was first out of the water, 35 seconds ahead of Thomas Lane who
was making his debut. Junior, Liam Stokes, was the only other
competitor to beat 5-minutes. Abi Schofield was in 4th place, 1:09 down
on Nathan, as she led 10 swimmers out within the next 30 seconds. Paul
Vernon had a slow swim, 20-seconds down on his best this year, as he
tried a different tactic of leading a lane, rather than sitting in for
a tow.
Paul had the fastest bike ride of the night, and from 17th out of the
water, reduced his deficit on Nathan from 2:24 to just 28 seconds. Paul
gained 15 places in doing so, with Antony Brown just a further 12-
seconds down in 3rd. Wayne Stainsby moved up to 4th whilst Sean Beard
came into T2 in 31:00 minutes and 9th place.
Nathan and Paul were left to slug it out on the run, with both
recording sub 20-minute splits. Paul was in some borrowed shoes, but
still completed the run section in 19:33, his best for the series, (and
the 3rd best run ever after Matt Gunby and Josh Daniels). He could only
reduce the deficit on Nathan from 28 seconds down to 16 seconds, as
Nathan also had his best run split by 5-seconds to record the 7th
fastest run ever on the course (only the above 3 names have ever gone
better). Paul was gradually reeling him in, but only gradually and the
Series Trophy was settled by 16 seconds - after Paul was 20-seconds
down on his best in the swim. All very close.
Sean Beard moved up to 3rd overall with his best run for 5-years,
whilst Wayne gained 1 place and lost 1 to retain 4th overall.
Overall 13 athletes recorded top 3 finishes in the 10-race series with
Nathan taking 5 wins, early leader Paul taking 3 and Henry Morton and
Richard Moys 1 apiece.
Simon Hoppe took a couple of 2nd places - his first season without a
win since 2007 when he was injured and didn't compete in any. Sean
Beard took 3 seconds and 2 third places for 43 points and 3rd
overall.
Altogether 87 different athletes took part in the series. Including the
Novice-only race, we had 11 Wednesday night Mini-Series Triathlons with
an average of over 25 athletes per competition. Another great summer
series comes to an end as the nights now start to draw in.
Results are on http://www.pactrac.co.uk
July: Simon and Nathan both win at Tallington! 8 in ETU Geneva incl Georgina with GOLD. 8 Ironmen. Katie wins 8 on the trot! Antony SILVER in the National Champs. 15 Age Group wins.
279 young triathletes competed in the Rob McLean Junior Triathlon
organised by Cambridge Triathlon Club at Impington.
TriStar 1
9. Olivia Corner 3:49 7:45 5:44 = 17:18 1st
female.
Olivia was first female and 9th from 73 in the TriStar 1 race. She
took
the lead in T1 and extended it slightly on the bike. The top two
girls
then had similar run's, with Olivia winning by 14 seconds.
TriStar 2
3. Katie Tasker 4:02 12:44 8:20 = 25:06 1st female.
Katie was the first female and 3rd overall in the TriStar 2 race from
87 in the Age Group (male and female). Katie was beaten in the sprint
finish by the 2nd placed male, to finish a fine 3rd overall. This is
the 6th win on the trot for Katie in the TriStar 2 category.
Youth
15. Liam Stokes 6:01 18:31 10:05 = 34:37
------------
Two PACTRACers chose to step up in distance and compete in their very
first Half-Ironman distance triathlons.
Neil Tandy raced in The Gauntlet Half-Ironman distance triathlon at
Castle Cholmondeley.
swim 1.2 miles, bike 60 miles, run 13.1 miles.
27. Neil Tandy 30:17 2:42:48 2:05:05 = 5:18:10
------------
Steve Giles took his first step up to the Half-Ironman distance, at
the
Cowman Half-Ironman triathlon at Emberton Lake, Milton Keynes.
The distances were: swim 1.2 miles, bike 58 miles, run 13.1 miles.
Steve Giles came from behind to gain many places on the bike and
particularly the run.
43. Steve Giles 43:19 2:42:47 1:39:23 = 5:05:29
-------------
Tallington - Pactrac had the highest representation of any club at
Tallington with 14 competitors over the two distances.
We had 11 in the Sprint distance, and a further 3 in the Standard
distance races, taking 4 of the 6 available Podium places.
Nathan Tweedie in his first ever Standard distance triathlon, won
convincingly, with a 5-minute lead after the swim! He then extended
his
lead on both the bike and run splits to come home over 13 minutes
ahead
of PACTRACs Wayne Stainsby in 3rd. Ross Murphy in 2nd place had a
Timing Chip malfunction, so we're not sure exactly how far Nathan won
the race by. Ross is the son of PACTRAC's Terry Murphy (and is
competing in Ironman Bolton in two weeks time), so a good day for
PACTRAC all round.
In the Sprint distance race, PACTRAC also had a 1-3 with Simon Hoppe
racing hard for first place, coming into T2 with Antony Brown right
on
his wheel. Simon soon ran clear on the run and extended his lead to
win
by 1:40 minutes. Antony was just caught before the finish, but held
onto 3rd place by just 6 seconds from a fast approaching 4th
competitor.
9 PACTRACers recorded a top 3 placing in their Age Group with 5
winning their Age Group including Ros Goatly.
1. Simon Hoppe 12:04 42:59 19:34 = 74:37 Age Group 1st.
3. Antony Brown 12:38 42:37 21:21 = 76:36 AG 1st.
22. Michael Shadwell 15:24 50:56 22:18 = 88:38 AG 4.
23. Gary Shoemake 15:47 49:16 23:36 = 88:39 AG 4.
25. Ros Goatly 14:42 49:39 24:45 = 89:06 AG 1st.
32. Jonathan Webb 17:31 50:30 22:57 = 90:58 AG 5.
34 Simon Guerin 12:30 55:49 23:35 = 91:54 AG 2.
57. Chris Waghorn 14:57 58:27 26:20 = 99:44 AG 11.
66. Cameron Brookes 21:19 57:32 21:57 = 1:40:48 AG 3rd.
68. Sue Davys 17:56 56:36 27:12 = 1:41:44 AG 2nd.
77. Paul Beland 22:27 56:37 24:34 = 1:43:38 AG 5.
-------
1. Nathan Tweedie 19:41 75:49 34:29 = 2:09:59 AG 1st.
3. Wayne Stainsby 27:05 78:56 37:34 = 2:23:35 AG 1st.
7. Robin Brookes 25:50 82:12 38:46 = 2:26:48 AG 2nd.
------------
8 PACTRACers competed in Geneva in the European Triathlon
Championship races, alongside 2,000 of the best triathletes from across
Europe. 5 competed in the Sprint, 2 in the Standard distance plus Sue
Davys in the accompanying Open Race (no results are available for this
at the moment).
High temperatures prevailed across most of Europe, with Geneva
experiencing extremely high temperatures, which remained throughout the
event.
Distances: Swim 750 m (1 loop); Bike 12.75 miles (3 laps); Run 3-miles
(2 laps). Water temperature 19.2º C. Wetsuit swim.
Georgina Jennings won the GOLD MEDAL by 17:32 minutes in the Sprint
Triathlon Championships. She was the oldest GB competitor there, and
competing in the sweltering heat, won Gold in the 70-74 Age Group.
Georgina also beat 11 out of the 13 in the Age Group below her, and was
very pleased with her efforts.
Results:
1. Georgina Jennings (70-74) 19:41 53:38 30:34 = 1:43:53 GOLD
MEDAL. Georgina won by 17:32 minutes and led from the start.
12. Abi Schofield (25-29) 12:38 46:04 19:43 = 78:25 Although
6th Brit, Abi was also less than 3-minutes from a Podium spot. 4th out
of the water, Abi lost a bit of time on the bike when her chain came
off. She had the 2nd fastest run to pull herself back into
contention.
13. Henry Morton (20-24) 11:11 39:12 18:26 = 68:49 3rd Brit.
Less than 3-minutes from a Podium spot.
23. Jon Dundee (35-39) 14:01 40:18 21:00 = 75:19 11th
Brit.
Tracy McCartney unfortunately didn't finish. After a competitive 17:11
swim, Tracy was going well on the bike, before firstly just missing a
stray car that had ventured onto the course, pulling out in front of
her on a steep 30mph decent; only to then shortly after, break her
chain in two, cycling up the next hill, and having to retire.
Others:
Women's 16-19 years old.
2. Kayleigh Adams 12:28 42:36 21:58 = 77:02
Kayleigh had a 56 second advantage going into the run, but just lost
out on the Gold Medal by 2-seconds in a sprint finish.
Women's PT4.
1. Lauren Steadman 10:33 35:10 20:57 = 66:40
Lauren led a British 1-2-3 home by over 3-minutes, having led the race
right from the gun.
Here is a photo of Georgina Jennings and Abi Schofield. http://bebrash.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/image8-300x300.jpg
Also - https://scontent-lhr3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xpt1/v/t1.0-9/11694950_867423043330310_8265372957099361846_n.jpg?oh=74098b7c07e8dbf32ea957621ab0c306&oe=56243170
is of Abi Schofield.
-----------
Standard Distance.
Distances: Swim 1500 m (1 loop); Bike 25.5
miles (2 laps), Run 6.25 miles (3 laps). Water temperature 21º C.
Wetsuit swim.
6. Antony Brown (55-59) 25:46 66:45 45:41 = 2:18:12 1st Brit
and was 3rd going into the run.
56. Stephen Hope (50-54) 31:40 74:50 44:07 = 2:30:37 19th Brit.
Others.
55. Gilles Corby (50-54) 29:40 75:14 45:21 = 2:30:15 BRJ
competing for France.
Open Race.
Sue Davys - no results available yet.
-------------
In the St.Neots Triathlon Andrew Russell (Standard distance) and Tim
Henson (Sprint distance), both came 3rd in their respective Age
Groups.
Andrew Russell 26:34 84:02 49:34 = 2:40:10 Age Group 3rd.
Tim Henson 14:43 43:30 19:14 = 1:17:27 AG 3rd.
Gary Shoemake 14:31 46:23 21:57 = 1:22:51 AG 5.
------------
6 PACTRACers competed in the Pitsford Triathlon from the Brixworth
Country Park in Northamptonshire. Sean Pooley was the first clubman
home in 9th overall, with both Sean and Emily John-Davis coming 2nd in
their respective Age Groups.
9. Sean Pooley 24:54 66:55 44:42 = 2:16:31 AG 2nd.
29. Nicholas Forscutt 28:56 73:49 46:26 = 2:29:11 AG 7.
39. Craig Mills 26:07 75:34 50:54 = 2:32:35 AG 8.
55. Paul Frampton 30:22 75:47 51:40 = 2:37:49 AG 7.
80. David Pooley 29:40 85:36 50:59 = 2:46:15 AG 15.
120.Emily John-Davis 31:26 92:02 56:29 = 2:59:57 AG 2nd.
------------
4 PACTRACers competed in Challenge Roth, near Nurnberg, in Germany.
This is over the classic Ironman-distances of:
swim 2.4 miles
bike 112 miles
run 26.2 miles
Challenge Roth is one of the most iconic races in the
calendar, with thousands of spectators lining the route, the whole town
coming out to support, and entries closing each year in literally 2-
minutes from opening.
2 PACTRACers went into the race with injuries and, therefore, wisely
didn't finish the run. Roger Canham pulled out with a foot injury,
whilst Giles Cooper went into the race with a stress fracture. No
results are available for Giles, but he did complete the swim and bike
stages, in high temperature's, reaching 84oF. The water was warm, but
just cool enough to stay the right side of wetsuit's being allowed.
Giles said: "Not the best of days at Roth. I couldn't do the run due to
a stress fracture and some kind sole removed my timing chip on the swim
in a frenzied start. I managed the swim and bike but got no official
times!"
Roger Canham writes:
"one of the most famous long distance triathlons on the planet with one
of the deepest fields outside Kona. In addition, I really wasn’t sure I
would be able to complete the marathon after my foot pain had not
disappeared despite extensive rest since the Staffordshire Half-
Ironman.
I exited the water in 10th place in the Age Group.
T1 and T2 were fantastically organised and the volunteers superbly
drilled, it doesn’t get much better. Quickly onto my bike and ready to
tackle the bike course. It is billed as an "uber-fast" bike course but
actually, whilst the road surfaces are excellent, it really rolls,
taking in 1500m of elevation over the two laps. I got the first lap
under my belt in exactly 2:30 but really didn’t feel as though I had
held back so I resolved to pedal easier on the second, capping my HR
and power lower down. The second lap was 2:36 and I felt much better as
I approached T2. Off the bike in a total of 06:14 and in third place in
the Age Group, 13 minutes behind the leader.
At 5.25 miles the shooting pains returned in my foot and I struggled to
even walk with a limp, it was game over rover. It would have been folly
to try and carry on and risk my injury turning chronic and wrecking my
chances at the two world championships I have later in the year. Only
my second DNF."
Roger has two big races coming up:
Ironman 70.3 World Championships, Zell Am See-Kaprun, Austria, 30th
August 2015.
Ironman World Championships, Kona, Hawaii, 10th October 2015.
Charlie Brookes had a consistent race all round, finishing with a Union
Jack in hand. "He did a fantastic time and race in gruelling
conditions".
"Charlie did fantastically well to battle through constant leg cramps
to finish, and beat his 12-hour target. Brilliant effort!"
1261. Charlie Brookes 1:12:23 5:57:31 4:43:09 = 11:53:03 AG 280.
1391. Steve Coombes 1:22:52 6:05:54 4:39:51 = 12:08:37 AG 307.
dnf Roger Canham 1:02:45 5:11:01
dnf Giles Cooper - no results.
-------------
3 PACTRACers took part in the Bolton Ironman at the weekend, plus Ross
Murphy, son of PACTRACer Terry. Terry spent the weekend up in Bolton
supporting and was impressed with the guts and determination of the
athletes to compete over such a long distance with lashing rain at the
start.
Both Andy Gregg and Andy Chapman completed their first Ironman races,
whilst Gary Cooper is a veteran of this distance. An Ironman is the
culmination of a year's training, with the whole season being based
around 1 day. Bolton is a tough, undulating course with a nasty hill on
the bike. the weather made it even harder.
Andy Chapman "Well what can I say. Driving rain, ridiculous headwind on
most of the bike course, and a flat run course that had more hills than
the Cotswolds!! Full Ironman itch now scratched, although another dodgy
knee put paid to the time I wanted for the run. I can't thank Jo
Chapman enough for her continued support and encouragement even if she
does have to spend many nights alone as I'm in the garage Turboing
again."
The distances were:
swim 2.4 miles in the lake.
bike 112 miles.
run 26.2 miles.
Andy Gregg writes: "2.4mile Swim - 1hr28min - Heavy rain storm
throughout, windy and wavy, just tried to keep a relaxed technique;
112mile Bike with nearly 6000ft ascent - 6hr 11min - Rain stopped after
first hour, and temp finally got above 12 degrees, but wet roads were
very scary on descents and 20mph wind continued throughout. Amazing
supporters on course especially the hills with "tour de France" style
hoards of people, music from campervans, loads of characters in fancy
dress, people running alongside shouting encouragement, even Sue &
Heidi ran up a hill together next to me - kept a very steady Power (ave
183W), and HR (ave 151, Zone2);
26.2mile Run - 3hr 51min - Sun was now out. Felt good for the first
10miles with HR~150-155, but then the hills kicked in and it really
started to hurt, especially the 2nd of 3 times up the 2.5mile long hill
from Bolton back out along Chorley Rd against the wind. Calves were
starting to feel tight, and HR dropping to 145. From 17 miles, sped
back up, but caused cramp in a hamstring at 25miles, so had to stop for
30secs to stretch it out before running to the finish to enjoy the red
carpet and Ironman archway".
223. Andy Gregg 1:28:20 6:24:52 3:50:59 = 11:44:11 AG 24.
307. Ross Murphy 1:16:33 6:42:16 4:04:36 = 12:03:25 AG 55.
315. Gary Cooper 1:05:31 6:33:16 4:28:03 = 12:06:50 AG 39.
853. Andy Chapman 1:09:33 6:43:11 5:51:37 = 13:44:21 AG 166.
Ironman and Challenge are two competing brands that both provide
Ironman-distance Triathlons throughout the world.
-------------
The Kimbolton Sprint Triathlon saw 6 Pactracers in action, with Ros
Goatly taking first in her Age Group whilst Jon Dundee and Steve Hope
were 2nd in theirs.
Distances were swim 400 meters in the pool, bike 13 miles - out to St.
Neots and back, and run 3 miles.
Lucy Alexander completed her first triathlon and said "I still don't
like swimming". First club member home, Jon Dundee, was only 90 seconds
behind the overall winner.
4. Jon Dundee 6:43 00:00:26 00:35:24 00:00:26 00:18:17 01:01:16 AG 2.
17. Steve Hope 7:22 00:00:50 00:38:55 00:00:42 00:18:52 01:06:40 AG 2.
63. Ros Goatly 7:57 00:00:52 00:42:31 00:01:13 00:22:29 01:15:01 AG 1st.
73. Pedro Polson 7:13 00:00:43 00:41:54 00:00:57 00:25:43 01:16:29 AG 4.
98.Louise Alexander 10:19 00:00:57 00:44:25 00:00:56 00:23:06 01:19:43 AG 6.
103.Nicholas Partridge 8:47 00:01:24 00:42:52 00:00:53 00:26:28 01:20:23 AG 16.
-----------
PACTRAC's Juniors were 1/2 second away from a double double last
weekend with Katie Tasker (TriStar 2) & Olivia Corner (TriStar 1), both
winning at Upminster on Saturday, then on Sunday Katie won and Olivia
came 2nd but with the same time as the winner.
They have both really improved over the course of the season and are
well placed to do well in their higher categories next year. Both
currently lead their respective Eastern Region Junior League Tables.
-------------
This weekend saw two more Junior Triathlons:
It was a fantastic day for the Juniors at Kimbolton on Saturday with 18
PACTRAC Juniors racing. The course was of 'sprint' length which suited
some but not all. There were over 400 Children racing in the grounds of
the school.
TriStart (Under 8)
Norah Brill in her 1st ever event walked away with the 1st place with
a
confident performance belying her years completing the fastest bike
and
runs. It was also a 1st event for Joesph Piickering who has recently
joined to finish 10th in the Boys race.
Tristar 1 (under 10)
Olivia corner won a hotly contested race to edge out her main rivals
again. A
solid bike ride and good turn of foot brought her victory. Hugo Brill
was
the most polite competitor ensuring his cup was safely returned to a
marshal
after a lap of the run course. Safford Hewitt-White & Lottie Tasker
showed strongly.
Tristar 2 (under 12)
Katie Tasker was narrowly pushed into 2nd place missing top spot by 3
seconds. There were improved performances by Arnie Stewart, Flo Brill,
Kirsten Loutit, Sam Oakley, Louis dawson, Sam Garner & Toby Cooke.
Katie has won her last 8 races and this puts an end to a great
sequence.
Tristar 3 (Under 14)
Matt Wouldham improving form continued and with his best run for some
time
secured him a Podium in the Boys race. Rhiannon Loutit had a strong
swim and Sam Garner ran very strongly to secure good times.
Youth (Under 16)
Liam stokes had a slight mechanical issue getting away on the bike
which
cost him a place on the podium. Coming out on the bike he was able to
match
the winner and was able to go past him on the run. Oliver Seekins
produced a spirited performance to finish mid table.
----------
Leighton Buzzard Triathlon.
3 from PACTRAC were racing at this inaugural full distance event in
very windy conditions.
Tristar1
Olivia Corner had a timing issue that resulted in a slower swim time.
Desptie this she still secured 2nd place with a strong bike and pwerful
run.
Lottie Tasker did a PB coming 5th with her trade mark speed
transitions!
Tristar 2
Katie Tasker won the event going off first and was never headed to win
by 45 seconds.
Tristar 2
1. Katie Tasker 3:28 12:06 7:49 = 23:23
Tristar 1
2. Olivia Corner 2:29 6:16 5:16 = 14:01
5. Lottie Tasker 2:47 8:09 6:30 = 17:26
----------------
The Outlaw Triathlon at Holme Pierrepoint, Nottingham was an
Ironman-distance triathlon covering:
Swim 2.4 miles in the National Watersports Rowing Lake.
Bike 112 miles.
Run 26.2 miles.
221. Graeme Hall 1:16:11 5:51:55 4:18:11 = 11:26:17. AG 15.
Graeme was up to 8th in his AG half-way through the run, but then slipped back to
15th on a tough day for racing. The weather across the country on
Sunday made any racing difficult, let alone one of this distance.
----------------
In the BigSwim at Holme Pierrepoint, Nottingham, Kate
Armstrong swam in the 5,000 metre race.
128. 1:53:15 Kate Armstrong
(52:59 + 60:16).
Kate competed in the Outlaw last year, but is
currently recovering from injury and took part in the accompanying
BibSwim instead.
----------------
Two distances were on offer in the
NiceTri LondonBrik Triathlon's at Stewartby Sailing Club, Bedford. Jon
Crowley won his Age Group in the Sprint distance coming home 8th
overall.
Standard distance: swim 1500 meters, bike 25 miles, run 6.25 miles.
42. Andrew Russell 28:21 63:06 50:26 = 2:21:53 AG 7.
59. Paul Jephcott 34:02 72:21 47:43 = 2:34:06 AG 4.
Sprint: swim 750 meters, bike 12.5 miles, run 3 miles.
8. Jon Crowley 13:07 33:50 19:43 = 1:06:40 AG 1st.
------------
The National Championships were again held in Liverpool,
over the
Standard distance of swim 1500 meters in Liverpool Docks,
whilst trying
to avoid the many Jellyfish, bike 25 miles and run 6.25
miles - both largely flat and fast on closed roads.
Antony Brown won the SILVER
MEDAL. Antony was leading his Age Group off of the bike, and
lost one place on the run.
This race was also the first of 4 qualifying races
for the 2016 World Championships next July in Mexico.
The remaining 3
races will be held early next year. The top 4 qualify
automatically,
but it may be that one of the girls above Abi Schofield
didn't put her
name down to go, so we are waiting to see if Abi has
qualified. Antony
has already decided not to travel to Mexico, but a
top 4 placing would have got him there, if he had wanted to.
73. Antony Brown 23:21 67:12 41:34 = 2:12:07 AG (55-59) 2nd.
227. Abi Schofield 23:05 83:52 39:24 = 2:26:21 AG 5th.
In the accompanying Sprint race, over half the distance:
143. Sue Davys 16:59 49:18 25:40 = 1:31:57
June: 19 Age Group wins. Nathan 4th in Bulgaria. Kim races in Germany. Dave Escapes from Alcatraz. Antony GOLD and Sue BRONZE in English Middle Champs.
The Walden Junior Triathlon took place in the pool with
over 300 children racing.
We had some really good performances at
Walden, with Olivia Corner coming 5th in Tristar1 only 20 seconds
behind the winner. Bert Papworth came a highly creditable 6th in his
first league event, after leading the swimmers out in the Tristar 1
Boys event.
Katie Tasker absolutely nailed it. She had the 2nd fastest
swim, opened up a big lead on the bike and capped it off with the 2nd
fastest run to win by a minute. She has now qualified to represent the
Eastern Region at the Inter Regional National Championships in
September. "Absolutely Marvellous" said her Dad. Katie has really
embraced the PACTRAC coached sessions at Stanground as well as
concentrating on her swimming over the winter.
TriStar 1.
6. Bert Papworth 2:33 8:25 5:51 = 16:49
13. Olivia Corner 3:06 9:02 5:50 = 17:58 5th female
TriStar 2.
4. Katie Tasker 3:05 12:39 8:37 = 24:21 1st female.
--------------
There were 3
PACTRAC Juniors racing at Mallory Park in the Children's Open Water
Triathlon's at the Racing Circuit. The event was part of the East
Midlands Junior Race Series.
Jonathan Oakey continued his good form.
He was 8th after the swim, and 1st after the bike before ending 4th
overall.
Hannah Bassett competed in her first open water swim, and
kept going to finish strongly on the run in far from ideal conditions.
Stafford Hewitt-White was 12th out of 30 in his race, and against
some strong competition, as there were lots of competitors from other
regions trying out the Mallory Park course which will be used for the
Inter Regional Championship's later in September.
----------------
Another 5 PACTRACers chose to compete in the Triathlon's at Bosworth in
Leicestershire, with Dave Allsop and Emily John-Davis (in her first
triathlon) finishing 2nd in their Age Group's.
Standard distance
(swim 1500 metres, bike 26 miles, run 6.25 miles):
12. Dave Allsop 29:41 74:58 37:58 = 2:22:37 Age Group 2.
26. Gary Cooper 29:11 81:58 39:32 = 2:30:41 AG 4.
Sprint distance (swim 750 metres, bike 13 miles, run 3 miles):
11. Paul Frampton 18:35 41:31 19:48 = 1:19:54 AG 4.
45. Emily John-Davis 19:33 52:33 21:44 = 1:33:50 AG 2nd.
64. Joanne Annis 21:28 59:12 21:50 = 1:42:30 AG 5.
--------------
PACTRAC had 9
competitor's in the Big Nottingham Triathlon held at Holme Pierpont.
Antony Brown won his Age Group, whilst Simon Hoppe was 4th in his. The
best placed PACTRACer overall was Henry Morton in 31st place in this
big national race that attracted nearly 800 athletes from all over the
country. Henry was 31st overall and 9th in his Age Group (20-24),
showing just how competitive these races can be.
31. Henry Morton 10:25 32:06 18:09 = 60:40 AG 9.
47. Simon Hoppe 11:43 30:56 19:11 = 61:50 AG 4.
80. Antony Brown 12:20 30:08 20:32 = 63:00 AG 1st.
136. Jon Crowley 11:45 32:46 20:36 = 65:07 AG 19.
139. Marcus Widdess 12:03 34:04 19:04 = 65:11 AG 10.
262. Mark Weathersby 14:52 33:18 20:27 = 68:37 AG 29.
362. Tracy Mccartney 14:16 37:41 19:10 = 71:07 AG 10.
381. Steve Hope 13:45 36:47 21:13 = 71:45 AG 39.
591. Kate Armstrong 16:09 40:54 23:38 = 80:41 AG 25.
----------------
It was another great weekend for the Juniors.
There were over 300 entrants in the Eastern League Children’s Event
at Basildon Sports Village.
Olivia
Corner secured a podium finish to come 3rd in TS1 Girls race – She
finished with her customary strong run and was able to keep a number of
challengers at arm’s length. There were only 22-seconds separating the
top 3 girls.
Toby Cooke continued his progress with a PB in the TS2 Boys event, with
a much improved swim.
Katie Tasker lost her chain at the start of the Bike section and lost a
lot of valuable time, but when restored to action she made up for lost
time and was able to enter the run phase with a comfortable lead, which
she was able to maintain.
TriStar 1.
8. Olivia Corner 3:59 8:40 5:14 = 17:53 3rd female.
TriStar 2.
7. Katie Tasker 3:54 10:59 8:13 = 23:06 1st female.
47. Toby Cooke 5:54 14:34 9:28 = 29:56
----------------
The Spalding Triathlon took place from the Castle Sports Complex in
Spalding, with Annette Wyld winning her Age Group.
swim 400 metres in the pool.
bike 11.75 miles - "pancake flat".
run a 2.85 mile lap.
11. Tim Henson 8:39 35:24 18:17 = 62:20 Age Group 5.
58. Annette Wyld 9:22 41:34 28:27 = 79:23 AG 1st.
68. Barbara Gunn 10:32 45:18 26:18 = 82:08 AG 6.
----------------
In Race One (of three), in the St.Neots Triathlon series, 5 of the 6
PACTRACers came in the top 4 in their respective Age Groups.
The best placed was Sean Pooley in 6th place overall in the Standard
Distance race.
Georgina seems to be on a roll at the moment, and did a PB on the
course by 30 seconds, winning the Age Category 10-years younger.
Standard Distance (1500 metres, 27 miles, 6.25 miles)
6. Sean Pooley Pactrac 26:37 77:11 38:54 = 2:22:42 AG 3rd.
40. Andy Russell PACTRAC 28:58 85:17 52:04 = 2:46:19 AG 4.
Sprint (750 metrers, 15 miles, 3 miles)
37. Gary Shoemake 15:17 47:13 21:34 = 1:24:04 AG 7.
40. Pedro Polson 12:43 48:21 25:13 = 1:26:17 AG 3rd.
61. Ros Goatly 15:46 49:44 23:35 = 1:29:05 AG 2nd.
98. Georgina Jennings 16:46 52:13 28:11 = 1:37:10 AG 1st.
----------------
Dave Wagstaff competed in the Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon in San
Francisco at the weekend (photo attached).
Dave recorded 2.44.02 (17 mins better than last time). He
was 19th in his Age Group out of 171 and 250th overall (out of
2,000).
swim - 1.5miles in the icy bay. Athletes are transported to the
island
by boat, and have a deep water start.
bike - a 20mile hilly San Francisco ride.
Run - 8 mile run inc. the infamous sand steps, all 400 of them.
Dave said "I loved it and had a really good race. Felt great, the
best I have felt for a longtime!"
He also beat 2 previous Ironman Champions in Scott Tinley and
Michellie Jones !
-----------------
-----------------
Nathan Tweedie competed in the Elite Junior Race at Blenheim Palace,
which followed the Draft-Legal format with cyclists racing in bunches.
Nathan beat a few of the Elite Seniors too.
13. Nathan Tweedie 10:14 35:18 19:35 = 65:07
Nathan is racing with the GB Elite Junior Squad in Bulgaria this coming
weekend.
-----------------
At the Bedford Sprint Triathlon, Jon Crowley came equal eighth overall.
He caught third place by 2 1/4 minutes on the run, but couldn't quite
get past before the line, and just missed out on a Podium place by 4
seconds.
The distances were: swim 400 metres, bike 15 miles, run 3 miles.
8=. Jon Crowley 7:42 44:50 19:35 = 72:07 AG 4.
-----------------
Only 1 PACTRACer ventured north to Chester for the English National
Championships.
Distances were:
Swim 1500 metres in the River Dee.
Bike 25 miles.
Run 6.25 miles.
Steve Hope 25:11 74:16 43:11 = 2:22:38 AG 39.
-----------------
656 athletes finished the Woodhall Spa Triathlon over the Sprint
distances of 400 metres, 15 miles, 3 miles.
Both Sean Beard and Abi Schofield came 1st in their respective Age
Groups. This is Sean's first Age Group win in a Triathlon. With last
Wednesday's Mini-Series 2nd place, that's 2 good results in 5 days. Abi
is one of 5 PACTRACers who will be representing GB in the European
Championships in Geneva next month - she is sponsored by 2 Peterborough
businesses - KJS print to mail and St. Petersburgh Restaurant.
18. Sean Beard 8:44 41:22 16:52 = 66:58 AG 1st.
63. Gary Cooper 7:00 45:01 20:15 = 72:16
92. Abi Schofield 6:13 49:21 19:05 = 74:39 AG 1st.
431. Emma Walker 8:44 59:08 25:47 = 93:39
-------------
3 PACTRACers competed in the 70.3 Half-Ironman Triathlon in
Staffordshire.
swim 1.2 miles.
bike 56 miles.
run 13.1 miles.
Roger Canham won his Age Group in this event, which saw
athletes from across the Globe, competing for Half-Ironman World
Championship places in Zell Am See-Kaprun, Austria on 30th August.
Current World Champion, Javier Gomez was competing in the Elite race,
as was Will Clark, one of the 3 British Olympians in 2008.
I've included Roger Canham's report, to try to give a flavour of the
event:
"I have done Wimbleball 70.3 a couple of times so it was great that WTC
have put another 70.3 in the UK calendar. I needed a World Champs
qualification backup in case Barcelona didn’t work out and it hadn’t
worked out so Staffordshire was my only shot now.
The swim was a wave start and our age group was all in one wave, great.
I was at the front of the white caps treading water feeling confident
about my ability stay clear of the washing machine start. The air horn
sounded and we were off and a strong start meant lactate filled
shoulders but no right hooks! Half way round and I was at the point of
the white caps, about half a dozen of us ploughing ahead of the field.
As we rounded a buoy the right hook finally landed and I had to
momentarily roll over to straighten my goggles. By the time I had
righted myself, I had lost the group, not critical time wise, but
actually I was enjoying the very novel sensation of being at the tip of
the spear. Oh well, nice whilst it lasted.
A rather lengthy run over a stony path to T1, a reasonably unremarkable
transition and onto the bike; I figured there were a maximum of two or
three ahead of me. The first ten miles were over dreadful roads,
potholed and narrow and since we were almost the last wave they were
full of bikes weaving from side to side. It wasn’t time to push so I
kept a firm tempo and focussed on safely picking my way through the
field. Once I had navigated that initial stretch the roads opened up a
little more but the route was constantly punctuated with sharp rises
and tight turns. Throughout the whole 56 miles there was little
opportunity to settle into a rhythm and sit on a big gear for a few
miles. A split of 2:30 was looking increasingly optimistic. I had not
been paying much attention to race numbers but couldn’t recall passing
anyone on the bike in my age group. When I leave T2 it’s always nice to
know how far behind I am. I reckon 10 minutes is doable if I put my
race face on and am prepared to hurt a little, more than that and its a
dependent on the other athletes running ability.
Post-race it transpired I had been 3rd out the swim and 1st off the
bike but I didn’t know that as I set off out of T2. I settled into a
comfortable pace for the first couple of miles and purposely didn’t
look at my splits. Relaxing and establishing a good rhythm is more
important at this stage than outright speed. I finally looked down once
I had taken on some coke and got away from the crowds; 2.5 miles done
and just over 16 minutes. I just had to concentrate on rolling along at
this speed and the time would take care of itself. The run course was
great, always something different in terms of terrain and scenery with
a good number of noisy supporters throughout, I would come back just
for that course alone. A couple of ups and downs took the edge off my
speed but sub 90 minutes was never in doubt.
I crossed the line pretty confident I was on the podium but it wasn’t
until a friend got the update from Ironmanlive that I knew I had won my
first Ironman 70.3 event, and by nearly 20 minutes. That was brilliant
as I had no real expectation of winning at this distance. I took my
slot and booked my trip to Austria where there will be some very
serious European 70.3 specialists. It should be fun. Presently I have
my foot in a bucket of ice to treat what I hope is some simple bruising
on the ball of my foot…….fingers crossed I can start training again by
the end of the week to defend my title at the Grafman and then enjoy my
week in Roth, taking part in the legendary event."
Dave Patmore-Hill said: "Really pleased with my efforts at 70.3
Staffordshire today. Stuck this Ironman 70.3 in the calendar, late in
the day, and from a decent base training put 4 weeks of tri specific
training in and achieved 15th in Age Group today (out of 358) and 131st
overall (out of 2700)...and to cap it off we had a Northerly wind"
54. Roger Canham 32:23 2:39:57 1:27:06 = 4:45:58 Age
Group 1st. 3500 WTC points.
131. Dave Patmore-Hill 32:49 2:49:05 1:33:49 = 5:02:24 AG 15.
3027 WTC points.
197. Robin Brookes 33:06 2:47:52 1:41:47 = 5:11:25 AG 5.
3041 WTC points.
Roger Canham - 50-54 AGE GROUP CHAMPION. 54th overall.
-------------
PACTRAC had 2 athletes competing abroad in Elite races at the weekend.
Kim Bell was selected by the BTF to join a German Team, KTT01, in the
German League Triathlon in Eutin. She finished 6th and helped them in
their aim of winning the race. With 1 race to go in the series, they
now stand a good chance of being promoted to league one for next
season.
Kim said: "It was the second division Bundesliga and the team KTT 01
(based in Cologne) asked for our help as they wanted to make the first
division next year. The first division features top ITU names.
The race was in Eutin, northeast of Hamburg and was an Elite drafting
race. It was a 2 lap lake swim, followed by a 4 lap flat bike course
with 3 dead turns and a 3 lap off-road run round the lake.
I was first out of the water with one girl on my feet and another girl
15 seconds back, with a big gap to the rest. The three of us worked
really well and hard together throughout the bike leg. By the end of
the bike we had 4-5 mins on the main pack of 15-20. Onto the run I was
in 2nd until about 4.5 miles into the run where I got caught by a few
of the faster runners from the main pack. I managed to hold on for the
last 1.75 miles and finished 6th.
This was a team event and 2 members of my team ran past me to finish
2nd and 4th. The other finished 14th. In the Bundesliga they add up the
places of the first three in each team and the team with the lowest
number wins. So our team won which puts us in a good position for the
final round in Grimme on the 12th July to make the first division next
year."
--------------
Nathan Tweedie was selected by the BTF to compete in the Junior Race in
the European Cup in Burgas, Bulgaria. This is a major step for Nathan,
who also competed in Portugal in the BTF team earlier this year. They
are obviously recognising that he has talent in picking him again for
the National Junior Team.
In the junior event Nathan Tweedie just missing out on a podium spot to
take fourth in 58:26. The race was won by Belarusian Mikita Katsianeu,
with Nathan just 1 1/2 minutes behind. Nathan was in the first pack on
the bike, after his usual superfast swim. The 6 riders managed to keep
away, with Nathan doing a lot of the work on the front, trying to keep
the second pack at bay. He succeeded, which meant that some fast
runners behind, were unable to catch them on the run, as Nathan paid
for his hard work, by just missing out on the Podium by 13 seconds. The
BTF were impressed and will no doubt select Nathan again later on in
the year.
swim 750m - 1 lap. 22 degrees C, with a beach mass start in the Black
Sea.
bike 12.5m - out and back 4 times. Flat.
run 3m - out and back 2 times. Flat, asphalt road by the beach.
Junior Men
1. Mikita Katsianeu, BLR, 56:54
2. Philip Horwarth, AUT, 57:32
3. Matus Verbovsky, SVK, 58:13
4. Nathan Tweedie, GBR, 58:26
--------------
28 PACTRACers finished the Dambuster Triathlon at Rutland Water, with
another 4 not finishing due to not wanting to aggravate various
injuries, and, therefore, not starting the run.
Distances were:
swim 1500 metres in Rutland Water. 1 Triangular lap of the cold
waters.
bike 26 miles. 1 lap taking in the triple hills of the Rutland Ripple,
between Oakham and Uppingham; before continuing to Morcott, Ketton with
it's 0.9 mile climb and Empingham.
run 6.25 miles from Whitwell to Normanton Church and back.
As usual, this was a big National race with athletes attracted from all
over the country. This year, it was a World Championship Qualifier. The
World Championships this year, are in Chicago in September. Only 2
PACTRACers were in the top 4 of their respective Age Groups, which
gives automatic qualification. However, neither Paul Vernon, who won
his Age Group, nor Simon Hoppe who came 4th in his, have opted to take
up their places.
Paul was 10th overall in the race and won his Age Group by just 5-
seconds in a sprint finish. 5 of those ahead of him, were only there by
virtue of a faster swim. Paul moved up from 36th in his Age Group in
the swim, to 8th after the bike and then gained a further 7 places on
the run. He had both the 5th fastest bike and the 5th fastest run in
the whole field.
10. Paul Vernon 26:25 65:45 34:22 = 2:06:32 Age Group
1st.
66. Simon Hoppe 21:50 72:52 39:44 = 2:14:26 AG 4.
91. Richard Moys 23:28 73:28 40:29 = 2:17:25 AG 12.
115. Wayne Stainsby 25:01 74:05 39:38 = 2:18:42 AG 22.
132. Richard Nixon 22:42 73:06 44:13 = 2:20:01 AG 17.
170. Dave Wagstaff 25:49 72:03 44:39 = 2:22:31
174. Dave Allsop 25:32 73:13 44:01 = 2:22:46
176. Mark Weathersby 30:00 72:47 40:08 = 2:22:55
183. Jimmy Robinson 29:25 69:56 44:26 = 2:23:47
193. Abi Schofield 23:23 81:32 39:25 = 2:24:20 AG 7th.
209. Andy Gregg 31:51 73:03 40:30 = 2:25:24
226. Peter Harris 28:28 74:15 43:47 = 2:26:30
229. Steve Coombs 30:46 74:45 41:16 = 2:26:47
233. Steve Hope 27:29 76:13 43:13 = 2:26:55 AG 24 / 75.
260. Richard Ardern 27:59 79:17 41:37 = 2:28:53
278. Simon Pauffley 26:53 77:46 45:35 = 2:30:14
283. Daniel Fitzjohn 30:58 77:42 41:47 = 2:30:27
319. Jeremy Thompson 30:23 78:47 43:13 = 2:32:23 AG 12.
328. Steve Maile 28:55 74:56 49:01 = 2:32:52
356. Paul Frampton 30:36 76:53 47:20 = 2:34:49
381. Simon Guerin 23:14 81:00 52:11 = 2:36:25
424. Duncan Philp 37:21 76:11 45:20 = 2:38:52
445. Simon Gull 33:25 80:26 46:59 = 2:40:50 AG 21.
461. Stephen Cook 27:26 87:15 47:30 = 2:42:11
535. Robin Laukaitis 24:57 94:09 48:17 = 2:47:23
543. Andy Rawlins 33:45 87:49 46:57 = 2:48:31
561. Pedro Polson 22:45 86:18 60:59 = 2:50:02 led the wave into T1.
719. Terence Wright 33:03 96:40 72:58 = 3:22:41
DNF. Simon Meade (M) 50-54 - 25:41 76:00 ---
DNF. Paul Lunn (M) 40-44 PACTRAC - 23:29 63:15 ---
DNF. Giles Cooper (M) 50-54 PACTRAC - 25:32 71:22 ---
DNF. Chris Troop (M) 55-59 GI Tri - 29:26 ---
754. 28 Pactrac finishers plus 4DNF
------------------
8 Seniors competed for PACTRAC at the Wickstead Park Triathlon, with
another 4 Juniors in the Junior Aquathlon's. All 8 Seniors finished in
the top 3 in their respective Age Groups, which must be a record. Mark
Weathersby was 2nd overall in the Sprint race, whilst Marcus Widdess
was 3rd overall in the Standard distance race. Hannah Bassett was 1st
female in the Youth Aquathlon.
Standard distance Triathlon: 1500m, 25m, 5.75m.
Sprint distance Triathlon: 750m, 15m, 3m.
Novice distance Triathlon: 500m, 10m, 1.5m.
Aquathlon (swim,run):
Youth: 500m, 3m.
TS3: 400m, 2m.
TS1: 150m, 1m.
Standard distance:
3. Marcus Widdess 2:31:08 Age Group 1st.
4. Steve Giles 2:37:07 AG 1.
18. Paul Jephcott 3:03:12 AG 2.
Sprint distance:
2. Mark Weathersby 1:23:48 AG 1st.
6. Jon Dundee 1:30:38 AG 3.
10. Simon Perkins 1:32:34 AG 1st.
36. Joanne Annis 2:07:40 AG 2. 3rd female.
Novice distance:
4. James Steventon 1:11:21 AG 3.
Aquathlon - Youth:
3. Jonathan Oakey 31:26
5. Hannah Bassett 39:09 1st female
TriStar3:
6. Matthew Wouldham 19:56
TriStar 1:
17. Safford Hewitt-White 11:44
----------------------
This followed on from sterling performances by Jonathan and Hannah the
previous week in Nottingham which was part of the East Midland Series.
Both competed in the Youth race over the distances of:
swim 400 metres.
Bike 5 miles.
Run 2 miles.
It had a pool swim, then an off road bike course through some woods,
and a run through a wooded park, with plenty of shade under the trees.
Jonathan Oakey won the Youth race in 36:32 minutes, a whole 3:12
minutes ahead of the 2nd placed athlete. Hannah Bassett was 4th in
the girls Youth Race in 44:52.
Results:
1. Jonathan Oakey 6:15 21:24 8:53 = 36:32
4. Hannah Bassett 7:23 27:07 10:22 = 44:52 4th female.
----------
There was another good day for the Juniors in the inaugural Discovery
Tri at Writtle College in Essex. This Open water event forms part of
the Eastern Region League. There were only 2 entrants from PACTRAC, but
both made the podium.
Tristar 1 : Olivia Corner's form continues to improve and she narrowly
missed out on top spot, to finish second after solid displays in all
disciplines, but not quite being able to catch the leader on the run.
Tristar 2 : Katie Tasker made it 5 TRIATHLON WINS IN A ROW. An
excellent swim meant that she came out of the water only 10 seconds
behind the leader, who she quickly overtook on the 1st bike lap of 4.
She opened up a lead of 45 seconds after the bike phase - a lead she
maintained on the run for a comfortable win.
--------------
2 PACTRACers competed in the Velopark Duathlon, which took place at the
Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in Stratford. It all took place on a
closed 1-mile circuit. This is a very tight and twisty, sporting
course.
Both Sean Beard and Tracy McCartney represented PACTRAC and recorded
1st places in their respective Age Groups.
A 3rd local athlete, Claire Steels also won her Age Group. Claire is
off to Adelaide for the World Duathlon Championships in October, as is
PACTRAC's Jim Fell.
run 2 miles
bike 10 miles
run 1 mile
4. Sean Beard 11:58 26:39 5:43 = 44:20 AG 1st.
18. Tracy McCartney 12:25 29:48 6:07 = 48:20 AG 1st.
Others:
10. Claire Steels 12:26 28:23 5:51 = 46:40 AG 1st.
---------------
The English National Middle Distance Triathlon Championships were
held at Grafham Water on Sunday.
The event, known as "The Grafman" was over the Middle
Distance of
swim 1.2 miles in Grafham Water.
bike 56 miles
run 13.1 miles
Antony Brown came away with the GOLD MEDAL due to his excellent bike
split, whilst Sue Davys put her hard winters training to good use,
winning the BRONZE MEDAL. It was hard work in the wind & rain.
The first PACTRACer home was Robin Brookes who led 4 other club mates,
all within 6-minutes of each other.
70. Robin Brookes 31:37 2:36:14 1:36:38 = 4:44:29 AG 7.
83. Chris Brennan 35:33 2:33:05 1:39:31 = 4:48:09 AG 14.
86. Antony Brown 31:04 2:30:43 1:47:35 = 4:49:22 AG 1st
ENGLISH NATIONAL CHAMPION
87. Chris Pike 35:08 2:33:41 1:40:36 = 4:49:25 AG 8.
93. Graeme Hall 35:49 2:36:06 1:38:23 = 4:50:18 AG 9.
141. Richard Pike 33:08 2:40:10 1:49:42 = 5:03:00 AG 12.
167. Richard Ardern 32:39 2:49:32 1:46:18 = 5:08:29 AG 21.
309. Andrew Russell 35:03 2:41:52 2:30:51 = 5:47:46 AG 38.
392. Sue Davys 46:27 3:17:39 2:15:57 = 6:20:03 AG 3rd.
BRONZE MEDAL.
-------------
2 PACTRACers competed in the local Oakham Sprint Triathlon, with Ros
Goatly recording 2nd in her Age Group.
The distances were:
swim 400 metres in the pool.
bike 14.25 miles on 1 undulating loop, heading west of Oakham.
run 3 miles - out and back.
41. Ros Goatly 7:28 53:35 22:56 = 1:23:59 AG 2.
90. Joanne Annis 10:11 71:54 21:18 = 1:43:23 AG 8.
----------
New member, Paul Hodgson competed in his first Ironman 70.3 (Half-
Ironman), over the distances of swim 1.2 miles, bike 56 miles and run
13.1 miles at Wimbleball. This is an established race that has
developed a reputation as one of the most challenging races in the
IRONMAN calendar. Double World Champion, Chris McCormack's, assessment
is that it is his toughest 70.3.
Held in the picturesque Exmoor National Park, Wimbleball Lake has been
host to IRONMAN 70.3 UK since 2006, and has built it's reputation on
it's challenging bike course.
The swim course is one lap, starting 20m from the shore. The IRONMAN
70.3 UK Exmoor bike course is a tough two lap course right in the heart
of Exmoor National Park. The course leaves Wimbleball lake and follows
a loop through hilly terrain in Somerset. The run at Wimbleball Lake is
a three loop course on a mix of terrain including tarmac, hard pack
trail and grass. There is one short sharp climb on each lap, which is
tackled three times.
1143. Paul Hodgson 53:44 4:35:03 2:40:05 = 8:08:52 AG 194.
-------------
2 PACTRACers ventured over to Cardiff for the inaugural Cardiff
Triathlon based around Cardiff Bay.
Dave Patmore-Hill raced in the Standard distance triathlon over 1500
metres in the sea, 25 miles on scenic local roads and a 6.25 mile run
around Cardiff Docks.
Mark Weathersby competed in the Sprint distance triathlon over half the
distance (750 metres, 12.5 miles, 3 miles).
Dave was pleased with his effort with a 2.09 finish, and particularly
the 37min run at the end. His virus has finally gone.
The weather wasn't ideal for racing, being very wet and quite windy,
and choppy in the sea swim. Mark said that he "swallowed half the bay
on the swim, but had a good bike and run."
36. Dave Patmore-Hill 23:45 68:04 37:49 = 2:09:38 AG 11.
13. Mark Weathersby 15:03 33:56 18:33 = 67:32 AG 5.
---------------
May: Georgina GOLD, Simon and Antony BRONZE in Nat'l Champs / Antony GOLD and Dave A BRONZE in English Champs / Giles & Paul represent GB / Nathan wins Aquathlon / Georgina 1st lady.
Henry Morton and Kim Bell competed in the BUCS Sprint in Wiltshire,
with Kim coming 10th female over the distances of:
swim 750 metres.
Bike 16 miles.
Run 3 miles.
60. Henry Morton 10:26 44:24 18:22 = 73:12
128. Kim Bell 9:08 46:48 21:37 = 77:33
---------------
The PACTRAC Mid-Distance Triathlon took place at Oundle
on Monday.
This was the first of the Club Championship races and covered the
distances of:
swim 900 yards in Oundle Pool.
Bike 20 miles - 2 laps around Oundle, Glapthorn and the Benefields.
Run 5 miles - 1 lap around Glapthorn and Cottestock.
30 athletes lined up on a warm summers day, although their was still a
bit of wind about on this undulating course, with its two inclines on
each lap.
Simon Hoppe led the swimmers out and kept the lead until the final 2-
miles on the bike when he was overtaken by Antony Brown. Antony had a
slender lead of just 12 seconds going out into the run, but Simon soon
re-took the lead and came home unopposed to win this first race of the
current Club Championships by nearly 3 minutes.
Antony held onto 2nd place, in spite of a gallant effort from Rob
Hammond who moved to within 12 seconds of him by the finish.
Results are on http://www.pactrac.co.uk
--------------
Two great weekends on the trot. We are getting spoilt. Last weeks
Duathlon at Castor saw 80 PACTRACers out in one place for the first
time in 5 years, so a great gathering of the Junior and Senior Sections
together.
26 PACTRACers attended this weekends Training Weekend, where we had a
good mixture of Seminars and Practical sessions.
The Mid-Distance on Monday attracted 30 competitors with 15 in the
River Nene afterwards and 12 in the pool for the evening session. 49
people swam in all, so another good day.
Simon Hoppe currently leads the Club Championships and >40s with Antony
Brown leading the >50s. For the Ladies, Christina Cork has taken an
early lead both overall and in the >40s with Sue Davys looking to
retain the >50s Trophy. There's still all to play for, with the next
events being the first Mini-Series on 20th May followed by the Off-Road
Triathlon at Harringworth on Monday 25th May.
------------------
Here are the results from Saturday's Junior races at Stanground.
26 of our Juniors took part. We also had another 10 smaller children
doing their first event and being helped by the older Juniors. These
were not timed and were all in fun.
TriStart
Norah Brill 11:33
Phoebe Lloyd 14:43
TS1.
Bert Papworth 16:57
Olivia Corner 18:12
Hugo Brill 18:19
Marcus Amps-Woodward 20:39
Lottie Tasker 22:04
Tommy Armitage 23:46
William Lloyd 23:48
Libby Mellor 26:22
Chloe Moore 34:41
TS2.
Katie Tasker 25:03
Connor Walker 26:21
Sam Oakley 29:15
Joe Garner 31:05
Louis Dawson 32:04
Archie Stewart 32:11
Toby Cooke 33:28
Zoe Bateman 34:32
Sophie Ellen 34:33
TS3.
Matthew Wouldham 32:27
Rhiannon Loutit 44:53
Sam Garner 45:46
Youth.
Jonathan Oakley 30:19
Liam Stokes 31:48
Hannah Bassett 38:44
--------------
2 distances were available in the Peterborough Triathlons on Sunday,
that were organised by Monster Triathlon, from the Rowing Lake.
The Mojo was a Half-Ironman distance triathlon over:
swim 1.2 miles in the Rowing Lake.
bike 51 miles - out, 3 laps, and back.
run 12.5 miles - 4 laps around the Rowing Lake.
The Mojito was a Standard distance triathlon over:
swim 1500 metres.
bike 24 miles - 1 lap around the same Barnack, Ailsworth
route.
run 6.25 miles - 2 laps around the Rowing Lake.
Paul Jephcott was 2nd in his Age Group at the Mojo Half-Ironman
distance Triathlon in Peterborough at the weekend.:
Paul is representing GB in this distance at the European Championships
in Rimini, Italy on 24th May.
Paul had an unusual feeding strategy in transition saying "the hot
cross bun did taste nice!"
Comments from athletes were that the water was "warmish", "the wind
picked up a bit after the swim!" plus "ice blocks for feet for the
run".
Andy Gregg said "great fun - loved it, and getting the feeling back in
the feet after 3-miles of running was lovely!!"
It's still a bit early in the year to be doing these distances in the
river.
Mojo:
29. Andy Gregg 46:25 2:42:12 1:30:48 = 4:59:25
30. Charlie Brookes 37:07 2:44:11 1:39:12 = 5:00:30
74 Paul Jephcott 44:34 3:11:37 1:56:36 = 5:52:47
Mojito:
37. Simon Parkes 24:46 1:21:50 49:57 = 2:36:33
-------------------------
3 PACTRAC Juniors competed in the Duathlon at Prestwold, over varying
distances.
TS2.
30th. Joe Garner 5:35 13:44 2:16 = 21:35
TS3.
37th. Sam Garner 7:21 19:26 3:11 = 29:58
Youth.
12th. Jonathan Oakey 9:44 21:55 14:59 = 46:38
---------------
The Thomas Cook 70.3 Half-Ironman took place in Alcudia on Saturday in
Majorca.
The distances were:
1.2 mile sea swim.
56 mile bike ride up into the Mountains but with good fast stretches
early and later on.
13.1 mile run close to the beech.
100th. Paul Lunn 28:43 2:38:29 1:32:05 = 4:39:17 Age Group
9th.
694. Jon Dundee 30:42 2:44:55 1:55:32 = 5:18:33 AG 133.
817. Dave Thorold 36:01 3:02:10 1:46:21 = 5:24:32 AG 84th.
Paul was 12 minutes slower than last year on the run, but is currently
carrying a hip injury.
Paul said "Yesterday didn't go to plan, but you have to take the rough
with the smooth. Looking forward to having another go next weekend in
Barcelona".
---------------
In the West Pinchbeck Novice Duathlon last week, Rob Stokes pitted
himself against son Liam.
3. Liam Stokes 11:58 20:53 12:50 = 45:41
9. Rob Stokes 13:30 21:57 14:12 = 49:39
This week Liam competed in the Basildon Aquathon over the short
distances of a 200 metre swim and a 1.5 mile run on the running track.
Liam won the event outright in a time of 12:24.
Liam was 3rd out of the water, but had a faster transition, and the 3
athletes set off on the run together. Liam had the fastest run of the
day and won the event overall by 18 seconds.
1. Liam Stokes 12:34 3 03:01 8 00:17 1 09:15
---------------
The Nice Tri Triathlon at St. Neots incorporated the British Sprint
Championships; which explained why over 900 competitors wanted to jump
into the cold waters of the River Ouse in mid-May.
13 PACTRACers took part over the distances of:
swim 750 metres in the River Ouse - out and back.
bike 15 miles - 1 lap.
run 3 miles - 2 laps around the park.
3 PACTRACers received National Championship Medals:
GOLD Georgina Jennings.
BRONZE Simon Hoppe.
BRONZE Antony Brown.
Georgina suffered with 2 punctures, and came into T2 with a flat tyre,
but gallantly continued to take the Gold Medal.
Simon was only 10 seconds behind his Age Group winner in a very close
race.
This was also a Qualifying Race for both the European Championships in
Lisbon next year, and the World Championships in Chicago this year, so
all 3 have Qualified at the first attempt, with 2-more Qualifying races
to go.
Results:
23. Henry Morton 11:09 39:37 16:30 = 1:07:16 AG 9.
60. Simon Hoppe 12:03 39:58 17:30 = 1:09:31 AG 3rd BRONZE
MEDAL.
103. Richard Moys 12:47 41:10 17:52 = 1:11:49 AG 20.
129. Antony Brown 12:57 40:06 19:35 = 1:12:38 AG 3rd BRONZE
MEDAL.
161. Wayne Stainsby 13:55 41:53 17:52 = 1:13:40 AG 23.
197. Marcus Widdess 13:13 44:36 17:16 = 1:15:05 AG 29.
215. Jonathan Crowley 13:47 42:47 19:05 = 1:15:39 AG 28.
395. Steve Hope 16:34 50:08 20:21 = 1:27:03 AG 33.
147. Nicola Smallwood 14:30 50:51 21:50 = 1:27:11 AG 26.
406. Pedro Polson 13:07 50:07 25:25 = 1:28:39 AG 27.
203. Kate Armstrong 18:12 55:37 21:41 = 1:35:30 AG 20.
210. Sue Davys 19:10 55:38 24:56 = 1:39:44 AG 15.
234. Georgina Jennings 18:32 88:23 27:39 = 2:14:34 AG 1. GOLD
MEDAL.
------------
9 PACTRACers took part in the Beaver Triathlons from Belvoir Castle,
Grantham at the weekend.
3 distances were on offer - a Half-Ironman Distance, a
Standard Distance and a Sprint Distance. The Sprint race or Speedy
Beaver was also the English National Championships and 5 from the club
competed in this race.
Antony Brown won the British Sprint Title at St. Neots last weekend,
and this weekend added the English Sprint Championships to his array of
honours. He won the GOLD MEDAL in his Age Group whilst Dave Allsop
came away with a BRONZE MEDAL.
Speedy Beaver (Sprint):
30. Antony Brown 13:41 40:25 22:37 = 1:16:43 AG 1st. (55-
59)
39. Marcus Widdess 13:40 44:02 20:06 = 1:17:48 AG 6.
46. Dave Allsop 14:21 42:21 22:05 = 1:18:47 AG 3. (45-
49)
61. Mark Weathersby 16:28 43:04 21:31 = 1:21:03 AG 6.
131. Michael Shadwell 16:47 51:02 24:05 = 1:31:54 AG 18.
Little Beaver (Standard):
367. Pedro Polson 27:14 1:43:04 1:10:39 = 3:20:57
416. Nicholas Partridge 36:17 1:55:56 1:19:09 = 3:51:22
Beaver (Half-Ironman):
54. Richard Nixon 30:25 2:23:50 1:49:16 = 4:43:31
66. Colin Brackley 36:03 2:39:55 1:32:26 = 4:48:24
--------------
Paul Vernon won the Huntingdon Park Run on Saturday in a new PB and a
new Course Record of 16:20 - a gallant run by Paul who won the race by
2:25 minutes.
----------------------------
Sunday saw 400 riders leave from Marholm in the Marholm Sportive. See http://www.peterborough5x5challenge.org
for more details. Although not a race, this presented the riders with
challenging rides of 50, 70 or 100 miles. Nicholas Firth of the Calder
Clarion was the first home after 50 miles in a time of 2:26 hours,
whilst local riders Gary Eames, Steve Kaye and Alex Moore brought the
70 milers home in 3:31 hours and Matt Oliver was the first 100 miler in
5:29 hours.
-------------
A couple of PACTRACers, Paul Spain and Tony Moran, chose to ride the
Etapes du Dales Sportive, up in Yorkshire, instead.
Tony said "Etape du Dales- done! One rather blustery day...! 11 hrs in
the saddle, 110 miles distance, 3000m of climbing, 2 very sore legs, 1
aching back and 1 happy and relieved guy!"
--------------
17 May 2015. 70.3 Half-Ironman Barcelona - 5 PACTRACers ventured over
to Spain to test themselves against some of the worlds best Half-
Ironman distance specialists. Paul Lunn, Roger Canham, Dave Thorrold,
Robin Brookes, Jimmy Robinson.
"A friendly city of 19,000 situated 30 miles from Catalonia's economic
and political centre of Barcelona, Calella has quickly become one of
Europe's up-and-coming triathlon hotspots.
The field of 2,000+ athletes enjoyed a one-loop swim in the
Mediterranean Sea that started and finished on the beach of Calella.
The 56 mile bike headed inland on closed roads, before returning to the
transition area on the beach. The two-loop run headed along the coast
to a turnaround at Pineda."
Swim 1.2 miles
Bike 56 miles - not one but three hills and 1400m of elevation, with
"some ominous wiggly roads up and down the hills", "navigating around
pot holes and speed bumps".
Run 12.5 miles - a flat run.
Temperature 80oF
Roger said:
"I had worked hard to keep pace with the other bikers on the up hills,
but they just sped past me on the downs as we hit the tight hairpins,
me clinging to my brake hoods whilst they majestically swung their
bikes left and right at each turn."
"Job done and in the circumstances the result was better than I could
have hoped for. The weekend was great fun and next time I will check
out the course before hastily pressing the enter button!"
50-54
6. Roger Canham 33:13 3:00:20 1:27:21 = 5:00:54
DNF Robin Brookes 34:42
45-49
53. David Thorold 38:33 3:02:08 1:45:18 = 5:25:59
40-44
14. Paul Lunn 32:38 2:44:25 1:31:50 = 4:48:53
38. Jimmy Robinson 33:47 2:56:38 1:39:56 = 5:10:21
-------------------
PACTRAC held the 2nd of this year's club championship races on Bank
Holiday Monday.
This was an Off-Road Triathlon held at a lake in
Harringworth:
swim 750 metres in the lake - 2.25 laps. 16 degrees, so warming up.
bike 8 miles - 2 laps.
run 4 miles - 1 lap.
This was a tough race over rough terrain. Simon Hoppe became the 6th
winner of the race, in it's 8 year history. 4 out of the 6 winners were
racing, with Simon adding a new name to the Trophy at his first
attempt.
This was the club's 2nd race in 6 days following on from last
Wednesday's Mini-Series race - where Simon was 2nd to Junior
Triathlete, Nathan Tweedie. Nathan wasn't competing on Monday, but
another Junior, Jonathan Oakey (15), gave Simon an early scare, as he
was faced with being pipped by a 2nd Junior in 6-days. That wasn't to
be though, as Simon was only 27-seconds behind Jonathan out of the
lake. A quick transition and Simon soon took the lead on the first of
two laps on the bike, and held on to it on the run, to win by 2:18
minutes.
Jonathan put in a fine performance in this, his first full year of
racing against the seniors. Although Steve Giles was catching up on the
bike, he wasn't able to make any inroads on the run, and had to settle
for 3rd place.
Jaap Flikweert had to pull out on the run with a recurring Achilles
problem, leaving just 5 athletes to finish in this club championship
race.
1st Simon Hoppe 11:52 31:37 23:27 = 66:56
2nd Jonathan Oakey 11:25 33:53 23:56 = 69:14
3rd Steve Giles 16:27 30:02 24:05 = 70:34
4th Steve Hope 13:43 33:05 25:44 = 72:32
5th Jonathon Ratcliffe 12:02 37:13 26:20 = 75:35
6th Jaap Flikweert 13:25 34:01 dnf
----------
The 2015 Middle (Half-Ironman distance) Distance Triathlon European
Championships were held in Rimini, Italy at the weekend, with 2
PACTRACers representing their country, amongst the 167 Brits
selected.
Giles Cooper came 11th in his Age Group, whilst Paul Jephcott was
17th
in his, competing against the best in Europe.
Swim 1.37 miles. The swim turned out to be 300 metres longer than
normal, as a marker buoy disappeared overnight, which made things
interesting. Slightly choppy in the Adriatic Sea and quite a bit of
current.
Bike 58 miles. Up into the hills with 3,750 metres of climbing,
mostly
in the first 30 miles. Giles described it as ”brutal” with a bit of
rain making the descent “interesting”.
Run 13.1 mile half marathon - back and forth along the sea front
promenade, by which time the sun had come out, and with no shade
about,
it made it hard work.
One of the competitor's described it as “Hard. Fabulous. Awful.
Emotional. Everything."
Results:
11. Giles Cooper 37:07 3:06:30 1:44:05 = 5:27:42 4th Brit.
17. Paul Jephcott 53:12 3:34:55 2:13:02 = 6:41:09 7th Brit.
Giles was 10th in the Middle distance European Championships in
Majorca
last year, and 11th in Rimini this year.
Paul was 16th in Majorca last year, and 17th this year.
----------------------
Various events took place at St.Neots on Sunday, in the NiceTri
Aquathlon's, swims and Junior Races.
Swim 3000m. 4-laps.
5. Andrew Chapman 15:21 15:14 16:08 16:13 = 1:02:58 AG 2.
Swim 1500m. 2-laps.
5. Simon Guerin 16:21 15:39 = 32:00 AG 2.
9. Michael Shadwell 17:39 18:44 = 36:23 AG 2.
22. Sue Davys 27:37 24:59 = 52:37 AG 2.
Sprint Aquathlon - swim 750 metres, run 3 miles.
1. Nathan Tweedie 11:18 18:24 = 29:42 AG 1st and 1st overall.
Nathan took a commanding lead in the swim, and won the event by 3:05
minutes.
Standard distance Aquathlon - swim 1500 metres, run 6.25 miles.
6. Ab