Both Matt Gunby and Josh Daniels competed in the GE Strathclyde Park
Triathlon in Scotland on Sunday.
Distances were:
swim 750 metres in the lake.
bike 12.5 miles
run 3 miles. The wind was quite brutal on the run.
Former World Champion, Tim Don, went out on his own after
breaking away on the bike, and came home as winner, over a minute
ahead.
Matt was in the 2nd bike group, who picked up some cyclists falling
back from the lead group, and he went on to catch all but 4 of the lead
group on the run. Matt ran the whole of the run neck and neck with 6th
place, but managed to out-sprint him in the end.
The GE Strathclyde Park Triathlon is the first race of this year’s
British Triathlon Super Series.
The Elite competitors now head to the GE Blenheim Triathlon, the second
event of the Super Series, on 4 June. After Blenheim the Series heads
to the Toshiba Windsor Triathlon (12 June), the GE Canary Wharf
Triathlon (30 June) and finally the Virgin Active London Triathlon (30
July).
Results:
5. Matt Gunby 10.10 33.56 16.11 = 60.17
28. Josh Daniels 9.14 37.12 18.52 = 65.18
Matt Gunby will be in action in Belgium this weekend to compete in the
Brasschaat ITU Premium European Cup Triathlon.
Matt who is on British Triathlon’s trigold programme, will be aiming to
build on his 5th place finish at the GE Strathclyde Park Triathlon last
Sunday.
Matt has had a solid start to the season, and will be focussing on the
swim in Belgium. He said “My swimming has been going well in the pool
and training, but I want to start transferring that form into the open
water. If I can get a good swim, I am confident in both my bike and
running to be up for a good result in Belgium.”
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Roger Canham competed in the Ironman St George, in Utah, USA.
swim: 2.4 miles.
bike: 112 miles
run: 26.2 miles in searing temperature's of 98oF.
Roger said that this was "probably the toughest course I have tackled,
and the conditions were not much help either! Still, it's good to have
it in the bag, and I can relax now for a few weeks!
Ironman is considered as one of the toughest triathlon endurance
events to race. Ironman St George is reputedly the toughest IM course
in the world; the race took me to my absolute limits and lived up to
its brutal reputation."
Roger continued: "The swim venue was up in the hills around St George,
at Sand Hollow Canyon, a beautiful setting for the start of a long day.
Last year’s race ended here for some competitors, with water
temperatures in the low 50s causing some hypothermic athletes to be
pulled from the water. This year the water was a balmier 62oF and
ensured most athletes made it onto the bike.
The gun went off at 0700 and 1600 bodies collided, arms and legs
flailing as I struck out to find some clear water to swim in. Within
400m I found myself able to swim unimpeded, proceeded to establish a
rhythm as I made my way round the single loop course in the reservoir
and before I knew it, I was kicking hard to exit the water. I grabbed
my helmet and shoes, changed out of my wetsuit and was out on the bike
course to tackle the 1900m of ascent over two loops.
The bike course was incredibly scenic, a mixture of deep canyons and
sharply rising hills coloured with the reds and yellows of the local
sandstones. The bike course is renowned for its spectacular topography
and beauty, each lap finishing with a gruelling ride up The Wall,
happily followed by a 45mph descent. I had planned to pace the first
lap, with a controlled effort and all went to plan. I managed to
conserve my energy for the looming marathon. As I started out on the
second lap the temperature started to rise, as we approached the middle
of the day. At each 15mile aid station I was careful to grab two full
bottles of water, one to drink and one to cool myself, staying hydrated
was going to be critical in keeping my body’s core temperature under
control. I continued to meter out my pacing on the second lap and was
relieved to find myself finally spinning down the hill towards T2,
having avoided any mechanical mishaps and feeling well hydrated.
The volunteers grabbed my bike from me as I hit the dismount line and I
raced through T2 donning my running shoes, nutrition and cap. The run
would be the part of the race that would claim the most competitors
with almost 300 athletes failing to make it across the finish line. It
was a brutal course, essentially a 6 mile run up a hill, then
turnaround, back down to the start and repeat for a total ascent of
500m, all in temperatures soaring close to 100oF. I had planned for an
overall run time of 3.5hrs so I set out with a pace of 8mins/mile or
better. The first lap seemed to roll by as I focussed on controlling my
pace and staying hydrated but I knew the second lap was going to be
where the race began. By this time I was pretty certain I was in the
top 5 and, with the first lap completed in 01:38, I could reset my pace
to 9min/mile to achieve my goal race time. By mile 16 it was becoming a
mental battle to keep my feet moving up the hill, as my core
temperature began to spiral upwards, with little I could do at this
stage to control matters. I clawed my way through each mile, one step
at a time until I finally propelled myself towards and ultimately over
the finish line.
I was completely spent and really had no idea of my time or position; I
just wanted to be out of the ferocious heat and to sit down. I was in
the medical tent for nearly an hour in what resembled a M.A.S.H. unit,
the medics stating they had treated more people in the first hour than
they had in the whole of the previous year’s race. The course and
conditions had taken their toll.
It was here that I learned from a fellow athlete that I had won my age
group and was an Ironman Champion – I was ecstatic with winning the
title, setting a new course record and qualifying to race at the
Ironman World Championships in Hawaii in October."
In winning his Age Group, Roger broke the previous course record for
his Age Group of 10:24:09. This also qualified him for the Ironman
World Championships in Hawaii in October, for the 4th consecutive
year.
Results:
45th. Roger Canham 1:06:11 5:30:19 3:29:47 = 10:06:17 1st
in Age Group.
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3 Junior PACTRAC members competed in the Charnwood Junior Tri-Star
Triathlon on Sunday 22nd May, held at Loughborough. All 3 competed in
different races over different distances.
Results:
Tri-Star 2 race) 40th Ciaran Randeria 5.13 26.55 11.40 =
43.48
Tri-Star 3 race) 9th James Noble 4.48 18.25 11.55 =
35.08
Youth race) 13th Nathan Tweedie 5.51 29.56 27.04 =
62.51
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Neil Tandy competed in the Dorney Triathlon Challenge Sprint Triathlon
at Eton.
Distances were:
swim: 750 metres in the lake.
bike 12.5 miles.
run 3 miles.
Neil finished 1st in his Age Group for 5th overall out of 279
competitors. He was just 40 seconds away from a top 3 finish.
Results:
5. Neil Tandy 11.04 40.37 21.39 = 73.20 1st in AG.