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.