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.