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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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."