|
Press Release Service - Post Race
-----release starts-----
New Triathlon Storms into Cornwall
Sunday 21st May saw the first ever Middle distance triathlon held at the
picturesque Marazion near Penzance in Cornwall (writes Carl Harwood). A
Middle Distance race sees competitors Swim for 1.9km, Cycle for 80km then
Run for 20km.
58 determined triathletes from all over the UK braved the storm force
conditions and driving wind and rain to take part in the first ever race of
this distance in the County. Starting at 6:30am, the competitors were faced
with 40mph winds, driving rain, fog, flooded roads and ultimately sunshine
as they raced, with the winners completing the whole course in just over 4
hours.
The swim was adjusted slightly to allow for the rough sea state and
consisted of a two lap anti-clockwise swim with a run along the beach after
each lap.
First to emerge from the foaming surf was Matt Thomas (Team Bike Chain) in
an incredible 11 minutes and 41 seconds, utilising his surf lifesaving
skills in the testing seas. Two minutes later Nathan Jolly (Team Plymouth
Tri) emerged. The majority of the front-runners were over four minutes
behind Thomas giving him a strong initial advantage on the bike section.
In the first transition (T1) no records were broken as athletes took their
time layering up for the wet and windy conditions. Local triathlete Gary
Drew (Team Mounts Bay Harriers) was one of the only exceptions to this and
was hungry to chase down the front cyclists.
The 54 mile cycle route was a two lap affair with a long slog in driving
rain to Lands End and a climb up to St Just followed by a descent back in to
Penzance.
Matt Lewis (Team Tri-Logic) cycled hard and had the 3rd fastest bike but was
shadowed by the impressive bike performance of Navy cyclist Gary Drew. He
finished the bike section in 2hrs 29mins, which was astonishing considering the
weather conditions.
The run was a 3-lap course along the sea front to Penzance, using the
Coastal Path. The waves were breaking over the path soaking competitors as
they braved the gale force southerly winds. Nathan Jolly maintained his lead
during the 13.1 mile run and won the event by over 5 minutes. Gary Drew ran
a strong ½ marathon to come second. The battle for third place was the scene
of a good contest. Carl Harwood (Team MBH) ran hard with the second fastest
run of the day to take Matt Thomas and then Matt Lewis to claim third spot.
Devon and Cornwall Police Team (Panther/Friday/Sayer) won the Team event
after an impressive run beating Team Bike Chain (Hayden/Legg/Friday) by four
minutes. Third team place was taken by the Redruth Post Office team
(Jose/Holland/Eddy).
In the women’s event Lisa Picton (East Cornwall Harriers) put her open water
swimming demons aside and had an impressive swim and bike but a truly
awesome run completing the ½ marathon in 1hr 38mins; beating second place
Jacqueline Bond (Team Bath Amphibians) by over 30 minutes.
Scott Markham (MBH) in his first ever triathlon, competed in this arduous
race coming an impressive 13th. This was to be an unlucky number for him as
he came off his bike towards the end of the route at over 40kmh and suffered
grazes and road rash down the entire right hand side of his body, undeterred
although with somewhat less tolerance levels to Metro drivers he went on to
give an inspiring display of courage and conviction!
The event would not have happened without the determined organisation of
Crispin and Karen Hayden, and all the volunteers, marshals and sponsors who
helped make this a highly successful inaugural event!
Images of the whole event and results can be viewed at
www.kasstzam.com .
-----release ends-----
|