Three Castles Sportive, run by the Bourne Wheelers
Sunday 5th September 2010
Five Spalding triathletes were guests of Bourne Wheelers on Sunday when they rode in the annual 'Three Castles' Sportive. There were distance options of 120k (74miles) or 85k (52miles) both started from Edenham Village Hall.
Club members Jack Carpenter, Christine Payne, Steve Kipper, Steve Thompson and Kelvin O'neal took part on a glorious day for a sportive with light winds and the sun beaming down on the many picturesque villages which puncuate the route between the Three 'castles' (Grimesthorpe, Belvoir and Belton house). It was not all fun and games however as the terrain became very hilly 35miles in, with one particular hill which would test the likes of Schleck and Contador.(or at least it seemed that way to the 100 or so riders who took part).
A very well run sportive which comes highly recommended by those who enjoyed and endured the challenging, beautiful route.
Spalding Trio Survive misty morning to excel at Vitruvian
Vitruvian Middle distance Triathlon, Rutland Water. 4th September 2010
As Aimee Stocker, Andy mcpartlin and Alistair rudd set up their bikes in the transition area, it was dark and misty,and the atmosphere was electric. For Andy and Alistair it was a familier feeling, each had raced the ever-popular Vitruvian several times before. For Aimee the unique buzzing tension was a new experience, as she was stepping up to middle distance racing for the first time.
By the time the first athletes entered the water, the sun had risen, relieving the tension somewhat, unfortunately the thick mist stayed, making it very difficult for the swimmers to see the buoys which marked out the 1900 metre swim course. Despite the unfavourable conditions, the three Spalding triathletes completed the swim in good times, (alistair; 34min 20secs, Andy; 37min 16secs, Aimee; 42min 23secs)
The mist hung around stubbenly for the first hour of the bike race, but finally cleared to allow the the sun to warm up the cyclists as they negotiated the hilly, 52 mile course. Aimee was well prepared for the tough rutland course, having made many training rides to the area throughout the summer, she completed the bike leg in 3:04:00. Andy biked round in 2:51:43 while Alistair averaged over 21mph to complete the bike leg in a remarkable 2:26:37.
The day cooled down slightly once the athletes had completed T2 and conditions were ideal for the 13.1 mile run which would conclude the race. alistair maintained his momentum and ran strongly to finish his run in a time of 1:44:40. His total race time was 4:52:45, well inside his sub 5 hour target and more than 30 minutes quicker than his previous encounter with the course.
Veteran of 4 Vitruvians, Andy completed his half marathon run in 2:00:56 which gave him a total time 5:34:40.
Aimee ran strongly for about 10 miles,but in the final few miles the distance started to take its toll and she was forced to dig really deep. Aimee reaffirmed her 'tough' credentials and finished well in 2:26:37 ( total race time 6:20:18)
Nick wins age group and Julian makes open water race debut.
Nottingham Sprint Triathlon. 22nd August 2010
Nick Grimer Finished in 1:03:14 to win the 40-44 age group and finish 8th overall. Julian Beavis came home in 1:18:11(19th in age group and 152nd overall) Julian was particularly pleased with his swim leg, as it was his first competitive venture into open water (750 metres in the National Water Sports Centre lake)
Five club members got up early to cycle over to Holme Pierrepont in support of the two competing athletes, Martin, Steve, Jack, Chris and Aimee gained a useful workout from the 100 mile+ round trip, ( for Aimee and Jack it was a milestone first 'Century' bike ride)
Kelvin Rides Great Outlaw Bike Leg
The Outlaw long distance Triathlon, Nottingham
8th August 2010
Kelvin O'Neil teamed up with 2 friends of Spalding Tri, Ray Carthy and Catherine Stone, this weekend to Complete the inaugural running of the Nottingham based long distance triathlon, The Outlaw. Catherine got the team off to a great start with a 2.4 mile swim, Kelvin kept up the momentum and completed the bike leg in a very nifty 6 hours 9 minutes, Ray must have drawn the short straw but still managed to help the team acheive an impressive sub 13 hour race, Running his marathon under the blazing afternoon sun he brought the baton home in a shade under five and a half hours.
This is Kelvins account of the race;
Ths is my experience of Sunday's Nottingham Outlaw Triathlon, I participated as a member of 'Team Carthy'
The event is organized by One Step Beyond same as woodhall - organization was excellent, loads of marshalls & helpers. The venue Holme Pierrepont is ideal for both competitors and spectators (loads of family supporters) overnight camping and caravans on-site.
The swim is a 2.4 mile loop of the regatta lake starting & finishing from the boat house end. One major comment by Cathrine was the weed - they had cleared boat lane 1 & 6 for the swimmers but best endeavors still resulted in some weed or mud if you swim wide of the lanes. (plenty of rescue boats & canoes just in case)
The bike started with a 3k loop of the lake then headed off along a coned off section of the A52 towards Lowdham 3x loops of mixed road mostly "B" roads some "A" with coned sections or closed side roads at difficult junctions plus odd short rougher bits, only a couple of tight turns but no massive hills to worry about - I think rolling is the best description - public support in the villages was very loud and welcomed, again lots of helpers and marshals and water / high 5 stations every 10 - 12 miles on the loops.
The run was again 3 loops, so the spectators could see the runners suffering up close. The flat course followed the river taking in the sights of Nottingham (Notts Forrest - Notts City - Trent Bridge) Sunscreen was provided, just as well as the temperature was high and the Sun came out to increase the challenge (Plenty of feed & water stations though)
An excellent day for all
Our team total finish time12:50:16
Catherine 2.4mile swim 1:09:50
Kelvin 112 mile Cycle 6:09:20
Ray 26.2mile Run 5:27:10
Magnicent Seven ride into Bolton
Ironman UK Bolton 1st August 2010
Spalding Tri's proud Ironman tradition was upheld on Sunday when 7 club athletes completed the tough Lancashire course.
Sam Rose, Jamie Graham, Steve Thompson and Tom Drew made their debut at the long distance event, while Clive Dodd and John Young returned to the course that they completed last year. For Martin Halifax it was his 3rd Ironman in 4 years.
Weather conditions can play a large part in an event of this distance, fortunately the weather was near- perfect for racing, low wind, slightly overcast for most of the morning, bright sunhine from mid afternoon onwards.
The mass swim start was a physical affair, with the crowd only really thinning out slightly after about 1 mile, fortunately the Spalding athletes had been swimming in the Coranation Channel twice a week since June, so were comfortable in the water and well equipt to hold their ground.
All seven were safely out of the water within about 20 minutes of each other, and were soon out on the bike course, which started with 12 miles of gradual climbing, after which the course was made up of three 33 mile laps. Each lap took the cyclist through many villages where the roadside support was patchy but very enthusiastic. There was good support around the infamous sheep house lane, a steep 2 mile climb which took the route over the moors.
Spalding Tri were well represented with families of all athletes making the journey. In addition Christine (ironman in her own right),Chris and Aimee (ironmen to be...) took their bikes to Bolton and were able to provide roving support, popping up on different parts of the course throughout the day and proudly waving the tri club standard.
Thomo was first to reach T2 after a very good bike leg (6 hours 36minutes), so he was the first to discover the cross country track that made up the first 2 miles of the marathon (uphill, muddy,downhil, tree roots....) this was followed by an eight mile section that took the runners to within touching distance of the finishing mat, only to be turned around to go back to the start, before turning for a final time to head back to that distant party that was happening at the finish line.
Sam put in a very good run (4 hours 12 minutes) and finally caught Thomo about 2 miles from the finish. John Caught Martin and these two ran together for a while until John ran ahead to finish 3rd out of the group.
Tom caught up with Jamie with about 5 miles to go and these 2 finished the race together, helping each other as the going got tough. Clive came in soon after that, finishing well after suffering badly on the bike.
Sam 12.57.48
Thomo 13.01.40
John 13.32.33
Martin 13.36.55
Jamie 13.47.02
Tom 13.47.02
Clive 15.20.36
Chris goes ultra-long
70mile ultra marathon Grimesthorpe July 23rd 2010
Chris Pratt continued his remarkable season by joining 34 other entrants at the start line of a 70 mile ultra marathon at Grimesthorpe castle on Friday morning. Fresh from winning his category in the Midlands sprint tri championship and being granted a place in the GB Team at the Olympic Distance age group World Championships, Chris set out to test himself in what was originally his 'A' race of the season.
The course consisted of 7 ten mile laps, on a mixture of undulating tarmac roads and rough grass tracks. Chris stuck to a race/nutrition plan that he developed during long training runs throughout the summer, and although he admitted that it was difficult to get enough food down, the plan must have been pretty good, as Chris finished in a shade over 15 hours.
Chis was visited throughout the day (and evening) by family and tri club members who offered moral support and yelled abuse in equal measure. All the participating athletes commented that the support provided a great lift during some of the darker moments of the race and Chris later thanked all those who turned out in support.
Nick unbeaten in Pactrac series
pactrac mini series #7 and #9 14th/28th july
Nick Grimer returned to Oundle and took up where he left off last month, with another overall win in the 7th sprint triathlon in the mini series. remarkably, his finish time was the same as his previous visit, 50 minutes and 55 seconds.
Nick missed race number 8, but returned for the ninth and final race of the series, sure enough he once again took the honours, winning outright with an improved time of 50 minutes and 41 seconds.
Lincoln Sprint Tri Sunday 4th July
Last weekend saw the final round of the Midland Sprint Championships. The event at Lincoln's David Lloyd health spa was a successful one for Spalding Tri's athletes, despite the strong winds and high temperatures.
Age-group wins for Michael Staines and Chris Pratt sealed championship wins for the pair, while an impressive performance by Jack Carpenter suggests he'll be a strong contender for honours next year.
The bike course was fast and flowing with the only sizeable hill appearing early on. The run consisted of four laps of a circuit on a closed road, ensuring good crowd support making it an ideal first event for both Julian Beavis and Alex Cobb, both of who impressed on debut, as did Imogen Delahoy in her second event.
Nick Represents GB in European Championships
Athlone July 3rd 2010
Nick Grimer showed that he could mix it with the big boys when he represented Team GB at the European Age Group Championships in Athlone. He finished 77th out of 387 overall, 12th in his age group.
Nick received his national call up after a qualifying race in Grendon, Northants. on May 9th. He was disappointed with his performance in that particular race, so was suprised to later learn that he had been awarded a place on the GB Team. Nicks time in Athlone was 1.10.13
Jamie's Fuertaventura Training Camp
Jamie did well this last fortnight by turning a family holiday into a full-on ironman training camp. Apparently, the swimming was a far cry from the Coronation Channel with great visibility and plenty of tropical fish. Cycling included tough mountain climbs on almost traffic free roads, with the hot temperatures periodically alleviated by fast flowing decents and strong winds.
On returning to the UK Jamie can look forward to swapping those nuisance sunrise runs by the ocean with idyllic fenland trudges...
...I think I might be jealous.
Success for Nick in Oundle
pactrac mini series #4 26th June 2010
Nick Grimer was overall winner in the 4th sprint triathlon of the Peterborough and Oundle clubs series. The Pactrac sprints consist of 400 yards of swimming, a ten mile cycle, finished off with a 3.5 mile run. This timely result comes just 1 week before Nick travels to Athlone, Republic of Ireland, to represent Team GB in the European Sprint Triathlon Age Group Championships.
Nick Grimer 50.55 1st overall
Epic Cycling Adventure for Christine
Spurn Head 404km Audax 26th June 2010
Spalding Tri's very own 'iron woman' Christine Payne re-affirmed her long distance credentials at the weekend when she embarked upon a 404km Audax. Starting and finishing at Sowerby in North Yorkshire, the cicular route took in a visit to Spurn Head. Christine finished the challenging ride in 23 hours and 15 minutes (....so this is why she insists on a 'proper' leather Brooks saddle!)
National Call-up follows Dambuster
Olympic distance triathlon 19th June 2010
Mike Staines, Jamie Graham and Steve 'Thomo' Thompson returned to this ever popular Rutland event, while Kelvin O'neil and Chris Pratt made their Olympic distance debuts. Christine Payne also represented the club, riding the bike leg in a female relay team.
The Dambuster is a qualifier event for the World Championships, so competition for every single position is always fierce. The challenging 'ripple' bike course and excellent organisation ensure that the race always commands a capacity, high quality field.
All Spalding Tri Athletes aquitted themselves brilliantly, Chris found out later that his 9th position in his age group was good enough to earn him a call up to Team GB, where he will represent his Country at the World Championships in Budapest on 12th September.
Chris 2.12.04 9th in age group
Thomo 2.30.38 52nd in age group
Jamie 2.33.19 68th in age group
Mike 2.35.27 24th in age group
Kelvin 2.54.10 41st in age group
Christine 1.30.43 (bike leg in team relay)
3.8km open water swim, Box End 6th June 2010
Three Spalding Triathletes took their wet suits for an ironman distance work-out at the Aquasphere sponsored event at Box End.
Chris Pratt, Martin Halifax and Neil Walker Faced stiff competition as there were many swim specialists among the field. Chris pushed the pace from the start and held on to finish 16th in a time of 52 minutes 36 seconds. Martin finished in 1 hour 12 minutes, a good trial run for his Bolton ironman attempt in August this Year.
Southwell Sprint Triathlon Sunday 30th May 2010
Spalding Triathletes Mike Staines, Jack Carpenter and Chris Pratt put in great performances at Southwell, the second race in the Midlands Championship series. Chris and Jack finished 2nd and 3rd respectively in the 20-24 age group while Mike finished 4th in the 50-54 age group. This set of results leave the trio in a great position going into the final race of the sprint series, which will be the David Lloyd Lincoln Triathlon, on 4th July.
Chris Pratt 0.55.30 22nd/500 2nd M20-24
Mike Staines 1.00.48 72nd/500 4th M50-54
Jack Carpenter 1.01.00 76th/500 3rd M20-24
Spalding Tri at Woodhall Spa Sunday 9th May 2010
Spalding Tri were out in force on Sunday, with 20 club members competing in the Woodhall Spa Sprint Triathlon. The weather stayed (mostly) dry and sunny, making for an enjoyable spectator event for the many friends and family members who traveled to Jubilee park in support of the Athletes.
There were many outstanding performances, most notably from Chris Pratt, who won the Male 20-24 age group in a time of 1:07:28. Chris, who comes from a background of competitive swimming, has worked hard on his running and cycling over the last 12 months and duly reaped the rewards on Sunday, finishing 16th overall from a field of 485 athletes.
Other ‘Podium’ Finishes came from Mike Staines 1:13:19 (2nd Male 50-54), Alistaire Rudd 1:11:38 (3rd Male 45-49) Jack Carpenter 1:14:08 (3rd Male 20-24)
Racing in their first triathlons were Aimee Stocker, Paul Linford, Sabina Dungarwalla and Callum McPartlin.
Sixteen year old Callum showed that he will be one to watch in the future, finishing 4th in the Under 20 age group.
Tom Drew had a race he would rather forget, after being involved in a head-on collision with another competitor as he reached completion of his Cycle leg. Both Athletes received medical attention at the scene of the accident before being driven back to the event in an ambulance.
Athletes, friends and families took advantage of the weather to conclude the day with a Barbeque in the Park. Many thanks to Neil for cooking for everyone, thanks also go to all those who turned out to support the athletes.
Full Club Results
Chris Pratt 1:07:28 1st M 20-24
John Young 1:11:32 8th M 35-39
Alistaire Rudd 1:11:38 3rd M 45-49
Mike Staines 1:13:19 2nd M 50-54
Jack Carpenter 1:14:08 3rd M 20-24
Jamie Graham 1:15:27 16th M 40-44
Steve Thompson 1:16:03 14th M 35-40
Andy McPartlin 1:16:29 19th M 40-44
Clive Dodds 1:17:.06 23rd M 40-44
Sam Rose 1:19:02 12th M 45-49
Callum McPartlin 1:19:28 4th M Under 20
Martin Halifax 1:20:15 9th M 50-54
Wayne Delahoy 1:24:01 22nd M 45-49
Kelvin O’Neil 1:24:59 13th M 50-54
Aimee Stocker 1:31:40 8th F 25-29
Paul Linfor 1:33:07 27th M 50-54
Sabina Dungarwalla 1:48:42 7th F Under 24
Jamie Green 1:51:53
Imogen Delahoy 1:54:27 8th F Under 24
Tom Drew DNF
Click here for the update from Woodhall Spa May 2010.
Blithfield Olympic distance Triathlon August 1st 2010
Alistaire Rudd returned to the part of the Country where he spent a lot of time as a teenager when he raced the Blithfield Triathlon on Sunday, here is his account of the occasion;
Its 7:30 on a Sunday morning - a very civilised time to have a triathlon but the bloke next to me in transition is asking about pins whilst I'm trying to catch the words of the announcer blowing about in the wind 'so which way does the swim go?' - Oh well I'm sure there will be someone to follow......
Its the Blithfield triathlon, a very relax affair, no threats of disembowelment if you don't pass on the bike within 30 seconds or wear your number inside out. For me its a return to place were I started running in my teens, 5 minutes by bike from my parents house.
The race itself is a very serious event, qualification for something very important so lots of pointy hats on the bike. The swim is over in a gulp of wetsuit black water, the bike route is great, with one hill which I remembered struggling up on my 3 geared bike, then its flat and winding. Now the run, it’s four years since my last olympic distance and I'd forgotten the intensity of the run, its not helped by my brother berating me for not digging in more, and there I was thinking this was for fun. Its all over in 2.23 ,a modest event in middle England
