 |
| Neil Baldwin, Mark Wilson, Louise Hyde, Gerry Hyde |
Belvoir Tri Club had 5 members competing in this new Ironman event. It attracted top athletes from the sport such as Javier Gomez, Lucy Gossage, and our own race pro Sam Warriner, as well as celebrity Chef Gordon Ramsey, with a total field of 2500 competitors.
The weather forecast was cloudy and wet, so it was surprising to see the sun peek out at Chasewater for the swim start.
It was a deep water start, and the water was a little choppy, and 15.7C. The 1.2 mile swim was 1 loop around the lake, with the usual fighting for space at the beginning, all politeness gone out the window, but it soon turned into a rythmic stroke once everyone had seperated out a little. The swim exit via a nicely placed concrete ramp was a welcome sight, and a nearly half mile run to the transition tent a nice warm up.
The 56 mile bike course through parts of Lichfield and Cannock chase was both stunning, and challenging as you would expect from an Ironman event. It started off on narrow roads with a steady incline for 5 miles before opening up into wider smooth tarmac. The support throughout was fantastic giving it a real personal touch. It was a relief to get to the top of the climb at Cannock Chase which started at 46 miles into the bike, with a nice downhill stretch for the last 6 miles. Shrugborough Hall was the second welcome sight of the day, where you could park your bike, and prepare for the final discipline, the run.
The 13.1 mile run was 3 laps around the beautiful Shrugborough Hall Estate, on a mixture of road and trails, it went out to an energy sapping hill at Little Haywood, then back through the grounds to the Hall itself. The support near the finish was awesome, and really kept you motivated on every lap. The third and final welcome sight of the day was the finishing shoot, and running over the line. A great experience and a fabulous day.
Sam Warriner, competing in the Female Pro race finished in a time of 4:46:36, and came in a fantastic 3rd, and 55th overall. (Swim 27:29, Bike 2:43:58, Run 1:29:51).
Neil Baldwin, competing in the M45-49 age group finished in a time of 6:06:21 to come 144 in his age group and 910 overall (Swim 44:00, Bike 02:57:19, Run 02:14:24).
Mark Wilson competing in the M50-54 age group finished in a time of 5:24:24 to come 13th in his age group, and 328 overall (Swim 41:56 Bike 02:49:37 Run 01:45:26).
Gerry Hyde competing in the M50-54 age group finished in a time of 5:57:20 to come 49th in his age group, and 781 overall (Swim 46:17 Bike 03:04:41 Run 01:52:16).
Louise Hyde competing in the F50-54 age group finished in a time of 6:17:04 to come 8th in her age group, and 1049 overall (Swim 40:27 Bike 03:21:15 Run 02:04:09).
