We’re well into the summer and race season is in full swing. It’s been great to see what you have all been up to, basically smashing it out of the park! If you want to wear your club colours for your events, you can find a link to the kit store in the news below – everyone looks sunnier in yellow.
Right, lets crack on with it…
MSTC TRIATHLON WHAT A DAY!!!
THANK YOU ALL for showing up and supporting our annual Race on Sunday 11th June. We had a total of 239 competitors cross the line, made up of 36 in the over 60’s category and a very healthy 40% female. We are keen to make the race as inclusive and undaunting as possible, so we are very happy with those stats, and the new Try-a-Tri. Nothing supports our claim of the ‘Friendliest Triathlon in the South’ better than 5 star reviews;
Dear Jo and all the organisers of Mid Sussex Tri. Matt and I had the best day! This truly was phenomenal organising! Thank you so much, a joy with everyone being so lovely. My trusty Brompton didn't let me down and so far we raised over £2200 for Parkinson's UK. Thank you so much xxx
Dear Jo, I just wanted to say a huge thank you to you and all the other volunteers at the Triathlon on Sunday. I did the Try a Tri, and loved it! I will work towards coming back for the proper event next year. Everyone was so friendly, supportive and encouraging, and it made it such a welcoming event. It really made triathlon feel accessible, and I know other Try a Tri people also commented they would now want to try a proper triathlon. I realise the volunteers gave up a huge amount of time prior to the event and on Sunday, and I am very grateful. Please let them know how much this was appreciated. See you next year!
One of the participants this year was raising money for Parkinsons. She made a huge effort and in recognition of this, the club made a donation of £450 to Cure Parkinson’s. The total was a combination of the money raised from the raffle of the bike box (which was donated by Brighton Triathlon Race Series, BTRS) and the club topped this up as our one-off charity donation for the year. Thank you to all those who bought a raffle ticket, and big congratulations to Emily.
Jo is keen to find volunteers for a 2024 race committee, so please mail him at drjofleming@hotmail.com if you want to be involved in this great event.
JUNIOR’S CORNER: URGENT CALL FOR VOLUNTEERS
Our Juniors Try-a-Tri day is booked up for Saturday 15th July and we have a gang of about 24 teens and preteens descending on Ardingly College for the day.
The coaches are in place, but to make the day run smoothly and to help support the team we also need volunteers to help support on the day - don’t miss this great opportunity to be part of a small but perfectly formed team ensuring the next gen of triathletes come through. Please contact Zoe zoerocholl@gmail.com if you can help.
SWIM/BIKE/RUN NEWS
OUTDOOR SWIMMING UPDATE AND SWIMMERS ON TOUR
In a better-than-expected turn of events, we were back at the reservoir on Saturday 1st July. WOOHOO! If you were allocated for a spotter or kayak session in June then please look out for an email with your reallocated date, those with July, August and September duties you’re back on.
Life without the reservoir hasn’t been all bad though, as we have been on tour! Taking dips and swims at Pells Pools in Lewes and Divers Cove in Godstone for the intervening weekends, and what a treat they were.
Thank you to the club members that led the charge on each of these weekends, I’m sure there will be more return trips in the months to come. Some of you lucky ducky’s have also been to the new Sea Lanes in Brighton which I am sure will become part of our ad hoc swim locations over the coming months.
BIKE
Spin continues to draw in a crowd, so we have agreed to keep the Wednesday night sessions going throughout the summer as long as the numbers stay up.
If you have never been to a spin session, they are great fun and suitable for all levels - You can dial it up or down to suit your fitness or energy levels, and the more people there are in the room the better.
Some call it the pain cave, others call it the disco suite either way it’s a fantastic way to keep fitness levels up.
Sunday Bike Rides continue to roll on and we have bike ride dates agreed on the 9th 16th and 30th July, but we need lead volunteers. If you are happy to be the point of contact for one of the rides please let Clarissa Walton know on c.walton61@googlemail.com
All rides are a social event for all abilities with a ’no drop’ policy e.g the group ride to the slowest rider. Everyone is welcome and the route will be advertised via e-mail and a WhatsApp Group the Wednesday before, but please ensure you signup so we know who is coming.
KIT
Our new branded jackets, jumpers and training kit site is now open! These items are perfect for your year-round training and post event wear and can be bought individually at any time of year.
They all go wonderfully with the race day Club Colours Kit which you can find on the Kit website If you have any questions, Mark Walton is the king of the stash on mstckit@gmail.com
RACES AND EVENTS
Congratulations to all those who have participated, podiumed or plodded at events recently, or made their own challenges, we are super proud of you all! Special mention to Benedict who did an Ironman on the sly, it takes a certain level of skill to not constantly mention that you are doing an Ironman…
Please continue to share your pictures on Facebook, WhatsApp or tag us on Instagram post-race to feel that community love and pride, and let us know if you are attending an event by sharing your upcoming races on the shared Google sheet.
COMPETITION
We are continuing with the Photo challenge for the best picture whist doing something tri related, so remember to post your pictures on Facebook, or tag us on Instagram. There will be Prizes (well, glory) for grit, strength and comedic value.
And finally…MEMBERSHIP
We would like to say hello and welcome, to our new member Nathan Brown It’s great to have you with us and we look forward to welcoming you at the next swim, spin or ride.
For all current members, please don’t forget to keep your details up to date and add your photo! It really helps the coaches and committee to know who is who. You can make changes on the My Details page on the club website.
See you all soon x