Race Reports

Saturday 11^th September

Swimrun Holy Island, Anglesey

Three members went to North Wales for this coastal event (see image above). The sprint category of this event involves four swims (total 2.1km) and five runs (total 7.9km) along the beautiful coast of Anglesey. In order to get the most enjoyment from the event, Jean Fish, Sarah Hinton and Kay McMenamin ran together, finishing in 2.46.10.

5km Adur Swim

Eight members entered this event which starts in Shoreham with a 2.5km swim upstream in the slack water at high tide. Swimmers must avoid sandbanks to have a clear route. After turning at 2.5km the second half of the swim is then aided by the outgoing tide.

Kate Bradford was the first member home in an impressive 1.15.07, followed by Barry Davids (1.17.02), Esther Clutton (1.19.31), Liane Davids (1.22.54), Vicky Von der Linden (1.28.08), Adam Bryant (1.29.22), Vicki Revis (1.31.55) and Kirsty Perryman-Best (1.32.00). Vicky Von der Linden was pleasantly surprised with her time as she had not managed much training.

Sunday 12^th September

Half Ironman Bowood Wiltshire

Luc Berthouze enjoyed the Capability Brown parkland setting but there were some challenging hills for this very scenic half ironman event (1.2m swim, 56 mile bike, 21.1km run) on Bowood Estate, finishing in 5.05.50.

Brighton Marathon

Five members participated in the Brighton marathon this year in warm, sunny weather. Tom Haywood was the first to finish in a respectable 3.06.59. Mike Jaffe finished in 3.20.34, followed by Doug MacTaggart (4.55.10), Angela Murray in her first marathon (5.41.29) and Helen Graham (6.34.11). The organisers have apologised as the course was 568m too long!

World Long Distance Triathlon Championships Almere, Amsterdam

Stewart Conway continued in World Championship events in Amsterdam this weekend, finishing in 10.06.36 and placing 13^th out of 34 in his M45 age group and 83^rd out of 233 overall.

Here is some news of the range of activities of Mid Sussex Triathlon Club Members through the summer.

8th August Goodwood Ultra Triathlon

Stewart Conway placed an impressive 7th in the inaugural 255 Triathlon at Goodwood in 12.38.35. This is the world's longest single day Triathlon which involves a 5km swim, 200km bike ride and 50km run. The swim is in Westhampnett Lake whilst the bike ride and run are on the traffic free motor circuit. Competitors must complete the event in 18 hours. Despite the wind and rain, Stewart described it as a great day out.

21st/22nd August Seaford, Uckfield and Ripon

Liz Griffin Hind, who is a very experienced swimmer, completed her first triathlon at Seaford (750m sea swim, 20km bike ride, 5km run) in 1.36.51.

Carlos Castro went all the way to Ripon to compete in the Dalesman Triathlon, his first long distance ironman triathlon (3.8km swim, 180km bike ride, 42.2km run) in just over 12 hrs.

Meanwhile Zoe Deeley and Jon Clarke stayed local, competing in the Uckfield Standard Triathlon (600m swim, 22km bike ride, 5.25km run) finishing in 1.53.18 (11th woman) and 1.28.14 (22nd man), respectively.

4th September Aquasphere Chillswim 5.25 mile Lake Coniston End to End

After much training at Ardingly Reservoir through the summer Caroline Ray and Carl Clarke travelled to the Lake District on Saturday 4th September for the very popular 5.25 mile Lake Coniston swim, finishing in 3hrs 6min and 3hr 19 min respectively.

Mid Sussex Tri Club held a well-attended and well-received GoTri! training day for local children at Ardingly College on Saturday 24 July.

Twenty six enthusiastic children aged 8 to 13, from local schools including St Joseph’s Primary School, Oathall Community College and Burgess Hill Girls, took part.

Using the Ardingly College swimming pool and sports pitches, coaches and volunteers from Mid Sussex Tri Club helped the children learn basic triathlon skills and techniques in swimming, cycling and running, plus the crucial ‘fourth discipline’, transition.

This was complemented by a ‘What is triathlon?’ session, putting the sport and its history into context, with the help of slides and video. And all delivered just a day before Alex Yee and Georgia Taylor-Brown provided further inspiration by winning silver medals for Great Britain in the men’s and women’s triathlons at the Tokyo Olympics!

Several of the children who attended the GoTri! training day then went on to compete successfully at the Billingshurst Kidstri on Sunday 25 July, despite the cancellation of the cycling element of the race, enforced by torrential rain.

Brothers Finlay and Noah Blythe finished second and fifth, respectively, in the TriStart3 and TriStart2 categories. Anya Cole was third in TriStart2 and Charlotte Mason was sixth in Novice1, while Amber Mason was sixth, Mirabelle Hogan was seventh and Isabella Jarman was 12^th in TriStart1.

Congratulations to all participants at both events!

The Mid Sussex Sprint Triathlon was held at The Triangle Leisure Centre on Sunday 13^th June with 59 female and 111 male competitors taking part under social distancing rules. The event comprises a 400m swim in the Triangle pool, a 25km bike ride through country lanes in Wineham and Twineham, and a 5km run in Burgess Hill. About 15 other competitors also participated in either a short course triathlon or the aquabike option (swim and cycle only). This year the focus was on “participation not competition,” getting everyone back into sport and back to normality. Fortunately, the weather was fantastic with fine, sunny and dry conditions, which helped create the celebratory atmosphere.

This event is suitable for experienced triathletes and novices. The club members marshal the event, providing encouragement to all competitors as they make their way around the course. It is also popular with all age groups with more than 50 competitors in the Vets 50+ age group and about 30 competitors in the 60+ group.

Covid restrictions really changed the logistics of the event, with competitors arriving in small groups, rather than one large start. The race itself was also changed, with the “transition” sections between the swim, bike and run untimed, to allow everyone to walk between disciplines and stay socially distanced. It was very relaxing in comparison to previous years and a great way for everyone to get back into racing. The winning times were 1.01.41 in the male section and 1.12.43 in the female section, but no prizes were awarded this year as the focus was not on competition.

Race Director Jo Fleming thanked all the club members whose collective efforts made the event both possible and also so enjoyable.

Comments from first time triathlon entrants,  “I really enjoyed the event today despite the nerves and consequential lack of sleep! What a lovely team you work with – absolutely each and every person was fantastic! As it was my first Tri, I learned so much, “  and “ It was my first Triathlon and I used it as a mechanism for raising money for charity, so there was quite a lot at stake. However, my nerves were elevated by your very helpful and friendly volunteers, all happy and incredibly cheerful,” show the enjoyment which all participants felt.

Former Race Director Steve McMenamin was finally able to take part this year, having organised the event for many years. He commented,” It’s strange to swap roles from race director to competitor but it was amazing, from the cowbells that I could hear under the water to all the shouts of encouragement out on the course.”

Thanks so much to Jo and the whole of MST for yet another wonderful event.

All competitors received an attractive medal and refreshments at the finish.

More than 260 athletes took part in Mid Sussex Triathlon Club's annual sprint triathlon on Sunday 9th June, held at the Triangle Leisure Centre in Burgess Hill.

This year's sunny event attracted 85 female and 175 male competitors, ranging in age from 15 to 70. Competitors were mostly from other clubs in Brighton, Horsham, Crawley, Steyning, Crowborough and East Grinstead, but a few came from much further afield, including Ashford, Ealing and Devon. About a third of the athletes were beginners taking part in their first triathlon.

The sprint triathlon involves a 400m pool swim, a 25km bike ride through country lanes in Wineham and Twineham, and a 5km run in Burgess Hill. Fifteen competitors took part in the Aquabike event, involving just the swim and cycle, and there were also four relay teams, each with three athletes completing one discipline each.

The winner of the women's event was Sally Bliss in a time of 1.16.59, with Harriet Cunningham of Brighton Tri Club second in 1.17.01. Georgina Tasker of the Mid Sussex Tri Club was third in 1.19.53. Hannah Droscher was the second Mid Sussex Club member to finish in 1.30.40, followed by Sally Gardner in 1.32.30.

The winner of the men's event was Mik Onions of Brighton Tri Club in 1.03.46, with Jon Salisbury of Horsham Amphibians second in 1.06.36. Charlie Mactear was third in 1.06.43. The first Mid Sussex Tri Club member to finish was Dan Anniston in 1.10.31, followed by Luc Berthouze in 1.13.34 and Tom Spensley in 1.17.05.

There were several age group prizes, as well as an award for the Spirit of Triathlon, plus many spot prizes and a race number raffle. Each participant also received a goodie bag. The prizes were donated by local organisations including Hurstpierpoint College, Dinnages, CAE Simulation, Piople for Places, Tesco and Waitrose in Burgess Hill, Wisdom Sports, The Perrymount Clinic, Hassocks Opticians, Swim Secure, The Tri Store in Eastbourne, The Chia Co. Chia Seeds  and Mint-Ease. Charlie Langhorne from exhibition organiser Wild in Art was also a much-appreciated sponsor and also marshalled at the event wearing a bear suit, which won him the Best Marshal prize.

This triathlon has a reputation as a very welcoming event and is ideal for beginners, as well as experienced triathletes. It is marshalled by members of Mid Sussex Triathlon Club, who this year received many compliments from competitors on the club's Facebook page about their friendliness and encouragement.

Race Director Jo Fleming, in his first year in this position, was very pleased with the successful outcome of the event.