Congratulations GE Canary Wharf Dream Team!

Just a short and sweet blog to congratulate the GE Canary Wharf Dream Team. Canary Wharf is the third race of the GE British Superseries held in London. The Winning team consisted of two members of the Triathlon Shop. Chris Newman and John Wood, both whom race on the shops Felt Racing Team. John was representing the team in the 400m swim, then Chris took over for the 10km bike through the closed roads of London. They went on after the run to take team gold!

The Triathlon Shop caters for all three disciplines from the novice to elite. Situated in Temple Quay, Bristol (just behind Temple Meads Train Station), the small but keen work team consists of keen triathletes from all abilities and backgrounds to help customers find exactly what they need. Follow them on twitter @TheTriShop, click here to be directed to their website, or click here to visit the facebook page, to keep up to date with stock, racing, competitions, advice, general info about the shop and team, or just to explore more and make contact.

Congratulations!

Blenheim Elite Triathlon

Today was Blenheim Triathlon, a huge event in the UK, open to elite waves, juniors, the mass public and many age group athletes. For me personally, Blenheim was my first elite start ever! The 2012 season for me is my first full season in triathlon, the primary focus of which would be to gain race experience and work out training focus's for the winter season of 2012/13 ready for 2013. Therefore to be granted entry to any elite race was a surprise and a bonus for the season.

The Brownlee brothers were in the elite men's wave, which started 20minutes after the elite women, and no big surprise took joint 1st place. For Ali Brownlee it was his first race since an Achilles injury, but that didn't seem to stop him! Helen Jenkins (2011 world champ and favourite for London 2012) was not racing but started our race (didn't notice at the time was far to worried about the swim!), so was definitely a key race in the race calender for many.

Setting up in Transition pre race

A lovely shot by Dad of Transition situated in front of the Palace

The swim was a chilly one, water not much above 13 degrees. The 750m swim was followed by a 400m uphill run to transition which was situated outside Blenheim Palace. I had a terrible T1, which in hindsight ruined my race, first time in a new wetsuit, I stumbled with the zip and fastening which slowed me considerably up the hill to T1, which I had hoped would work to my advantage being a runner. The bike course was undulating, hard to make a break and kept you on your toes to stay in the pack up the hills, descents and round the corners. Race favourite Jodie Stimpson (Olympic 2012 hopeful) led off the bike in a pack of 4, I was in a pack of 6 athletes, 2 groups behind the lead bunch.

118, 118!

The 5km run was an undulating 2 laps around the palace grounds. Lovely views, though during the race there wasn't much time to take it all in! Down the finishing straight with TV Cameras, crowds and cameras, a very new experience!

Racing in this elite race was such a surprise and bonus for my season, despite a break through in the swim being less than 30 seconds behind the race leader, the rest of the race didn't go as planed with a slow T1 which resulted being in a slower bike group than would have liked, and sadly, was just not a good running day for me. But I learnt SO much, and am ready to take everything to my next race, which is the AG British Championships in two weeks time...see you then!

Leading my bike group!

British AG Championships

Today was the British Age Group Championships in Shropshire, standard distance (1500m swim, 40km bike, 10km run). Last year I was the U20 British Champ in Sprint Distance, though today I travelled to see how I would fair an age category up (20-24), in standard distance.

The swim part of Triathlon has proved a struggle over the last year I have been doing Tri. It was the weakest discipline for me in Modern Pentathlon, but has slowly been progzessing and coming together. Blenheim was a breakthrough, swimming 9 36 for 750m, so today my aim was a sub 21 for 1500m. The water was cold, 14 degrees, all the women were wishing for a quick start before we lost all feeling in our hands and toes. I exited the water in 3rd position, with a split of 20.14 which I was delighted with. T1 led us out onto a rolling 40km one lap bike course. As an age group race, it was non drafting, so the work is all individual (and much harder!). 40km seemed to go on forever! After competing in only sprint distance all year it did drag!!!

The weather was dry and mild, then about 10km into the bike it poured. Heavy rain for short but aggressive stages, requiring increased concentration around the traffic, descents and cornering. A few women overtook me on lavish TT bikes, which is always a given, but me and bike Billie kept pumping away, determined to enter T2 with a good time, and not far off the leaders. When we entered T2, the ground was churned and muddy, as we slipped our muddy wet feet into our run shoes sock-less (every second counts!), the gruelling hilly 10km run began.

On the podium, wearing kit kindly provided by www.thetriathlonshop.co.uk

All in all it was a well organised race, though the courses were not very spectator friendly, most of it being in the rural countryside, without spectator support, good practice I suppose though felt like a bl**dy hard training session rather than a race!!!

Couple of weeks off now, before Bristol Harbourside triathlon on July the 15th where I will be attempting to defend last year's title! However the race this year(is a World Championship qualifier for age group athletes, so the competition will be significantly tougher!