Steyning Starts the Season!

The 2015 Club Champs commenced this weekend with Raw Energy Pursuit’s Steyning Triathlon. Despite the wind and rain, we had 33 athletes racing across the Standard and Sprint distances. As the first race in both the Super Series and the Novice Cup calendar, it was all to play for. 

The standard race consisted of a 800m Pool swim, 36k bike and 8k run. The weather conditions for the Standard were restricting, the wind and rain during the bike route meant it was to be approached with caution. The cold temperatures and clouded cover called for layers, which was a great test for transitioning! The 8k run was an undulating course, again in miserable and cold weather which was a test for the already tired muscles. The Standard was a competitive field with talented athletes from Brighton Phoenix, Horsham Amphibians and Tuff Fitty Triathlon pushing the bar. 

Brighton Tri Club members Simon Taylor and Tom Garner finished in 2nd [1:45:17] and 3rd  [1:47:08] respectively. A tremendous effort from both athletes. 

Elle Breeds also had a fantastic race, seizing a place in the top 10 women and starting her Club Championship with flying colours. Keith Rochfort, who only discovered triathlon last year, placed impressively inside the top 10. We expect to see much more from both athletes in the season to come! 

The sprint race consisted of a 400m swim, 18k bike and 4.6k run. A later start promised slightly better weather but the course remained treacherous. Despite the wet, the course witnessed some impressive splits from across the club including some great running from Paul Farrant, Tom Atkins and Mark Derry. In the women's race Phoebe Lebrecht finished 4th overall, a promising start to the season. 

There was fantastic support for the Club throughout the morning and a great sense of camaraderie. Everyone who raced did incredibly well in miserable conditions. Next race in the calendar is Arundel Lido (and there are still places!) we hope to see lots of Blue & Gold racing again and maybe some sunshine! 

Club Championship Results to follow.