Not much of a report, but about 6 of us ran the Thanet Coastal 10mile race on Sunday. It was a cold, bright day but quite blustery on the way back. Chris's result was fantastic for his first ever 10m. Results can be found here

Cheers

Keir Williams

Download the RESULTS for the 666 Race held at King's Wood, Challock, on the 20 November.

Fast and Furious Duathlon

The first of the winter series of duathlons was held by White Oaks Triathlon club at the brand new Cyclopark venue at Gravesend on Sunday 13th November. The event was 5km run, 23km bike and then 5km run. There were a few teething problems due to the venue not quite being complete but overall it was a well run event. First home for Ashford Tri Club was Chris Sardo who was 5th overall in a time of 1.09.10. The event was well supported with a strong contingent of women from Ashford Tri Club. Helen Bellerby-Brown came in first for Ashford and was 3rd placed woman in a time of 1.19.26. She was closely followed by Danielle Petersman, who came 6th in a time of 1.23.11 and Sally Aspital, who came 7th in a time of 1.26.41. Liz Smythe came in 10th in a time of 1.34.39.

Please see the photos provided by Paul Gauntlett (thanks Paul). Sincere apologies to those who left early, arrived later or simply didn't see us.

Paul

It's about time the ATC Blue put in a new appearance at the National Club Relay we thought - and boy did we look the part?
Teams consisted f 4 members each swimming the 500m in turn, and then moving to the 15K bike around the perimeter road of the 1.3 mile LONG (!) lake. Once each member had completed the cycle, it was on to the run - again around the perimeter of the lake in the reverse direction!
We rocked up about mid-day on the Saturday and set out base camp for the weekend (my tent in the most exposed field known to man). The wind blew but we ended up with shelter - albeit not quite as-per the picture in the brochure! I'd like to again apologise to the team for staying the night at my mates place in Loughborough that night though. Anyway, I think that we should have noted at that point that the wind was blowing a gale. It wasn't to go away.

Turning up on the Saturday was a great idea though. We trundled off to the venue just in time to see the build-up of the Female (and some Mixed Team) race. This meant we could see the unusual Transition layout in action ready for our ATC revolution the next day.
The first wave entered the water for their warm-up and returned to the line to start. Some bright spark in the crowd blew their Voovoozela and one poor girl took this to be the Start Horn and off she shot. Not to worry. She only got 50m before she realized she was the only ne swimming. And she actually made it back to the Start line a whole 2 seconds before the actual Start Horn blow - Bonus!
One thing was obvious -with the chaotic close start and pack around the first Buoy, three of us were really glad that our name wasn't Sam (short straw - first starter).
The Saturday race completed with many mental notes taken - viewing points for the TriWAG (BIG thanks for the support but need to work on the Cheer-leader routine), where exactly to look good for the camera, wind direction (why? it was everywhere), toilets and Fat Burger collection area. We also discussed in length exactly how to avoid collisions on the exit of T1 which was a little tight with the exit straight into a fast straight and also opposite a Straw Bale protected brick tower. Did they think the tower may get damaged?
The afternoon nerves and apprehension abated a little, we retired for the evening.
SUNDAY: The Big Race. A chance to put ATC on the UK Map........
Our pre-race prep went without too many dramas. Sam displaced to the first T1 area (for the first cyclists), we perched our collective butts on the view point for the Swim. TriWAG / friends turned up and acted as security for the kit bags while picking us out (the ones in the Black wetsuit).
The three wise men ('cos we didn't volunteer to do the first swim) get to the Start Line to cheer Sam and promptly witness him having a bloke twice his size swim right over the top of him in the first 5 meters. More aggression Sam, that's what you need. Lake was fine with some weeds but nothing too bad.
The Tag area for the swim hand-over was chaotic but to be fair, did not result on any fisticuffs (that I saw). I did see some swimmers exit and stand at the straw bales shouting at their team mates for the hand-over while the next swimmer stood chatting to someone else. Happy to report that all ATC change-over ran smoooooth as silk. A well oiled machine.
Swim completed without drama, but it was clear to everyone but Lee that we would not quite be fighting for a podium position as there were some fast guys out there, we move to the cycle leg and the first chance to fight the wind. Did I say it was WINDY? Sam, Lee and Matt put is strong bike stints. I need to work on it! The three laps do seem to fly by, just not as quick as other riders. You get a good chance to look good as the Grandstand is on a nice smooth exit from the first turn and you could get a real move-on with a tail-wind (it was windy).
Nice and fast on the road out to the far end of the lake, Turn Left, then Left again into, you guessed it - the strongest of head-winds all the way back to the start area. Nice.
Tag for the run was in T3 which was fine as the field was getting strung-out by then. 5k run started with a couple of short sharp banks, then onto the main open course. The long straight run out was playing with the mind a little as there were runners 100m in front, 100m behind and you could not use them to gauge progress or pace. Again, the head wind on the really windy bit was compounded by the long run back, but the draw of the team mates and crowd in the Grandstand was worth it - and we were complemented on our Team Colours by the course commentator.

Although not quite the 'Glastonbury of the Triathlon World' as advertised, it is a fantastic event with up to 660 teams taking part over the full weekend and plenty of action all the time. Facilities are great (changing rooms / showers / camping / food and drink) and the organization was good.

Thank you Lee, Matt and Sam for making this one great fun W/end.
We've set a bench-mark people, and are now open to retain our ATC relay team time next year. A challenge has been set. We need more ATC teams to really put ourselves out there and do plan on having a real party atmosphere. Please consider it. How about a Mixed / Female team for the Saturday and more Male teams for the Sunday? Yes, there are fast guys there, but we can certainly hold our own with the majority (if I improve my bike split!) and we can easily win the Best Supported Club prize (I'll bring a prize to award ourselves). Just hope it's not quite as windy.

Will

The Cypress Challenge is around 13 kilometres in length, with a total ascent of nearly 700 metres. Whilst the first 3km is fairly flat, after this the gradient is pretty constant, averaging around 6.5 - 7%. I understand that it is classified as a Category 1 climb, probably due to its length, so I was very pleased to see the top, even managing a sprint finish in ATC colours. We were blessed with glorious weather on the day, although this made the climb fairly warm. I finished the climb in 1 hour and 9 minutes, which I was happy with, although I had hoped for a slightly better time...so next time maybe. At the end of all that effort was a great view of the city of Vancouver, before our descent, which took a rather hair-raising 19 minutes, reaching a maximum speed of just over 70kph. Nearly 400 riders took part this year, raising a staggering $120,000 (around £80,000) for research into a cure for Pancreatic cancer.

Regards,

David Jones

Twenty five members of Ashford Tri Cub competed in the first Brett Ashford Triathlon at the Julie Rose Stadium on 14 August. A record attendance from ATC members who picked up first place in the team event with Alex Milne, Keith Lyon and Sam Best. The conditions were perfect and despite punctures all members; novices and seasoned triathlets alike, completed the event. Ashford Tri Club are currently recruiting new members, training in all three sports; swimming, cycling and running take place weekly at various venues around the town.

Indoor fitness and mountain biking sessions complement the weekly programme. For further information visit www.ashfordtriclub.co.uk

Paul

This was my first event in over two years and the first time I have done a stand alone swim event. I was planning on doing last year's regatta but after problems with my leg could only watch what was a very rough swim with brutal waves!

This year though we had scorching temperatures, no wind and very calm sea. I had gone along in the morning to support at Canterbury Tri first then Pod 3 lakes and was feeling very confident if a little tired. Lee and Chris had come along to do the regatta as well which was really good to know I wouldn't be the only one in a wet suit as they had a smaller entry this year. They had offered to slow down and swim with me but I told Lee I would rather they go for it as they would probably sink trying to swim as slow as me. I'm slow but I always get where I'm going, eventually!

I was doing the event for the Kings College Limb Reconstruction Charity and was starting to feel the nerves a little as the trustees where there taking loads of photos. I also had to patch up one of the protective rubber caps on my frame that had come off and gotten lost.

We all went to get ready then had the safety talk which was very thorough and also got told about the rout to follow round the buoys. Lining up at the beach edge the nerves subsided a bit and I just wanted to get in there and with a little help from Lee made my way in. We all swam over to the wall where the start was and waited till everyone was touching the wall then the horn sounded. Everyone went off like a rocket, I waited a second worrying about kicking someone with the frame but had no need to as they had gone off so fast there was no one near me. I followed suit but went off to hard and even on the very calm day found that my sighting was really off and found myself zig zagging allot. The swim to the first buoy seemed to be endless and didn't seem to be getting any closer but was pleased to hear allot of people say the same after the race. The second buoy was only about 100 meters away and then it was just a case of heading back across the harbour to the start which seemed like a breeze, I still zig zagged a bit but felt strong! It also helped that I had caught up to someone after the initial start swimming the first 750 without seeing any swimmers as they where so fare ahead. After Lee had finished he swam back to me and swam with me till I reached the finish and helped me out so big thanks to him and the big cheer I got at the end from family and supporters always helps!

This was my first ever triathlon. It was Uckfield Novice Tri (200m/10k/1.6k) I did this with my friend Jo who too had never done one. I felt excited rather than nervous, but I guess this was because the distances were short. I wanted a novice race to get used to the process of doing 3 disciplines all together.

As we were setting up in the transition area it started to chuck it down with rain! I couldn't believe it! I didn't get anything out of my bag for fear it would get wet. So I wasn't very prepared at all.

I was one of the first to start the swim, and I felt strong and confident throughout the swim. I was the first one out of the pool and into transition. Unfortunately this is where I lost a lot of time as I faffing around trying to get everything out of my bag, and I couldn't find my sunglasses for the bike ride. The area around my bike looked like a bomb had hit it when I left with my bike. By now the sky was clear and the sun was shining. Off I went on my bike and I was determined to overtake my mate Jo who had already overtaken me in the transition. I caught up with her after about a mile and overtook her on a hill. She had borrowed her mums bike for the race (a hybrid with baskets) so she did look a state, and had turned purple, going up the hill. I was trying to get up this steep hill, while uncontrollably laughing at her. I remember her saying before the race "the bike should be easy I haven't practised that bit at all"

I really enjoyed the bike part. It was on country lanes and there was no traffic. The worst bit was having to stop at red traffic lights..therefore losing time. The next transition flowed better for me. I wore my running shoes throughout, so I was running out of T2 in no time. Now I know what brick legs mean. I really struggled to open my stride during the run..and running is my weakest discipline. There were people cheering us on the route which was really good motivation for me. I hated the run and was glad when it was over, and I was over the finish line. My friend was 4 mins behind me. It was a great feeling to finish my first triathlon. I did it in 49 mins.

I was really pleased to hear I was 5th in the run despite thinking I did badly. I probably wasted 5 mins in T1, and have learnt that I really do need to prepare better for my next race. Overall a rewarding positive experience that has made me want to do a sprint triathlon in the summer.

Jenny Grant

A record number of 20 members took part in the clubs annual sprint championships, at the East Grinstead Triathlon on Sunday.

The sprint event consisted of a 500m pool swim, 26km undulating bike and 5km run. Alongside the more seasoned triathletes of the club, this was 7 of the members first triathlon, including the winner Alex Milne, 2nd place David Harris, as well as Ian Dorsett, Chris Sardo, Will Farrell, Lynne Oliver, Bryan Hall and David Jones. As Paul said, "congratulations on popping your tri-cherry!"

With less than 3 minutes separating the clubs top 5 places, the competition at the front was fierce but everyone who took part had their own goals, some to finish, some to beat last years time and some to try their hardest. By the look on everyone's faces at the finish there was certainly no lack of effort and hopefully everyone was happy with their results.

To add to the fun of the day there were punctures, a bruised/cut knee, mechanical problems and a few wrong turns (Paul!) but hopefully the overall sense of achievement at the end of the race far outweighed any of these issues.

It really was a great day and was brilliant afterwards to stay around and cheer everyone in. It made me proud to associated with such a supportive and happy club.

Well done everyone, if you have any stories from the day, let us know

Results are below (sorry for any wrong information)

Report by Lee Gladwell

It was almost perfect weather for one of the first open-water triathlons of the season, the New Forest standard distance tri. It was dry, warm and sunny although there was a fair breeze that would affect us later on.

I got to transition at about 6am and while I was setting up I met with club mate Chris Hallam who had also made the trek from Kent. Chris mentioned that he wasn't running well off the bike but this proved to be a spoiler.

Water temperature in the Ellingham lake was claimed to be 15 degrees but it was much colder than that, I've been open water swimming for a few weeks now and the lakes in Kent are much warmer. I was one of the first into the lake so that I could acclimatise but with a single wave of 400 it took a long time to get everyone else in and I was getting cold. Finally we were off and I managed a steady swim without incident.

I left T1 at 28 minutes but Chris was already 3 minutes ahead of me. It was a beautiful morning for a bike ride and the route took us through the northern part of the New Forest, crossing Ocknell Plain the wind started to have an effect sapping energy and speed. I was back to T2 and out onto the run in 1:32, Chris was a further 14 minutes ahead now as he had put in a 1:18 bike split. The first mile of the run was flat and on the road but, as is typical for Race New Forest events, the route took us off road and up. This definitely slowed me up but I manage to stagger round the full 10k finishing the event in 3 hour and 12 minutes. Chris was long gone having run a 47 minute 10k off the bike finishing in 2 hours 31. I didn't see Chris after the race but I was in the free tea and bun queue for about 30 minutes!

So that was my first race of the season done, just the half, three quarters, and Full distance tri's to go then.

Navin

Congratulations to Paul Milton for completing this year's Sultan MARATHON DES SABLES. Probably the world's toughest race. Paul's commitment to this event started many months ago (entering late 2010 and focusing ever since). The race commenced on 3 April and ended 8 April and Paul's running time was 58 hours 32 seconds. Check out the Marathon Des Sables web site or see Paul on facebook. "Well done Paul (Sandy Man) Milton"

Congratulations to Patrice Bertrand for once again qualifying for the Duathlon World Championships. Patrice qualified last year for the first time and has been focused on the World Championships 2011 ever since (which will be held in Spain this September). Patrice completed the Duathlon in 2h 26m 33s, only a few minute in front of Keith Lyon who completed in 2h 30m 27s. Keith had in fact qualified at Oulton Park two weeks earlier in a time of 2h 22m 16s. Well done to you both chaps.

Some Pics from this years Sevenoaks Sprint Distance Triathlon

Some Pics from this years Kings Wood Duathlon ATC Club Championship

Well done to Alex Milne who was this year's victor!

Press Release from Liz King

Harrietsham village was besieged by duathletes over the weekend, for the annual running of the Maidstone Duathlon.

The event was a sell-out this year, with 100 duathletes enjoying a spring duathlon, organised by Velocity Events.

The race consisted of a 9.5k run, followed by a challenging 42k bike route towards Maidstone then turning around and heading back towards Ashford on the A20, then back to the village hall for transition and the final run 3.5k run section. The weather was kind to all competitors, with near perfect conditions even though there was a biting wind.

The male event was hotly contested, with Declan Doyle from Freespeed first across the line in an impressive 01:58:52, with a blistering bike split of 01:08:40.

VO2 Max RT team mates followed in 2nd and 3rd place respectively, with Jimmy George coming in on 02:04:58 and Keith Brown shortly after in 02:05:20.

The ladies event was just as toughly fought, with Caroline Terburgh, Larkfield AC, posting some fast running and transition times bringing her across the line first in 02:30:21, followed by Sarah Sutton, San Fairy Ann Cycle Club in 02:33:54, and Barbara Hutton was third in 02:34:17.

Local clubs were out in force, with Ashford Tri club fielding 12 members, Larkfield AC had two members, while local team The TriLife also had two people taking part. First home for Ashford Tri club in 02:19:09 was David Harris and fellow club member Melissa Mitchell won her 25-29 age group in 02:42:39. Matt Cross also won his 25-29 age group in 02:21:11.

The TriLife's Liz Scott came second in her 45-49 age group, posting a creditable 02:42:14.

Race Director Mike Hawkins from Velocity Events said: "It was great to sell out for the event, which is encouraging for the season ahead. The competition was strong this year, and I am glad that the weather was kind to all."

Report from ATC member Matt Cross

Felt like a long time since the Thanet Duathlon, and yet I swear it was just as cold on Sunday as it was in early January! This time at least I knew I would be able to coast some of the course, with little risk of slipping off my bike into a muddy puddle.

Spent several hours on the previous day cleaning and oiling my bike, and checking there were no loose bits waiting to give me a surprise coming down the hill into Harrietsham. Unfortunately got my timings slightly wrong and had to leave my final preparations for when I had returned home from my date with a curry in Maidstone (had a Chicken Dansak; thanks for asking. Lentils are the porridge of the night if you ask me. Stayed off the fizzy lager and made do with a nice glass of Pinotage - and yes I realise that's a poor combo, and it tasted as such).

Service was unexpectedly slow; as a result I did not return home until 11.30pm. This made me slightly anxious that I would be mainly running on adrenaline and porridge the next morning. The warm flannel they gave me at the curry-house clearly meant that further hygiene measures were uneccessary, so 10 minutes later I had turned in for the night...

...only to turn out again 10 minutes later. Realising that I had forgotten to reattach my aero bars after cleaning, I spent a further 10 minutes rectifying the situation. Back to bed once more...

...10 minutes pass and I'm back up again, this time coming to the conclusion that I would need elastic laces in my shoes as my fingers were bound not to be functioning correctly after having them exposed to the increasingly mild temperatures of present. Finally got back into bed shortly after midnight but of course brain wouldn't let me sleep as it had apparently lost confidence in itself, and decided that there was no point going into suspend mode as it would surely be called back into action imminently.

Patchy nights sleep. 6am - alarm goes off. 6.20am - get out of bed. Shower (I shower regularly, don't get the wrong impression), porridge, glass of water. Grab kit, and put bike in car. Inexplicably faff about for 10 minutes. Leave house at 7am ("it's just up the road" I said to myself).

Arrive at HQ at 7.15am only to find car park already full. Park round the corner outside the church, only to be moaned at by the local Vicar for parking outside his gaff. "Too late now" I thought, and off I trot to registration.

"What colour buff would you like? Red or Black?" but before I can answer I'm advised Red would be an ideal choice as it would match my eyes! Treat 'em mean, keep 'em keen I suppose.

Rack up. Take stuff out of bags, put in other bags, then reverse process 4 or 5 times for no apparent reason.

Race starts and off we go. Start off slowly as have never done a Road Duathlon. Don't feel comfortable until about 4-5km when I spot Mr Foreman and slot in behind him; suddenly feel at home.

Good transition and out on the bike, looking to hunt down some fellow ATCers to get some thoughts on how long the post-race report should be. Decide 'too long' would be an appropriate length. Go off far too hard and must have reached the roundabout at Ashford within 30 minutes, which was a bit thick of me. On the way back towards turn number two had a bit of a wobble between Hothfield and Charing, but as usual the appearance of smiling club members kept my spirits up even whilst my legs moaned and groaned at the effort.

Another uneventful transition before the pain involved in running on slightly numb feet begins. First Kilometre was a slow slog up hill. Thankfully the second half was down hill, which allowed me to open my legs up a bit. This really seemed to help and by the end I fancied I could have managed at least another 50 feet!

Enjoyed watching a flood of ATCers cross the finishing line. Everyone I spoke to said they thoroughly enjoyed the course; even those who suffered the odd puncture.

Well done to all. I could do with another massage.

"I didn't realise it was going to be so tough!
I didn't realise there were so many hills in such a small area!
I didn't realise most hills in East Sussex climbed up but didn't go back down again.
I am delighted I put my special cream on before I set off.
However, the ride was fun, picturesque and challenging and recommend it to others next year... 65 miles of Hell!"

Paul Barron

Our Treasurer Mr Terry Foreman has kindly agreed to put together a talk for all those new to Triathlon. The date is Friday 25th Feb - the time is 7.30pm - the venue is the Podplus at the Julie Rose Stadium Complex. Open to Members and Non-Members alike.

More of what is covered here

Less windy than the previous few days but still a strong breeze on the day of the race, although for me at least the wind never seemed to be at my back. 8 ATC members took to the lanes along with another 750 runners in this long-standing and popular event that was recently voted in the top ten of Runners World 10k races. The start was extremely crowded and despite there being specific start areas based on expected finish times it was still a tight squeeze and a scramble to get some clear space to run in . However it is a chip-timed race so at least the timing doesn't start until you cross the line. I have been running at least 1 x5 mile a week for ages now so felt fairly confident and despite developing a tight achilles halfway round still had a bit left for a sprint finish and managed to dip under 48 minutes, 6 seconds slower than last year but 2 minutes less than the Harrietsham race a month ago so more than happy with that. Despite the start, everyone raves about this course and it's on our doorstep so maybe some more ATC entries next year. Thanks to Alex Milne and Paul Barron for their support.

Dave Harris 41.29
Mick James 46.59
Phil Booth 47.59
Neil Vining 48.08
Lissa Mitchell 49.03
Darren Crofts 54.11
Amanda Nicholson 59.36
Sally Aspital 59.56
Rebecca Parr 1.10.13

Cold and Wet, Cold and Muddy, Cold, Muddy, and Wet...Finish

It was a bleak start, the cold morning air froze our bones.
It was a hard first run on the sea front, wind from the North Sea chilled our finger tips.
It was a long, wet and sticky bike ride, cold mud stuck to our icey legs.
The final run took us through 5 dykes, the sub zero water temperature had a major impact on our lower extremities.
There was a light shower of sleety rain, the rainbow rose over the sea.
At the end of the race ATC members gathered, friendship and shared experiences warmed us through.
A great start to the New Year.

Paul