Jake Woolf did the half ironman in Staffordshire in a great time of 5 hours 50.

Angela Girgis took on the Hever Castle Half Ironman once again! But the challenging Gauntlet was taken in the seasoned triathletes stride.

Girgis fought her way through the 1900m swim, battling against fellow competitors in the narrow river to come out in 35 minutes 54 seconds.

The Gauntlet is renowned for its challenging sections and the transitions are not left aside. Making her way up to the bike transition, Girgis was out on the bike in 4 minutes 30 seconds and onto the two lap undulating bike course. Going up through Ashdown Forest and through some very pretty villages, Girgis took on the many hills finishing the two wheeled section in 3 hours 30 minutes 39 seconds.

With a swift transition, Girgis took on the two lap run, and again none of it flat! An almost completely cross country, down bridle paths, gravel, ploughed fields and a horse cross country course. This course is not for the faint hearted. Girgis came home from the half marathon run in 2 hours 50 seconds.

Despite being disappointed with the run time, Girgis still challenged the field and scooped up 3rd in her age category (40-50), 15th lady and 87th overall. A great effort!

Kerry Brown proved she has what it takes to be crowned an Ironwoman this weekend by competing in her first Ironman distance Triathlon.

Taking on the mass start at Tenby’s North Beach in Wales for the 2.4 mile swim followed by the very challenging 112 mile bike route only to then be faced with a full Marathon (26.2 miles) run, this Ironman race is not for the faint hearted. Brown started her journey last year after winning her entry to the race in a competition. A year long training plan and the support of family and friends have helped her secure her goal.

Brown got off to a great start in the swim, coming out of the two lap loop in 1.38.50. Taking her time in transition to prepare for the long ride, Brown’s two wheeled journey began. Completing the 112 miles in a very respectable 7.40.18 and with two disciplines successfully under her race belt Brown halved her transition time to the run and was on her way in under 9 minutes. Trainers on and Brown was running like she hadn’t even taken on the two previous sections, not letting her split time go above 10km/m she was churning up the Tarmac around the Pembrokeshire Coast. Before long she picked up the pace and crossed the infamous finish line hearing the words “You..Are..An..Ironman” in an incredible 14 hours, 51 minutes and 21 seconds. A huge congratulations to Kerry Brown! What a journey!

Down in Dorset, our very own Joe Richer took on the Ironman distance of Challenge Weymouth! The swim was cut short due to what can only be described as surfing conditions but Richer completed the sea swim off Peston Beach in 47 minutes.

On to the bike course which started off flat then provided a leg testing climb out of Weymouth peaking at 13%. Richer nailed the undulating route as he came back to transition in 5:36. A swift turnaround and he was on his last leg of the triathlon. The flat marathon run course challenged Richer’s determination to cross the finish line and after digging deep and pulling himself back up on the second lap of the Marathon his stride was back. Richer finished strong with a time of 3:42 for the run and producing an incredible time of 10:12:17 overall and an Ironman PB! Coming 6th in his age category and 47th out of 364 men on the day.

Hurricane Bertha swept across the nation on Sunday as heavy rain and strong winds battered most of the country but this didn’t stop club member Peter Williams from competing in his biggest endurance contest.

With many events being cancelled, the Cotswolds in Gloustershire went ahead with their first ever Ironman triathlon. The event named Cotswold226 saw over 200 triathletes line up for the gruelling 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile cycle and 26.2 mile run.

Williams, who is the commercial workshop vehicle manager at Manchetts in Burwell has had this race firmly on his mind for over a year. And with a couple of Half-Ironman races under his belt, he knew was in the form of his life. After a tough swim in choppy water he was soon out on his bike, and with the weather playing a cruel factor for the two lap 112 mile contest Williams with the support of his family cheering him on from the sidelines cruised around the circuit in a fabulous 5 hours 49 minutes 59 seconds. With a four lap run around the lake Williams endurance shone through as he battled to keep going over the 26.2 mile course. Williams had the run of his life to record a marathon time of 3 hours 36 minutes 34 seconds giving him an overall finishing time of 11 hours 04 minutes 46 seconds, finishing 27th overall and second in his age category (50+).

After the event Williams commented,

“It was wild out there, I found it really tough physically and especially psychologically, there were times when all I wanted to do was get off the bike and during the run I just wanted to stop. I’m really pleased with my result as I was aiming for a time of between 11 and 12 hours. I would like to thank my wife for becoming a triathlon widow and am now looking forward to our holiday together”

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