Race Report on Bro Ddyfi Junior Aquathlon, 18th April 2015

Report written by Gary Thapa (Cerist Triathlon Club)

The Bro Ddyfi Junior Aquathlon took place in Machynlleth on Saturday 18th April. Conditions were far better than for last year’s event, with a bright but blustery day greeting the 94 competitors. The race this year was the first of the Welsh Triathlon North TriStars Series, but keen young triathletes from all over Wales turned out for what has become a popular early season event. The run route had to be changed last minute, but the organisers came up with an excellent cross-country style course that offered fantastic viewing for the spectators, but the chill wind made for a challenging run!

 

The younger age groups went off first, with the Cerist Kidz (ages 5 to 7) starting proceedings, and the little ones put in some impressive times! Jessica Fletcher [Cerist Juniors] won the girls race, with Lily Roberts [Ruthin TriStars] second and Nansi Fychan [Cerist Juniors] third in times of 6:24, 6:44 and 6:48 respectively. The boys race was won by Liam Reading [Cerist Juniors] in 6:16, with Douglas Ray, 7:08, second, followed closely by Ollie Poole in 7:12.

 

Next out were the TriStart girls. Fallon Paige Haird [INTRtri] came first in 5:28, Nela Dafydd [Cerist Juniors] second in 5:45, and Lleucu Sion [INTRtri] third in 6:54. The boys top three were Finlay Thapa [Cerist Juniors], 5:10, James Raw, 5:30, and Louis Roberts [Cerist Juniors], 5:54. Well done TriStarts!

 

The three TriStars age groups were, as usual, highly competitive. For the T1s, Freya Thapa [Cerist Juniors] swam quickest for the girls, but was beaten to first place by Eve Hickman thanks to an impressive run. They finished in times of 8:30 and 8:44 respectively, with Phoebe Carter in third place with 9:09. T1 boys also had a close battle for first and second, and it was edged by Ioan Hedd Oldfield [Ruthin TriStars] in 7:33, with Fin Thomson [Cadence TriStars] second in 7:40. Third place went to William Grant [Ruthin TriStars] with a time of 8:49.

 

Molly Reardon won the T2 girls in a fantastic time of 10:44, posting both the quickest swim and run of the day, and she was followed by Shannon Rae Haird [INTRtri], 11:18, and Lucy Thomson [Cadence TriStars] with 11:21. T2 boys was very keenly contested, with only 19 seconds separating the top three. Thanks to a storming run, the winner was Benjamin Bright in a final time of 10:59. Second was Huw Wynne Jones, 11:09, and third Connor Owen [Maldwyn Harries] in 11:18.

 

Laura Sharp [Cadence TriStars] won the T3 girls with a brilliant overall performance, finishing in 12:40. Second and third were Sioned Wallwork, 13:14, and Sophie Paxton [Wrexham AAC], 13:38. Nathaniel Harries impressed for the T3 boys, winning the race in 12:14, with Joseph Reardon, 12:38, second and Ifan Gruff Oldfield [Ruthin TriStars] third in 13:12.

 

Four girls contested the Youth category, and the top three were Hannah Jenkins, Annabelle McQueen, and Sarah Jenkins with times of 16:15, 16:51 and 17:40 respectively. Two brothers contested the boys race, with family bragging rights going to Morgan Revell, 16:52, with Declan Revell second in 21:22.

 

So, a fantastic day’s racing in Machynlleth, thoroughly enjoyed by all! Cerist Triathlon Club would like to thank everyone who contributed to the race. See you next year!

 

For full results see: http://www.whatsmytime.co.uk/index.php/race-results/2015-01-16-11-33-42/2015-01-16-12-19-10/bro-ddfyi-junior-aquathlon-18-4-15

 

Welsh Triathlon would like to thank Cerist Triathlon Club for running an excellent event and to all the competitors, parents and volunteers for making it such a successful event. 

 

Good luck to everyone taking part in the rest of the TriStars North Series, series results/points will be up on the Welsh Triathlon website shortly.