Sunday 14th April 2024 saw the opening race of the new Welsh Junior Triathlon Series now sponsored by Coracle Coaches. The first race of the season was held at Pembrey Race Circuit. This was a perfect location with closed roads and plenty of room to race. An event that has been well organised over several years by Celtic Tri.
Race day came, and despite the recent run of wet weather, that most athletes were prepared for, the day stayed dry with the sun making an appearance which made for good racing conditions. All participants were looking forward to racing again after the winter break and they were given a motivational boost with background music and support from an enthusiastic crowd.
The day saw 110 junior athletes entered from across Wales and the Borders. It was fantastic to see that nearly 70% of the entrants were Welsh Triathlon members and many of the athletes came from regional academies. This provided racing of a high calibre with fierce competition for podium places, exciting action, and fast times, especially on the bikes.
The TriStar Starts set off the racing at 11.30am and it was great to see new faces and young athletes taking part in the sport, taking their first steps into the world of multisport. They were encouraged throughout the event with all athletes finishing to a fanfare of applause and all had beaming smiles as they received their medals.
As the categories progressed so did the intensity of racing, with many of the more experienced athletes from T2 and above opting for a full run-bike transition with cleats, the speed of many of the transitions alone were impressive and left those watching impressed with the confidence, determination and fair play demonstrated by all athletes.
There were some notable performances throughout the day, and it was fantastic to see the Welsh Junior Race Series back up and running for another season. This bodes well for the rest of the season.
A reminder to all athletes if you want to count for the Welsh Triathlon Junior Race Series you must be a member of Welsh Triathlon. You can sign up for membership here. To count for the rest of the season you must become a member by the next race. The second round of the series is the Ruthin Triathlon on 5th May at Ruthin Leisure Centre with entries closing on 1st May.
We would like to thank Coracle Coaches for their sponsorship of the Welsh Triathlon Junior Race Series and race day sponsors Eastside Insurance, GJ endurance and Brecon Carreg.
The Welsh Junior Race Series results from Pembrey have now been published on our website. You can find them here.
