Welsh Triathlon took a team of 20 athletes ranging from 17 to 71 years old to represent Tim Tri Cymru at the British sprint championships.
Saturday 15th June saw the British Sprint Championships in Nottingham, with over 200 home nation members competing for British Championship titles and Great Britain Age-group qualification spots. Due to heavy rain in the lead up to the day the event was held as a duathlon (1.5km run, 18.2km bike and 4.5km run).
Welsh Triathlon took a team of 20 athletes ranging from 17 to 71 years old to represent Tim Tri Cymru.
Friday night saw the team and their families meet at the team hotel for a meal, where they were presented with their exclusive team Trisuit and kit, including a HUUB hat from our new Welsh Triathlon sponsor. The evening was an opportunity for the team members get to know each other before the race the following day and start the team spirit, and there was an extra speial video message from Elite athlete Non Stanford wishing the team luck.
An early start Saturday morning with the Welsh Triathlon staff setting up their gazebo. Creating a team hub for families and team members to use as a base, as well as welcoming other members of Welsh Triathlon to come and have chat.
At 08:00am the first wave saw Dafyd Jay in the 16-19 age group, at 17 Dafyd was the youngest member of the team, shortly followed by the waves for male 20-24, 25-29, 30-34 and 35-39 which included Welsh Super Series current leader Liam Lloyd, Trizone Fitness’Tom Graham and Ross Simpson.
With a fast start, Liam Lloyd soon took the lead with Dafyd Jay on his heels in the draft legal race, seeing Liam Lloyd first cross the finish line with plenty of cheers from other Tim Tri members, to take the 25-29 Age group win and overall winner in a time of 47:05. Less than 2 minutes behind Dafyd took first place in his age group and 8th overall with a time of 48:41. Ross Simpson took a top 20 place and 5th in age group (30-34) in a time of 49:49 followed by Tom Graham in 51:22 who also took 5th in his age group (25-29).
Up next was the age group 40-44 - Taff Ely Triathlon club chairman Mark Binding and Pencoed tri clubs Andrew Martin after finishing the first 1.5km run , getting into the drafting packs they both soon were on the final 4.5km run, Martin finishing in 7th place with a time of 50:42 and 11th place for Binding with 52:43.
50-54 age group saw Cardiff Triathlon club chairman Ian Liddiatt and GOG Tri clubs Geran Hughes take to the start line alongside Martin and Binding. A strong race from Liddiatt saw him take 7th place (53:26) in a competitive age group, followed a few minutes behind by Hughes who came off his bike, but carried onto the run to finish in and impressive 56:21.
In our 60 – 64 age group were John Pollard and Caerphilly Tri-ers Phil Murrow, both crossing the line within milliseconds of each other Pollard in 1:04:07 and Murrow in 1:04:07. Both saying it was a big honour to be able to wear the dragon to race in the British Sprint champs, with lots of spirit and lots of smiles.
Next up were our women at 09:45. Our youngest female team member Mali Jones was first up to start the women’s racing in a time of 1:02:49 followed by Emily Christopher, Larna Andrews and Jaz Bowyer who were next to fly the flag for Wales, The women put in a solid performance all coming in within an hour, it was Andrews who took 4th in her age group in a time of 56:41 followed a few minutes behind was Bowyer to take 7th place in the same age group (25-29) with a time of 58:09. Less than a minute later Christopher joined the women at the finish line in 58:52 and taking 4th in her age group 20-24.
The final group of women were Vicky Jones and Ruth Flatman were competing in the 40-44 age group. Jones who only started Triathlon a few years back after watching Ironman Wales by accident, gave a strong performance taking 5th in her age group in 1:01:49 followed shortly by Flatman in 1:02:26. Flatman described the experience as unforgettable and Jones said it was her proudest day in Triathlon and felt honoured to have been a part of the team.
Angella Hughes from GOG tri and Cardiff Triathletes’ Tej Quine were representing Tim Tri Cymru in age group 50-54 the same categories as their partners Geran Hughes and Ian Liddiatt. Hughes finishing in a time of 1:04:04 and Quine in 1:06:32.
Julie Brown ( 60-64) who qualified as part of the team at the Barry SWYD event 3 weeks ago finished in 1:19:13 and is now looking forward to being able to wear her trisuit at upcoming events.
In age group 70-74 Sue Graves took 2nd place in a time of 1:15:50. Sue who lives in Farnham said it was a pleasure to wear the dragon and represent Wales, she even got the whole team to sign her Welsh Flag as reminder of the weekend.
Later in the day the age group presentations were given which saw Jay, Lloyd and Graves take podium places and collect their medals and fly the flag for Tim Tri Cymru and Welsh Triathlon, supported by the rest of the team with many cheers and cowbell ringing!
CEO of Welsh Triathlon Beverley Lewis said:
Our members have long told us they want to race in Welsh kit. Until this year this was restricted to IRC Tristar or Commonwealth Games athletes. This year we qualified a group of Age Group athletes (17 – 71 years old!) to represent Wales at the British Championships. They wore the Welsh colours and competed as a team supporting each other and generating a fantastic team spirit showcasing the very best of Age Group Triathlon’
Team manager Amy Jenner said:
It was a fantastic weekend in Nottingham the team spirit was second to none. I was so proud of each and every one of them, they were a credit to the team and so supportive of each other. We hope we can build on this for many years to come.
Joining the team was a key volunteer for Welsh Triathlon Sorrel Williams:
Volunteering for Welsh Triathlon at the British Sprint Champs was one of the best volunteering experiences; being part of such a passionate team who were all so proud to be representing Wales was amazing and even though I was ‘only’ a volunteer I was made to feel as much as a member of the team as all the triathletes. I’ve been on the receiving end of marshals and volunteers for all of my triathlon life so this was not only special because of the team spirit but special because I wanted to give back as much support as I have been given. Excellent, excellent experience - 100% looking out for the next opportunity to be part of the volunteer team with Welsh Triathlon.
If you want to volunteer with Welsh Triathlon please contact amyjenner@welshtriathlon.org for more information
Do you want to be a part of Tim Tri Cymru 2020? Join our Welsh Triathlon membership to get the latest news and offers from Welsh Triathlon, which includes discounts off many brands such as HUUB , Brav and Pedal Cover.
