Race Report

AM. Merchant Taylors' Olympic Triathlon (1500m/40km/10km) (http://www.triathlon-zone.com/events.html). HR152(164)

Swim 1500/22:52 ____ 1:32/100m, HR145(156)
T1. 1:33
Cycle 40km/1:08:55 __ 34.8km/h, HR151(162)
T2. 0:52
Run 10km/40:08 _____ 6:28min/mile, HR160(164)

Total: 2:14:23. 5th overall, 1st over 40 (Results http://www.racetimingsystems.com/public/results.aspx?raceid=1112)

Julien Lhomme 1st

Jim Griffiths 2nd

Friendly local race, well organised

Tough run route but relatively easy bike route in the Chilterns hills

http://www.hairylegs.org/Results/HairyLegs2010/tabid/240/Default.aspx

13 Finely honed athletes came to take part in the 2009 winter BaR yesterday morning over a 1 lap run, 2 lap bike, 2 lap run format.

After significant mental arithmetic the final positions are:

1. Julien 43.37

2. Ian 44.25

3. Fiona 45.47

4. Tom 46.51

5. Roberta 47.00

6. Clive 48.35

7. Andre 48.52

8. Allan 50.33

9. Philip 51.10

10. Martin 52.22

11. Al 54.30

12. Simon 54.47

13. Trudi 56.41

Thanks to all who competed and spectated.

The new website Duathlon247 was covering the recent London Duathlon, where I was racing in the elite wave. I had a reasonnably good race finishing 3rd. The very short format (5k run, 10k bike -yes only 10k- and 5k run) was a bit unusual and wasn't playing in my favor (bike leg too short and drafting format). I was in the lead pack until T2, having done most of the work on the bike and tried several times to break the 5 men group. But on the last run I wasn't fast enough to keep up with the leader and had to settle for third.

As seems to become a tradition, almost as many time-keepers, helpers and supporters came to the green at Bletchingdon as people actually racing. The last Summer BaR event of the season is always extra exciting as it is run as a true handicap race, it means some gaps at the start are 6 minutes others only 20 seconds, but in the end most finish within a few minutes of each other.

"Bang!”

That was the noise of Stephen Slay’s car door slamming as heard through my tent at 4.39am.

“James are you up?”

“Yeah.” Came my barely audible, pathetic reply. I was cursing Steve’s name under my breath for waking me.

4.40am and the alarm I had set on my mobile went off anyway.

Interesting race in Newmarket on a short distance duathlon (3m/15m/3m).

Scenic routes for both run and bike on quiet country roads and trails.Combination of wind and hot weather made the race more challenging than initially thought.

Good quality field and 150 participants.

Excellent organisation, definitely recommended.

About my race, I was second after the first run, "lying in ambush" and staying at short distance of the early leader.

I took the lead at the end of the second lap on the bike (3 laps). And I extended the lead on the last run.

Due to the 4-up time-trial that saw 32 Oxford Triathletes do very well at Weston on the Green, there were only fourteen starters for the eighth edition of this year's Summer BaR series. Lucy Scarborough decided to give it a go herself after watching Craig a few times, well done on your first outing, I hope it won't be your last.. New personal bests were set by Adrian Pugh, Allan Mollineaux and Matt Hammond.

Only two days after the Thame Triathlon that saw 50 Oxford Tri members compete and with the nine-up time-trial on the same night, it was no surprise that numbers of the seventh edition of the BaR training event were well down. Some seemed to have ducked out at the last minute, perhaps because the weather looked quite threatening. There was quite a strong wind on the bike course but it stayed more or less dry during the event. The bike times were also hampered by a lot of horse vans and horse trailers going to and fro Kirtlington.

Thanks to Emma McDermott, James Messer and Malcolm Bradbrook for staying to the end and making sure that all 28 finishers got a finishing time, when the heavens opened towards the end of the sixth edition of the Summer BaR series. Despite the wet finale there were a lot of good performances again this week.