A real Mixed Bag
The latest update has all sorts, swimming, running and duathlon!
Nick took on the Triferris off-road duathlon last week which he described as : 'Mega muddy and really good fun'.
He reckons that he had not been running well in recent weeks so had a lot to do out on the mountain bike course. The mud was hard but he found his way into 1st place which he managed to maintain on the 2nd run to take the win.
Also on duathlon duty were Julia & Hannah who took part in the Chilly event at Castle Combe Raceway. Julia completed the open event in 1:11 while Hannah represented Lancaster University in the BUCS Championship. The pressures of research and dissertation writing had interfered with her training up to the event so she was pleased to finish in 1:13.
On the swimming front, 19 members made the trip to Bath to advantage of the 50m pool. One or two claimed to have swam more than 5k but this may be so they could justify the post swim cake intake. If you've not managed to get to one yet, the last one will take place on 28th January 2018 so get it in your diary.
As is usual at this time of the year, there was plenty of running too!
Russ completed the Newent 9, in 40:57 coming in 36th of 305 runners. He was pleased to record a time 3 minutes quicker than last year.
Fresh, well reasonably, from her Chester exploits, Elaine took on the Broadway Trial Marathon finishing in 5:38. She described the experience as 'a lovely scenic course with lots of strength sapping muddy sections and more than a few cheeky hills to climb. A well organised race, friendly marshals and great route marking and lovely bling'.
Finally to quote the description from the website, The Beacons Ultra is a mere 46ish mile mixed trail/mountain/canal/road run around the magnificent Brecon Beacons in the middle of November, when climatic conditions can vary quite considerably. In the events 9 year history the race has taken place in everything from sparkling sunshine through to minus 8 degrees, with obligatory rain and mist thrown in to remind the athletes that they are running in Wales in all its glory. Despite the description, it didn't put Teresa off as she managed to get round, despite a face plant in the dark, in a second under 12 hours, picking up a fair few places during the second half of the run. If the description of the race tempts you, I understand entries for next year are now being taken!