Sep

What an Event!!

It’s all over! An experience of a life time. The AG World Champioships in London, never to be forgotten. I had a great weekend and was so grateful to the many friends and family who came to cheer me on. Also thanks to those who sent their best wishes.

After some atrocious weather, Sunday morning blossomed cold but clear and we had superb conditions. Unfortunately for me the Serpentine water and temperature was deemed to be dangerously cold so they reduced the length of the swim from 1500 to 750m. My strongest discipline is the swim and usually I get myself amongst the leaders before some others get past me on the run which is my weakest. As it turned out the water was OK and the swim was really comfortable. I was 5th out of the water out of a wave of 130 swimmers. The bike ride was incredible through the closed roads of central London. It was a strange but thrilling and unique feeling to go past Buckingham Palace, up the Mall round the Houses of Parliament , along Whitehall and the Embankment and back into Hyde Park via Trafalgar Square etc with absolutely no traffic about!

The crowds in Hyde Park were enormous which spurred me on in the 10k run and was glad to finish overall in the world in 20th position in my age group out of 70 entries. I was the 8th fastest British finisher in my age group. My overall time was 2hrs 29min 54 secs. Split times were 750m Swim 13:44 40k bike 1:13:12 and 10k run 53:57.

It was an experience I will cherish forever. However, as I have previously announced, this was my last ever triathlon having pounded my artificial knee for long enough now. So the running has to stop but I will continue to ride the bike and keep the swimming going with perhaps an emphasis on open water and long distance swimming next year. My next competition is the National Masters Swimming Championships in Sheffield on 25th October. Before that is off on holiday to Spain for three weeks, taking the bikes of course!