Having spent 90 minutes meticulously packing and then checking the contents of
my car it was time face the fact that there really was no going back. After a
night of broken sleep I jumped in the car and made my way to Hatfield Water Park
to set up for the race. I was allocated my place in the second wave, with all
the remaining females from what I could gather. Pink swimming hats and T-shirts
were distributed very efficiently and it was officially time to start panicking!
Jul 29
Hats off to Rosie at Hatfield tri!
Jul 22
Neil Barkers Double Steelman 20th July 2013
If you were at the Steelman last year, you must remember the glorious mud, a lot of which we took with us when we left. It was strange to see the camp site clean, dry and grassy.
I pitched up to next to Les Thompson and Malc Pearce of Grimsby Tri who asked me where all the other Lincsquaders where……..I said “there’s only me”.
Jun 23
Josh Jones victorious at debut OW swim/bike
Today I have taken part in my first Aquacycle involving a 750m open water swim followed by a 23 mile bike ride. This was only to be my second time in open water swimming and as I reached around the half way point the wind picked up making it feel like I was swimming in the sea, with the waves crashing over me I was struggling to breath.
Josh – Not swimming or biking……
As I reached my bike I was in about 2/3rd place but this wasn’t going to slow me down even though we had a strong side/head wind I pushed on and within 10 miles I found myself to be leading the event. I felt the wind strengthen and my speed plummeted as I looked back I could see my fellow competitor who hadn’t given up, but I saw to my relief that I only had another 3 miles to go so I dug deep and ploughed on. The finish line came within sight, along with the amazement of winning the event.
It was an ideal taster at open water swimming which I want to continue in the future.
http://gr8events.org.uk/gr8events-bikepharm-aquacycle-results/
Above are the results from the event
Jun 21
Alan Woodcock takes Bronze medal in Euro Champs
Following qualification races in 2012, Alan Woodcock, Pete Connolly & Phil Binch travelled to Alanya, Turkey last week to take on the best age group triathletes Europe had to offer.
This is Alan Woodcock’s story – his journey to the European Championship podium.
Jun 18
Physio Ian gets physical at UK70.3
What a relief to finally get on the road to head down to Exmoor on Friday 14th June. For the past 2 days I found myself pacing around getting mentally prepared, unable to think about anything else. I was peaking too soon, feeling like I used to get the morning of a rugby match, I needed to calm down!
The Saturday morning race briefing for the novice triathletes certainly made my ears ‘stand to attention’ when the Ironman official congratulated us on signing up for the toughest 70.3 on their entire international circuit!….I’d heard that the Exmoor venue was tough but to hear it in person suddenly made it all seem very real.
Jun 12
Loveys Bomber, bugs and Grafman!
I started a post about the Bomber, but after forgetting to drink fatboy coke after swimming in the Ancholme, the River sought it’s revenge for me warming up my wetsuit – you know what I mean!! Suffice to say that was honestly one of the toughest things I’ve done (Bomber – not warming up my wetsuit!) and that’s in amongst Tough Guy, Helloween on the Humber and Grafman!!
I wanted to say a huge thankyou to Andy Read for speaking to Christians parents for me – there was no way I was competing without ‘Brownys Boat’ and also to Kev Antwhistle for transport.
Jun 11
Mrs Dobbers First Triathlon!!
Mrs Dobber’s Blenheim Palace Journey……….
So after 2 years of being a WAG I thought it was about time to see what this racing malarkey was all about. So which triathlon do you pick? I wanted one that was far away (so no one would come and see me make a plonker of myself) and one that Dobber hadn’t done so my super-fast time wouldn’t upset his previous ones ;-)! It also had to be flat! So Blenheim it was! Although quite expensive I knew I would get value for money with my time….none of this ‘let’s go as fast as I can to get finished quick’…why pay that much and not look at the scenery. So triathlon booked and hotel booked in October, June is soooo far away! I plodded along with my training and before I knew, it was 10 weeks away. OMG…..with no direction to my training it was time to call a professional and if he could get me over the finish line he certainly knew what he was doing! So a phone call to Steve Clark (all top triathletes go to Offthatcouchfit)! Within a couple of days an email arrived with my plan…..what……burringham duathlons….time trials….noooooooo! But what the plan said I had to do! (On a serious note, big thanks to Steve for the plan as without it I might still be swimming now).
Training was going really well, with 3 weeks to go a trip to Wales was planned (with training) and I thought it would be good to pull my back, then get flu, before I knew it two weeks had gone by and I had a week to go…..yikes. A quick couple of dips in the reservoir as prep, a couple of last minute runs and a time trial, it was time up.
Jun 09
The Half Outlaw (Ironman distance)
The spectator friendly venue at Holme Pierrepoint, Nottingham, once again held host to a weekend of top Triathlon racing. Sunday saw the turn of the inaugural, yet now hugely successful Half Outlaw Ironman.
Despite never having held this event before the ‘One Step Beyond Team’ found their 1200 places (and later to be extended to 1300) were snapped up in little over a week!
Did it live up to the billing? Definitely!
Jun 05
Keyo Brigg Bomber Quadrathlon – 26th May 2013
The European Quadrathlon Championships took place in Brigg (North Lincolnshire). Steve Clark (GBR) and the German athlete Lisa Hirschfelder won the European title over the distance of 1.5k swim, 7k kayak, 36k bike and 11k run.
Jun 05
Old Man of Coniston Triathlon – Neil Barker race report
Race report Old Man of Coniston Triathlon
2K swim
70 k bike
13.1 run
Having enjoyed Helvellyn last year I decided to enter the Old Man of Coniston Tri. It is not just for the old men but you certainly feel like one the next day. My legs feel about 110 years old now. I arrive in Coniston on the Saturday afternoon in time to meet Luke Osborn who had just finished the Coniston Standard Distance Tri, and had come third out of a field of 120. Well done Luke.
After pitching my tent I decided to drive the bike course, which was a mistake. The Wrynose and Hardknot Passes seemed really scary in a car; you feel like you are in a metal box that could easily slip off the hill into a ravine with the smallest of mechanical failures. I was glad when Sunday morning arrived and I could get on with it and stop thinking it through, although getting up at 4.00 am for a 9.00 am start is a little excessive.