It was a beautiful sunny and calm Sunday morning when I arrived at Coquet Yacht Club in Amble, a great start to a great event! Shortly followed by the nice surprise of Tri4U and Castle Tri (CT) member Phil Jameson saying hello – I thought I was the only CT member until I saw the club hoody!

There were plenty passers-by on their morning walks along the river, looking on with interest and chatting to competitors and marshals to find out what event they’d stumbled on. There was a friendly atmosphere immediately, from arriving in the car park, registration, getting organised/faffing about in transition and during the event briefing.

We were set off in three waves, 4 minutes apart, with the Female category in the third wave. I was very thankful for this, allowing plenty acclimatisation time in the water as the temperature was quite a shock! Partially down to my lack of sea swims this year, and with the morning sun already warming up the day, it was a contrast getting into North Sea temperature water!

Soon enough we heard the 5 second countdown and were off towards the first yellow buoy. The course was an easy rectangle from the Yacht club boat ramp, with calm water allowing easy visibility of the buoys ahead. I got through the swim in a slightly slower time than usual, taking a little while to get into my stroke and comfortable breathing rhythm. Cornering around the buoys is a challenge for me with it being the only bit of the course where you can’t avoid being quite close alongside other swimmers. Nevertheless, the conditions were good and soon enough it was time to exit the swim up the boat ramp.

There was just a short section of grass to get into transition – where I released my hands and feet were quite cold, so much so I struggled to get my wetsuit zip down! Located my bike quickly but the wetsuit faffing added to my usual T1 time. I jogged out of transition to the Mount line, gratefully hearing encouragement from marshals and spectators, and was soon at the cycle mount line.

The cycle route was an out and back along the main road from Amble to Widdrington. This is a common route for events in the area, so I knew what to expect - a nice undulating course with minimal corners! I passed Phil looking very speedy on his bike - unfortunately I was quite out of breath, so my ‘Go on Phil’ was probably not audible across the road! The Widdrington roundabout was soon in view; I made the U turn and pushed on back towards Amble. The bike leg felt good, I managed to keep a good pace and have plenty sips of water, fuelling the remainder of the event. The marshals were all very encouraging, clapping and cheering every competitor which was lovely. The final challenge of the cycle was the Yacht club drive, with a few potholes to manoeuvre around, more cars turning up to the car park and a severe speed bump!

A short jog to return to Transition made me notice that my feet were still cold and quite numb! Despite this T2 was a much smoother affair for me - bike racked, helmet off, shoes swapped, and race number spun – and over the line to the run in 47 seconds.

The run was a 2-lap course, crossing grass west of the Yacht club and then along the riverside path towards Warkworth. Passing part of the Amble sculpture trail with Warkworth Castle on the horizon, the calm river with a heron paddling in the reeds - it was beautiful! The sun was really beaming down so it was slightly hot for my liking – although my feet didn’t get the message and only warmed up about 3 km into the 5km run! I cheered on fellow competitors as we passed each other on the path, and before the U turn point I saw Phil who was about 20 metres ahead of me at this point. I managed to pace Phil heading back to the Yacht club and had an overtake in mind – when he ran off towards the finish and I needed to do a second lap! Doh! In reality, there was no way I could have caught Phil, but it did provide a little boost for part of the run! So Phil finished valiantly and I had about 12 minutes left – back out past the spherical tern sculpture to get another awesome look at the castle. I really did love the run route! Again, the marshals along the run were all fab, clapping and cheering everyone.

Rounding the corner to see the blue archway was a welcome sight, with spectators and competitors cheering me across the finish line. I quickly headed to the water table for a fresh drink and was handed my medal with a heartfelt ‘well done’. Before collecting my things from transition, I joined a couple of other competitors in the river – this time without wetsuits and welcoming the water temperature! Awards were presented in the Yacht Club with teas and coffees on hand – I heard the announcements and cheers as I had a cool down walk along the river path.

It was a fantastic event run by Alnwick Tri Club and I would certainly do it again! Sadly, due to low entry numbers over the last few years, it may have been the last, but, along with many 2024 competitors, we hope to see it again! Many thanks to the organisers Alnwick Tri Club, the hosts Coquet Yacht Club, BTF officials and all volunteers that make the event happen.