News
It’s clear to see how delighted GTC members are to be back racing again. After an extended period of cancelled and postponed events due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the race calendar has once again become a focus for many athletes.
Last weekend, club members headed to races as far afield as Scotland’s west and east coasts, northern Spain and south-west France. Here we bring you a round up of races and results.
Craggy Island Triathlon weekend
More than 30 club members took part in Craggy Island Triathlon races, which were spread across two days. They competed solo or as part of a relay team.
The triathlons take place on the Hebridean Island of Kerrera, west of the mainland town of Oban, Argyll and Bute, with two races for seniors and a third for juniors.
On Saturday and Sunday, the races comprised a 550m sea swim, a 14km mountain bike and an 8km hill run.
Craggy Island Kids’ Race saw TriStars 2 (age 11-12), TriStars 3 (age 13-14) and Youth Start (age 15-16) racing a 150m swim, 5km MTB and 1.5km hill run.
Day 1 Craggy Island results
There were four age group podiums among the 10 GTC competitors at Craggy Island Tri on the Saturday.
Nial Smith was 4th overall and 1st MV
Fiona Greenhalgh was 4th female and 3rd FV
Juliette Linford was 5th female and 2nd FS
Sharon O’Leary was 9th female and 1st FSV
Also competing from the club were Nick Vaughan, Paul Gallagher, Elizabeth Adams, Debi Scott, Andrew Cruickshank and Mark Cohen.
Nial said: “It was great to be back racing at Craggy Island. It’s such a unique race that has long been a favourite of mine.
“The short swim to the Isle of Kerrera was great and it actually felt warm after we’d stood around waiting to go in. With no turns to worry about, it’s a real treat.
“The bike was brutal but great fun with loads of mud and some horrible climbs around the beautiful island.
“The run was tough. I lost a bit of distance on the leaders going over the highest point in the island and battled to pull it back on the flatter section to the finish.
“I closed the gap on second and third places but I just didn’t have the legs to catch them.
“It was a great weekend and it was brilliant to catch up with so many fellow club members.”
Day 2 Craggy Island results
Solos and teams took part in the Craggy Island Tri on Sunday.
Hannah Terrance was 2nd FS and 13th overall
Team JDM was the 5th team
Glasgow Tri Ladies was the 7th team
Also competing were Neal Padmanabhan, Isla Goldie, Bruce Greenhalgh and Alastair Young from the club.
Craggy Island Kids race
Fraser Donaldson (category MTS3) won the race, with Rory Treharne (MTS3) coming home second.
Nina Padmanabhan (FTS3) was 2nd female and 11th overall
Also competing were Ruari Laskey (MTS3), Evie Kellett (FTS3), Charlie Treharne (MY), Charlie McAllister MTS3, Patrick Fraser MTS3, Logan Gibson MTS3, Kian Gibson MTS2 and Erin Greenhalgh FTS3.
- Thanks to Debi Scott and Fiona Mauer for photos
St Andrews Duathlon
Over on the east coast, three GTC members, Nicola Dawson, David Hepburn and Gawain Hammond, took part in the St Andrews Autumn Duathlon 2021. The race comprised a Run/Cycle/Run format over a distance of 5km/18km/2.5km. The event was also the National Duathlon Championships.
Nicola Dawson was 1st in the females 40 to 44
David Hepburn was 2nd in the 30 to 35 category
David said of his podium place: “I thought I had a nightmare on the bike so it was a nice surprise.”
Nicola said: “It was a great event and really well run. The best bit was the free tea and coffee at the end. The worst bit was the headwind for the first half of the cycle which was mainly uphill.”
See full Craggy Island Triathlon results.
Christine podiums in Barcelona Ironman
Christine Caterson claimed another Ironman finishers’ medial when she took part in the Barcelona event.
She came home 3rd in the female 60 to 64 age category after a 2.4 mile swim (3.9K), 112 mile bike (180.2K), and 26.2 mile run (42.2K).
Christine said: “It was a particularly brutal race for me but I was determined to finish. I had done it before but it has been three years since my last Ironman and it’s easy to forget just how hard that are.
“The swim was shortened to 900m due to the sea conditions on the morning. It needed up being absolute torture. I couldn’t get out the water due to the crashing waves pulling me back under, three times. When I tried to get out, huge waves full of sand and stones hit me full on, my goggles and swim cap ripped off and I ended up with mouthfuls of salty water. So, it was not a great start.
“The bike section was very windy on the way out on both laps, but we were rewarded with a tailwind on the return leg, if you hadn’t overcooked it. I was not delighted with my bike time, but all in all I enjoyed this part.
“But my run was dreadful. I had not trained enough for this discipline due to work being mental for the last two years. I was sick several times.
“I was delighted just to complete and finish the race.
“I would really like to say thank you to everyone who supported me and sent messages. I’ve been overwhelmed.”
Billy podiums in Frenchman Triathlon
GTC junior head coach Billy Mitchell was in Hourtin, near Bordeaux in France, to compete in the Frenchman Triathlon. He took part in the “L” race, a classic middle distance of 1.9k swim, 90k bike and a half-marathon run.
He was 2nd in the V60 category.
Billy said: “The event had been on my bucket list for a while. I knew I wasn’t in great shape, but I was determined to take part, especially after three postponements from May 2020.
“The advertised cut-off at 6.5 hours was an extra incentive to get a bit of a move on, too.
“It was going well until my lack of preparation was laid bare in the last 10k of the run. Thankfully, there was a lot of local support, ‘Courage, William – Allez.’
“It was great to be back at my first tri as a ‘vintage’ competitor and I surprised to pick up a second place among Les Vieux Hommes.
“The Frenchman Triathlon weekend also includes a standard and full distance event, so there is something for everyone. I’d highly recommended.”