Author: Admin

Happy Christmas & Another Fantastic New Year of Quadrathlon!

Admin

Im sure most of you will have time to wear your lycra, and get out for a swim, kayak, bike or run over the festive holidays! Like all the athletes I know, we like to get out in the fresh air for some fun on the trails, or a blast on the river ….. leaving room for more mince pies and mulled wine!

It’s what makes most of us tick ….. and besides, I bet we will all want to test out our new Christmas toys, with 4 disciplines to master, Santa is never stuck for ideas! Even though he might not be able to disguise them!

I am so pleased to announce the ‘The Brigg Bomber’ will be hosting the EUROPEAN Championships, and that Bude ‘Awesome Foursome’ will be our NATIONAL Championships! 

Hears a few reasons why you should get these dates in your Race Callender ….. get your entries in and have a reason to start training. Having a goal does wonders for your motivation, kick start your training right now …… I will let you off if you want to leave it until 26th December!

BQA National Trophy Events for 2020

RACE 1 – 24th May – Brigg Bomber Quad – European Championships  1500km river swim/8km river kayak/40km road bike/10km road run.

A superb race to start the season, extremely well organized by our Top Quadrathlon Club ‘Lincsquad’ a fast flat and safe course, its the World Cham pionships so certainly not to be missed, Lincsquad will certainly pull out all the stops to make this a brilliant day! Entries OPEN  Brigg Bomber Quadrathlon

RACE 2 – 14th June – Dearne Valley Sprint Quad and QuadKidz – 800km lake swim/4.4km lake kayak/13.2km X/MT bike/5km trail run.

This race takes place around the Manvers Waterpark and its surrounding area, all the racing takes place within this lovely venue, this race gets better each year! The aim is to deliver, a Quadrathon where people from all walks of life can participate. Mark Benton (organizer) quotes ‘All that we ask is that you enjoy your training towards it and feel a great sense of achievement afterwards’. The Junior Quadrathlon will run along side the sprint event, with various distances for the 3 age groups … it will be time for our Quadkidz to Shine! Entries open soon.

Dearne Valley Quadrathlon

RACE 3 – 5th July – Box End Sprint Quad – National Championships and QuadKidz 750km lake swim/4.4km lake kayak/13.2km X/MT bike/5km XC run.

A very well established and superbly organized by Quadrac racing, the whole event held within the Box End Waterpark. It’s ideal for youngsters, beginners as it’s a sprint distance and support crews can see the whole race from the lovely lake side café with excellent camping on site too. The Quadkidz Race will take part at the same time as the Open Race! Entries open soon.

BoxEnd Quadrathlon

RACE 4 – 6th September – Shrewsbury Sprint Quad – 550km river swim/5km river kayak/23 road bike/5km run.

This race just keeps getting stronger and stronger, and is well worthy of its World Cup Status! An excellent fast, flat sprint race, running on the back of a very popular Triathlon. A great day out with a superb race atmosphere, with lots of support especially on the 3 lap run course around the Showground! A real ‘feel good friendly race’ instigated and organized by one of our very passionate quadrathletes along with SYTri … one not to be missed! Entries OPEN 

Shrewsbury Quadrathlon

RACE 5 – 12th September – Awesome Foursome Quad  National Championships – 800km sea swim/30km road bike/10km canal kayak/10km road run.

This is one of our longest running established Quadrathlons, in beautiful Cornwall in the surfing town of Bude. It never ceases to amaze me, I have raced it in all weathers …. it is always a brilliant exciting and challenging race and a great end the race season! Swimming in the sea, there’s plenty of hills on the bike, a historic canal for the kayak and amazing coastal views on the run! It’s one of those addictive races that keeps drawing you back. The race is on a Saturday so plenty of time for sun, sand and surf too! Entries OPEN

Awesome foursome.quadrathlon.event

All links to these races are on our ‘events’ page. I hope I have tempted you …. keep you eye on the events page as some race organizers may offer early bird race discounts!

You must be a BQA member to race for the ‘GB TEAM’ at the World Championships or in a World Cup race, and also to qualify for all BQA prizes in the National Trophy Series. We do need your memberships to help fund our sport. Money goes towards various areas within the organization, one being our website, where we keep you updated with the latest news and events. Our biggest annual outlay is insurance, which we use to cover the races on the British Quad Calendar, without this insurance many of our races wouldn’t take place. We also affiliate to the World Quadrathlon Association ‘WQF’ so our athletes can race at World Cup Races the World and European Championships. The future of British Quadrathlon is in our hands, so please support the BQA and you will be helping to keep our small sport alive!

BQA 2020 Trophy Series
24th May – Brigg Bomber
14th June – Dearne Valley Sprint & QuadKidz
5th July – Box End Sprint Quad & Quadkidz
6th Sept – Shrewsbury Sprint Quad
12th Sept – Awesome Foursome Quad

QuadKidz Series
14th June Dearne Valley QuadKidz
5th June BoxEnd QuadKidz
Date to be Decided Lincs QuadKidz Event

Races supported by BQA (not Trophy Races)
2nd May – Montgomery Canal Triathlon (Charity Event)
22nd June – Norfolk SuperHeroes Quad
12th July – Deva Divas Quad
20th September – Conwy Mountain Challenge

Wishing you all a Very Happy Christmas … Safe Training over the winter months, and we look forward to a very exciting 2020 Quad Season!

Jean and the BQA Team

 

2019 Membership Open

Admin

Membership is open now for 2019 and is £20.00 per person. As a member you are entitled to discount at some BQA races (discretion of the race organizer). You will receive news updates via our monthly email-newsletter (subscribe to this on our website). You must be a member to race for the ‘GB TEAM’ at the World Championships or in a World Cup race, and also to qualify for all BQA prizes in the National Trophy Series. Your membership money goes towards various areas within the organization of our sport, one being our website, where we hope to keep you updated with the latest news! But our biggest annual outlay is insurance, which we use to cover the races on the British Quad Calendar. We also affiliate to the World Quadrathlon Association ‘WQF’ so our athletes can race at World Cup Races the World and European Championships. The future of British Quadrathlon is in our hands, please support the BQA and you will be helping to keep our small sport alive!

A Google Document Membership Form has been set up so you can Join the BQA online, follow the link fill Google Membership Form Fees can be paid by Bank Transfer or Cheque (if preferred).

Membership Price Structure Membership Form 2019

 Type of Membership Members Fees
Senior/Masters £20.00
Family  – 2 Adults £35.00
Junior – Under 23 £7.00
Family  – 1 Adult 1 Child £25.00 + £5 Additional Child
Family  – 2 Adults 2 Children £40.00

Race Affiliation

Affiliating your race will only cost £20 for the year, the BQA will promote your race, on our website, email news bulletins, and at our other BQA events.  You are permitted to use the name and logo of the British Quadrathlon Association, and also have the opportunity to take advantage of the BQA Race Insurance and become part of the National Trophy Series. For further information contact Jean Ashley email malpasashleys@btinternet.com 

To register your race then please complete the Race Affiliation Membership Form 2019

QuadKidz

All our Juniors (under 18) that join the BQA will be automatically be members of Quadkidz and will be eligible for prizes in our QuadKidz Race Series. We set up QuadKidz in 2017 this a great step forwards for our sport, we hope to build on its success each year. We had 3 races in 2018 – Dearne Valley and Boxend and Lincsquad organized a race & a training day, we to continue to support ‘Our QuadStars’ of the future and have 3 races again in 2019.  Each Age group races over different distances, with the 16-18 year age group, building up so they are able to take on a Sprint Distance Race, which is – 750m swim, 5km kayak, 15-20 km cycle, 5km run.
QuadKidz Age Groups
• QuadKidz 9-11 years
• QuadKidz 12-15 years
• QuadKidz 16-18 years

A parent/guardian must be with the competitor at the race venue at all times (to avoid child protection issues).

The BQA want to comply with GDPR consent requirements and by completing this form we assume that you are happy for us to keep the data on your membership and affiliation forms whilst you are a member. Personal data, information and any exchange we have with you is therefore very close, and we treat it with utmost care and respect, investing all necessary resources to make sure it remains secure with the BQA only.

Email addresses of those on the BQA mailing list are held by the Secretary. We won’t share email addresses with any other organisation. Photographs of BQA activities may be used to publicise our sport. You can opt out at any time by contacting the Secretary Parental consent will be sought before taking or using any photographs of children.

 

 

New Adventures Await – 2018 Are You Ready?

Admin

I’m sure most of you will have time to wear your lycra, and get out for a swim, kayak, bike or run over the festive holidays! Like all the athletes I know, we like to get out in the fresh air for some fun on the trails, or a blast on the river ….. leaving room for more Christmas cake and mulled wine! It’s what makes most of us tick ….. and besides, I bet we will all want to test out our new Christmas toys, with 4 disciplines to master, there’s always something to try out, even if its only new socks!

Over Christmas we might not all have Abs as good as this, but I’m sure once you get your Race plan sorted, and training underway they will soon be well defined!

I hope you are all starting to plan your Race Calender and have lots of goals and challenges lined up for 2018!  Get your entries in early and have a reason to start training. Having entered your races it  does wonders for your motivation, having something to work for, kick start your training right now! Plenty of our races have opened their entries, and we’ve even had the 2nd Deva Divas (ladies only) Quad sold out, with an amazing 50 women now on the start line! Take a look at our 2018 races on our ‘events’ page!

BQA Membership is open now for 2018 and is £15.00 per person, we have dropped the U18’s Quadkidz membership to £7.00 to encourage those youngsters to join up, (we still have Family memberships). As a member you are entitled to discount at some BQA races (discretion of the race organizer). You will receive news updates via our monthly email-newsletter (subscribe to this on our website). You must be a member to race for the ‘GB TEAM’ at the World Championships or in a World Cup race, and also to qualify for all BQA prizes in the National Trophy Series. We do need your memberships to help fund our sport. Money goes towards various areas within the organization, one being our website, where we keep you updated with the latest news and events. Our biggest annual outlay is insurance, which we use to cover the races on the British Quad Calendar, without this insurance many of our races would’nt take place. We also affiliate to the World Quadrathlon Association ‘WQF’ so our athletes can race at World Cup Races the World and European Championships. The future of British Quadrathlon is in our hands, so please support the BQA and you will be helping to keep our small sport alive!

You can download the form here Membership_Form 2018 If I have your details from last season and wish to do a Bank Transfer please send me an email: malpasashleys@btinternet.com and I will send you the details, Thank you very much.

New Trisuits for 2018

One-off Tri Suits are available to order via Godfrey, quite a few of us have Tech Tee shirts, race vests, gilets and cycle tops from Godfrey, and we are all very pleased with them. You can have your name printed down the side panel … which gives them a personalized touch, and also enables the supporters to shout out your name and cheer you on, which without a doubt make you go faster!

http://godfrey.co.uk/club/britishquadrathlonassociation

Here’s a quick rundown of our Trophy Races, so get those races in your diary and Enter Now!

BQA National Trophy Events for 2018

RACE 1 – 27th May – Brigg Bomber Quad – National Championships/World Cup – A superb race to start the season, extremely well organized by our Top Quadrathlon Club ‘Lincsquad’ a fast flat and safe course, its the British National Championships and World Cup race so lots of points! Just to top it off they have an excellent T- shirt Tour of the Brigg Pubs to celebrate … certainly not to be missed!! Entries OPEN 

Brigg Bomber Quadrathlon

RACE 2 – 10th June – Dearne Valley Sprint Quad – This race takes place around the Manvers Waterpark and its surrounding area, all the racing takes place within this lovely venue. The aim is to deliver, a Quadrathon where people from all walks of life can participate. Mark Benton (organizer) quotes ‘All that we ask is that you enjoy your training towards it and feel a great sense of achievement afterwards’. The Junior Quadrathlon will run along side the sprint event, the first ‘QuadKidz’ race of the season, with various distances for the 3 age groups … it will be time for our Quadkidz to Shine! Entries open soon.

Dearne Valley Quadrathlon

RACE 3 – 15th July – Box End Sprint Quad – World Cup Race – A very well established and superbly organized by Quadrac racing, the whole event held within the Box End Waterpark. It’s ideal for youngsters, beginners as it’s a sprint distance and support crews can see the whole race from the lovely lake side café. It’s the  third time it has been give World Cup Status so we need to give this race the backing it deserves. Excellent camping on site too …. And you can even try your hand at wake boarding! After a successful Quadkidz race last year the second Quadkidz Race of the junior series will take part at the same time as the Open Race! Entries open soon.

BoxEnd Quadrathlon

RACE 4 – 2nd September – Shrewsbury Sprint Quad – This race just keeps getting stronger and stronger, an excellent fast, flat sprint race, running on the back of a very popular Triathlon. A great day out with a superb race atmosphere, with lots of support especially on the 3 lap run course around the Showground! A real ‘feel good friendly race’ instigated and organized by one of our very passionate quadrathletes along with SYTri … one not to be missed! Entries OPEN 1st January 2018

Shrewsbury Quadrathlon

RACE 5 – 9th September – Fabian4 Conwy Mountain Triathlon– The long-awaited Fabian4 Dyffryn Conwy Mountain Challenge is back for 2018. Last year’s event (2016) was the best yet, & here at Fabian4, we’re already working hard to make sure that next year’s is even better! Where else can you find a well-organised, non-commercial, realistically-priced, serious sea to summit adventure, much of it taking place in Snowdonia National Park. All the profits will be donated, as always, to the Snowdonia Society. Take advantage of the very early bird rate & enter ASAP. What a great Christmas present for your like-minded friends Entries OPEN 

Fabian4 Conwy Mountain Triathlon

RACE 6 – 16th September – Awesome Foursome Quad – National Championships – This is one of our longest running established Quadrathlons, in beautiful Cornwall in the surfing town of Bude. It never ceases to amaze me, I have raced it in all weathers …. it is always a brilliant exciting and challenging race and a great end the race season! Swimming in the sea, there’s plenty of hills on the bike, a historic canal for the kayak and amazing coastal views on the run! It’s one of those addictive races that keeps drawing you back. The race is on a Saturday so plenty of time for sun, sand and surf too! Entries OPEN

All links to these races are on our ‘events’ page. I hope I have tempted you …. keep you eye on the events page as some race organizers may offer early bird race discounts!

2017 National Trophy Champions

Admin

The Men’s National Trophy was wide open going into the last race of the season, Bude Awesome Foursome was going to be a very competitive race and places were fought right to the very end! The Overall Men’s winner and Vet 40 and 50 all depended on the Bude Results! The Ladies Champions had been decided at the Shrewsbury Quad along with the Male Vet 60. Well Done to all our BQA Quadrathletes that raced over this season, and we welcome many new members, especially all our first timers at the ‘Deva Divas’, and of course our ‘QuadKidz’ the athletes of the future!

Congratulations to our 2017 Winners, who showed commitment and raced well all season!

Full Trophy 2017 Results 17-b-trophy

MEN Overall Winner Perpetual Trophy Male Julian Brewer

Vet 40 Male Alan Cole 

Vet 50 Male Cliff Odgers (role down as Julian Brewer won Overall Trophy)

Vet 60 Male John Kavanagh

WOMEN Overall Winners Perpetual Trophy Female Helen Russell

U23 Female Louise Beedham

Vet 40 Female Sallie Joseph (role down as Helen Russell won Overall Trophy)

Vet 50 Female Jean Ashley

Vet 60 Female Mary White

No prizes were awarded to Seniors or U23 Male athletes as no one had completed 3 races this year.

Team Otto at World Champs!

The Eric Hatliff Memorial Trophy awarded each year ‘For Endeavor’. This year it was given to Gill Otto for her enthusiasm and commitment to the sport of Quadrathlon.  She has been a BQA member for many years representing GB at the World Quadrathlon Championships in the Czech Republic 2008 along with her son ‘Quintan’ and daughter ‘Lucy’. Once Gill finished competing in Quads she channeled her energy into instigating the brilliant Shrewsbury Quadrathlon along side the Shrewsbury Tri, this race goes from strength to strength each year with Gill encouraging many new members to take up our sport. She has has been an inspiration to many especially those newcomers to our sport, she continues to motivate many especially at her canoe club. I am certainly looking forward to seeing Gill race again next year in the ladies only Deva Divas, where once again she’ll be encouraging her friends to train in preparation! Well Deserved Gill!

This season 59 males and 38 female athletes took part in the series, 10 less men than last year but 10 extra females! It was good to see plenty of first timers and great to see commitment from our BQA members, plenty of top class racing from our age groupers and elite athletes too. We’ve had plenty more Women race this year, and hopefully the increase in competitors will continue next year. The BQA hope everyone enjoyed their quad season and will be back for more challenges and races next year, please tell your friends and help spread the word!

All of our Quad Races this year have been superbly organized by enthusiastic ‘Teams’ of like minded people and athletes, all enjoyed by the competitors ! A Huge thank-you for their commitment, affiliation fees and for providing us with great races with the Aim to Keep our Small Friendly Sport ALIVE! The BQA help to promote these races and supply the Race insurance so its vital we have YOUR support! A Big THANK-YOU to all our quadrathletes and especially the 2017 BQA members, we really appreciate your memberships and love to see you all racing at as many races you can fit into your diary!

Jean Ashley

Julian Brewer

Julian Brewer

Helen Russell

Helen Russell

Alan Cole

Alan Cole

Cliff Odgers

Cliff Odgers

Jean Ashley

Jean Ashley

Mary White

Mary White

2017 BUDE …. Fantastic Racing to the Very End!

Admin

As ever Bude lived up to its reputation, another brilliant Awesome foursome! The turnout was great with over 100 athletes racing individually, in pairs and teams, though the build up was slightly harrowing  for race organizer Simon Hammond, the early part of the week the beach was closed due to the invasion of the Portuguese Man O War Jelly fish, and then there were high winds, huge swell and waves and torrential rain, which would of made the course lethal. The night before we were still being battered by the weather, but miraculously Saturday morning the weather Gods were on our side and we were blessed with sunshine, light winds, it was cool but it was 100% better than the forecast!

It was a 2.30pm start due to the tide and as ever Simon kept us all entertained at the race briefing with his banter, it always helps with the race nerves as everyone goes into the water with a smile! The swim is always starts fast as the Bude surfers speed off not giving a thought to the size of the waves, its always difficult to workout who is in the lead in the individual race as the local boys and girls make up relay teams. Alan Cole was 1st out 17:.46 with a good lead from all the other individuals, he needed to move fast as he needed maximum points to win the overall Trophy Series.

However local athlete Chris Hammond was very familiar with the bike course along with past winner Nigel Unwin, both having very strong bike legs with Nigel’s split being the fastest of the day 51:39. Nigel worked hard in the kayak with Simon Hammond (pair) to move into the lead, meanwhile Ian Smith, (great to see him back in action after injury problems) was flying in his kayak producing the fastest split 47:09. So onto the run, Nigel  held onto his lead coming 1st 2:45:45 with Ian chasing him down coming 2nd 2:46:48, Chris Hammond came 3rd 2:50:15 with Alan Cole in 4th 2:51:13, this gave Alan enough points to take the Vet 40 2017 BQA Trophy Prize.

Meanwhile there was a battle going on for Trophy Points between Vet 50’s Julian Brewer, Nicholas Farnell and Cliff Odgers, Julian and Cliff have been consistent all season, and had extra points in the bag. For Nicholas his Bude points had to count, he finished 9th overall which gave him the same points as Cliff, so with the 4th race taken into account Cliff took the Vet 50 2017 BQA Trophy Prize. Julian after some strong races this season had enough points for him to take the Overall BQA Trophy, a well deserved winner as he has been a keen Quadrathlete and BQA member for many years now!

BQA Mens Bude Results

1st Nigel Unwin 2:45:45 (1st Vet 50)

2nd Ian Smith 2:46:48 (2nd Vet 50)

4th Alan Cole 2:51:13 (2nd Vet 40)

9th Nicholas Farnell 3:01:34 (3rd Vet 50)

10th Julian Brewer 3:03:01

17th Russell Breyer 3:13:50

18th Michael Toomey 3:19:00 (1st Vet60)

19th Cliff Odgers 3:21:48

20th Peter Chappill 3:32:30

In the Ladies Race, once again it was a battle to the end between Allison Parritt and Jean Ashley. Jacqueline Davies had a strong swim and was 1st out of the water, with just over a minuet’s lead going onto the bike. Jean caught her up at the bottom of the first big climb and had pulled away by the top of Millook. Allison however was also having a strong bike leg and she then caught Jean up on the way to Wainhouse Corner, they swapped positions a couple of times, but Allison had the edge and arrived back to transition 1st. Jean quickly moved into the lead on the kayak, but Allison paddled strongly and kept Jean in her sights. Jacqueline was also paddling her new kayak well, so it was looking like it was all down to the run! Jean pushed hard and stayed in the lead for the first half of the run, but Alison wasn’t going to give in, she overtook Jean on the well-known ‘ploughed field’ and went on to win in 3:15:19, with Jean in 2nd 3:16:53. Jacqueline stayed comfortably in 3rd 3:35:22. Emma Whitehouse came in with a big smile in 4th 3:45:41.

Bude Results Bude Quadrathlon Results 2017

Every single person that finished the race deserves a mention, it’s always challenging, you never quite know what the Cornish Coast will throw at you, at least the Jelly fish didn’t come back, the weather was kind, but those hills never change and it always lives up to its Name …. AWESOME!

A Huge Big Thank-you To Simon and his Wonderful Team for Hosting the Race.  A massive thank-you to all the marshals, the Bude Surf lifeguards for looking after us and showing us the way! It was great to see plenty BQA members racing, plus all the other athletes and first-timers! Plus all the Teams and Pairs Entries … an excellent turnout. I hope you all enjoyed it and will be back to support Shoreline Extreme Sports for more fun next Year … and to top it off Bude will be the BQA National Championships 2018!

See you next year … Jean

Alan Cole’s Bude Race Report https://www.alananna.co.uk/blog/2017/bude-awesome-foursome-quadrathlon-race-report/

 

 

 

 

Trophy Points going into the last Sunset of the Season .. BUDE 2017!!!

Admin

Its been a great season for British and World Quadrathlon this year, our races have been buzzing and we’ve see plenty of athletes joining the ‘flock’! So lets hope there will be plenty of you at Bude for the last race of the season, where the overall Men’s Trophy and age group prizes will be decided!

The ladies have been racing hard this year and the numbers have been high, so the National trophy results were finalized at Shrewsbury … so come on chaps its your turn to get those valuable points at the Awesome Foursome in Bude 16th September, entries are still open!     The great thing about this race is its on a Saturday so plenty of time for sun, sand and surf too! Simon from Shoreline Activities, along with his family and friends from Bude, have been running this race for many years, they turn out year in year out always with big smiles and open arms to meet us all. Its great to support them, so make sure you get your entry in (Individual or Team) and lets keep this Great Race ALIVE… See you in Bude!

Applications on-line or by post. Postal application form attached.

2017 Awesome Foursome      shorelineactivities.co.uk/foursome.quadrathlo

 

 

Another Successful Shrewsbury Sprint Quad 2017

Admin

Once again we had a great day’s racing at the 6th Shrewsbury Quadrathon, a true testament to the Event organizers Gill Otto and SYTri. The Event goes from strength to strength and this year sold out at the end of July with 25 males and 25 females entered! The weather this year was showery, windy and a tad chilly, but it didn’t dampen anyone’s spirits, as ever the Quadrathletes were giving it there all and enjoying this great sprint event!

The river was calm with little current this year, so great for the kayak leg. The wind was all over the place on the undulating bike course, which made it feel quite tough this year. The run was fast flat run with the occasional muddy patch, so we expected times to be slightly down on last years. We had good strong field of Quadrathletes, our top athletes and age groupers, plus plenty of newcomers who all gave it their best and finished with happy faces and podium places!

Congratulations to Winner Steve King who took the lead from the start, his closest rival being Bryce Dyer, good to see him back racing a quadrathlon again (he’s been concentrating on Tri’s and Time Trials for the past few years). Steve put in the fastest splits across 3 disciplines (swim/kayak/run) to win comfortably (1.26.23). First timer James Block was 2nd going on to the bike after a strong swim and kayak, but Bryce put in an awesome Bike split, (the fastest of the day including the athletes in the Triathlon), which moved him into 2nd place (1.31.’31). James had a strong run and finished in 3rd just 6 seconds behind Bryce (1.31.37). Alan Cole new also to quads this year had a good strong race and came home in 4th (1.32.07)

There was a real battle going on for the next few places, with BQA members all looking for valuable Trophy Points as the Mens Overall Trophy and Vet 40 & 50 are still up for grabs!
Vet 40 Phil Holden came 6th with Nigel Leeson in 11th. The Vet 50 category is very competitive this year with Julian Brewer 7th, Nicholas Farnell 8th, Cliff Odgers 11th, Russel Brayer 12th, Peter Chappill 13th so this could get very close at the last race in Bude! John Kavanagh Vet 60 came home in 14th and secured his BQA National Trophy Age group title, a great season for him as he was also awarded with the WQF Glass Globe for winning his Age Group in the World Series too.

There were lots of solid performances from our 11 BQA Male Members, and so good to see them flying the flag for us … Thank-you we really appreciate your support and valuable membership!

4th Alan Cole (1.32.07)
6th Phil Holden (1.37.09)
7th Julian Brewer (1.38.13)                                                                                                                                                   8th Nicholas Farnell ( 1.40.12)
9th Nigel Leeson (1.41.03)
11th Cliff Odgers (1.43.01)
12th Russel Breyer (1.43.54)
13th Peter Chappill (1.45.37)
14th John Kavanagh(1.47.03) – Vet 60 BQA Trophy Winner
10th Lance Ball (1.52.07)
17th Jeff Chappill (1.58.03) great to see him back racing again!
21st Alistair Bates (2.09.05) another great BQA supporter, good to see you competing again!

There was a fantastic turn out from the Ladies, with more first timers performing well and great to see 4 new Diva Divas Quadrathletes racing again … well done Lisa Grantham, Nicola Perrins, Sandy Cornfield Bebbington and Mandy Lewis! Helen Russell was first out of the swim with Jacqueline Davies hot on her heals, Jacq paddled strongly to take the lead in the kayak with Jean Ashley moving into 2nd place. Helen’s strong biking moved her into 1st place which she held onto to win the ladies race in (1.39.28). Jacq went into the run in 2nd but Jean pushed hard and moved into 2nd place (1.45.17) at the end of the first lap. Mean while newcomer Natalie Abbott was having a great race and moved up to take 3rd, (1.46.45) with Jacq finishing just 30 seconds behind in 4th place (1.47.16).

We had 9 ‘BQA Girls’ racing very well and earning vital Trophy Points, which concluded the 2017 series, once again the BQA appreciate their support.

1st Helen Russell (1.39.28) – Overall BQA Trophy Winner
2nd Jean Ashley (1.45.17) – Vet 50 BQA Trophy Winner
4th Jacqueline Davis (1.47.16)
7th Mary White (1.55.24) – Vet 60 BQA Trophy Winner                                                                                                  11th Victoria Price (1.59.34)
13th Mandy Greenaway (2.01.59) in her first EVER Quad Season .. great result!
14th Margaret Huyton (2.02.53) this included sacrificing time to rescue a capsized competitor … in true Margaret style! .. Thank-you Margaret she also got a prize for the “most elegant exit from a kayak”
17th Donna Chappill (2.05.21) Well done completed 3 quads in the trophy Series, 3rd Vet 50
22nd Louise Beedham (2.18.26) U23 BQA Trophy Winner

Sallie Joseph (wasn’t racing) but has done 3 races and takes the – Vet 40 BQA Trophy Winner

Full Results here 2017 Quad race-results

A great effort from all the other athletes too, good to see plenty of smiles and here so many complementary positive comments about the event. A big thanks again to all the competitors for taking part and also to the ‘Race Organizers’ all the marshals, family and friends that made this yet another successful Shrewsbury Quadrathlon! See you nest Season!

I had great pleasure in presenting Gill Otto with the ‘The Eric Hatliff Memorial Trophy’ 2017 For Endeavor. Gill has shown Enthusiasm & Commitment to Our Sport for many years.
She has been dedicated to Organizing the ‘Shrewsbury Quadrathlon’ for the past 6 years producing a brilliant race for us all to enjoy! She has encouraged so many to take part and is a true ambassador for our sport … We Really Appreciate Your Efforts Gill THANK-YOU from BQA.

World Championships 2017 Sprint Quadrathlon, Komarno, Slovakia.

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The World Championship – Sprint distance Quadrathlon, were held in Komarno, Slovakia on 12th August. Flying the Flag for GB was John Kavanagh and his sister Margaret Huyton. This is Margaret’s race Report, as you will read … as all wasn’t easy as their races unfolded!

After several days of very high temperatures, the day of the race saw cooler weather which was a relief to the British pair. strong winds did make the lake choppy and  conditions were very challenging, particularly on the down-wind turn where the wind whipped up the waves.

The start was on a beach, no wetsuits allowed. A swift run into the water and away everyone went. John was keen to beat his nearest age group rival Klaus, in order to score maximum points for the World Cup Series. John made 3 minutes on the swim, but Klaus clawed it back on the bike. The bike was 20km fast and flat flat 2, 10km loops with the closeness of the riders it was not always easy for the athletes to avoid drafting, the middle part of the field were troubled by this difficulty and several time penalties were given out, including John who had no recollection of drafting, but was given a 15 second time penalty!

John did extremely well in his borrowed kayak and pulled back the lead, despite the footplate breaking, John went onto the run 2 minutes up. On the flat, grassy course Klaus was catching John, but John dug deep and held on and beat Klaus by 36 seconds. His time was 01.46.35.3, giving him the Gold Medal and securing his ‘Vet 60 WQF Championship Title’.

Meanwhile, Margaret was enjoying her first overseas quadrathlon. All went well until she arrived at the kayak transition …. her boat was not there! She saw an Italian paddling away in it. Fortunately there were kayaks which faster paddlers had already used so she had to take one of those. After an unsettling few minutes, racing resumed. The run was uneventful and Margaret finished with a time of 02.06.30.4. taking the Ladies Vet 60 Gold medal! Margaret did ask why the Italian took the boat …. his answer was ‘I am an inexperienced paddler and could not stay upright in the boat he had borrowed’! Margaret your a Star #thisgirlcan

A huge well done to them both for staying composed during racing, thank goodness its not every day your faced with a drafting penalty, a broken footplate and having to paddle a kayak you’ve never been in before! Thank-you for bringing home 2 championship medals for GB!

First man overall was Enrique Garcia from Spain 01.19.34.5, and first lady and 14th overall was Lisa Teichert from Germany 01.31.58.3.

After a junior Tri, and then an open Tri, a relay race was held, swim, paddle and run. John made up a team with 2 German over 60s, Heinz Grohmann and Klaus Charlet called ‘The Seniors’. Whilst Margaret joined up with 2 young girls from Hungary and Czechoslovakia Bodolai Lili, Magdaléna Kolenová, called ‘Ladies International’ This was a fun event but taken seriously. Margaret’s younger team beat the seniors, coming 9th with John’s team coming 11th. Under Armour CZ won with the Spanish in 2nd place.

Both John and Margaret had brilliant day and wish to send ‘Many Thanks’ to the organisers Sport Club Slovakia, for 2 races in one day!

I must say the ‘Team race’ sounds a great idea … ‘Swim, Kayak. Run’ maybe that’s something the BQA should think about, especially at Sprint races?

See link for Komarno full report, results and photos

 

Shrewsbury & Bude Final 2 Races in BQA Series!

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I hope you all enjoying the summer, getting some good training in and enjoying being out in the elements, open water swimming, paddling nice rivers, and biking and running around the lanes and even hitting the trails! We have just 2 races left in the series this season, Shrewsbury and Bude. Hopefully your a lucky one who has one of the 50 places at Shrewsbury, which sold out in July. However there is one last race that is still open for entries –   Last but not least its our Awesome Foursome Quadrathlon in Bude, 16th September!  

This is one of our longest running established Quadrathlons in the country, in the lovely Cornish Town of Bude! This race draws me back each year and it never ceases to amaze me, I have raced it in all weathers but mainly blue bird skies …. it is always fun, exciting and challenging, such a great way to end the season! Starting in the sea, we swim along side the breakwater to a buoy where we turn and swim back, (sometimes body surfing) to the beach, where we run back towards the sea lock and jump in for a 2nd lap.

The bike leg is next and there’s plenty of hills on the way out, a scenic challenging ride on small lanes, with 3 tough hills followed by a very fast speedy downhill back to the town. The third discipline is the kayak paddling in the historic canal, several laps with lots of encouragement from spectators and also the ducks! Finally the run is back down the canal tow path, and then up and over the hill to run back along the coastal path, and if you’ve got time make sure you take in the amazing coastal views!

The great thing about this race is its on a Saturday so plenty of time for sun, sand and surf too! Simon from Shoreline Activities, along with his family and friends from Bude, have been running this race for many years, they turn out year in year out always with big smiles and open arms to meet us all. Its great to support them, so make sure you get your entry in (Individual or Team) and lets keep this Great Race ALIVE!

The National Trophy Prizes will be awarded to BQA Members at the Prize Giving also.

Applications on-line or by post. Postal application form attached.

2017 Awesome Foursome

 

2017 Deva Diva’s ‘The Full Story’

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The first ever ‘Ladies Only Quadrathlon’ IN THE WORLD took place on 16 July 2017 on the banks of the River Dee in Chester, running in parallel to the Deva Divas Triathlon which, in 2016, won the coveted British Triathlon ‘Event of the Year’, Triathlon England ‘Club Event of the Year’ and also North West ‘Regional Race of the Year’! It being the 11th year of the Deva Divas which aims to encourage women into the sport of triathlon, organisers Sally Napthen and Jean Ashley wanted to celebrate with something a little bit different – hence the Deva Divas Quadrathlon – if ever there was history in the making, this was it!

The 30 places available were snapped up in a matter of days – the event sold out before Christmas and the waiting list grew and grew as a result of advertising by word of mouth and the BQA. The biggest draw to the race, apart from it being a World First (did I mention that?!) was the fabulous 12-week canoe course (from beginner to K1 paddler) that the Queen of Quad, Jean, along with Chester Canoe Club coaches John and Carol Hatton offered as part of the training package. And 16 of our Deva Divas took them up on it. Much to the surprise and delight of all three coaches, all the ladies progressed rapidly; so much so that for the day of the race, the type of kayak that was required meant boats were borrowed from canoe clubs far and wide – a big thank you to all!

The morning of the race dawned and it was a bit drizzly, but that did absolutely nothing to dampen the spirits of the Quadrathlon ladies. All the kayaks were laid out by the wonderful helpers, whilst all the participants racked their bikes, helmets, paddles, buoyancy aids and other race paraphernalia in transition. After a very entertaining race briefing and group warm up for all the quadrathletes and triathletes, we walked together to the swim start upstream. Us quad ladies were the first to go off at 8:20 and after a quick Oggy Oggy Oggy, the race official blew the foghorn and we were off.

As a strong swimmer, Jacqueline Davies took the lead immediately on the swim (13:29) followed closely by Quad newcomers Adele Blakeborough (14:07), Alison Rosenburgh (14:32) and Susan Redfern (14:34). The other ladies swam well with big groups coming in together at around the 16 – 18 minute mark, making the most of the downstream flow. All finished safely well under 30 minutes. Meanwhile at the head of the race, Adele’s prowess in a kayak was soon demonstrated and she passed Jac very quickly on the upstream section and continued to gain distance finishing over 1 minute ahead (23:24) of Jac (24:47). At the same time, other positions were changing and the more experienced quadrathletes’ paddling experience came to the fore with Mary White edging into 3rd (26:40) and Vicky Price into 4th (27:26). Alison held onto 5th (29:40) but Nicola Perrins, Laura Turner and Sandy Bebbington were only less than a minute behind. The rest of the girls all finished the kayak section without any mishaps – this was the first quad in the UK this year where there have been NO impromptu dips – that in itself is a miracle and is a testament to the quality of canoe coaching from Jean, John and Carol!

Back to the racing, Adele was first out on the bike course with Jac in hot pursuit. Jac managed to make the catch just before the turn point and finished the bike course with the fastest split (50:09) with Adele in 2nd place (52:42). Mary, with a strong bike split (52:28) held onto 3rd but all the other top positions were moving around. Nicola moved up into 4th (52:30) with Vicky in 5th (53:39), but Lisa Grantham with the second fastest bike split of the day (50:15) moved up to 6th place followed by Hilary Boxer in 7th (52:57) with Sandy in 8th (59:57). All successfully completed the bike course in under 1:15 and were then out onto the fourth and final (thank goodness!) discipline – the run!

At this point Jac was leading by about 1 minute, but Adele was slowly reeling her in. Jac managed to stay out in front, but only just, finishing in a total time of 1:56:59 with Adele in 2nd place only 19 seconds behind in 1:57:18. Mary, after posting the 3rd fastest run split of the day (24:15), claimed a fantastic 3rd place in 2:04:02. Nicola retained 4th position in 2:07:59, but an astonishingly quick run by Lisa (21:07) posting the fastest run split, ensured she moved up into 5th place overall in 2:08:26. Hilary had a strong run and moved into 6th place in 2:12:41 with Vicky not far behind in 2:14:44 and Alison moved back up into 8th place with a time of 2:15:03. Every single Deva Diva Quadrathlete started and finished with a great deal of determination and panache

RESULTS
1st Jacqueline Davies (Vet 50) – 1:56:59
2nd Adele Blakeborough (Vet 40) – 1:57:18
3rd Mary White (Vet 60) – 2:04:02
Senior 23 – 39 Vicky Price – 2:14:44
Vet 40 (roll down) Nicola Perrins – 2:07:59
Vet 50 (roll down) Anne Collins – 2:17:38
Vet 60 (roll down) Margaret Huyton – 2:24:29

Results Deva-Divas-2017

Photos Deva Divas-2017photos

Film Footage devadivastri/quad 2017

‘As a competitor of this wonderful inaugural Ladies Quadrathlon and on behalf of everyone else who raced, I would like to say a Huge Thank You to Jean, Sally, John, Carol, our own transition/kayak support Dave and Cliff and to Chester Tri and Chester Canoe Club for an amazing ‘Deva Divas Quadrathlon’ yesterday! As Jean has already said, we certainly shared ‘The Quad Passion’. The Quad ran beautifully next to the triathlon and it was lovely to see so many women competing – I’m not surprised it has won so many awards. However, I think we managed to spark the interest of a lot of triathletes yesterday – I suspect the entries next year for the Deva Divas Quad will sell like hot cakes!

And finally ladies, especially those 25 of you who are new to this wonderful sport, a massive congratulations to you all; you are now Quadrathlon Queens – wear those beautiful t-shirts with pride! You are also the ‘Prime of Mrs Jean Ashley’!  …….. written by Jacqueline Davies

‘Feeling Proud’ Jacq’s Trophy