Lincs-QuadKidz Barnton Training Weekend & Race
Thank-You to Lincsquad Youth Committee for putting together this great weekend of training and racing for our QuadKidz. The weather was certainly windy which made conditions in the water challenging all weekend but at least it was dry. As ever plenty of smiles, supportive coaches and helpers encouraging the youngsters all weekend! The training day, worked on all aspects of the event – swim, bike , kayak, run, transitions and also a nutrition talk, so all aspects covered really well.
Pete Chappell ‘Club coach’ reported ‘On the morning of the race the wind was blowing from the South West and caused quite a swell on the water so in order that the first time open water swimmers and first time kayakers could experience their first every Quadrathlon, it was decided to reduce the swim and kayak distances for the 9 to 12 years age group.
I have to thank all the more experienced age group athletes for agreeing to this. Some promising talent displayed their abilities and long may they continue to develop. All the athletes completed and received the excellent designed QuadKidz medal. The whole weekend was very tiring but most rewarding, the adults will sleep well on Sunday night, but given the chance the youth probably party on!!
The initial feedback has been very positive, I know the event day will be an annual event in the series.
See you at Box end with more followers!
QuadKidz Results Race 2 Results Lincs-QuadKidz-2018
Max Underwood-Frost reports on the weekends events – Quadkidz Barton Quadrathlon
We arrived at Barton on the Saturday to do a training day, working on all aspects of the event (swim, bike , kayak, run, transitions and a nutrition talk by Pete). Then after listening to Pete’s nutrition talk we thought we should all go for an Indian. ????
Some of us stayed overnight in tents which was really nice and when I woke up on the Sunday I started to get all my stuff ready for the race.
The swim personally was my favourite of the four disciplines and this time the swim was longer then the last one which I very much enjoyed. As I got out the water I saw two other people had come out with me but they got a very big head start on the bike because of my disastrous transition after not being able to get my wetsuit off (thanks Jeff for helping me).
After my struggle in T1 I got on my bike and tried to make up the time I had just lost. I had a 3 lap bike that was on a grassy trail with a little downhill.
As I got into 2nd transition I was glad that it went better then T1 and got ready for the kayak, putting on my buoyancy aid and running to Kayak In. Getting into the kayak I was hopeful that I could make some time up from earlier on. The kayak was a very hard course from the wind and I would like to say well done to everyone who was able to complete it because even Kev said he struggled with the wind later on. Coming out of the kayak leg I was lucky to be in first position and went into t3.
I got onto the run, we had to do just over 3km which I was ok with, and really enjoyed it and even though I had forgotten about the second lap I still kept my pace and kept 1st place.
I would like to thank everyone involved especially Pete, Donna, Jeff and all the others that organised the event. I would like to congratulate all the competitors on completing the race and anyone who is thinking about doing one of these weekends should because it was great fun.
Looking forward to Box End. Max
Congratulations to Max who won Dearne Valley and now the Lincsquad Quadkidz event on the 17th June, Max Underwood-Frost secures the 2018 title with one more still to complete!
The 20km paddle was up and down a stretch of canal just over a kilometer long, so 18 lengths in total…the scenery gets a bit repetitive, but at least the lengths flash by. Another word on that scenery…the backdrop, right by the canal, is a derelict Contintenal tyre factory which was a concentration camp in WW2, where many (slave) laborers perished. Not making a point here, just paying respect! The weather was beautiful 24 degrees and I was so looking forward to getting back on the river in my kayak, it was quite choppy in parts with over 30 kayaks on the short stretch, 9 laps so you could see everyone paddling. The standard of the paddling was certainly ‘Top of the Quad World’ the main contenders were on fire and they were using wash hanging tactics to pull each other along, and had very slick turns around buoys! Thankfully the ladies were a little bit more sympathetic, though I must say this being my best discipline I did push my boundaries and cut up a few turns rather tight! This was the first time I had seen Russel, he was just short of one lap behind, we encouraged each other at our passing points and kept each other going! On my last few laps I ran out of hydration so I had to get Dave to squirt water in my mouth from the bank … I was quite surprised at what a good aim he had, enough to keep me going until the end of the kayak section!
Russel’s words ‘The distances in this race equate roughly to doing a standard quad three times over. Not being much of a long distance athlete, I found the format really tough…I’d take 3 x Briggs any day!
Jean’s words I enjoyed almost every moment of this day, (it improved dramatically after the swim) It has been a long term goal now ticked, and also part of my 60th Birthday Challenge for #beat charity. 
Hello Quadrathletes … after having a great day at Dearne Valley Quad at the weekend here’s a reminder of what is coming up …. For the QuadKidz they have a fantastic weekend ahead, lots of coaching tips, help with technique, lots of improvements and confidence can be built up on weekends like this one! 
The kids races got underway at 8:30am and everyone seemed to be having a good time. Those that were fast were giving it their all, but those that weren’t so fast were supported well the whole way around. The ethos of the Manvers Waterfront Boat Club is one of inclusivity and giving everyone a chance, which is just how it should be, this was clear throughout the weekend and it was good to see the kids giving it their all. One or two gave a little too much and returned from the bike bloodied and bruised after overcooking it on a corner or capsized their kayaks but from what I saw they all continued on and had a good time despite a few mishaps. The kids presentations were made at around 9:30am. The jubilant podium finishers collected their certificates, proud parents cheered and the adult Quadrathletes and Triathletes assembled ready for their races.
Congratulations to Hermione Ball, she won the (9-12) girls event at the Dearne Valley quadkidz event … here’s her great race report!
Congratulations to Max Underwood-Frost, from Lincsquad who won the Boys (13-16) event on Sunday 10th June at Manvers Lake in the Dearne Valley Quadrathlon. Here is his report ……
We then got into the water to let our bodies adjust to the temperature and then did a little warm up. For the swim we did two laps of a 100m circuit in a clockwise direction. I came out the swim in first place and called my number as I ran into first transition. As I entered T1 I had a bit of a struggle getting my wetsuit off but I did it in the end and then got ready for the bike.
Coming into T2 I racked up my bike and got ready for the kayak. As I was running down to my kayak I could see second place in the distance coming up to the dismount line (who I knew was very good in the kayak so I would have my work cut out). I got to my kayak a bit confused on what I had to do and so I just got in. At this point I realised the water was not deep enough for my kayak to float and had to get a little push from Kev and I was off on the 2 lap kayak route.
Coming into T3 I saw the leader there and after having a quick transition we ran out of T3 together. We had a hard run being on each others tail but to my luck I managed to break free and go on to win the race with a time of 37.43 minutes.
This was just a great warm up to our Quadrathlon season, and a perfect day out down the Historic Canal. I have done this event 5 times now and have really enjoyed the challenge, its great pre-race training and a good opportunity to support the Montgomery Canal Trust. We were blessed with a beautiful day, no wind and blue bird skies. I had hoped to crack the 4 hour mark this year … but just missed it by a couple of minuits!
canal all the way 17miles biking, 11miles running, and 7 miles of kayaking/canoeing, with the majority using Canadian Canoes (in pairs). The more competitive ones amongst us start first at 8.30 (in groups of 6), leaving the ones taking it ‘a bit less competitive’ to start at a more steady pace! I must say if I’d of seen the Tea, Cakes and sandwiches at the transition areas I might of been persuaded to take my time, but there were plenty at the finish too!
The race is extremely well organized and the marshals very supportive all the way, it is a beautiful canal and a real pleasure to support ‘The Friends of the Montgomery Canal Trust’ in helping them raise money to help restore this historic canal!