Category: Race Report

Norfolk Super Heros 2013

Admin

Can we just get one thing out of the way first, after that race…. We are definitely organising the Norfolk Superhero Challenge again in 2014!

Thank you to everyone for another simply amazing year, the best bit of all was that the conditions were so very, very perfect on race day and so very sunny in all the photos and so very good for all our tan lines that there is no question that the Superhero Challenge won’t happen again.

After a showery but happy safety briefing (thank you for your tranquillity Martyn) on the Friday night, the long awaited day was upon us, with a much more civilised start time. Our favourite new competitor was the sun, a first timer I think, and our least favourite from previous years, the wind, forgot to enter or it’s cheque got lost in the post this year, and did not take part, which was very pleasing.

When all were assembled on the beach the great excitement was that the sea was calm, flat and really quite warm. After a quick photocall from Harry Cory-Wright and a head count for the record, the gun went off at 10.00. A rather lovely ritual was noted to have resurfaced, someone… (we don’t know who) had bought a nip of Nelson’s Blood (was it you Bruce?) to toast the challenge, as had been done in previous years. Whoever you were, thank you – let’s bring it back! Our swim sponsor, Fenmarc’s MD, Richard Anderson even took to the water to really submerge himself in the event and for that we applaud him. Good luck in your 1st Ironman this week.

That lovely, flat sea soon turned in to a frenzy of thrashing limbs as large middle aged rubber clad people desperately clawed themselves off the beach in order to follow that smooth arrow head to the first buoy. The tip of that arrow head turned out to be last year’s swim champion again, Abbie Thorrington with an improved time of 15.17! That amazing time however, was less than a minute ahead of the men’s winner, Rob Lines who had a time of 16.09.

The field slowly emptied of kayaks with some partners waiting almost 9 minutes for their partners. We were less bunched than in previous years and the long string of kayaks seemed to surge like an eager parade of rubber ducks along the creek, over and up the bank, and re-entering the sea with varying degrees of success. Yet again the splendid floating office of David and Pixie was marshalling the point of the ladies turn, this year not wafting bacon sandwich smells across the marsh as breakfast was obviously earlier. There, from an oystercatcher’s view you would have seen a lovely peel off for all rubber ducks with ladies steering them to the right, whilst those poor boys took the left turn round the long course. A special mention to Lisa Hurrell and Chris Ford, who were one of the teams representing Paragon Print and Packaging (Britain’s premier packaging company), who have always been our wonderful kayak sponsor, who didn’t realise there is a front end and a back end to a kayak.

The winners of the short course kayak, were David Horton-Fawkes and Paula Lawn who swept round beautifully in a sweet time of 35.58. The winners of the long course…… and this is quite contentious, but looking through photographic evidence – we got the result wrong! Whilst our timing systems shows one result, visual recall shows another. Duncan Backus and his West Country based new ringer partner who has recently kayaked around Britain (very fast) Andy Mullins are our official winners! For some reason, Duncan and Andy’s time is wrong and they beat Mark and James Lapping by 45 seconds. Apologies for this. Mark is donating a kayak trophy – up for grabs next year. I feel a great kayak race coming on next year for the mens.

Happily this year, this previously stressful transition from kayak to bike was not marred by hyperthermia or exhaustion, as the conditions were by now calm and getting warmer with the sun burning through.

On to the bike, how much more fun it is doing a 45 mile course with a full field of competitors than training through that boring, wet, cold Spring we had! Our thanks go to Barratt and Cooke – Norwich Stockbrokers, our new sponsor of the cycle with William Barratt taking part in his first excellent attempt. Fat Birds were luckily with us again in the field and on the course this year for all bike mishaps however big or small. I, in particular, thank the F1 style maintenance dudes, for refitting a spare bike of theirs with the pedals and bottle holders off mine which were about the only thing I hadn’t broken in a foolish slip on the road at the start. Peter Flett, of Fat Birds, having pointed out the exciting new double click paddles for gear changes (still not sure about that, was it 1 for up and 2 for down?) went off round the course to mend a puncture for our rivals in the Lady Hamilton as well, not so pleased about that!

We had a new amazing race record, fastest ever P.B.s from most of our ‘elite’ crew. Will Burnham Overy Staithe be given a new status and reclassified as part of the top 3 racing locations in the world – to the list of those volcanic, tropical climes of Hawaii and Lanzarote with perfect conditions, let us add, Burham Overy Staithe? 2012 Lord Nelson winners, Dan Pilling and Nick Toolan reckon they took 10 minutes of their bike time and still didn’t win! WHAT?

Simon Thompson’s well researched enormous pothole had been filled in by the unsung hero Phil Ellis in the pre race build up – thank you both of you. The Norfolk and Suffolk 4×4 response team led by Jim Whiteside were ever present. The whole bike ride, was beautiful, with the dog roses flowering in the hedgerow, the smell of elderflower on the air and Robert Gurney shouting out split times from the verge. Holkham looked gorgeous, beautifully mown and visibility was excellent at the obelisk turn which did not claim any riders thanks to the excellent marshalling by 2 former competitors, Thomas Courthauld, and Matt Moxon and last years winning marshalls pair, Jerry Phillipi and Alge Williams. However all could not be perfect and we sadly had one bad accident with Robert Miller suffering a broken collar bone after a fall off his bike. All our love goes out to you Robert. Also a race losing puncture for one team, Mark Harrod and Abbie Thorrington, who showed great grace and joined the party as VIP medal distributers – having never suffered any such upsets through several Ironmen and other triathlons.

So the winners of the bike with an outrageously fast, surely never to be beaten time, were Niall McCallum and Iain Wilson with a time of 2.07.05. Second were last years winners, 50 seconds behind! All our previous champions were up there within a couple of minutes of each other. The bike is where this race is won.

Finally, the run. Could there have been a more stunning spot to have been in the whole world? Maddy, our mermaid haired marshall who normally defies rain and wind, was embracing the rays of the sun amongst the nudists. Thank you again to Holkham who have once again sponsored our run leg. A special mention to Paul Fletcher, one of our Zimmer crew who overtook his way along the beach picking off his rivals from the bike, how very satisfying that must have been.

Frozen ribena and champagne was available at the mouth of the marsh from the popular marshall crew of Rachel, Matt and Matthew. Special mention from the marshalls goes to Barney Kauffman’s butt cheeks, we do not have the exact details presently behind this story, but Barney, it is a pleasure to have you onboard. The sea was glinting and the sand was harder than usual thanks to Friday’s rain. Even Jess was not panic-ing about the height of the water. The day was perfect. Obviously a few knees blew up, they always do. Some people had very little energy left but the smiles as you came over the line said it all. The fastest run time was achieved by Roger Canhan and Johnny Bland, 1.08.35, an astounding time from Johnny who was apparently the last man in the field on the Friday night drinking beer and playing football with his boys.

Only one more injury occurred on the day, Jess twisted her ankle in a rabbit hole dance floor injury. Thank you to Richard Shaw of Tapping House for his excellent description of the wonderful work that they do and to Simon Wilson-Stephens and Mark Lapping for steering us through the highs and the lows of the day during the speeches, and of course for coming up with this lunatic riddled event.

And so to the overall winners – which were all of us for being a part of it.

For full results

Keyo Brigg Bomber Quadrathlon 26th May 2013

Admin

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Congratulations to Lincsquad for putting on The National and European Quadrathlon Championships, as always they put on an excellent race. They have a superb Team of organizers and supporters and on behalf of the BQA I would like to say a Huge Thank-you to you all … Top Job Lincsquad!!

The Race 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.

The athletes and organizers had a few concerns about the weather some days before the race, because it’s been rather cold and wet throughout Europe. But on race-day everybody was pleasantly surprised. Although it was still quite chilly in the morning, it soon got warmer as the sun came out. However, the water was still pretty cold and the official 13°C not that welcoming.

After the starting gun has been fired, Stefan Teichert took the lead as expected: with the fastest relay swimmer – Lee McCarthy – he first climbed out of the river Ancholme and got into his kayak with more than minute distance to Phil Westoby (GBR), followed by Steve Clark (GBR) with a further backlog of one minute.

During the kayak part Teichert maintained his lead but the fastest paddler Adam Norfolk and Michael Mason (both GBR) approached step by step. Once on the bike Teichert accelerated throughout the flat, but windy bike course. The question was whether his lead would be enough, because Steve Clark had nearly caught up with him because of a very strong performance on the bike.

During the run Teichert tried his best, but his legs wouldn’t run as fast as Clark’s. After six kilometers, Clark overtook Teichert and continuously extended his lead. Steve Clark thus crossed the finish-line first in front of Teichert and Westoby, who fought hard for his third place. Especially his running split was stunningly fast, nevertheless he still has to work on his kayak-performance. Adam Norfolk and Brendan Reese finally finished fourth and fifth.

Concerning the women’s race, the victory went to the German budding Quadrathlete Lisa Hirschfelder, but until she could cross the finish-line waving the German flag, it was a long way. After swimming she had indeed taken the lead, but on the paddle course, her hands were shivering because of the cold water. Although she gave everything, she had to let pass the strong canoeist Sharon Colley (GBR). Once on the bike a relentless pursuit was started. Hirschfelder gained 3 minutes, but Colley was still half a minute in front of her. The young German speeded up and got finally ahead of Colley, who then finished second. In the end, Hirschfelder won her first international Championships well-deserved. The third place went to the Irish athlete and strong triathlete Lisa Dunne.

Noteworthy was the performance of Jack Garner: although the junior “only” finished in 37th place, everybody looked in awe at his performance and cheered him across the finish-line. Garner hasn’t seen anything of the course because he is blind. The young Englishman was guided all the time by an athlete – connected by a cord while swimming and running and the bike and kayak part was completed on a tandem respectively in a K2 (two-man kayak) – respect!

Another athlete really deserving our respect was the third German starter Peter Appelt, who dared a come-back to Quadrathlon after a serious accident last year. The 64-years old athlete successfully finished the race despite a flat tire on the bike.

European Championships – Keyo Brigg Bomber Provisional results

European Championships Keyo Brigg Bomber Team results

Photo’s also available from Nigel Farrow www.nigelfarrow.com http://archive.nigelfarrow.com/gallery/Brigg-Bomber-Quadrathlon-2013/G0000k4lbBqY.Seg

 

 

2012/13 Quadmire Series – Wadenhoe Race 4

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Well they say a picture says a 1000 words, I guess that is true, either that or Steve decided to have his yearly bath!

It seems that the Met Office severe weather warning put off a lot of potential athletes for the last race of the series as we only had 9 enter the Duathlon and 1 brave soul [Tom Dawson] enter the Quad. However the weather was not too bad: wet and cold, but that is normal for Wadenhoe.
As we can see the quagmire was well and truly on form with plenty of mud and spatter for all. Unfortunately I was manning the warm Village Hall [what a bummer] and did not see the ins and outs of the race. I do know that by the time the mud spattered humans [well almost] returned for tea and cakes they seemed extremely grateful to be out of the elements.

Jez Cox won the Duathlon and in fact he won the overall series with Matthew Wootton the second overall man. Steve Giles [AKA the mud swimmer] took MV40 with Keith Read picking up the MV50 award. Unfortunately no ladies completed the required number of races this year. In the Quad Tom Dawson was the overall winner with Steve Saunders second overall.

Full Results Race 4

Final Series Results

I would like to thank all the marshalls and helpers who have made the series possible by braving the elements. A special mention to the members of Colworth Striders who helped and made it all possible.

It is with regret that we announce that this will be our last Wadenhoe Quadmire series. The competitor numbers and logistics no longer make it viable for us to continue with the series. However; it is not all bad news as we are going to run a 3 race series at Box End Water Ski Park [Kempston, Bedford]. We also intend to run a one-off race at Wadenhoe [probably in Feb 2014].
All race reports and details of our summer races can be found on our website: www.quadracracing.co.uk

I would like to thank you all for your continued support

Mark Pryor, Quadrac Racing

The BQA are very gratefull for all the effort and dedication of the ‘Wadenhoe Team’ over the past few years, they have organized an excellent race series, and without a doubt the BEST POST RACE REFRESHMENTS … EVER!!! Thank-you so much and we wish Quadrac Racing all the very best with the New Series at Box End … and knowing Mark, he will find a ‘Mud Bath’ somewhere on the new course!

2012/13 Quadmire Series – Wadenhoe Race 3

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It was a cold & frosty start to Wadenhoe 3 and we waited with bated breath to see if we would be subjected to the snow that was forecast.

22 people in the RBR [Run Bike Run] and 7 in the Quad were not to be put off by the weather as they raced across the frosty fields to be the first to the style [the first obstacle].

Jez Cox decided to swop from the Duathlon [were he had dominated the first two races] to the Quad.  He took an early lead and was the first to arrive at the kayak transition a good 2 minutes ahead of second place Neil Cooney.

In the RBR it was Ian Turner who was the first mud spattered athlete to arrive in transition [after two run laps] followed by Matthew Wootton. It had not taken long for the frost to be worn away by the passing of pounding feet and the surface condition became muddy and slippery. By the appearance of the many strange things that returned to transition [monsters from the swamp] the quagmire was living up to its reputation, with particular sticky/ glutinous mud today.

The slippery conditions made for an interesting ride [understated] with many slips and slides [some not so controlled] and a lot of pushing bikes up the short steep hills. Over at the Quad, Jez had maintained his lead and was the first to head out on the bike leg. Stiff Father  & Son competition was afoot as Tom Watt & his son Zak both arrived into transition together to battle it out on the bike course.

In the Duathlon Ian Turner maintained his small lead throughout the race and crossed the line first in a time of 01:05:23 with Matthew Wootton taking second place in a time of 01:07:58. Justin Burrell was the first MV40 to finish, unfortunetly no Ladies were up for the challenge today.

Jez Cox was the first to finish the Quad with a vast lead over his nearest rival, Neil Cooney. In the Father & Son race  it was age and experience that triumphed over youthful energy as Tom beat Zak to the line [I am sure it will not be long before the roles are reversed, just as well Tom can paddle well]. Lisa Dunne, did very well to finish her first Quad.

I think we must have sold a record number of soups and Bacon butties at the end as we were totally wiped out of food. The last Wadenhoe race is on Sunday 10th Feb, when the series positions will be decided.

Big thanks to all the Marshalls who braved the cold conditions.

Full Results Race 3

 

We hope to see you all at the last race. Mark Pryor Quadrac Racing

2012 Quadmire Series – Wadenhoe Race 2

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Wadenhoe Quadmire Race 2 Sunday 2nd December. The week leading up to this, the second in the four race series, saw torrential rain and significant flooding of the Nene valley, so much so that pictures of the extensive flooding around Aldwincle were featured on national TV bulletins.  We had to make a decision early as to whether to go ahead with the run/kayak/bike/run and decided in the interest of safety that we should run the R/B/R only.

By Thursday the rain had cleared and the sun came out.  The water levels began to recede and by race morning we had a very cold frosty morning.  The course was still very wet and the infamous ‘quagmire’ next to the river was ready to drag poor unsuspecting runners into the mire.

The start of the race saw Jez Cox and the Young Tom Stead vying again for the lead, but it was Jez who was the stronger and gradually built up a lead by T1.  Steve Giles and Glynn Preston  led the next grouping with Roz Giles, the only lady in the race, looking strong and maintaining good pace.

By lap 3 of the bike, Jez was building a 3 minute lead over Tom who was now looking decidedly tired. As each lap progressed, competitors became increasingly mud-spattered head to foot but actualy looked as though they were enjoying it!
By the last lap of the bike, Tom had had enough and retired (speaking to him afterwards he had been on a bit of epic bike training session the previous day and this had finally caught up with him).  In the words of Arnie “He’ll be back”.

Jez pushed on and finished in 1hour and 4 minutes with Steve Giles (1st MV40) finishing just over 4 minutes later.  Glynn Preston finished a strong 3rd, just a minute behind Steve.  Dave Rayment and Martin Hamilton finished in 4th  (1hr 14m) and 5th  (1hr 14m 43s) Respectively with Keith Reid first MV50 in 1hr 18.48.  Roz Giles, 1st lady finished tenth overall in 1hr 21.45.

With the race over, most of the competitors headed straight for the village hall for the spicy sausage soup, hot coffee, cakes and bacon rolls.  What (weather) will the next race bring?  1 foot of snow?
See you all on 13th Jan (and bring your mates!!)

Full Results Race 2

Richard Piron

2012 Quadmire Series – Wadenhoe Race 1

Admin

It was certainly a challenging start to the 2012 Quadmire Series with temperatures hovering around zero and lashings of the wet stuff, it was not for the faint-hearted. This was probably reflected in our low turnout for both events, only the toughest survived.
At 10:30am the inclement weather-reduced field set off on what was to be a gruelling test of stamina and mind over hyperthermia. From the start a breakaway group of three people made their presence known by taking an early lead in the first two-lap run stage. Leading them out young Tom Stead was hotly pursued by Jez Cox and Troy Garrity. All three arriving in T1 within 5 seconds of each other but all equally covered in mud and filth. Despite the constant torrential rain, at least whilst running most people managed to stay relatively warm.
Over in the quad, only four people were brave enough to enter this longer event on this day. Their first run being two and a half slippery laps before they reached the kayak start point. Ben Wynn was the first to arrive at the kayaks after a run split of 16:10 closely followed by Steve Saunders 30 seconds later. Both set off into the quickly rising and fast flowing current on the River Nene (which had drastically increased in volume since the race and the rain had started). A few minutes later Sonja (our only lady Quad entry) arrived and set out followed by Glynn Mayley. It was to be a challenging two-mile paddle for all against strong flows and blustery conditions, however the biggest challenge was to be the wet and cold with everyone returning from the paddle shaking but not stirred.
Returning to the Duathlon the entrants were slipping and sliding their way around the course. The fields had been in pristine, virgin condition before the start of the race as it was the first race of the Season; however it didn’t take long for the racing line to become a slippery mayhem of chaos with plenty of thrills and spills. This is more like the Wadenhoe Series that we are used to, unlike last
years’ unseasonably dry conditions. The majority of people had to push their bikes at some stage up the steep but short slippery slopes; it certainly wasn’t going to be a record-breaking course today. Young Tom still managed to maintain his lead by posting a bike split one minute faster than his nearest rival (Jez Cox). Everyone was doing their best to stay on their bike and in control but the ground conditions and prevailing weather was doing their best to hinder all efforts.
After the cold gruelling bike stage most people were glad to be able to leave their bikes behind and start to warm up on the final two laps of the run. By now the Quadmire section down by the river was well and truly on form with mud-sucking puddles up to knees and almost becoming man-eaters. However, all prevailed and fought their way through with young Tom crossing the line first in a time of 1:08:06 followed less than a minute later by Jez Cox and Matthew Wootton coming in a commendable third. Unfortunately, there were no ladies brave enough to take on the challenge today.
Back to the Quad and all the Quad athletes were certainly glad to be back on dry land and running up to T2 to find their bikes, however, they were probably were not looking forward to more wet and cold conditions. Ben and Steve both battled through to complete the bike section. Unfortunately Sonja had a mechanical and was unable to complete the course. Ben was the first to finish the Quad in a very respectable time (considering the appalling conditions) of 2:08:23.
After finishing, most athletes took no time to change into some warm dry clothes before heading home or down to the Village Hall for some well-earned warm refreshments.
I would like to say a big thanks to all the marshals who braved the appalling conditions for a lot of hours during the race. Their efforts made the race possible. We look forward to seeing everyone at our second race on 2.12.12 and hopefully the weather conditions will be kinder and entry levels will be up.

Race Results Race 1
Mark Pryor Quadrac Racing

2012 Fabian4 Conwy Mountain Triathlon

Admin

Congratulations to all that braved the weather and took part in the Fabian4 Mountain Triathlon. It was a new race in our Quadrathlon Calendar for 2012, and run by group of athletes in the Conwy Valley who have formed themselves into a club.

I have had a note from Mark Pryor (BQA Chairman) saying what a fantastic and well organised race it was, a very hard race in fairly harsh weather, but it made it more enjoyable. It was well planned and organised by a team of professional volunteers that new their stuff. Well done to Ellie Sailsbury and her Team, for putting on an excellent race.

Congratulations to Winner Ian Smith 3.22.16, followed by Steve King in 2nd 3.26.35 and Michael Mason in 3rd 3.27.31.

Well done to the Ladies 1st Rebecca Cook 4.34.53, 2nd Alex Durran 4.41.48, 3rd Caroline Willson 5.30.22

First team ‘Wedgies’ Stephen Jones, Marc Reeves, and Amanda Wilde 3.28.14 in 4th overall place.

The race involved an open estuary 13k kayak leg (with tide), followed by a c.12 -16k fell run & finishing with a c.15k MTB leg. The Kayak leg start is at Morfa Conwy, & the event centre & Run/MTB transition are at Nant Conwy Rugby Club (which has excellent facilities), near Trefriw.

This is great News for Quadrathlon and its great to have this new race affiliated to the BQA, in this very picturesque Conwy Valley, North Wales. We look forward to having it in our callender next season.

See Mark Pryor’s ‘true to life race encounter’ – previous post!

Full results below

http://www.map17events.org.uk/

Name Club 1 – Kayak 2 – Run 3 – MTB Overall
Ian Smith Monmouth tri 00:50:53 (3rd) 01:25:13 (5th) 01:04:41 (4th) 03:22:16 (1st)
Steve King Hereford Kayak Club 00:50:23 (2nd) 01:31:55 (12th) 01:02:55 (3rd) 03:26:35 (2nd)
Michael Mason Durham City 00:46:47 (1st) 01:27:34 (9th) 01:11:15 (15th) 03:27:31 (3rd)
Wedgies StephenJones MarcReeves AmandaWilde Unattached 01:00:01 (4th) 01:20:35 (2nd) 01:06:42 (9th) 03:28:14 (4th)
ChairmansCh DanCollister DafyddRoberts SianRoberts Unattached 01:11:16 (18th) 01:22:02 (3rd) 01:05:10 (5th) 03:39:21 (5th)
Tues PascaleEichenmuller AshleyWager BrianRobbins Eryri Harriers 01:02:31 (5th) 01:26:44 (8th) 01:17:54 (24th) 03:47:48 (6th)
James Tedham Unattached 01:03:45 (7th) 01:29:53 (10th) 01:14:22 (18th) 03:49:00 (7th)
Pinch DavidPinches JennyWilliamson MichaelPinches Eryri Harriers 01:12:35 (19th) 01:34:10 (19th) 01:02:01 (1st) 03:49:21 (8th)
Ben Beachell Eryri Harriers 01:07:32 (9th) 01:32:42 (14th) 01:08:13 (11th) 03:49:44 (9th)
Clive Hartfall Unatached 01:08:36 (12th) 01:36:11 (22nd) 01:02:42 (2nd) 03:49:57 (10th)
Team Broatch KathBroatch DaveBroatch BarneyBroatch Unattached 01:13:12 (20th) 01:33:44 (17th) 01:06:29 (7th) 03:53:58 (11th)
Owain Arwel Elias Unattached 01:09:23 (13th) 01:31:04 (11th) 01:12:51 (17th) 03:54:31 (12th)
Team 51 KamalaSen AdrianWilliams ChrisGash Dyffryn Conwy Paddlers 01:23:25 (30th) 01:16:06 (1st) 01:17:00 (23rd) 03:57:47 (13th)
Sean McKeag NYP Tri 01:09:45 (14th) 01:35:18 (21st) 01:11:14 (14th) 03:58:56 (14th)
Prospects SimonOwen LouiseEmeryJones PhilipOwen Dyffryn Conwy Paddlers 01:16:21 (25th) 01:34:35 (20th) 01:09:42 (13th) 04:01:27 (15th)
Peter M W Jones Unattached 01:07:36 (10th) 01:34:03 (18th) 01:19:29 (27th) 04:03:31 (16th)
Phil Holden Shrewsbury Mountaineering Club 01:14:10 (21st) 01:33:32 (16th) 01:14:26 (19th) 04:04:22 (17th)
Mark Pryor Quadrac Racing 01:08:31 (11th) 01:41:27 (26th) 01:15:13 (21st) 04:07:07 (18th)
Paul O’Sullivan Unattached 01:03:27 (6th) 01:41:19 (25th) 01:18:52 (26th) 04:07:19 (19th)
The Sweets MeganGriffiths DaveOpenshaw NickLowe Unattached 01:29:58 (33rd) 01:33:26 (15th) 01:06:38 (8th) 04:10:58 (20th)
S-A ChristopherWright LouLawrence RayWood Unattached 01:04:42 (8th) 01:47:26 (30th) 01:22:17 (31st) 04:15:11 (21st)
Jonathan Edwards White Peak 01:17:32 (27th) 01:52:49 (32nd) 01:05:51 (6th) 04:17:51 (22nd)
Martin Land Unattached 01:11:09 (17th) 01:52:19 (31st) 01:14:53 (20th) 04:20:23 (23rd)
Robert Glaze Unattached 01:14:41 (23rd) 01:37:36 (23rd) 01:25:27 (34th) 04:22:13 (24th)
Craig Jones Eryri Harriers 01:36:25 (35th) 01:26:08 (6th) 01:18:00 (25th) 04:23:09 (25th)
Nant  PRP PennyWingfield RobDuncalfe DewiJones Dyffryn Conwy Paddlers 01:22:52 (29th) 01:44:33 (28th) 01:15:17 (22nd) 04:23:50 (26th)
Paul Belcher Atlantic College 01:10:18 (16th) 01:43:28 (27th) 01:29:03 (35th) 04:24:34 (27th)
Togaag.. AndySummerton SteveJones ClaireDallimore Dyffryn Conwy Paddlers 01:50:45 (38th) 01:26:15 (7th) 01:07:46 (10th) 04:25:23 (28th)
Formidables AnthonyHolden PamelaMorris LisaDraper Unattached 01:16:49 (26th) 01:32:04 (13th) 01:36:46 (38th) 04:26:36 (29th)
Team Whitt JamesWhittaker JudithJones SionHarlow Dyffryn Conwy Paddlers 01:14:17 (22nd) 02:03:09 (35th) 01:09:01 (12th) 04:27:18 (30th)
Gareth Smith Unattached 01:19:17 (28th) 01:45:50 (29th) 01:21:59 (30th) 04:28:41 (31st)
Warrick Ben Unattached 01:10:04 (15th) 01:38:35 (24th) 01:40:27 (40th) 04:31:29 (32nd)
Rebecca Cook Unattached 01:15:27 (24th) 01:53:23 (33rd) 01:24:04 (32nd) 04:34:53 (33rd)
Paul Jones Eryri Harriers 02:02:59 (39th) 01:25:10 (4th) 01:11:36 (16th) 04:41:40 (34th)
Nefyn Williams Dyffryn Conwy Paddlers 01:27:34 (32nd) 01:59:59 (34th) 01:29:28 (36th) 05:01:31 (35th)
Mike Jamison Unattached 01:39:35 (36th) 02:05:06 (36th) 01:30:51 (37th) 05:18:39 (36th)
Caroline Wilson Unattached 01:35:51 (34th) 02:11:12 (37th) 01:38:04 (39th) 05:30:22 (37th)
Rod Martindale Dallam 01:45:51 (37th)
Alex Durran Unattached 01:26:23 (31st) 01:24:49 (33rd)
Canix#1 SarahHarwood ClaireWilliams JamesHarwood Canix 01:19:54 (28th)
Canix#2 JohnKennedy DawnCrookRichards DaveCrook Canix 01:20:05 (29th)

The race involved an open estuary 13k kayak leg (with tide), followed by a c.12 -16k fell run & finishing with a c.15k MTB leg. The Kayak leg start is at Morfa Conwy, & the event centre & Run/MTB transition are at Nant Conwy Rugby Club (which has excellent facilities), near Trefriw. This is great News for Quadrathlon and its great to have a new race in this very picturesque Conwy Valley, North Wales. We look forward to having it in our callender next season.

 

2012 Fabian4 Dyffryn Conway Triathlon – Mark Pryor’s Report

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It would be nice to say that at the break of dawn the sun was glistening on the still waters of the Conway River for the start of the Fabian 4 Mountain Triathlon, but it would be a lie!!!!!!!!!!!!!

In fact the heavens had opened all night and the wind was howling at gale force from a southerly direction making for wind against tide conditions on the Conway, not ideal to say the least.

Luckily, the highly experienced team at Fabian 4 were switched on and had changed the paddle route from the proposed start at the Conway Bridge to an out and back course starting from Dolgarrog Bridge, it was still going to be a daunting paddle. However, this meant that we were paddling out against a fast flowing incoming tide and back against wind gusting at 50mph. The wind against tide was quite interesting and the Conway was no place for a novice or anyone in a K1, apart from a few experts that took it in their stride [I am glad I was in a sea kayak]. It was the hardest 8km paddle I have done for along time.

I was certainly glad to land and get out of my wet layers for the start of the hilly [a little understatement] 13km X/C [fell] run.  Let’s not forget that we still have
horizontal rain being pushed in by a relentless gale. After 1km we were heading
out of the Conway Valley and started up the steep slopes of the hill side, did I mention that it was about 1 in 3 and went on for ever. I must say that after a few hundred meters my calves started to scream, so walking was in order [which was in fact faster then those running up]. Once on the top the gradient relaxed but we were fully exposed to the enraged elements. We must say a special thanks to all the marshals standing out on top of the mountain side, hero’s! It was hard to tell if I was running on flooded paths or swollen streams. In some ways the descent down the steep slippery slopes was worse [certainly more dangerous] then the gruelling ascent. By the time I got back to transition [the Conway Rugby Club]  my legs were totally shot and I still had 19km of strenuous & hilly mountain biking to complete on forest fire breaks and single track.

After a quick energy gel and a dry layer it was out on the bike, guess what, it was still raining and the wind had reached new heights. After 1500m of flat road the course swung uphill in to the mountain forest again, with a long steep strenuous hill that left me gasping for breath and my already tired legs were ready to explode. On the plus side the dense woodland provided some welcome relief from the wind & rain. The bike route was a mixture of forest access road and
single track [some shared with the infamous Marin MTB trail]. Even though the
forest was a maze of different tracks and trails it was extremely well signed
and almost impossible to get lost, thanks Fabian 4, I had nightmares of riding
around the woods all day.

The bike leg seemed to pass quite quickly, maybe because I was in an exhausted daydream by this stage. The final steep descent to the finish line involved peddling through two swollen streams, just in case anyone had managed to stay dry. It was with a big sigh of relief and a large grin that I crossed the finish line. It was the hardest race that I had completed in a long time, but also the most enjoyable. The bad inclement weather could not etract from a fantastic race in a fabulous location. In fact in some perverse way the weather will make it more memorable, long after the aching muscles have recovered. This race makes Bude [up to now probably the hardest quad race] like a Sunday stroll in the park.

I must say a big thank-you to the team from Fabian 4 for not
being phased by the crap weather and putting on an excellent and exciting race.
The marshals and helpers braved the elements to allow the solo and team
competitors to safely complete the course.

Mark Pryor BQA Chairman

 

The Other Quadrathlon World Championship…The Sprint 2012

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Report by Tom Stead our Junior World Sprint Quadrathlon Champion.

On the 1st of September I competed in the Sprint Quadrathlon World Champs which were held at Bergsee Raschter, Germany.

Last year the Olympic and Sprint Distance were
held at the same venue on the same day, therefore athletes had to choose one or
the other, which results in just a handful of people doing the Sprint. This year
was different, in the Sprint there were some 80 competitors, from 8 countries –
from as far as New Zealand, Slovakia, Czech Republic, GB and a large contingent
from Germany. This meant that most of the top dogs were there and a larger
number of juniors.

Raschter is a fantastic location. There is a campsite
at the venue, which meant that we took the opportunity of camping there a few
days earlier, giving me the opportunity to check out the lake, the run and cycle
route (which I believe has changed since last year). Compared to most triathlons
in the UK this Quadrathlon started late in the day… this meant  there was
quite a lot waiting around, with 3 hours to go, I just wanted to get
started…!!

The time came and I got myself in the water along with the
other competitors. We were in the water for a while, then off like a shot,
fighting for positions before the first turn buoy. Stefan led the swim. I
finished strongly and was out the water with a PB in 10th place, the leader one
minute ahead. I knew I had a lot to do on the bike. Just moments before the race
I found out that the roads were going to be closed, WOW… this was going to be
great, I could attack the corners as fast as I dared…!!! The bike route is on
new tarmac, very hilly and very fast! I went out hard and managed to catch the
chase groups, and a little later on, I took the lead… I found myself following
a German TV man being driven backwards on a motor bike! That was a first.
A small group of five of us went into transition within a few seconds of each
other. Checking the stats later I was pleased to see I had the fastest bike
split of the race!

Next  my ‘weakest’ event, the kayak, although not as
weak as it was.  I have been training hard, I managed to come back in 5th
place.  As I got out of the kayak my legs seemed to have frozen and were numb,
weirdest feeling ever… This was the main reason for my slow 3rd transition,
the run didn’t go smoothly, I had to stretch out my calves a few times and my
right calf was killing me every time I took a step…!! I made a mental note to
myself to contact Tony at the Sports Injury Clinic on my return!

It was Czech vs. German for 1st place, with Leos Rousavý finally taking the win…I eventually finished 8th overall (and 1st Youth) just behind fellow Englishman Peter Moysey (from New Zealand, yep confused me too).  Really pleased with my performance overall.

This was a fantastic long weekend and my thanks go to the organisers, it was a great event, it was also great to meet so many of the other athletes from across the world wide quad community, I hope to return next year.

While planning your race dairy, do think about this race, it’s
worth the journey.

Tom

A few more images here on my blog
tomstead.blogspot

Race results here
Ratscher World Sprints

2012 Bude Awesome Foursome

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The final race of the season, was blessed with amazing weather, the calmest sea in the race’s history … no sign of any surf at all! Blue skies and warm temperatures brought lots of competitors out 30 individuals and 16 teams, plus lots of spectators who enjoyed the excitment in this quiet little Cornish town!

It was the last British Trophy event and also the last World Cup event of the season, so athletes were looking for points to improve there final British standings and World Cup rankings too.

Winner Stefan

The men’s event was dominated by Stefan Teichert from Germany, he lead from the start puting in the fastest swim time, Mat Stevenson, Nigel Unwin and young Tom Stead (fastest bike split) were hot on his tail on the bike, but Stefan had an excellent kayak, Ian Smith put in the fastest kayak to move into the top three. Mat started to chase Stefan down in the run, but despite his fast run split Stefan held him off.

1st Stefan Teichert 2.42.22 (photo) 2nd Mat Stevenson 2.44.47 – 3rd Ian Smith 2.45.24

In the Ladies event newcomer to the sport Joanna Swallow soon took the lead, she was 3rd overall out of the swim and held the lead on the bike coming back in a brilliant 4th place overall after the bike. Lisa Maria Hirschfelder from Germany chased her down in the kayak and moved into the lead. Kathryn King worked very hard to catch her on the run and moved into 2nd place.

1st Lisa Maria Hirschfelder 3.10.50 (photo below)  -2nd Kathryn King 3.15.50 – 3rd Joanna Swallow 3.15.59.

Winner Lisa

The standard of the race was well worthy of its World Cup status, with some fantastic times in both Male and Female categories, it was good to see plenty of new faces as well as the regulars. Its a tough course and always a great climax to our Quadrathlon Season, this year made special by the blue skies and calm seas, Bude is such a happy chilled seaside town it certainly left us all with a great feel good factor at the end of what has been a brilliant sporting summer … and that’s not to mention the cider, cornish pasties and cream teas … think everyone will be back for more next year (fingers crossed the weather will be just as good!!!)

A big thank to Simon Hammond and his Team for putting on this great event, very well organised and friendly, were a small sport so support this excellent race next year …. and get your entries in early … PLEASE … it really helps the Quad organisers!

Thanks everyone … and see you next season!

Full results Bude Awesome4some

Stefan Teichert and Lisa Maria Hirschfelder secured their Overall World Cup Tropies, along with Tom Stead who took the junior World Cup Trophy, a great result for him in his first full quadrathlon season.

Mat Stevenson and Jean Ashley were presented with the British National Trophy overall winners, along with age groupers Phil Binch (vet 40), Alison Deykin (vet 40) and Tom Stead (under 23)