British Quadrathlon Association

The Deva Divas Quad Blog – Jac Davies

July 13, 2018 Jean Ashley

DEVA DIVAS QUADRATHLON 2018

After the huge success of the first ever, not to mention historic, ‘Ladies Only Quadrathlon’ IN THE WORLD last year, event organisers Jean Ashley and Sally Napthen decided they had no choice but to run it again. In parallel to the renowned Deva Divas Triathlon which in 2016, won the coveted British Triathlon ‘Event of the Year’, the second Deva Divas Quadrathlon was set for Sun 8 July 2018 on the banks of the River Dee in Chester.

The 50 places available were snapped up in under 4 weeks before Christmas and the waiting list grew as a result of advertising by word of mouth and the BQA. In a similar vein to last year, 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 was taken up by 12 of the girls. I, for one, very much enjoyed reading about their exploits and astonishing progress on the Deva Divas Quad FB page. Jean and Sally also ran open-water swim sessions, a familiarisation bike and run session and a talk on transition. No wonder this race is held in such high regard!

Race day was forecast to be an absolute scorcher (we weren’t disappointed!) and 43 intrepid quad ladies turned up with a plethora of gear, racked their bikes and paddles and put their kayaks in number order, helped by the wonderful kayak boys Dave, Cliff, Mark and Simon. After a very entertaining race briefing from Colin Wilson (it is worth entering the race just for this bit alone!) and group warm up for all the quadrathletes and triathletes, we walked together to the swim start upstream. At 08:20, after a quick rendition of Oggy Oggy Oggy, the foghorn blew and we were off.

This year, despite the lack of flow in the river, there was some really strong swimming with Louise Hanley, a fabulous triathlete taking a big lead (12:03), followed by Jenny Illidge (13:38), Adele Blakeborough (13:58), Claire Addy (14:02) and Timea Harris (14:16). All the ladies swam well and finished safely in under 30 minutes. The kayak section was probably the most challenging, especially for the new paddlers, and as a result the positions moved around substantially. Jenny I, a very strong paddler moved up into pole position (22:44), but it was Jenny Swallow whose blistering pace (21:57) moved her from 11th to 2nd. Adele finished the kayak in 3rd place (24:20) followed closely by Timea (24:13). Jacqueline Davies, meanwhile moved into 5th place (25:07). Ali Pendle, Melissa Leffler, Jill Bradburn and Julie Hicks also had fabulous paddle segments coming in well under 26 minutes. The rest of the girls all finished the kayak section with only 1 mishap, but I’m sure it was more to do with wanting to cool off than a wonky paddle stroke!

So onto the bike section, which also helped jostle positions around. Unbeknown to Jac, she moved up into 1st place with the 2nd fastest bike split (50:14) with Adele just behind in 2nd (52:45). Jenny I retained 3rd position (57:37) with Gill Melia moving up into 4th (51:36). Ali was in 5th and Mary White and Louise, with an astonishing bike (46:31) were a second apart going out on to the run. Special mention should go to Mary, Vet 65-69 who had the 3rd fastest bike split of the day (51:14)!

Finally onto the run section where the positions would change once again. Jac and Adele were the first ones out, but Jenny I, posting the fastest run split of the day (22:09) romped home and was the only Quad lady to finish in under 2 hours (1:58:31). Much to her amazement, Jac finished second (2:00:38) but as in the previous year was being chased down by Adele (2:01:22). Louise, with the 2nd fastest run (22:45) of the day moved back up into 4th (2:04:16) with Gill finishing in 5th (2:05:09). Ali was 6th (2:05:42), Mary (2:07:04) and Jenny S was 8th (2:07:08).

Every single Deva Diva Quadrathlete started and finished and was greeted with a huge hug and a medal by Jean at the finish. A fabulous effort by all.

RESULTS

1st Jenny Illidge (Sen 25) – 1:58:31
2nd Jacqueline Davies (Vet 50) – 2:00:38
3rd Adele Blakeborough (Vet 45) – 2:01:22

Sen 20 Alexx Sloboda – 3:23:14
Sen 25 (roll down) Jenny Swallow – 2:07:08
Sen 30 Timea Harris – 2:07:55
Sen 35 Alison Rosenburgh – 2:16:19
Vet 40 Row O’Neill – 2:13:40
Vet 45 (roll down) Louise Hanley – 2:04:16
Vet 50 (roll down) Helen Adams – 2:08:21
Vet 55 Ali Pendle – 2:05:42
Vet 60 Gill Otto – 2:25:46
Vet 65 Mary White – 2:07:04

As a competitor of the second running of this wonderful 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, the water station gang on the run and to Chester Tri and Chester Canoe Club for an amazing ‘Deva Divas Quadrathlon’ on Sunday! As Jean has already said, we are sharing ‘The Quad Passion’ – a small sport with a big heart. I absolutely love the fact that the Quad is run in parallel with the triathlon and it is wonderful to see so many women competing.

#TheseGirlsCertainlyCan!

And finally ladies, to all of my fellow competitors, especially those of you who are new to this wonderful sport, huge congratulations to you all; you are most definitely Queens of Quadrathlon. And as I said last year and will repeat often, you are the “Prime of Mrs Jean Ashley”!!!

Jac xx

Deva-Divas-Triathlon-2018 PHOTOS

Official Film 2018

https://www.facebook.com/devadivastri/videos/1815573145203342/UzpfSTQyMDk1OTg4ODI3NjY2Njo2NTIzNzg2MTE4MDE0NTg/

Sunshine Day with Deva Diva Quadrathletes

July 11, 2018 Jean Ashley

On Behalf of the BQA I Just wanted to say a Huge Thank You ‘Chester Tri’ for an amazing ‘Deva Divas Quadrathlon! We certainly shared ‘The Quad Passion’ we had 43 ladies on the start line, at least 30 of them first timmers! The atmosphere was brilliant the camaraderie and racing superb, these girls just had the Best day Ever!

A massive thanks to my Triathlon club ‘Chester’ who for the 2nd time added the Quad to Ladies only Deva Divas, Triathlon. Thanks to our Race director ‘Sally Napthen’ who held it all together, to all those who prepared the race venue and course, safety and technical teams, all marshals across 4 disciplines, cake makers, commentators ‘with wonderful banter’, and the list goes on and on!

We couldn’t have this race without the competitors, so thank-you to all you Deva Quadrathletes for giving it your all, you pushed hard, smiled all the way, you were amazing, and make our race so very special. It means so much to Sally Napthen myself and all the Chester team, when we saw those Big Smiles throughout the race it’s been another memorable Day! I have had so many lovely messages from you all, its been a great pleasure and an honour to be part of YOUR journey, I am so proud of you all ….. Celebrate in Style and wear your T’shirts with Pride!

Jean ‘Deputy Race Director

A race report will follow shortly from one of our Quadrathletes.

Congratulations go to our Overall winners & Age Groupers

1st Jenny Illidge
2nd Jacquleine Davies
3rd Adele Blakeborough

chestertri.niftyentries.com/Results/Deva-Divas-2018

Deva Divas … making History for a second time!

July 4, 2018 Jean Ashley

The 2nd Deva Divas Quadrathlon’ is almost here ….. another special day for ‘British Quadrathlon’ as this year we have 50 Ladies take to the water for the ‘Only Ladies Quadrathlon in the World’ This race also has the backing of the WQF (World Quadrathlon Association) the BQA and ‘British Canoeing’ they wish you all a great and enjoyable race!

Once again I am so pleased Race Organizer ‘Sally Napthan’ and Chester Triathlon Club agreed to let me add this extension for a second time to the ‘Infamous Deva Divas Sprint Tri’ …. a huge thank-you to all at the Tri Club and Canoe Club that have helped make this possible!

I have met well over half of you and had great pleasure in coaching 12 of you who joined our Deva Divas Canoe Course at Chester Canoe Club 12 weeks ago! Myself and club coaches have been inspired to how hard you have worked and so pleased you have all progressed to K1 race kayaks … showing true commitment!

I am very excited about Race Day … its a First for many of you, and I’m so excited to see how far you have all come! I will be cheering every single one of you, as you complete each one those four disciplines, and will be waiting for you all at that finish line!

Looking Forward to meeting you all, have a fantastic day and believe me there is the BEST Cake EVER waiting for you at the Finish Line …. now there’s an incentive…. who doesn’t just love cake!

Jean x

Last years Winner ‘Jacqueline Davies’ has sent you all this lovely message, it will certainly put you at ease and make you smile ….

DEAR DEVA DEVAS

Don’t worry, ‘bout a thing,
Cos evry lil’ thing gonna be alright!

For those of you new to this quadrathlon malarkey, it should be a doddle. You are, after all female, and therefore genetically predisposed to multi-tasking! However, I’m sure some of you have been going into a bit of a flat spin due to worrying about the unknown…..

So a little story from me, the accidental winner last year.

Prior to taking up quadrathlon in 2015, back in 2003, I was lucky enough to be sent on a course for the year with the military which was a great privilege. However, I made the error of drinking too much red wine on the first night “meet and greet” which made me vulnerable to persuasion by a Royal Navy Commander (unfortunately not 007!) and a Royal Marine. This resulted in me joining the Defence Academy Triathlon Club. Always up for a challenge, I agreed….a few months later, I found myself on the start line of my first ever triathlon and it was the Army Sprint Championships. I was ABSOLUTELY terrified! They were all so fit and young and knew what they were doing, unlike me…..

I had borrowed the said Navy Commander’s wetsuit; the neck was gaping and I had to roll up the sleeves. The countdown, the whistle and then we were off. We had 2 swim laps to complete and after each lap we ran out of the lake round a post and then threw ourselves back into the water. This is where my problems started. The gaping neck had allowed the suit to fill up with water, but my chubby ankles kept the neoprene tightly pressed against my skin, thereby preventing any escape. This was all very well whilst I was horizontal, but not quite so easy, or flattering, come to that, once I was vertical. So there I was, trying to run round this post, with at least 2 gallons of water sloshing around the belly of the suit with the crotch almost down to my knees… and that was only my first lap! But what a hoot and I loved it!

So I became hooked on triathlon and each time I said to myself on the run up to each race when the nerves were starting to kick in, “In the great scheme of things, does it really matter if I come first or last?” Over time, I’ve concluded, that for me, it’s all about achieving things that I never thought possible, but more so seeing other people, and especially women, doing the same and being overwhelmed by what they have done. I know this is exactly what our wonderful Jean feels too.

So ladies, you have been very well prepared with kayak lessons from John, Carol and Jean and swim and bike prepared by Sally and the team from Chester Triathlon Club. Don’t forget to read Jean’s fabulous checklist, take a deep breath and have an awesome race this Sunday. You most certainly are “The Prime of Mrs Jean Ashley”!! See you there!

Jac x

❤??‍♀️????‍♀️❤

QuadKidz National Rankings .. with just 1 race to go!

July 2, 2018 Jean Ashley

Our 2017 QuadKidz Champions at the Prize Giving at Box End in 2017! Could it be you in 2018? Check out the Quadkidz Rankings with just 1 final race to go! quadkidz 2018.after 2 races

Fianal Race at Boxend- QuadKids – 250m open water swim – 1.2km kayak (1 lap) – 5km off-road bike (1 lap) – 2km trail run. This is the 3rd QuadKidz race of 2018 Series and the BQA will present the ‘Championship Prizes’ to the overall winners ‘BQA QuadKidz’ who have completed at least 2 races in the Race Series! They must be ‘BQA QuadKidz’ members, very reasonable membership for the year. £7 individual child or £5 per child if parent is a BQA Member. Membership_Form 2018

Lets watch ‘QuadKidz’ Grow and Grow, exciting times ahead for our juniors –
Its time for our ‘QuadKidz’ to Shine!

Camping – is available at Box End Park for all competitors. Caravans and Campervan facilities available; apply directly to Box End – Telephone Number: 01234 846222, 07922 824678

Entries and Information Box End -QuadKidz

Quadkidz Barnton Training Weekend – Lance & Hermione Ball

June 25, 2018 Jean Ashley

The Quadkidz Barnton Training Weekend, has proved to be a great success with so many positive comments coming in. A big thanks to Lance and Hermione for this report!

We were travelling some distance, so arrived late Friday night. Instructions had been provided along with a code to get through the gate. Once through the gate we travelled a mile down a lane to the club house overlooking the lake. The distance away from public roads meant that we would be ensured a peaceful sleep in our tent ready for a busy couple of days ahead.
The following morning Lincsquad coaches Pete, Donna and Jeff arrived and introduced themselves. The club house had all the facilities you could ever want, set high up overlooking the water. Meanwhile other Quadkidz arrived along with their supporting parents.
After the usual safety briefing, the training day commenced with bike maintenance skills. This wasn’t just useful for the kids, but experienced cyclists alike. As I watched, I discovered issues wrong with my own bike and proceeded to spend the next half hour rectifying my own bike whilst the Quadkids got hands on with their own practical bike maintenance scenarios.
After discovering that we can all benefit from such presentations, it was time to set off on bikes and have a view of the route that would be used for the race. The cycle route used the grass / gravel track set up on a bank with a magnificent view overlooking the Humber bridge and estuary. This caused the same issues as the adults have on many of the trophy series races, namely what bike to use. Straight forward if you have a cyclo-cross available. Otherwise do you use a mountain bike or a road bike adapted with wider off road tyres?
Several laps of the route and the occasional nettle sting later from the very long vegetation, they all returned with smiles from a good ride out.
Next on the agenda was kayak skills. We had brought a quick racing kayak, but the conditions were just too rough. So almost everyone took to the water in the supplied stable kayaks and had a go at battling the wind and waves trying not to get blown back into the long grass at the shoreline.
Max took to the water in a racing K1 and showed no signs at all, of having problems in such conditions. Meanwhile Bertram, out in a slalom kayak, was clearly enjoying the conditions and able to show how much fun you can have in these craft when you have developed the skills, including a display of Eskimo rolls.
Transition training was provided during the day, thankfully by someone more competent than myself. Having had times when someone looking after my glasses disappeared to the toilet, getting t-shirts stuck around my torso and spending over 9 minutes on a transition at my last triathlon when I couldn’t get my wetsuit off; I certainly wasn’t the person to give advice on this aspect of the day.

The last practical part of the day was swimming. So, with wetsuits donned, they all took to the water. Following tips for acclimatisation they practiced sighting and swimming around buoys before having a practice on the course that would be used the following day. Despite the very rough conditions, they showed great competence in the water. Hermione has been a good swimmer in a pool, but had previously really struggled in open water. They spent a long time swimming in the lake on this day and the confidence by the end really showed. The photo’s of Hermione smiling throughout the swimming shows how much she now enjoys this aspect and has improved in confidence.
The day ended with nutritional advice back in the clubhouse.

Race day.
Hermione was up against Holly and Izzy in her age group so this report will be centred around them as I was watching my daughter compete.
Everyone commenced the swim together with an exciting flurry of splashes as everyone put in maximum effort to head out to the line of buoys indicating where to turn back.
Hermione was in third place as she turned back at the half way point. Izzy was clearly very quick, exiting the swim well ahead of Holly with Hermione just a second behind Holly. The swim had been shortened considerably due to the conditions and consideration for everyone. This was a slight shame for Izzy since had it been the original planned distance Izzy would have been able to pull out a very large lead.
All ran into transition, but Hermione clearly having listened to advice the day before and not taking after her father, had the fastest transition and headed out onto the bike course in the lead, followed by Holly and then Izzy who unfortunately had struggled with her wetsuit.
Hermione kept in the lead for the first lap of the bike, but Holly was clearly quicker and despite the overgrowth protruding onto the track making overtaking a little difficult, managed to overtake and pull out a lead over Hermione during the second lap.
After 2 laps Holly approached the transition and dismounted very professionally putting any of my dismounts to complete shame.
A quick transition later and Holly headed out onto the kayak in rather blustery conditions.
Not too long later Hermione went through transition, slinging items practically anywhere in her attempt to catch Holly and headed out for the kayak also.Due to the rough conditions Hermione stuck with the same slow stable kayak that she had trained in the day before, but Holly was in an identical kayak so all was equal. Holly coped with the conditions really well, managing to kayak in a straight line and not look as though she was having to spend that much energy despite the rough conditions. Meanwhile Hermione found the conditions rather challenging as she zig zagged her way along the course using brute force to try and close the gap rather than technique. As a result Holly pulled further and further away as Hermione appeared to be paddling twice as far as she needed to, if only she could go in a straight line!
Shortly afterwards Izzy took to the water, showing good technique but going a little slower than Holly and Hermione.
Holly exited the Kayak a long way in front, so started the run with a win almost ensured.
Hermione exited nearly 2 minutes later, still not giving up the chase, abandoning her equipment anywhere in her attempt to chase after Holly. Shortly followed by Izzy.
Holly had a slight foot injury, but it wasn’t going to slow her down much and she comfortably cruised over the line in first place.
Hermione had a good run and had closed down the gap to 40 seconds. If only there had been a second run lap! Meanwhile Izzy had the fastest run of all, so finished in a close third. If only there had been 3 laps for the run!
Holly, Hermione and Izzy all had a great race and should be proud of how they did in particularly tough conditions on and in the water. Izzy being the fastest swimmer and runner, compared to Holly the quickest bike and kayak, compared to Hermione consistent all round, any of them could have come first had the conditions, distances or equipment decisions been different, but on that course on that day Holly was the deserved winner.

Further finishers to follow included Will who had only ventured into open water swimming for the first time on the Saturday and had a great race against Finley and Isaac.

Max finished first in the 13–15 year old category, closely followed by Holly’s sister Lucy who clearly enjoyed the race from her beaming smile at the finish.
Bertram brought the event to a conclusion after completing by far the longest distances of everyone, in what was a very quick time for the distances and windy conditions.

All are promising Quadrathletes for the future.
Many thanks to all the athletes that took part to make this a fantastic weekend. With special thanks to the Lincsquad coaches and committee who managed to put such a great event on. It’s been great for the development of the Quadkidz and such an enjoyable weekend. Look forward to seeing as many of you as possible at Box End soon.

Lance and Hermione.

Indian Lake – Birth of the Quadrathlon in the United States.

June 25, 2018 Jean Ashley

Congratulations to The Adirondack village of Indian Lake, they were the first venue in the United States to host a quadrathalon. The “Do the Q” event was on June 16th and consisted of a 750km swim, 8km kayak paddle, 30k bike ride, and 10k run, in accordance with World Quadrathalon Federation guidelines.

Len the organiser has sent us his overview of the event:
On June 16 2018 the town of Indian Lake woke up to beautiful sunny day and the hustle of volunteers setting things up at the registration cabin. At that moment I felt all the hours and labor intensive preparation was going to come to life. I had great support from the Armstrong’s ( Bob and Francine as well as Pat Benton). The ladies put on a picnic after the event which allowed the volunteers and the athletes to interact. Bob pushed me on when things were to overwhelming- you know what I mean!

As time drew nearer I began to see more assistance coming my way from former project manager Marti Evanoff. She was a great asset since she documented what we had completed and what was still to be accomplished-boy was that ever a great help.

Bill Murphy (President of the Chamber) rode in like the Calvary in the old western movies. He assisted by painting our buoys then placing them out on the kayak and swim course and setting up our sound system for back ground music and microphone for the award ceremony. His most memorable assistance came when decided to test the water temperature by falling out of his canoe.

We also had great support from a local citizen radio team which help communicate to the turn marshals where the athletes were and when to expect them at the turns. They also assisted is getting help to a young lady who tapped wheels with another competitor and fell off her bike. They communicate the issue to their base station and moments later a ambulance squad was dispatched to help her. She was badly bruised and fractured her arm.

Beyond that the day was perfect for this type of event. Sunny skies, good water temperature and happy volunteers made for a memorable day for all who experienced the event.
We had various newspapers attending as well as the photographer from the Adirondack – Regional Office Of Sustained Tourism – (ROOST) I expect their photos will be used to promote the area as well as our town and this event at outdoor shows attended by our Chamber.

Race Results RACE RESULTS 6-16-2018

So there you have it…. a summation of the Quadrathlon …… Len

Thank-you Len on behalf of the World Quadrathlon Federation for putting the USA on the World Quad Map, keep sharing the passion and spreading the word!

Comments from the Quadathlethes:

Hi Len. I had a great time at the race. I think you did a great job as race director and look forward to the next one. The volunteers were all Great and very friendly and well organized. I thought the number of volunteers on the course was great. We (the athletes) were made to feel very welcome and we felt like rock stars at the end of the race. Thank you again. I hope that you are able to continue this as a yearly event. I think it will get better and better. Thanks so much Susan Browne

Hi Len, Can you please let me know what my time was in the race?
Had a fantastic time at the race. Very organized and the volunteers were awesome. Thanks for putting on a great event. Post race bbq was perfect. Janet Davignon

Hi Len, I’m happy to do letters of support to local papers, the Chamber, Town Council, whatever. Just send me contact information. You guys deserve recognition, and the residents and decision makers need to hear about local successes. We were in town from Thursday to Sunday morning, and we made sure that wherever we went for lodging, food, shopping, whatever, that people knew that we were from three hours away, staying in town, and there specifically for the race. Businesses all seemed supportive, and we made sure they knew that the Q had brought us to town. Nick Mercurio

Lincs-QuadKidz Barnton Training Weekend & Race

June 22, 2018 Jean Ashley

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!

World Championships Long Course Hannover 2018

October 10, 2018 Jean Ashley

Russel Breyer and I went to Fly the GB Quadrathlon Flag at the ‘The Hannover Long Distance World Quadrathlon Championships, it also slots in a number of well attended triathlons over all distances, Sprint, Olympic, Half and Ironman, plus the Sprint and Long distance quad. Although there were only 30 individual starters for the LD quad, there were a number of relay teams. It was a busy weekend with literally thousands of competitors buzzing around, the venue can handle it, and it made for a great atmosphere. Quad Race Organizer ‘Tomas Kälble’ from Kayak-Club Limmer let us stay at the club, a superb set up, we stayed in our camper, but other athletes camped and others used the bed flats, kitchen, showers, etc the facilities were excellent and we were made to feel most welcome!

Russel had done the event 2 years previously but in a relay team. For me it was its my first attempt at this long distance race and I was so looking forward to this challenge, though a little worried about the long swim, as it was rumored to be a not wet suit swim as it had been so hot! Fortunately for me, the weather Gods were on my side, and it clouded up the day before the water temperature dropped so wetsuits were declared!

So, into the water for a 7:15 start in the 3.8km swim, which took place in a ship canal. It’s a bit weird swimming under industrial cranes and what have you, but the water seems clean enough (indeed, you can see the obligatory shopping trolleys/old chairs etc at the bottom). Neither Russel or I were near the front of the swim, it was 2 laps, almost 1km up, 1 km down x 2. Lucky for us the Ironman had started 15 mins earlier, so as a lot of the Blue swim Quad caps disappeared on the 2nd lap we started to catch up the red caps, back end of the triathlon … this certainly motivated me to push harder I knew once I was out I could began to relish the fact of the great day ahead!

There was then a 300m run up hill to the bike transition, for a three lap 90km through pleasant countryside, and small villages. It was a fairly flat, fast course, not unlike Brigg, with the notable difference being that the traffic was managed (in favour of cyclists) by a large number of police officers at absolutely every junction. Heaven knows what the council tax must be, though on the plus side accidents must be a rarity. The roads were so quiet, and we were quite spread out by this time, though the Ironman race was well underway and they had 6 bike laps to do so I soon started to hear those disc wheels powering up behind me! There were plenty of crowds as we came into transition, and lots of encouragement as we ran down the road, over the tram lines at least 800m to the kayak transition.

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!

Looking at the quadrathletes running along the bank after being in a kayak for around 2 hours it was clear that getting out of the boat and going onto the run was going to be painful! Russel’s words were ‘So, out of the boat with my glutes so trashed, generating any power through the legs for a half marathon run is out of the question. I ran a pained shuffle for a couple of hours, then, around the (attractive and mercifully flat) local park, and over the finish line for a well-earned collapse! I also did take a while to get into my running stride, but after about 2km and a good feed at the water station I began to get into my rhythm, I really enjoyed the first lap, and saw the winning Ironmen going past (very sprightly), I even got a high five from the lead Ironman on my second lap … which really perked me up! At the turn a round point I could see Russel coming towards me, I did think he was closing, we exchanged ‘good friendly GB banter’ and that gave me the incentive to dig a bit deeper! My second lap seemed to go really fast, though looking at my garmin my splits were almost the same. Im my mind the last 2km felt so good, not sure if my legs agreed, my good friend ‘Lisa Teichert’ who had long finished cheered me on up the last hill, her enthusiasm motivated to push hard to the finish line! I did have tears of joy in my eyes, I was so proud to be finishing what had been my ultimate Quadrathlon Goal for a few years … it had been such a brilliant day!

I was 5th Lady and the World Long Distance Quad Vet 60 Champion (mind you I was the oldest chick in the race!) 9hrs 23mins. Russel wasn’t far behind he came home 9hrs 33mins both of us very proud in what was a top class field of strong Quadrathletes!

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!
The results pages show what a high standard of racing there was. The standard of organsiation, and general friendliness, was really great, though we did struggle a little bit with the translation at the race briefing, it was a good job Jean and I had a good recki before hand! The Hannover L.D. Quad is something every quadrathlete should do once, though in my case it maybe just the once!’

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. www.justgiving.com #Beat jean-ashley Thank-you to all my training buddies, friends … and my amazing (long suffering) DAVE who supports me along the way … he polished my kayak, my bike and cheered me on for 9hrs 23mins on a very hot day … he’s a star! Would I do it again ….. Never say Never … and probably YES, my mind will be willing lets just hope the body can cope!

A Big Thank-you to the Wasserstadt Hannover-Limmer Triathlon & Quadrathlon Organization, I really enjoyed your Quad, big thanks to all those marshals and to the Team that made it all possible! See you in 2020!

Report by Jean and Russel.

Full Report and Results quadrathlon4you.com 2018 Hannover Report

National Trophy Standings – after 2 races!

June 14, 2018 Jean Ashley

Here are the latest Trophy Standings with the first 2 races done, the Brigg Bomber and Dearne Valley. Chris Carter (Nottingham Kayak Club) is in the lead with 204 points. Just behind with 200 points is Nicholas Farnell (Ludlow Tri Club) and in 3rd Peter Tindall (Lincsquad) with 197. So its all close up at the top, Box End is the next race, so no doubt there will be lots of great racing to gain those extra points!

In the Ladies trophy Helen Russell (Worcester Canoe Club) is in the lead, with 2 outright wins 240 points, with Mandy Greenaway (Wakefield Triathlon Club) in 2nd place on 199 points, these are the only ladies who have done 2 races so once again Box End is where we expect more ladies to be looking for those points!

Don’t forget Box End will give you BQA and WQF Points its our 2nd World Cup Race!

Check out your Trophy Points and Age Group positions, a big Thank-you to John Kavanagh who produces these tables for us after every event … superb work!

2018-BQA Trophy after Dearne Valley

TROPHY PRIZES

The BQA Perpetual Trophies and BQA kit vouchers are awarded to the Overall Winners. The Age Group winners receive BQA kit vouchers. The overall winner will NOT win a age catagory prize too, it will role down. In the Event of a tie the points from a 4th race will be counted. Each winner must do 3 races in the series, and must be a current BQA Member.

Age Groups Male and Female – Senior, Vet 40, Vet 50, Vet 60, Vet 70.

Here are the latest world cup points also – WQF Trophy World Cup Standings after 4 races

2018-WQF World Cup after Hannover

Reminder … Race entries you know you want too!

June 12, 2018 Jean Ashley

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!

Lincs-QuadKidz’ Event Sat/Sunday 16/17th June: Training day on Saturday followed by the 2nd Race of the ‘BQA QuadKidz 2018 National Series, and a first ever QuadKidz race for Lincsquad, no doubt this will live up to their top class race organization. You’ll have chance to put all your expertise into practice with the Quadkidz race on the Sunday! Certainly a weekend not to be missed!

Entries and Information workshop-and-quadkidz-event

The next National Trophy Event No 3, and World Cup Race is at Box End Sprint Quad … Mark has very few entries at the moment so please support this race … he needs your entries and Quadkidz entries NOW!

A very well established and superb Race, 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. All Quadrathletes racing will get BQA National Trophy points plus World Cup points too, its also the final and 3rd race of the QuadKidz Series, without a doubt a great weekend in store! Don’t Miss this Great Race and enjoy the venue with a lovely weekend of camping too!

See Details and Entry Form Box End Entry Form 2018

Venue – Box End Park, Box End, Kempston, Bedford, Beds, MK43 8RQ Grid Ref: TL011485

Event Details –
The Sprint Quadrathlon – 750m open water swim – 4.8km kayak [4 laps] – 15km off-road bike course [3 laps] – 5km trail run

QuadKids – 250m open water swim – 1.2km kayak (1 lap) – 5km off-road bike (1 lap) – 2km trail run. This is the 3rd QuadKidz race of 2018 Series and the BQA will present the ‘Championship Prizes’ to ‘BQA QuadKidz’ who have completed the Race Series! Overall Winners must be ‘BQA QuadKidz’ members, very reasonable membership for the year. £7 individual child or £5 per child if parent is a BQA Member. Membership_Form 2018