In the last report, we briefly mentioned how John Russell got on in the final British Triathlon event of the season. We’re happy to say that John’s dad, Stephen has been in touch and provided a much more detailed account of how the day went. So Stephen, it’s over to you…..
“British Triathlon’s Big Weekend….So the British Triathlon Championships were held on Saturday 7th September down at Mallory Park. The events covered Seniors, Juniors, and Youths, and even had guest athletes competing from France, Canada, and Australia. The Tier 1 Youth A race brought together the current Top 50 Under 16 athletes from across the country, and consisted of a 400m open water swim, a 10k bike ride with 3 laps around a fast but technical course, followed by a 2.5km run covering 2 laps around the lake.
The race got off to a very fast start and stayed that way throughout. After some good open water training John managed to ensure he came out in the top half of the field, and also had a great transition to the bike. Working hard with a couple of others, he was soon in a 10 man front group, with one rider solo off the front. Another solid transition saw him out onto the run and working hard to see what could be done. John plus 2 others pulled away towards the end of the first lap, still in pursuit of the leader who was staying strong! And it stayed that way to the end, although the leader was caught, and John bagged 4th place, just 3 seconds off the podium! To put it into perspective, the winner is an U17 year 2, and has a 8:23 3k time!
So a really solid performance from John, against the very best in the country, and only his 4th National Series race. The focus is on Cross Country now….so Saturday hill training on the menu!”
Thank you Stephen, an excellent account of John’s latest exploits….and so unlucky not to make the podium, but we’re sure he’ll be there next year!
Last weekend, Under 13 Harrier, Alex Boyer was also busy down at Mallory Park, competing in the British Inter Regional Triathlon Championship. This is the highest level event a 12 year old can compete in nationally in Triathlon and only 3 athletes qualify per Region. He put in a fantastic performance and, like John, just missed out on a podium place finishing in 4th. He was also part of the North East team that secured Silver in the Team Event and Bronze in the Mixed Relay. Well done Alex, an outstanding achievement.
