Wow! What a weekend 6th-7th June was!
ATC members were in action not just across the country, but across the globe!
Championship Event: White Cliffs Sprint Triathlon
The club was well-represented with a fantastic turnout of 15 participants taking over the gorgeous Dover District Leisure Centre! This race is a true local classic, featuring a 400m pool swim followed by an undulating 14km bike leg that saves its sting for the end with a gradual, leg-burning rise on the way back to the leisure centre. The day finished with a flat and fast 5km dash, and as usual, good vibes and team camaraderie were the order of the day.
We also walked away with some serious silverware! A massive special shout-out to Amy Wimble & Iain Mills, who absolutely crushed it to win their respective age groups! Adding to the podium glory, Alex Milne put in a stellar performance to finish a phenomenal second overall!
Blenheim Palace Triathlon
The stunning Blenheim Palace—the world’s only triathlon held at a UNESCO World Heritage Site—was once again the backdrop to one of the UK’s biggest Triathlon Festivals. With thousands of athletes descending on the birthplace of Winston Churchill, the atmosphere was nothing short of electric.
Paul Barron and Helen Dcruz braved the classic British weather on Saturday, digging deep to take 1st and 2nd in their respective age groups—no mean feat, considering 2,285 competitors crossed the finish line on day one alone. On Sunday, Peter Pickering hit the course early, bagging a brilliant 5th place in his age group and 49th overall, all while setting a new course PB on the rolling, closed-road circuit that winds through the palace grounds.
Chris Wicks, however, decided that one race wasn’t enough. He went “full greedy” and took on the infamous Weekend Warrior challenge. Completing as many back-to-back Sprint triathlons as possible across the entire weekend. To top it off, he even shared the start line with none other than triathlon royalty, Jonny Brownlee—who made history by setting an incredible record of 10 triathlons in a single weekend!
Going Long: Cotswold 113
Seven members were representing the blue up in Gloucestershire for the Cotswold 113 Middle Distance Triathlon! This event is famous for being a flat-out drag race. Our athletes tackled a 1.9km single-lap swim in the crystal-clear Lake, before heading out onto a 56-mile bike course through quiet, picturesque Cotswold villages. They closed it out with a 13.1-mile multi-lap run mixed with lakeside paths and tarmac. The team packed some seriously impressive times, and even more impressive smiles! Congrats to Nina Batsford, Dan Green, Mitchell Richards, Renata Cermakova, Honza Kuba, Claire Green & Lee Gladwell for completing the epic event!
Going Longer: Ironman Hamburg
No half-measures for Robert Swinerd, who travelled across the channel to Germany to take on the legendary, high-speed Ironman Hamburg! Serving as the European Championship this year, the atmosphere in the urban city centre was absolutely electric. Robert braved a 3.8km swim in the calm but chilly 15°C waters of the Alster lake, before locking into the aero bars for a relentless, 180km bike course through the historic harbour district. He finished it off with a gruelling 42.2km marathon in front of massive, roaring German crowds to earn that iconic title: Ironman
Going Far: Escape from Alcatraz
Meanwhile, Sophie West was jet-setting off to San Francisco for an event that must be on every Triathletes bucket list! This world-renowned race forces athletes to plunge from a ferry into the freezing, treacherous, current-heavy waters of San Francisco Bay, navigate a technical, lung-busting bike ride through the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, and tackle a brutal beach-and-trail run featuring the infamous 400-step sand ladder. Sophie did fantastically, representing herself, her club, and her country, and taking a phenomenal 1st place in the Female Paratriathlete category!
Going Fast: Dartford & White Oak AquaBike
Big shout out to Stewart Grant, who proved he doesn’t need to run to dominate. Stewart put on a masterclass of pacing and power to take a brilliant overall victory in the Dartford & White Oak AquaBike event!
Going Round…and around: Endure 24
We must also take our hats off to the ATC’ers who chose to avoid swimming entirely, and instead took on the Endure 24 trail run relay race at Reading! Known as the “Glastonbury of Running,” the goal is to break your legs over a scenic 5-mile forest trail loop as many times as possible in 24 hours. Luckily, Peter Heckle was with them, so they didn’t miss out on getting wet in the classic weekend downpours!
Peter braved the solo event, putting in an immense, mind-over-matter effort to clock 64 kilometers over the 24 hours. Meanwhile, fellow ATC’ers Nicola Crawley, Vicky Shrubsole, George & Isobelle Phillips smashed out rapid laps as part of high-spirited relay teams.
