3 members of Wight Tri – Jessica Newall, Gabriella Hewitt and Charis Jones – crossed the Solent to take on the 70.3 Ironman Weymouth on Sunday (18th September).
This was Jessica’s 3rd half ironman distance, but it was the 1st for both Gabriella and Charis, who were both in the same 30-34 age group.
There were perfect conditions for the long-distance triathlon race, which started at 07.15 with a 1.9k swim in the flat crystal clear water of Weymouth Bay. The triathletes then went on to ride for 90k through the hilly Dorset countryside and run the half marathon distance of 21.1k along the seafront in Weymouth.
All 3 girls had excellent swims, with Jessica first out in 36:52, and Gabriella and Charis close together in 39:39 and 39:43. Onto the bike, where Charis’s strength showed through, and she entered T2 in 3:04:51, with Jessica and Gabriella posting bike splits of 3:19:47 and 3:20:07.
The half marathon run was a 2 lap route with plenty of support, which spurred the girls to impressive half marathon times. Charis, Jessica and Gabriella completed the course in excellent times of 1:46:28, 2:02:31 and 2:09:54 respectively, with all 3 girls posting times faster than they had anticipated.
Charis was first home for Wight Tri in an impressive time of 5:43:42, and was 16th among 84 females in the 30-34 age group. Jessica Newell was also 16th in her 35-39 age group in 6:10:31.
1st-time Ironwoman Gabriella Hewitt smashed all of her goals, finishing in 6:20:34, coming 37th in the 30-34 age group.
Gabriella commented after the event:
“I am really happy with my first 70.3 event. I had set myself a finish time of 6:30 so to get 6:20 I was very happy with. I got a personal best in the sea swim and ride for those distances. It was a fantastic event with an incredible atmosphere, and the crowds got you through the tough moments on the run.”
Gabriella and Jessica have been coached by Vectis Academy, with coach Darren Cole and another VA member Peter Farwell taking on this event as well. Darren had an impressive race to post a fast half Ironman result of 4:49:46: 16th in the 30-34 age category. Veteran Peter posted 6:04:37, coming 9th in the 60-64 category.
