A 39 strong band of triathletes arrived at West Wight Sports Centre to tackle the Wight Tri Spring Triathlon.
The swimming kicked off in 2 waves. At 08:00, the first set of swimmers plunged into the pool, attacking the 400m swim with a mix of freestyle, breaststroke and fortitude.
After conquering the water, it was time to hit the road. The bike leg was a 23.5km rollercoaster of undulating tarmac along the Military Road, Brighstone, and Chessell.
Patrick Condy’s banana bike’s crank snapped on Brook Shute. However, he stuffed the broken part down his jersey and pedalled on one leg. His hero status was cemented when he stopped to rescue Sammy Steven, whose chain had a meltdown mid-course.
Finally, it was on to the 5 km run. Despite some wobbly starts, every competitor crushed it. However, it was not without its drama – both Kaylee Gauntlett and Sammy Steven decided to take a different route to everyone else to get to the finish.
Results:
For the ladies, Jan Fletcher dominated, claiming the top spot in a dazzling time of 1:21:32. For the gents, Chris Till took first place in a fiery 1:06:12.
The team competition was fierce, with four teams battling it out. However the speedy squad was none other than Michaela Heathcote (swim), Paul Martin (bike) and Jurgita Bates (run), finishing in 1:13:30.
Other notable performances:
Ladies: 2nd Helen Scholes 1:28:25. 3rd Lizzie Piltcher 1:29:44
Men: 2nd Craig Wilson 1:10:19. 3rd Henry Morgan 1:11:57
Nominated time winner: Patrick Condy. Despite his mechanical mishap, he came within 34 seconds of his predicted time.
Unclaimed trophies presented from the 2024 Season included Sean Williams (Male 2024 Spring Tri Champ), Steve Kerr (2024 Club Championship winner), Dan Morgan (Male Time-Trial Champ & Slash and Dash Champ).
Next events:
Dare to dip: Bank Holiday Monday (21st April) Totland Bay meet at 16:00. A pop up cafe will be on hand for hot drinks and cakes afterwards.
Open Water Swimming Group (IOW): re-starting soon – keep an eye on FB page.
Summer Aquathon/Aquabike season: dates to be announced.
