Bank Holiday Monday (26th August) saw Gurnard seafront transformed into a hub of triathlon activity, as 22 members of Wight Tri competed in the club’s annual Championships under sunny skies and in front of an enthusiastic crowd.
Athletes had the choice between a 250m or 600m sea swim, navigating a buoy-marked course with safety support from Elaine Spear in her kayak. The swim got off to a light-hearted start when Mike Kimber, affectionately known as “Bionic Man”, suffered a goggle malfunction. Fellow competitor Jurgita Bates came to the rescue, helping him prepare for the swim – though not without incident, as his thrown walking stick nearly caused a collision.
The cycle section followed, with distances of 16.7km or 23km taking riders through scenic stretches including Porchfield, Locks Green and Shalfleet. A steep climb out of transition on Shore Road challenged competitors early, earning the nickname “Granny gear hill”.
The final leg was a 2.4km or 4.8km run along the busy Gurnard seafront, where athletes weaved between sunbathers, dogs and children while enduring the afternoon heat.
A total of 4 teams and 13 individual competitors took part. The Club Championship Trophy was awarded to Arielle Elton-Waters, who came closest to her predicted finish time – just 8 seconds off. The top team, only 24 seconds from their combined prediction, included newcomer Paula Griffiths (swim), Paul Taylor (bike) and Club Chairman Jack Elton-Waters (run).
Fastest times on the LLL (Longer, Limber and Legendary) course came from Jan Fletcher in the ladies’ category with a time of 1:24:57, and Craig Wilson, who completed the course in 1:14:28 fresh from his recent Ironman success.
After the racing concluded, competitors enjoyed drinks, cakes and prize vouchers for the top 3 finishers, alongside a handful of spot prizes. Mike Kimber was among the lucky recipients, walking away with a new pair of goggles ahead of the next Wight Tri event – an Aquabike at Yaverland on Friday (5th September), which is open to all.
Organisers have thanked everyone who helped make the event possible, including Neil Cooper, Anne and Steve Dines, Elaine Spear, Annette Hickman, Roy Young and Paula Griffiths.
