Wight Tri members Jan Fletcher and Liz Dunlop headed to Eton Dorney Lake in Buckinghamshire to take on the first of the GB Age Group qualifiers of 2022.
The event, held at the Olympic Rowing Lake, started with 750m swim, followed by a 4-lap bike and an out-and-back 5km run.
Jan started first in Wave 2 for females from 40 to 54. With a combination of a 15.5 C lake temperature and the mass start, it took her a few moments to settle into her stroke. Liz was in the next wave, for females aged 55 and above. Jan and Liz entered T1 in 14:14 and 16:16 respectively, which were similar swim times to the previous year.
Jan started the bike leg hoping to chase down the better swimmers but suffered a puncture. Her split time of 45:55 was almost 10 mins down on what she was capable of.
In the run, Jan raced hard to post a personal best time of 21:02 for this course and the fastest run split in her age group.
Jan finished in 1:24:35 overall and came 22nd in the 45-49 category. She could have finished in the top 3 had it not been for the mechanical problem.
Liz Dunlop had no mishaps on the bike leg, but was cautious riding in a group, having just returned from a pelvis injury sustained in her last triathlon. She worked hard to finish in a personal best time of 41:07 and came 3rd in the 65-69 category as she left T2.
Liz finished in 28:07 for the run with an overall personal best time of 1:29:29. A 4th Age Group position means she should qualify for the Age Group European Championships in 2023.
Southport Standard Distance Triathlon and European Qualifier for 2023.
A week later, Jan Fletcher was back on the start line for another GB Age Group European Triathlon qualifier at
Southport. Jan was competing in the longer distance triathlon: a 1500m lake swim, a non-drafting 40km cycle on closed roads, and a 10km run.
The swim took place in Southport Marine Lake, the 2-lap cycle on closed roads along the coast, and the run on the tarmac path around the lake.
Jan had a good swim and exited the lake in 27:40, a few minutes down on her main competitors. However, posting the 2nd fastest bike and run splits in her age group of 1:09:17 and 44:34, she biked and ran her way to overtake several competitors and finish in 3rd position in the 45-49 category in an overall time of 2:26:54.
Jan Fletcher is now guaranteed a GB slot for the 2023 Age Group Standard Distance Triathlon European Championships.
![Image6[13552]wight Tri](https://cdn.islandecho.co.uk/uploads/2022/05/image613552wIGHT-tRI.jpeg)
Arundel Lido Sprint Triathlon
Wight Tri members Steve Dines, Christine Jackson and husband and wife, Delphine and Nick Lever took on the Raw Energy Pursuits Arundel Lido Sprint Triathlon, consisting of a 400m swim in the Lido, 19km cycle around the local roads, and a 4.6km out-and-back run in the grounds of Arundel castle.
Christine was first to finish for Wight Tri in 1:19:40 to finish 5th in the F50-59 category. As this was Chris’s first event for several years, splits of 10:23 for the swim, 42:26 for the bike, and 26:51 for the run, was an excellent performance.
Delphine Lever was also in the F50-59 age group, and finished in 1:23:54 and 8th in this category, with times of 10:38, 46:44 and 26:32, an impressive performance for a triathlon novice.
Steve, in the ‘Vintage’ M60-69 category, struggled with a lower back issue and considered not starting. Even though his injury affected him throughout the event, he completed it and finished 5th age category in 1:22:45, 6 minutes slower than his previous time at this event, with splits of 11:49, 40:59 and 29:57.
Bringing home the Wight Tri banner was Nick, who finished 23rd in the M 50-59 category. Nick had solid swim and bike legs of 10:13 and 43:14 but struggled on the run with a 51:40 split.
Well done Jan 🙂 Good luck at the European championships x