Alistair and Jonathan Brownlee will form part of a powerful GE Great Britain men’s team at the ETU Triathlon European Triathlon Championships in Athlone, Ireland, 3-4 July.  Hollie Avil, the World Under 23 Champion, also steps up to senior level to contest the women’s European title.

Alistair Brownlee made a dramatic return to competition at the Dextro Energy Triathlon ITU World Championship Madrid last weekend, winning despite having missed the first part of the season due to a femoral stress fracture.  Brownlee has won world titles at junior, under 23 and senior level as well as the European Junior title in 2007. However, the European senior title has eluded him so far having been beaten by Spain’s Javier Gomez last year in Holten in the Netherlands.

Alistair Brownlee said: “I’ve been very pleased with how things have gone since returning from injury. I genuinely didn’t expect to win in Madrid and am excited by the prospect of another battle with Javier Gomez in Ireland for the European title.

“European athletes are doing very well this year, and the event has attracted a very strong field. It’s going to be tough, but there are no easy wins in triathlon and I’m looking forward to the challenge.”

Will Clarke, Olly Freeman and Phil Graves complete a strong GE Great Britain Team, with Will Clarke having had a good result at Hy-Vee ITU Triathlon Elite Cup in Des Moines, Iowa, where he came sixth on Sunday.

Katie Ingram will race the first triathlon championship event of her career, whilst Hollie Avil returns to action having missed the Dextro Energy Triathlon ITU World Championship Madrid through illness.

Ingram was recruited to triathlon through the trigold talent initiative. The 24 year old recently finished 3rd at the Senec ITU Triathlon European Cup and will look to gain more experience from racing in Athlone.

Abbie Thorrington races at senior European level for the first time and Vanessa Raw takes part having won the third event of the British Triathlon Super Series, the Nokia Windsor Triathlon on Sunday.

Performance Director, Heather Williams said: “We are sending a strong team to the Europeans. Obviously Alistair Brownlee is going to be closely watched, but Will Clarke also had a strong performance at the weekend.

“Most of the team will spend the next two weeks at a preparation camp in Portugal, so they will race straight off the back of a period of hard work. Our key goals remain the Dextro Energy ITU Triathlon World Championship London and the Grand Final in Budapest.”

GE Great Britain Triathlon Team
Men: Alistair Brownlee, Will Clarke, Jonny Brownlee, Olly Freeman, Phil Graves
Women: Hollie Avil, Katie Ingram, Vanessa Raw, Abbie Thorrington

Event website: http://www.triathlone.com.

Today (16 June) 700, school children from West Lothian, Scotland took part in their first triathlon as the Corus Kids of Steel event came to town. Local hero, Cat Morrison, was there to cheer them along.

The event, which was hosted at Broxburn Academy, saw 32 schools from across the region, with pupils aged between eight and 13, take part in the mini-triathlon, which involved swimming, cycling and running.

The budding sports stars of the future also learned the techniques of transition in an action-packed day with a host of activities.  Every child that took part received a t-shirt, swim cap, goody bag and medal.

Triathlon is a fast growing and vibrant Olympic sport and world champion long distance triathlete Morrison was on hand to help the Broxburn Corus Kids of Steel youngsters. Following a stunning Ironman victory in Lanzarote last month, Morrison is now hoping to go for gold at the World Duathlon Championships which are being held in Edinburgh’s Holyrood Park in September this year.

For Morrison today was a bit of a homecoming, as before turning professional she worked at Broxburn Academy as an Active Schools Coordinator. She commented, “It was great to see so many kids take part today and see the smiles on their faces as they crossed this finish line.  Corus Kids of Steel is about giving children the chance to try triathlon out. Lots of people don’t even realise what triathlon is so hopefully we can maximize interest in a new generation with this fantastic event.”

Peter Reid, Head teacher at Broxburn Academy, said, “This is the third year we have hosted the event and each year it gets bigger, which is wonderful.  It was brilliant to see Cat, she is a local hero and a great model for the children.”

Taking part today, Darren Lamb, age 11, from Meldrum Primary School in Livingston, said, “I really enjoyed it and think I did quite well. It was definitely better than being in school! It was great fun crossing the finish line knowing I had put in so much effort.”

triathlonscotland Development Manager Brown Ferguson said: “It was great to see so many children from across West Lothian discover how exciting triathlon is. I hope they are all wearing their medals with pride.”

Corus, the steel manufacturer, is embarking on its fourth year of a partnership with British Triathlon that is committed through to 2013. Nearly 20,000 children to date have experienced triathlon at these events.   Broxburn marks the seventh event in the 2010 Corus Kids of Steel series, which will visit 15 venues in total and reach more children than it ever has in previous years. Other Corus Kids of Steel venues also have a special connection with the steel company, with key venues including Scunthorpe, Corby, Teesside and South Wales.

Kirby Adams, CEO of Corus, said: “Corus has a major emphasis on community involvement. It’s a strength we have as a company and it’s central to our ethos.
 
“Our partnership with British Triathlon is focused on ensuring that the grass roots of the sport are being nurtured, and that children have the opportunity to experience an Olympic sport in their own community.”
 
Chief Executive Officer of the British Triathlon Federation Zara Hyde Peters said, “We are delighted that we will once again be able to provide children with an early experience of triathlon.

“In conjunction with our Corporate Partner, Corus, we take great pride in providing a fun, active and enjoyable day that creates opportunities for children to achieve their personal triathlon challenges while keeping a big smile on their faces.”

Today’s event was made possible by a number of partners including West Lothian Active Schools Department, West Lothian Sports Development, One Step Beyond, Scotmid, Aldi, GRC Tri Club, West Lothian Tri Club and the Broxburn Academy School volunteers.

For any event information, please contact Brown Ferguson on 07545697841 or email brownferguson@triathlonscotland.org.
 

This week, school children from Edinburgh and West Lothian have had the opportunity to take part in their first triathlon as the Corus Kids of Steel event came to town. The events took place in Edinburgh on Tuesday, and champion triathlete and local hero, Cat Morrison is at Broxburn today to support the event there.

Hundreds of young people aged between 8 and 13 took part in a mini-triathlon, involving swimming, cycling and running; giving them a taste of the combination of disciplines that the sport involves.

The budding sports stars of the future also learnt the techniques of transition to make sure they are wearing the right kit for each discipline.  Every child that takes part will receive a t-shirt, swim cap, goody bag and medal.

British Triathlon Regional Programme Manager for Scotland, Brown Ferguson said, “The emphasis of Corus Kids of Steel is on inclusion, no matter what ability each child has in the different disciplines, and if they don’t feel comfortable with swimming or cycling, they can just skip that section.  The distances are very achievable and the environment is totally supportive so it is relevant to all, whatever their level of fitness.”

Corus, the steel manufacturer, is embarking on its fourth year of a partnership with British Triathlon that is committed through to 2013. Nearly 15,000 children to date have experienced triathlon at these events.   Broxburn marks the seventh event in the 2010 Corus Kids of Steel series, which will visit 15 venues in total and reach more children than it ever has in previous years. Other Corus Kids of Steel venues also have a special connection with the steel company, with key venues including Scunthorpe, Corby, Teesside and South Wales.

Kirby Adams, CEO of Corus, said: “Corus has a major emphasis on community involvement. It’s a strength we have as a company and it’s central to our ethos.
 
“Our partnership with British Triathlon is focused on ensuring that the grass roots of the sport are being nurtured, and that children have the opportunity to experience an Olympic sport in their own community.”
 
Chief Executive Officer of the British Triathlon Federation Zara Hyde Peters said, “We are delighted that we will once again be able to provide children with an early experience of triathlon.

“In conjunction with our Corporate Partner, Corus, we take great pride in providing a fun, active and enjoyable day that creates opportunities for children to achieve their personal triathlon challenges while keeping a big smile on their faces.”

Cat Morrison is heavily involved in the development of junior triathlon in Scotland and will be at the Broxburn event today, close to her home. She is one of the favorites at the 2010 GE Edinburgh ITU Duathlon World Championship being held in Holyrood Park, 3-5 September this year, where she will race for gold in front of her home crowd.

British Triathlon today launches the second year of its exciting talent identification programme called trigold. The programme is looking to recruit existing high calibre athletes, who have the drive and determination to move into the modern and dynamic sport of triathlon and become world champion triathletes.

 
In the first year of trigold, Katie Ingram and Adam Bowden have both successfully made the transition into triathlon, with Katie winning bronze in her first ITU Triathlon European Cup race in May.

Katie encourages any athletes who make the grade to consider moving to triathlon commenting: “Making the decision to move sports is never easy and will require a lot of courage, determination and support. However, moving to triathlon, which is such a dynamic sport, was perfect for me and I’m sure it could be for many more athletes.  As an athlete I know how valuable a World Class support system is, and here at British Triathlon and with Barrie Wells’ support, everything is provided to ensure you have the best chance of success at World and Olympic level.”

The trigold programme is entirely funded by sports enthusiast and successful entrepreneur, Barrie Wells, who has also set-up the charity, the Wells Sports Foundation, to support sport at grassroots level. With the world class support of Barrie Wells and the British Triathlon support team, trigold is looking for both male and female runners aged between 18 and 30 years with a history of competitive swimming at club or county level to make the grade, and be keen to develop cycling skills for the highest level of competition.

The support that Barrie provides will enable British Triathlon to deliver a unique programme to the athletes so they can progress to the very pinnacle of the sport. Barrie Wells comments, “Watching Katie and Adam make the move to triathlon, and being a part of the success they have achieved, has been fantastic for me.  The trigold programme represents an amazing opportunity for athletes, giving them access to the sort of support and training that will hopefully see them go onto be as successful as our current trigold stars.”

Director of Performance at British Triathlon, Heather Williams believes trigold has real potential to deliver a gold medallist commenting:

“The chance to win gold in any sport is a unique opportunity and trigold has the potential to bring high quality athletes into a new sport and develop them into gold medallists. The race for gold won’t be easy and will require 100% commitment from the athletes, but with the support of a World Class Performance team here in Loughborough and the full financial support of Barrie Wells, they will have everything they need to be on top of the podium.“

If you think you have what it takes to become a triathlon World Champion, you are invited to apply for trigold at www.trigold.org before the 8th July. 

For an informal conversation about the scheme please contact Simon Mills at simonmills@britishtriathlon.org or via phone on 07860 695 187.
 

The 2XU Welsh Grand Prix Results have now been updated after the second event in the series, the Bala Middle Distance race held on Sunday 13th June.

These results can be found on the Welsh Triathlon website www.welshtriathlon.org under the 'Events' tab

25 Fundraising places still available for Dextro Energy Triathlon ITU World Championship London event in Hyde Park.

Britain’s most successful multi-sport athlete, Daley Thompson has signed up to act as team coach for the 25 fundraisers racing for the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation in the Dextro Energy Triathlon ITU World Championship London event in Hyde Park, on Saturday 24 and Sunday 25 July.

Demand for starting spots is high for the race which uniquely offers participants the chance to race at the Olympic triathlon venue.  Having recently become the Global Charity Partner of the International Triathlon Union, the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation is able to offer 25 places to fundraisers.

Backed by the Laureus World Sports Academy, a unique association of 46 of the greatest living sporting legends, the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation will be calling on its celebrated sports stars  to ensure that racing for the Laureus team is a once-in-a-lifetime experience for the 25 triathletes, whether ‘newbies’ or seasoned campaigners.

Double Olympic decathlon gold medallist and founding member of the Laureus World Sports Academy, Thompson enjoys watching triathlon and is looking forward to fulfilling his duties as team coach. He said: “I’m looking forward to helping the guys along as best I can, but I hope they’re not expecting any short-cuts. There are no magic exercises which I can give them to replace hard work - like everything in life, they will get out what they put in. That said, we’ll try to have some fun along the way!

“I have followed triathlon with interest over the past few years and really enjoyed watching the competitions in Melbourne at the Commonwealth Games and at the Beijing Olympics,” continued Thompson. “We’re two years away from the London Games and we stand a good chance to be amongst the medals in triathlon. We’ve got the current men’s world champion Alistair Brownlee and good strength in depth across both men and women. I’m really looking forward to the event in Hyde Park, and working with the Laureus team.”
 
As well as scripting training tips for the Laureus team’s race preparation, Thompson will be hosting a training day in Battersea in June for all team members and will be there on the race day itself for a pre-race briefing and to cheer along his charges.
 
Thompson, who last year presented a Laureus report entitled ‘Breaking the Cycle of Violence’ to the then Prime Minister Gordon Brown at 10 Downing Street, following a 367-mile awareness-raising cycle ride from Manchester to London, will be leaning on his fellow Laureus World Sports Academy members both to contribute to team preparations and to come along to support. Mark Spitz, winner of seven swimming gold medals at the Munich Olympics, Miguel Indurain, winner of five successive Tours de France, and Sebastian Coe, the double Olympic 1,500 metres gold medallist are all in his sights.

At the announcement of the partnership between Laureus and the ITU last month in Sydney, Laureus World Sports Academy Chairman Edwin Moses detailed how all funds raised by the Laureus triathletes and supporters would go to help the work of the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation in some of the 78 projects around the world that utilise sport as a means of helping young people tackle some of the many challenges facing them in their communities.

For the Hyde Park race, each member of the Laureus team will be asked to raise a minimum of £500. Local project beneficiaries will include the London Active Communities Project in Lambeth, which is committed to the use and promotion of sports, arts and cultural activities in order to improve youth citizenship, social inclusion and community cohesion.

Triathlon is one of the greatest challenges in sport, with competitors having to swim, cycle and run their way to the finishing line.  Triathletes range in ability from those operating at the very highest level of competition – the world champions - to the dedicated 'weekend runner' who is looking for an exciting challenge.  Sprint is the category for the average competitor – a 750 metre swim, a 20 kilometre cycle ride and a five kilometre run. While Olympic distance is for those with previous experience of triathlons and who train specifically for the event – a 1,500 metre swim, a 40 kilometre cycle ride and a ten kilometre run. 

Anyone keen to join Daley’s Laureus team fundraising effort should contact Campbell Gray at Laureus on 020 7514 2794 or Campbell.gray@laureus.com.
 

This weekend sees a small GE Great Britain Team of elite athletes travel to Slovakia to take part in the 2010 Myjava ETU Cross Triathlon European Championships.

The team will include Tom Curtis, Tim McDowell and Graham Wadsworth in the elite men’s race, which will take place on Saturday 19 June.

Following the elite races on Saturday, the age group event will take place on Sunday 20 June. British Triathlon will be sending a GE Great Britain Age Group Team including nine first time athletes, alongside reigning European Silver Cross Triathlon medallist, Stuart Lumb.

The GE Great Britain Age Group Team

Female
Sian Turner 25-29
Lucy Cash 30-34

Male
Andy Keyte 25-29
Paul McGreal 35-39
John Munro 35-39
Grant McKinlay 40-44
David Browning 45-49
Paul Milton 45-49
Derek Hardy 45-49
Stuart Lumb 65-69

Malcolm Westwood, GE Great Britain Age Group Team Manager is looking forward to the event commenting: "There is a small and dedicated GE Great Britain Age Group Team travelling to Slovakia this weekend for the ETU Cross Triathlon European Championships, and with nine first time athletes competing it will be a great experience for them. Alongside the new faces there is also the experienced Stuart Lumb, who has competed in all three ETU Cross Triathlon European Championships and won silver last year. 

"The difficult course for this year's event consists of a 1,000m swim in the water dam Stara Myjava, followed by a 25km mountain bike route in the White Carpathians. The race will finish with a 8km hilly run on climbing trails through the forest.”

Elsewhere this weekend, the second qualification event of the 2010 Budapest ITU Triathlon World Championships takes place at the Dambuster Triathlon on Saturday 19 June.

The event will see competitors complete a testing circuit at Rutland Water in Leicestershire with athletes completing a 1,500m swim, 42km bike and 10km run.

The swim is a straight 1,500m lap, which starts in front of the Harbour Bar and is a tremendous spectacle for competitors and spectators alike.

The bike will be undulating and a tough test for all the athletes taking part, offering very little flat in which to recover. The 10km run takes athletes around the lake and over the dam, with competitors being visible the entire way.

To find out more about the event and for full results, please visit
www.pacesetterevents.com

British Triathlon is pleased to announce that the bidding process for the 2011 British Triathlon Age Group Major Events Programme is now open.

Event organisers from all corners of England, Scotland and Wales are invited to submit a bid to host one of the eight prestigious British Championship events or one of three World or European age group qualification events.

Ian Braid, British Triathlon Director for Major and National Events commented: "British Triathlon wants to continue to raise the profile of our sport and the best showcase for this is through our major events.

“We want British Triathlon events to be distributed across Great Britain, giving even more people the opportunity to achieve their personal triathlon challenges. I would therefore like to see applications for our major events in 2011 from all parts of England, Scotland and Wales. We will be working with successful event organisers to build on the increasing interest in our fast moving, dynamic and modern sport and develop a sustainable infrastructure to meet the demand in this London Olympiad."

The bidding is open to all event organisers, both non-profit and commercial who feel their events are well-organised, safe, high quality competitions for triathletes. To submit a bid, event organisers are required to complete the template document, which can be found on the British Triathlon website.

The deadline for submission of bids is 5pm - 19 July 2010
 

The Bala Middle Distance event played host to the British Triathlon Middle Distance Championships for the second year in a row on Sunday 13 June 2010.

The event organised by WrecsamTri Club is renowned for its stunning location and challenging course.  The race is well supported by the local community and out of a possible field of 800; 628 age group athletes took part with competitors travelling from across the country.

Louise Collins of Ceepo TFN took first place in the 25-29 category and was first female home in a time of 4:21.42.  Louise has continued her run of strong performances having recently taken second place behind Catriona Morrison at the lronman Lanzarote 2010. 

James Gilfillian of Team Feat won the race in a time of 3:47:15 with an impressive 11-minute lead ahead of Martin Cain of Greater Manchester Fire Service. James Gilfillian takes the British Triathlon Championship title for the 30-34 age group category. 

Download the results

Are you about to embark on a big swim or race?  Are you wanting to improve your swim technique?  Are you training hard but not seeing the results? 

Swim Coaching for Adults

Tuesday evenings at Abberley Hall School.   6:30pm - 7:30pm   
Cost:  £7.50

ASA Level 2 Coaches and RLSS Lifeguards

Open to all swimmers over 18 years old.
Open to Non-Members
Must be able to swim at least 25 metres
Session operated in conjunction with Absolute Triathlon Club and Runaround Sports

Contact Oli or Kirk at Runaround Sports for details  01905  622288 

Vanessa Raw and Steve Worthington were victorious in the third race of the 2010 British Triathlon Super Series at the Nokia Windsor Triathlon, on Sunday 13 June 2010.

The exciting action unfolded under the steps and surrounding grounds of Windsor Castle, Eton and alongside the majestic River Thames with perfect weather providing optimum race conditions.

Despite tough competition throughout the elite women’s race it was Vanessa Raw’s impressive run that saw her pull away from the chasing field securing her victory in a time of 2:03.43.

Vanessa commented ‘It’s been a tough few months, so I’m delighted with my performance today. It was a beautiful course out there and a great race. I went slightly wrong on the swim and had a slow transition, but we all worked really hard together on the bike and it went well for me today.”

From the outset there was a tight group of six athletes alongside Vanessa including current GE Strathclyde Park Triathlon winner Jacqueline Slack, Emma Davis, Lucy Chittenden, Amy Wolf and Lois Rosindale, who all worked hard on the bike.

Lois Rosindale who won the Sprint race in 2008, produced a superb performance to cross the finish line in second place in 2:04.21. Astonishingly, this was only the second time that Lois had competed in a standard distance drafting race.  “I’m really happy” Lois said, “I had a great bike and was able to hang onto the pack and then pushed really hard on the run. I love this event and will definitely come back.”

Meanwhile Jacqueline Slack, who is currently holding first place in the British Triathlon Super Series, had a very solid performance finishing in third place throughout to finish in 2:05.32.  

In the men’s race, Mike Adams was first out of the swim and headed off onto the bike course with a 25-second lead over the first chasing pack, which included race favourites Marc Jenkins, Gavin Noble, Tom Bishop and Daniel Halksworth.
A second pack was made up of returning 2002 Champion Richard Allen, Steve Worthington, David Anderson and Tom Curtis, whose efforts to chase them down paid off,  leaving both groups together on the run.

Steve Worthington performed a perfect transition and headed off on the run in first place. With Marc Jenkins, Tom Bishop, Gavin Noble and Daniel Halksworth hot on his heels, Worthington produced a blistering run, eventually pulling away on the third lap to finish in a time of 1:53.31. Marc Jenkins and Gavin Noble finished within 50 seconds behind in second and third place in a time of 1:54.03 and 1:54.17 respectively.

Worthington commented: “I got lucky on the bike and it all came together, the conditions were pretty perfect. After two years away, it was fantastic to be back and even better to improve on my previous performance. With Marc behind me I knew I had to pull out all the stops.” 

For full race results and information on the Nokia Windsor Triathlon visit their Results Page. The event will be broadcast on Channel 4 (provisionally scheduled on 4th July at 8am).

Find out more about the British Triathlon Super Series at www.britishtriathlonsuperseries.com

Britain's Tim Don won the Hy-Vee ITU Triathlon Elite Cup in Des Moines yesterday, 13 June, breaking away from a quality field at the start of the run to win in 1:50:20. New Zealand's Kris Gemmell finished second, four seconds back, with Aussie Courtney Atkinson rounding out the podium, finishing another four seconds behind. Don claimed the top prize of $200,000 for the win, whilst Helen Jenkins was 3rd in the women’s event.

Don, who was World Champion in 2006, said: "This feels absolutely amazing, I felt great at the start of the run and just tried to hang on for the whole thing. I was really hurting to hold them off at the end."

Don exited the water as part of a group of almost 50 men, which quickly caught the fastest swimmers to form a pack of 55 during the first lap of the 40km bike course. They continued to ride together throughout the next three laps, but it was Don who was fastest through transition and on to the 10km run.

Despite having run a personal best of 28.56 at the Great Manchester 10k last month, Don had not been fancied for the win. He built a 20-second advantage over 2008 Olympic Champion, Jan Frodeno, after the first of four run laps, with Gemmell falling back into a chase pack that included countryman Bevan Docherty, Australian Brad Kahlefeldt and American Jarrod Shoemaker.

Onto the final lap, Don still held a 20-second lead over Frodeno. The chasers, including Britain’s Will Clarke, were able to catch Frodeno, who was losing time, but ran out of room before they could catch Don, and the Brit walked down the finishing chute with time to celebrate his win. Clarke, who had been as high as third during the run, finished an excellent sixth, his best result of the season so far.

"I knew the guys were closing hard, but when I saw I still had 20 seconds heading into that last lap, I thought I could do it," Don said.

Helen Jenkins finished third in the women’s race as Australian Olympic Champion, Emma Snowsill won her second Hy-Vee ITU Triathlon Elite Cup. Countrywoman Emma Moffatt was second, 16 seconds back. Jenkins was just behind Moffatt, the current World Champion, but awarded the same finishing time.

Jenkins was always in contention on the bike before forming part of a pack of six women that broke away from the first chase group to take the lead on the first lap of the run. Jodie Stimpson was also part of that group. Emma Snowsill in the end was too quick on the run.

Jenkins finished third for the second time in a week, having also made the podium at the Dextro Energy Triathlon ITU World Championship Madrid last weekend. Jodie Stimpson was seventh and Liz Blatchford recorded another solid top ten finish in ninth.

Results
Men
1. Tim Don (GBR) 1:50:20
2. Kris Gemmell (NZL) 1:50:23
3. Courtney Atkinson (AUS) 1:50:28
6. Will Clarke (GBR) 1:50:39
31. Stuart Hayes (GBR) 1:52:42
45. David McNamee (GBR) 1:54:22
57. Aaron Harris (GBR) 1:58:18

Women
1.  Emma Snowsill (AUS) 1:59:35
2.  Emma Moffatt (AUS) 1:59:51
3.  Helen Jenkins (GBR) 1:59:51
7. Jodie Stimpson (GBR) 2:00:25
9. Liz Blatchford (GBR) 2:01:29
35. Kirsty McWilliam (GBR) 2:07:18

Olympian Jodie Swallow won the first round of the ETU Premium European Cup Series in Pontevedra, Spain, today, 13 June.

Jodie Swallow started as one of the favourites as athletes dived into the Rio Lerez River. She and Abbie Thorrington made a successful breakaway in a small group of six athletes over the hilly bike course. Swallow was first out on to the run and maintained her lead over the 10km run to win in 2:01.15, over a minute clear of the second placed athlete, Radka Vodickova of the Czech Republic.

Abbie Thorrington finished 18th, and Harry Wiltshire was the best of the British men, finishing 15th. Meanwhile, Javier Gomez won the men’s race, nearly three minutes ahead of another Spaniard, Maria Mola, the World Junior Champion.

Racing at the French Grand Prix in Beauvais, Dunkerque, Jonathan Brownlee was a winner for the second time this year. His brother, Alistair, was 9th with the fastest run split of the day following reports of having a puncture on the bike. Hollie Avil was 4th in the women’s race.

ETU Premium European Cup Series, Pontevedra
Women:
1. Jodie Swallow GBR  02:01:15
2. Radka Vodickova CZE  02:02:31
3. Anja Knapp GER  02:02:47
18. Abbie Thorrington GBR  02:10:30 
Men:
15. Harry Wiltshire GBR  01:51:05
21. Adam Bowden GBR  01:51:40

French Grand Prix Series, Dunkerque
Men:
1. Jonathan Brownlee (GBR) 51:27
2. David Hauss (FRA) 51:47
3. Vincent Luis (FRA) 52:06
9. Alistair Brownlee (GBR) 53.09
13. Olly Freeman (GBR) 53.46
18.Karl Shaw (GBR) 53.57
Women:
4. Hollie Avil (GBR) 59:34
10. Non Stanford (GBR) 1:00.17
12. Kerry Lang (GBR) 1:00.27
15. Vicky Holland (GBR) 1:00.56

British Triathlon is delighted to congratulate Zara Hyde Peters on receiving the OBE and Chrissie Wellington, the MBE, from the Queen in her Birthday Honours list today, 12th June 2010.

Zara has contributed across a wealth of areas in British sport.  She was an elite athlete between 1992 and 1999, competing for Great Britain on the track and road. She joined the Board of UK Sport in 1998, chairing their Audit Committee and serving for the maximum six year period at a crucial time when British elite sport was transforming into the force it is today. In parallel, she added an MBA to her chemical engineering degree and opted to become senior employee and Board member at two British National Governing Bodies of sport, firstly UK Athletics and then joining British Triathlon early in 2008 as the Chief Executive. If the weekday job provided an insufficient exposure to sport, she is often found at weekends engaging in voluntary support to sport as a coach of young and age group athletes at her local athletics and triathlon club.

Her impact has been considerable, from looking after Dame Kelly Holmes during the incredible final days of the Athens Olympics to driving the performance of British Triathlon on a number of levels, to the degree that she was able to receive the Sports Governing Body of the Year Award on our behalf just a month ago.

She is innovative and businesslike; an initiator, stimulator and developer of partnerships, which has seen British Triathlon agree significant commercial partnerships with FTSE 100 companies and Olympic sponsors such as our Corporate Partner Corus and Elite Teams Sponsor GE, securing the financial future of our organisation through 2012 and beyond. She has led the ongoing development of the events portfolio to a successful relationship with Upsolut delivering a Dextro Energy ITU World Championship Series race into London Hyde Park. And it is noticeable that our great British athletes continue to win hoards of gold medals over the entire spectrum of multisport competition. Zara is a great role model and an outstanding sport leader.

Zara Hyde Peters OBE commented: “I am completely overwhelmed. This is a huge honour for me and for British Triathlon, where we have enjoyed an amazing last 18 months. Sport has always been my passion, my hobby and in recent years, my life. But I never thought that following my love for endurance sport would lead to this!”

The astonishing sporting career of Triple World Ironman Champion and former ITU Long Distance World Champion, Chrissie Wellington was today recognised by the Queen, as she was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire.
After studying geography at the University of Birmingham, Chrissie worked as an advisor in international development policy at DEFRA while discovering marathon running and triathlon, the latter through the well known Birmingham Running and Triathlon Club (BRAT). Proving the maxim that ‘you don’t know until you tri’, her career began as a member of the highly successful British Age Group Triathlon team.

Chrissie moved to Nepal to work in development in 2005, enjoying the chance to engage in extreme endurance opportunities, and returned to become the fastest female age grouper in the ITU Lausanne World Age Group Triathlon Championships in 2006, taking the courageous decision to turn elite the following year. Her astonishing debut at the World Ironman Champion in 2007 saw her crowned champion, the first ever British person to win this famous event in Kona, Hawaii. Showing the mettle of a true champion, she overcame many challenges to win it on two subsequent occasions, breaking the 17 year old course record in 2009.

In parallel with her current life as a sporting icon, Chrissie contributes to others through her development and charity work. She surprised some pundits by winning the popular Sunday Times Sportswoman of the Year award in 2009 ahead of contenders from other more high profile sports. It was only a hint of what was to come.

Chrissie said: "I am so delighted and incredibly proud to have been awarded the MBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours List. it came as a complete shock, and I still can’t quite believe that I have been bestowed with such an honour, but i am so incredibly thrilled. It is not only important for me personally, but it is wonderful that triathlon is being recognised and hopefully, in receiving the MBE, I can continue to help put triathlon in the spotlight, in the UK and around the world. I would also like to congratulate Zara for her OBE, wholly deserved and again, fantastic for the sport of triathlon."

Zara added: “Chrissie has had a fantastic 12 months in our fast moving, dynamic and modern sport. To be honoured with an MBE is the icing on the cake for an athlete who epitomises the values of triathlon and acknowledgment of both her own and the sports success.”

She is a wonderful role model and an inspired choice to join those honoured by Her Majesty. Congratulations to Chrissie Wellington MBE from British Triathlon, and all triathletes in our country and around the world. Long live the undisputed Queen of long distance triathlon! We hope this medal will be one of the most special in your burgeoning collection.

The British Middle Distance Triathlon Championships takes place this weekend on Sunday 13 June, with over 700 age group athletes aiming to take home the crown of national champion. 

The picturesque event will welcome competitors from all over the UK, providing one of the toughest races of the triathlon calendar.

The race starts with a 2km swim on the imposing Lyn Tegid. Athletes then complete an out and back 78.5km bike course traversing large parts of the Snowdonia National Park. Fast speeds can be achieved on the course, although as one competitor comments: “If you're going 45-50mph down a hill and have to turn round and come back up it, you know it's going to hurt!”

The 20km run follows the shoreline, before a brutal climb into the foothills of the Arans. With an undulating course, it will be difficult to create a rhythm although fast times are achievable for the more experienced athletes.

Full details of the race can be found on www.wrecsamtri.org.uk.
 

Helen Jenkins will look to maintain her strong momentum from the Dextro Energy ITU World Championships Madrid, when she competes at the fourth annual Hy-Vee ITU Triathlon Elite Cup in Des Moines, Iowa, on Sunday. The former World Champion finished 3rd last week and will look to capitalise on her good form in a race that will feature the current World Champion, Emma Moffat, Olympic Champion, Emma Snowsill, and the current world number one, Barbara Riveros Diaz.

Another former World Champion, Tim Don, will also race in Des Moines having recorded his best ever 10km of 28.56 at the Great Manchester 10km last month and some notable domestic wins this year. Liz Blatchford, who was 8th in Madrid last weekend, will look to build on her strong start to the season.

Britain’s Will Clarke, Stuart Hayes, David McNamee, Aaron Harris, Jodie Stimpson and Kirsty McWilliam will also be on the start line of the race, which boasts a $1million prize fund.

Alistair Brownlee will not race in Des Moines. Following his return from a stress fracture and remarkable win in Madrid last week, the reigning World Champion will instead compete in French Grand Prix.

Contested over the sprint distance, the Beauvais French Grand Prix is a highly competitive series that was won by the younger Brownlee brother, Jonathan, in the previous round. Jonathan Brownlee, Hollie Avil and Olly Freeman will also race in France.

Performance Director, Heather Williams, commented: “Hy-Vee has attracted an exceptionally strong field and presents a good test for our athletes. It’s a fantastic opportunity to test their tactical awareness in a race that features some of the most experienced athletes in the world.

“Following this event, our athletes will go into a period of intense training ahead of our key events in Hyde Park and Budapest.”

Jodie Swallow, Abbie Thorrington, Adam Bowden, Ritchie Nicholls, Phil Wolfe and Harry Wiltshire will contest the 2010 Pontevedra ITU Triathlon Premium European Cup in Spain in order to boost their world ranking points. Meanwhile, the Nokia Windsor Triathlon, the third race of the British Triathlon Super Series, takes place on Sunday.
 

Salford Junior Tri Club have just announced that they are organizing a junior triathlon on Sunday 8th August. For an entry form CLICK HERE

The provisional results are available from the link below. If you are aware of any issues with them, please e-mail the details to steven.jones@btinernet.com . The results will be finalised on 31st July and series winners announced. The winners will be the first three boys and girls in T1, T2, T3 and Youth categories who:

•    fulfill the membership requirement
•    reside within the NW and/or are a member of a NW club, or live outside the area and have already notified the children’s chair of their intention to compete in the NW series.

NW Junior Winter Series 2010

Please note that in accordance with Triathlon England guidelines the Tristar Start category does not form part of the regional series.

The second event of the 2010 British Triathlon Youth and Junior Super Series took place at the Blenheim Triathlon on June 6th. 105 youth and junior athletes successfully completed the course, with the youths racing over the super sprint distance, whilst the juniors competed alongside the elite, in the sprint race.

Maddy Winzer took gold in the youth women’s race, with Ellie Walton crossing the finish line in second place, allowing her to take the top spot in the series rankings. George Schwiening currently holds on to second, whilst Sophie Coldwell’s third place finish at Blenheim has moved her up to third in the series.

Gordon Benson won the youth men’s race at Blenheim, his first race in the series, placing him seventh overall in the rankings. Simon Cooper is currently leading the youth male rankings, having finished third at Blenheim.

Lucy Chittenden was the first junior women to cross the finish line at Blenheim, followed by Lucy Smith in second place. Both Chittenden and Smith sit top of the junior women’s rankings. Elinor Thorogood having finished third in Blenheim is currently in third place in the rankings.

Tom Bishop extended his lead in the junior men’s rankings, having won at Blenheim in addition to his win at the British Elite Duathlon Championships, Loughborough. Tom’s brother, David Bishop finished second at Blenheim taking him from seventh to second in the series rankings, alongside Rhys Davey.

The next stage of the series, the British Youth and Junior Aquathlon Championships, will take place on July 24th in Hyde Park, as part of the Dextro Energy Triathlon ITU World Championship Series. Further information regarding the Youth and Junior Super Series can be found at www.britishtriathlonsuperseries.com.

 

The GE Strathclyde Park Triathlon will be broadcast this Sunday 13 June on Channel 4 at 8.30am. 

The weekend’s programme is the first of five highlight programmes on the 2010 British Triathlon Super Series to be shown on Channel 4.

The 30-minute show highlights the impressive victories of Ritchie Nicholls and Jacqueline Slack in the 2010 GE Strathclyde ITU Triathlon European Cup elite race, part of the GE Strathclyde Park Triathlon event, which took place on 23 May. 

The third event of the 2010 British Triathlon Super Series takes place this weekend at the Nokia Windsor Triathlon. The event is one of the most prestigious events in the UK’s triathlon race calendar and reaches a major milestone this weekend with the 20th running of the event.

Strathclyde winner, Jacqueline Slack will be back in action and looking to replicate her form from the first two races of the Super Series.

Jacqueline commented: “It was a great experience to win the first Super Series event of the year at the GE Strathclyde Park Triathlon. I raced in Blenheim, finishing fifth and will be looking to keep the form going for Windsor. The race will come down to the run, and with a few of us running similar times, it will make an exciting race to watch.”

Jill Parker, who finished third overall in last year’s Super Series and Vanessa Raw, who returns to domestic racing having finished 31st in the Dextro Energy Triathlon ITU World Championship Madrid last weekend, will join Jacqueline on the start line.

In the men’s race, Marc Jenkins, Richard Stannard and Mark Threlfall will all be racing. Current leader of the British Triathlon Youth and Junior Super Series, Tom Bishop will compete, looking to continue the form that helped him to a podium position at last weekend’s Blenheim Triathlon.

For up-to-date start lists and results after the race please visit www.humanrace.co.uk.

Following the Nokia Windsor Triathlon, the Super Series’ penultimate event will be The London Triathlon, before the grand final at the GE Parc Bryn Back Triathlon in September.

All three events will be broadcast on Channel 4, with times announced shortly.

For more information on the event, please visit www.britishtriathlonsuperseries.com.