Tri Northumberland

Our Sprint Triathlon in September is nearly full. Entries are currently standing at 211 and with only 39 entries left you’ll need to be quick if you want to do this one.

The event follows on from our Couple Challenge Middle distance event at the same venue which was a huge success. If we get as much support from the local community with this one it will be absolutely fantastic!

See you at Newbiggin.

N. Tri Northumberland

24 July 2010

1.9 km swim - - - 86 km bike - - - 20 km run

Saturday lunchtime saw the start of a new era of racing with Newbiggin-by-the-sea hosting the inaugural Couples Challenge Middle Distance Triathlon, the first half iron distance race to be held in Northumberland.

On what was a perfect day for racing in a picture perfect coastal town, Ebb and Flo, the sculptured ‘Couple’ standing on the recently built breakwater that protects the bay, proudly watched over the athletes in the 1.9 km swim beneath their feet in the relatively warm North Sea.

Competitors from all corners of the country lined up for the beach start at noon and on the sound of the claxon it was a 20m dash into the water with Alan Copland of Blackhawk Bikes making a strong start quickly gaining a gap on David Barker (Tri Northumberland) and Del Pitcher (Police Sport UK) battling it out for 2nd and 3rd to the first buoy.

Copland exited the water in 24:20 almost 2:30 up on Pitcher and Barker with the main pack a further 2 minutes back that included top local veterans Ian Simon (Alnwick Tri), Michael Little (Tyne Tri) and Mick Golightly (Total Racing Int).

Helen Jones (Alnwick Tri) headed the women’s field out of the sea in 28:47 with a two minute advantage over Angela Wylie (One Life Racing) with Diane Chaney (Ryton Tri) not far behind in 3rd place.

A mile or two out through from the town the flat and fast two lap bike course took the competitors up through the beautiful Northumberland coastal route to the turn around at Amble. A slight tailwind on the way out made for a more difficult second half allowing no rest for the legs. A feed station at the end of the lap providing High Five 4:1 drinks, gels and bananas gave a little relief before a couple of false flats finished off the loop.

Only 16 seconds separated Copland and Barker’s bike splits over the 86 km leg with both extending their lead from the swim. Pitcher was caught from the chasing pack which entered T2 over 7 minutes back.

Jones maintained her position from the swim leg in the women’s race but Helen Trees put in a superb effort on the bike to gain back 4 minutes and move into 2nd place before the run. Angela Kidd (Edinburgh RC) also gained position and moved up to 3rd place overall.

The tough part of the race was about to start with the 4 lap run course along the promenade and back with an extended loop at each end including ramped long hills, steep down hills and steps not to mention the many hundreds of cheering spectators and supporters that lined the course.

Quickly out of T2 local favourite Barker set off in hot pursuit of Copland who was competing in his first middle distance race hoping to slowly eat in to the 2:46 minute lead he had. Ian Simon led the chase pack a further 4: 47 back and was hoping his running form would get him in the mix. By lap 3 Barker had closed the deficit to Copland dramatically to well under a minute and the race was on to take top spot.

Meanwhile in the women’s race it was Tree’s leading the charge out of T2 and looking strong to take the win overtaking Jones and ahead of Kidd. And that is how the podium would remain. Anita Jones (Brighton Phoenix Tri) put in a tremendous effort on the run with the women’s fastest run split and missed out on the podium by only 47 seconds.

The men’s race was really hotting up with Copland, Barker and Simon well clear of the pack and with the 3rd lap coming to an end the gaps seemed to remain unchanged. However, drama was about to unfold as Simon found his legs and somehow found another gear to put in an amazing effort on his last lap as Barker, who beginning to fade after being unable to make up the deficit on Copland, had a battle on his hands to hang on to 2nd. Passing the finish line for the penultimate time and half a lap to go and with everyone’s quads screaming in agony, Simon piled on the pressure and had Barker in his sights within 250m. With Copland home to take the win and the trophy Barker managed one last effort over the final 400m to claim 2nd place only 9 seconds ahead of Simon in 3rd rounding off the podium.

Already looking forward to next year’s race.

Tri Northumberland

Results

Overall Men

1) Alan Copeland – Blackhawkbikes.com – 03:59:49

2) David Barker – Tri Northumberland – 04:01:42

3) Ian Simon – Alnwick Tri – 04:01:51

Overall Women

1) Helen Trees – Unattached – 04:40:22

2) Helen Jones – Alnwick Tri – 04.43.24

3) Angela Kidd – 04.46.58

Full results here –

http://trinorthumberland.sweat365.com/the-couples-challenge/

Saturday 24th of July saw, in perfect weather conditions for racing, 130 top class triathlon competitors compete for the Couple Challenge at Newbiggin by the Sea. This Half Ironman event of a 1900 metre swim, 90 kilometre bike ride and 21 kilometre run featured both male and female competitors which resulted in Alan Copland of Blackhawkbikes.com winning, in 03:59:49, the new Couple Challenge Trophy which had been donated by Inspire Northumberland especially for this event. The trophy featured a miniature version of Ebb and Flo, the two figures which stand proudly in the Bay. Second overall was our very own David Barker of Tri Northumberland finishing in 04:01:42.

Alan Copland – Winner 2010

Final finisher – Mike Jones

Heralded as a community event and working closely with the local community it was estimated that over 1,000 spectators watched and cheered as the competitors swam, biked and ran a course which had been set out by the organising team, advertising the beauty of the region. While the swim was restricted to the bay the bike ride took the competitors as far as Amble but the final run was all conducted on the promenade much to the delight of the competitors who were motivated to complete the gruelling race by the crowds all along the prom and especially the finish line around the race headquarters at the Old Ship Inn who provided a very warm welcome for everyone supplying lots of lovely food and drink all day.

Competitors came from all over the UK (Sussex, Essex, Kent, Avon, Notts, Herts, Yorks, Lancs, Lothian, Lanarkshire and amazingly, Abu Dhabi, UAE, to compete showing that this corner of the UK can produce high class events that attract not only for the competition and organisation but also for the friendly reception given to those who participated in this event. Richard Lee from Billericay commented that this was the most family friendly event they had attended and would definitely return next year.

As part of a two day event which featured fun events for children organised by Make-a-Move, Blyth Valley Leisure on Friday afternoon and an Open Water Swim Event for youths and adults on the Friday evening the proceedings on the Saturday closed with a social event and presentation of trophies at the Old Ship. Helen Trees was first home in the ladies section in 04:40:22 and fastest Veteran was Alnwicks Ian Simon only 2 minutes and 2 seconds behind the winner.

With over 40 enthusiastic volunteers organising the event as race officials, marshals, stewards and with a wide range of partners contributing to the event, Newbiggin by the Sea is becoming a major centre for Triathlon in the Northeast, not only as a sporting event but as a day out for the many spectators who cheered the racing competitors to the finish line.

While the event was definitely a sporting highlight with the youngest competitor being Matthew Campell of NE31 Tri at 21 and the eldest Keith Walker, of tri sport Epping at 62, we have a new annual event in Newbiggin which attracts a wide spectrum of society giving pleasure to the many who turned up on the day, enjoying the spectacle of sport which could become the Great North Triathlon of the future.

Tri Northumberland Team

It’s a Training & Coaching night tonight at Newbiggin by the Sea. 

For coached sessions and if you are just training, please arrive in good time to register and be prepared to swim 6.30pm.  

Remember, you MUST register before you get in the water and you must adhere to the club rules for open water swimming. You’ll need to buddy up, Swim on a set course, and be out on time. we’ll do a briefing prior to lake entry and it will be all there for you to see at registration.

It is important that we do this to ensure your safety, to satisfy BTF regulations.

Thanks

N Tri Northumberland

This is the Final update for the ‘Couple’ Swim Challenge and the ‘Couple’ Challenge Triathlon and contains important information.
The water temperature has been rising up at the bay, encouraging 2 OWS training sessions during the week. It’s looking good for the Swim on the Friday evening and the Triathlon on the Saturday.

Swim (Friday 23 July)

Swim Challenge Schedule
.
Registration open from 17:00 to 18:15
Race briefing 18:15
Race start 18:30
Results & awards inside race HQ from 19:45
Food and drink available inside the hotel.

The Old Ship Hotel
63 Front Street, Newbiggin by the Sea.
NE64 6NJ Tel. 01670 817231
http://www.theoldshipnewbigginbythesea.org.uk

Parental consent forms required for under 17’s and are available for download and
completion from the event website: http://www.wansbecksport.org/file_download/117/ParentalConsentForm.pdf

The event briefing will take place at 18:15 on the promenade adjacent to the race
HQ. Attendance at the event briefing is mandatory for all competitors as we will advise on any last minute changes to the swim course due to any adverse weather conditions. You are strongly recommended to familiarise yourself with the race pack instructions and route.
The swim event will be conducted under BTF rules and Wetsuits will be mandatory.
Water temperatures are rising. Why not check out current water temperatures which we record weekly: http://trinorthumberland.sweat365.com/2010/06/18/watertemperatures/

Triathlon (Saturday 24 July)

Triathlon Schedule

Registration open from 17:00 to 18:15 Friday evening and from 10:00 to 11:30 on Saturday
Transition opens for bike racking 10:00
Transition closes 11:30
Race briefing 11:30
Race start 12:00
Results & awards 19:00
Party 19:00 till late
Food and drink available inside the hotel all day.

Additional Info.

Bike feed - Available near the end of lap 1. There will be bananas and high5 4:1 energy drink in a 750ml bottle available, and for those who prefer their own product, there will be water-only bottles.
Run feed - Available adjacent to the finish gantry, there will be water, high5 energy source and high5 gels on offer.
Rubbish - Please use the disposal areas at each feed station to discard any rubbish where the event crew will gladly collect; please do not discard rubbish on any other part of the course.
Goody bag - These will be available in the finish area. We have discovered a supply issue with the compression tights, Start Fitness don’t have enough in stock for everyone, they were due a shipment last week but are now due into port first week of August. Going over to the warehouse tomorrow to do a stock check and take whatever sizes they have. We’ll discuss options with Start Fitness, rest assured, if you don’t get compression tights you will get something of at least equal value and memorable of the event - we hope this is ok and you can understand given the situation we’re trying to make this right.

Children’s events

Make-a-move (Northumberland County Council) are organising lots of events for all the family and the first 100 kids to register get a free t-shirt (printed)
Please contact Tom Lavender at Northumberland County Council for further details. Tom.Lavender@northumberland.gov.uk

Finally, wish you a good weeks training and a safe journey and look forward to meeting you all next weekend.

Gary, Neil, Barry and the Tri Northumberland Event Crew.

Coming up rapidly at Newbiggin is the Couple Swim Challenge (Friday 23 July) and the Couple Challenge our Middle Distance Triathlon (Saturday 24 July) These are going to be a great as both events are going to be wrapped up in the ‘Festival of Sport’ weekend at Newbiggin by the Sea, promoted by Northumberland County Council and are expected to be heavily supported by the local community.

We still need about 8-10 people to help out at the Triathlon on Saturday. It will start at around 12 Noon and bike marshalls are going to be needed from the start till about 4.30pm. Run marhsals are needed a little later from 2pm to 7pm. If you can help out, please can you let us know as quickly as you can and also if you have a preference for bike or run. It doesn’t matter what level of experience you’ve had, we’ll find something for you to help out with. There’s no pressure and we want everyone who helps to enjoy the day.

Once we sort out who’s doing what, we’ll speak to you all again and issue clear concise information relating to the event and duties. If you have a mobile, can you provide your number also as we need to check and update our list of contact numbers for the day of the event.

If you want to discuss this with me prior to responding, you can contact me (Neil) by email at  trinorthumberland@googlemail.com.

There will be entertainment on and around the promenade while the bike section is in progress and we are organising a ‘Party’ at the end in the Old Ship Inn which is right next to the finish line just off the promenade. This is for Marshals as well as Competitors so if you like, stay for a while after the event or even make a full night of it. It’ll be good to see you all for a few drinks and a bit of food. There’ll be music a great atmosphere and some good craic.   

Thanks and hopefully, I’ll speak to you all soon.

Neil - Tri Northumberland

A few of us are meeting up at Newbiggin on Saturday (17 July) to do a informal, untimed, impromptu aquathlon! As you have probably gathered it’s not been planned and we just thought we would get a good swim in and run one lap of the Couple challenge run route.  

Come along if you like. We are meeting at 4.30pm in Church Point car park and will be in the water at 4.45pm.

N. Tri Northumberland.

A great turnout last night with 35 of us turning up for the sea swim training session. The wind was making the sea look very `challenging` .

We decided to swim around the bay, keeping close to the shore line as the wind and waves were making it difficult to get into a rhythm.Swimming up the bay was great, but hard work, we stopped a few times to re-group and give a few coaching points out,  

Neil jeffers decided not swim as he thought a few people may want to get out early and he wanted to be on hand for keys etc….How wrong he was ( later he was to tell me that he was gutted that he did not swim), everyone stopped in, I could not believe how everyone was enjoying the session.

How warm was the sea ?  It seemed to have warmed up even since last week.

swimming back to church point was great fun, the waves and wind blowing us back in record time…

`Fun`,`Great`, `fantastic`,`Freedom`,`a laugh`,`amazing`,`having this much fun reminds me of being a child again`…just some of the comments from last night, just hearing them comments make you realise that what we do is worth it.

Ps- as usual - i needed a pint to recover from the ordeal….and of course to make up it up to Neil for him not swimming, I bought him a pint !  If you would like to join us for an after swim drink, we go to the old ship for a bit craic.

B.Tri-Northumberland

For those interested in the water temperatures for open water swimming, we will be taking the temperature at least once per week at the Lake and the Sea. This will help us in planning out training and events for future years and of course make sure we stay within the BTF rules.We will publish all the results for all to see. we will take the average reading from 3 readings, from 3 different areas of the lake and sea.

QE2 Lake, woodhorn, NE63 9AT.

6th May @ 1200hrs – 12.5 deg C - Looking good!

13th May @1800hrs -12.7 deg C - but the wind made it feel colder when u got out !

18th may @0815hrs -13.4 deg C - what a day , the sun is out and it is a lovely morning.Levi  is swimming in the lake, lucky him, but i had a plodge !

25th may @ 1900hrs - 15.9 deg C-The hot weather has turned the temp up. 

27th may @ 1815hrs - 15.9 deg c - warmer in the lake than on the side.

31st May @ 1215hrs - 16.2 deg C - A lovely sunny bank holiday day.

3rd June @1800hrs - 18.2 deg C - it is nearly tri suit temperature  !

5th June  @ 0815hrs - 18.1 deg C - The Sun is just creeping out.

6th June @ 0700hrs - 17.6 deg C - race perfect..let`s go !

10th June @ 1815hrs - 15.4 deg C - it  has been a bit cooler today.

17th June @ 1840hrs - 19.2 deg C - nearly tri suit temperature !

24th June @1820hrs - 19.6deg C - lovely.

Sea Temperature,Newbiggin by the Sea NE64 6DU.

6th May @ 1300hrs – 9.1 deg C - A bit chilly yet!!

13th May @ 1740hrs - 9.1 deg C - not a chance am i swimming in that !

18th May @ 1400hrs - 9.5 deg C - still numb from my knees down, but what a Lovely sunny day + no wind. 

25th May @ 1835hrs - 9.7 deg C - it will be lovely come July.

31st May @ 1245hrs - 10.2 deg C- the prolonged period of hot weather is heating it up.a lovely sunny day, the beach is packed and i can smell them fish n chips ….mmm!

5th june @ 0845hrs - 10.8 deg C - getting warmer, but not quite at the right temperature yet.

10th June @ 1740hrs - 10.5 deg C - still plenty of time !

17th June @ 1500hrs - 11.4 deg C - I`m up to me waist !

24th June @ 1800hrs - 12.3 deg C - Exciting.

8th July @ 1845hrs - 13.6 deg C - warmer than all of last year, first sea swim of the year,felt cold on the face and hands,but after we had done a good warm up it was just right.Nice to be back into the sea.

15th July @ 1835hrs - 13.9 deg c - still rising.

B. Tri Northumberland

These are your Tri Northumberland Event Organisers

From left to right Gary Wright, Barry Taylor and Neil Jefferson.

We hope you all enjoy the next few events coming up in Newbiggin By the Sea.

We were back at Newbiggin last night for our first open water coaching and training in the Sea. Over 50 turned out to brave the North Sea, although conditions were pretty good.

Water temperature was 13.6 deg C but it did feel colder…..probably because the previous week was in a lake with temperature touching 20 deg C…..big difference!

It was reported that there were alot of jelly fish further up the coast but there weren’t that many floating about last night.  For those of you with concerns about that please feel reassured by viewing the site below.  http://www.jellyfishfacts.net/do-moon-jellyfish-sting.html

N Tri Northumberland

Yet another fabulous result for Tri Northumberland’s Davy Barker last weekend in Athlone. 

Just back from a fantastic trip to Ireland this week where I competed in my first big championship race for Team GB!

I must say the people in Athlone were some of the friendliest people on the planet and made us feel very welcome. I hooked up with a few friends from around the region and looked forward to watching the Elite races on Saturday and Sunday as well as the European Age Group Sprint race and with myself racing early doors Sunday morning I didn’t sink a Guinness until Sunday afternoon.

Arriving Thursday evening I did not have time to unpack before I was out getting registered and finding my way around town. I caught the end of the European Relay event but it was pretty quiet with the organisers still setting up ready for all the action ahead. Finding a nice Italian restaurant we sat down on a table next to Javier Gomez and his teammates to refuel from an epic road trip.

Up early for an Irish breakfast I got the bike ready for a course recce. I did an easy hour around town but couldn’t work out the direction of the standard distance course so I hooked up with the other GB athletes and headed out in a group of about 40 riders. Most of which turned around at the half way mark for the sprint course and I was left with one guy to do the rest.  Got 2 hours in the legs and the course looked F.A.S.T. Later on we managed a swim in Athone pool and I was feeling fresh.

After a dawn recce of the run course on Saturday I watched the European Age Group Sprint race where Emma Pearson of Alnwick and Marie Stansmoor of BikeTraks took gold with Weedy taking silver. Well done guys. Also a big well done to Charlotte Ellis of Cleveland who took gold in Paratri 6. Later on we watched the Elite females and cheered on all the Brits.

After an early night I awoke feeling up for it and headed down to transition where I’d racked the bike the night before. The forecast hadn’t been good and so it proved on the morning with very strong winds and rain were making an appearance. Not to worry, we’re used to that up in the Northeast. It was so windy the ITU actually banned disc wheels and it was mayhem in transition with people looking for wheels to lend. I was ok and just had to take my disc covers off – stress free.

The swim started at the pontoon and on the horn I swam hard for a good 200-300m to get a good position though the middle of the pack and hit the first buoy on the inside gaining a couple of places as people were swimming wide to avoid any melee. Swimming strong in my new Blue Seventy Helix I was at the tail of the lead group for the swim upstream but tired towards the end and lost 30 secs to the backend of the lead group and exited the water in 13th place in 21:37.

The run up to and out of transition was long and once on the bike I put my head down and hammered away against the wind and rain. Strangely my feet never got cold and after the turnaround it was super fast back towards town and managed the 4th fastest bike split of my age group in 56:56.

The run was a 4 and a half lap affair and I took off at a good pace and managed to get round up and down a couple of hills feeling quite good and kicked on into a good sprint finish to overtake a Belgian guy in the age group above in a 6th fastest time of 39:32.

A total time of 02:02:49 got me 7th in my Age Group and 30th Overall = very happy.

Fish and chips and Guinness whilst watching Alistair Brownlee blitz the run course topped the day off and made the trip worthwhile. Back to reality this week, more training and looking forward to the Couples Challenge in a few weeks, see you all there.

Davy - Tri Northumberland.

Results Link

http://www.triathlon.org/results/results/2010_athlone_etu_triathlon_european_championships/4882/

(Brilliant result Davy - all that hard work has certainly paid off….now get the beers in!) B.

Alex Sewell looking comfortable on the run in Nice this year.

Tri Northumberland extend thier warmest congratulations to Alex Sewell on completing this gruelling event in soaring temperatures last week in Nice. Great time 14:00:54! Well done.

Congratulations also go out to a good friend of ours - Karl McCracken who has been training solidy for this event all season. Great achievement Karl.  15:03:22 Well done.

N. tri Northumberland

Are you up for the Couple Swim Challenge ?

Following on from the success of the QE2 swim challenge, The Entries have been flying through the postbox for the -Couple Swim Challenge 2010 at Newbiggin bay.It is going to be the start of a fun weekend of activities, The Blyth Valley Arts and Leisure team will also be holding some children`s fun run events and activities on the same day….come on down and what a better way to prepare for your future open water swims in 2010… 

 No it’s not just for couples it’s for everybody….The swim and the Triathlon the next day take thier names from ’Couple’ which was the creation of sculpture Sean Henry and stands on the breakwater looking out to Sea in the bay, where the swim takes place. http://trinorthumberland.sweat365.com/2010/01/04/why-couple-challenge/

The Couple Swim Challenge is scheduled for Friday 23 July 2010 and is another exciting new event from Tri Northumberland for Northumberland and the NE Region. There are 2 open water swims at distances of 1500m and 3000m. Swims will operate in a similar format to Australian Open Water swims and will start at 6.30pm. The 1500m open water swim is set in the protected bay at Newbiggin-by-the Sea and will be overlooked by Couple. The 3000m swim will be 2 laps of the course. Minimum Competitor Age is 17 for the 1500m swim and 19 for the 3000m swim.

The ‘Couple’ Swim Challenge will be conducted under BTF rules and wetsuits will be mandatory.

Newbiggin has excellent viewing and loads of other facilities spectators and competitors alike. We have full safety craft cover in the sea which will provide for excellent support to all swimmers. 

We are now taking entries for this Swim. Click this link to download the entry form. Please complete and return to event organisers. http://www.wansbecksport.org/file_download/122/CoupleChallengeSwimEntryForm2010.pdf 

N. Tri Northumberland

Please get there in good time to be in the water at 6.30pm.

You MUST register before you get in the water and you must adhere to the club rules for open water swimming. You’ll need to buddy up, Swim on a set course, and be out on time. we’ll do a briefing prior to lake entry and it will be all there for you to see at registration.

It is important that we do this to ensure your safety, to satisfy BTF regulations and the requirements of the lake owner.  

Thanks

N Tri Northumberland

Neil Bowers pictured after his QE2 swim Challenge 2010 - 3k win.

B.Tri-Northumberland.

One of our younger members of Tri-Northumberland, Carly-May Webster, competed at the Blenheim Palace Triathlon earlier this month as part of the National grand prix Elite youth series.Carly-May`s race report is below.

The day of the race, Sunday the 6^th of June, started bright and early at 5.30am. We arrived at the venue at 7.am after travelling from the travel lodge where we had stayed over night.  After registering at 7.15 (finally as my race number had been mixed up accidentally) and checking out transition in Blenheim Palace’s courtyard, I couldn’t help but notice my lovely old aluminium bike sitting amongst all the costly carbon frames lining the racks. After a quick warm up I climbed into the lake with the other competitors for the elite youth race.

We started on a Claxton at 8.55. I came out of the 400m swim 17^th with a pb of 5.05secs and I was very surprised by the quality of swimming. We ran uphill for 400m to transition. The Bike course was challenging with lots of ups and downs, it felt like there was a head wind all the way round the 13k circuit through the palace estate. It was a good job I paired up with the Welsh champion (Tri-Star 3 2009), Megan Withers. We tried frantically to catch up with the group ahead of us containing the Scottish Champion Kate Johnston, but we couldn’t quite get there as there were five girls working together. I was happy with my run because I managed to hang onto Megan for the first 2km of the 3k race and I clawed back 3 places overtaking Kate who had beaten me in previous races and finishing in 13^th.  This position leaves me 10^th in the national rankings with three events to go (London, Hyde Park and Bryn Park) – not much travelling there then !.

I am pleased with my overall position which was exactly in the middle because I am in the younger year group of the youth category and I hope to do even better next year although there was a massive gap between the rest of us and the top 3 girls. The race  was won by Maddie Winzer from Yorkshire. Blenheim Palace was the biggest event I have been to, it even had specially constructed bridges which all the runners used to cross over the cycle course!! After I collected my finishing medal, we stayed to watch Jodie Stimpson win the women’s super series race; the live commentary was very exciting. As we were leaving, thousands of competitors passed us heading towards the transition area to start setting up for their races, it was such a big event!

I am really pleased with my progress, Tri Northumberland has really helped me to improve my swimming time and help me get used to open water. I know that after getting out 17^th after the swim I will have to improve, I think that going to the open water session at the QE2 lake once a week will help my performances.

Carly-May Webster, Tri-Northumberland.

Well done to Carly-May, A great performance…just wait till next year!

good luck and best wishes to Alex Sewell who is now in Nice getting ready for the IM France this Sunday, We will be thinking of you Alex, enjoy the day.

another friend of ours - Karl Mckracken, who has helped us over the last year is also doing IM France, best wishes Karl and good luck.

B.Tri Northumberland

Just a reminder that training at the lake is on tonight (Thursday).

There is NO coaching this week. It’s just a training session.

Please get there in good time to be in the water at 6.30pm.

You MUST register before you get in the water and you must adhere to the club rules for open water swimming. You’ll need to buddy up, Swim on a set course, and be out on time. we’ll do a briefing prior to lake entry and it will be all there for you to see at registration.

It is important that we do this to ensure your safety, to satisfy BTF regulations and the requirements of the lake owner.  

Thanks

N Tri Northumberland

Tri Northumberland are proud to announce that thier QE2 Sprint Triathlon event has achieved the One Star Award as part of British Triathlon’s Event Qualitymark.

British Triathlon have recently announced the introduction of their “Event Qualitymark” scheme. This is part of thier drive to increase the standard of events around the country and to provide a quality assurance standard for both events and organisers.

Tri Northumberland’s QE2 event was one of eight events selected across the country to pilot the scheme and we came through ’Tri’umphantly. We now have an event in the QE Sprint Triathlon at the ‘One Star Award’ standard and now have the opportunity to progress through the next two levels in the three-tiered programme.  

By moving forward and satisfying the requirements of level two and three, the QE2 country park in Woodhorn, Ashington, Northumberland is destined to become the venue for ‘High Profile’ triathlon events…..That’s where we are headed..

N Tri Northumberland 

Well done to all - a lot of hard work, time and effort…..and of course Fun !

B.Tri Northumberland 

It’s been busy for us over the last few weeks to say the least!….We’ve had the QE2 Sprint Triathlon, which was over subscribed and the Northumberland Open Water Swim, another new event which went really, really well, Chocca block coaching and training sessions at the QE2 lake and………….Coming up rapidly at Newbiggin is the Couple Swim Challenge (Friday 23 July) and the Couple Challenge our Middle Distance Triathlon (Saturday 24 July)

These are going to be a great as both events are going to be wrapped up in the ‘Festival of Sport’ weekend at Newbiggin by the Sea, promoted by Northumberland County Council and are expected to be heavily supported by the local community.

We need about 10 people to help on the Friday night with the swim, from about 5.30pm till 8.30pm and alot more for the Triathlon on Saturday. The Triathlon is going to start at around 12pm and as it’s a middle distance event we think its going to be fully complete at around 7pm. We expect that the swim will finish at around 12.45pm, the bike section complete around 4.30pm and the run by 7pm. although competitors will be finishing from around 4pm onwards.

Our event organisation is becoming slicker, our reputation for promoting quality events is growing and as such experienced marshals are invaluable. If you can help, as always, it will be appreciated. Please can you let us know, as quickly as you can, if you are interesting in helping out and if you have a preference for bike, swim, transition or run, please tell us that as well. We’ll be trying to rotate people as best we can so you get to see more and to keep it interesting and as always, it doesn’t matter what level of experience you’ve had, we’ll find something for you to help out with. There’s no pressure and we want everyone who helps to enjoy the day.

Once we sort out who’s doing what, we’ll speak to you all again and issue clear concise information relating to the event and duties. If you have a mobile, can you provide your number also as we need to check and update our list of contact numbers for the day of the event. If you want to discuss this with me prior to responding, you can contact me (Neil) on 07919217701, leave a comment below, email me on trinorthumberland@googlemail.com or if you swim at the pool sessions at Elswick or OWS at the QE2, you can catch me there.

There will be entertainment on and around the promenade while the bike section is in progress and we are organising a ‘Party’ at the end of the Saturday event in the Old Ship Inn which is right next to the finish line just off the promenade. This is for Marshals as well as Competitors so we’d like you to stay for a while after the event or even make a full night of it. It’ll be good to see you all for a few drinks and a bit of food. There’ll be music a great atmosphere and some good craic. Can you let us know if you want to come along to or stay for the party as we have a choice of function rooms depending on numbers and we need to finalise that.

Thanks and hopefully, I’ll speak to you all soon.

Neil - Tri Northumberland

Northumberland Swim Challenge - 19 June 2010

All competitors should be congratulated on completing what proved to be a tough swim on a  grey and windy day. The weather was against us (unusual for a British summer!) but the water temperature of over 18 deg. C helped to offset that and made the swim relatively pleasant! There were, however, some amazing times and the competition was incredibly close.

Firstly, we must give a special mention to Neil Bowers (MVsport.co.uk) whose Open Water swim coaching has been enjoyed by many of the competitors over the past few seasons. Neil not only won the 3000m event in 36 minutes 15 seconds, but did so at an average speed that was faster than the winner of the 1500m event! …………. We are all booking onto your coaching course immediately! ……………. Well done Neil. You were Awesome! 

In the Male category, the 1500m event was won by 16 year old Matthew Bell, who posted a fantastic time of 18 minutes 54 seconds in his first ever OWS race - with more experience and improved navigation, he’s going to be a force to be reckoned with. Excellent result Matthew - mum was well chuffed at the finish! Only 3 seconds separated the 2nd and 3rd males Mark Duffy and Liam Bosomworth and in the 3000m event there was just 23 seconds separating 2nd and 3rd, Michael Downes and Anthony Greener.

The female category was also hotly contested. There was 45 seconds covering the 4 top places on the 3000m event and 30 seconds covering top 4 females in the 1500m event. Great racing!

Sunderland ASC brought a very strong team and it was Alexandra Robinson who came out top, covering the 1500m in 19 minutes 36 seconds, with Danielle Huskinson only 4 seconds behind.  British Triathlon’s own Georgie Rutherford (and current half-Ironman Age Group World Champion :o) followed 19 seconds later taking 3rd place and spoiling an Sunderland ASC top 3 placing.

The 3000m event was also incredibly close but it was NE31’s Lisa Tweddle who came out first, in an excellent 43 minutes 2 seconds, followed 9 seconds later followed by Sarah Murray and Alison Nitsch a further 28 seconds behind.

What a great day was had by all. For alot of people this was a first time open water swim event and they thoroughly enjoyed the occasion. They should all receive special congratulations for completing this challenge. Well done to you all.

Provisional results are available and will be uploaded onto the event website very soon http://trinorthumberland.sweat365.com/northumberland-swim-challenge-19-june-2010/. 

 The entries have come in thick and fast - 115 entries for tomorrow`s challenge swim.

Competitor Race Pack available now. Click link below. http://www.wansbecksport.org/file_download/120/NorthumberlandOWSChallengeRaceInfo2010.pdf

 This is an exciting new event for Northumberland and the NE region. It is set to be an excellent challenge, with 2 distances, a 1500m and 3000m swim. The swim will operate in a similar format as an Australian open water swim with wave 1 starting 3pm on Saturday 19th June 2010.

Event registration will be from 1330hrs in the function room of the lakeside Hotel, right in front of the Start and finish area.

The event is an ideal warm up for the Great North Swim. There is great viewing for spectators all around the lake which will provide excellent support for all swimmers.

The 2 lap 1500m open water swim is set in QE2 country parks (NE63 9AT) our local area’s warm shallow water sporting lake (ideal for beginners Minimum Competitor Age 17). 

The 3000m swim will be 4 laps of the course. (Minimum Competitor Age 19) Wetsuits will be mandatory for both races. Be prepared to wear one.

In the weeks preceeding this, there will be coached sessions for all abilities by the regions leading open water swim specialists Neil Bowers (MV Sport) and Barry Jameson (Tri4U) with canoe cover and refreshments at the bar afterwards. Please register your interest on the entry form.

Northumberland Challenge Swim 19/06/2010. Please complete entry form and return to event organisers.  

PDF form available here       Word form available here

A fabulous result for Tri Northumberland’s Davy Barker at the weekend on the back of an impressive race at the QE2. He’s starting to fire on all cylinders and it’s only a matter of time before he hits top spot. Davy’s own account follows below…….. 

QE2 & Cleveland Standard Race Reports June 14th, 2010

Last week I raced our very own QE2 Sprint Triathlon which doubled up as the Northeast Regional Sprint Championships. After Alnwick I had a good 3 week block of training building back up my early season fitness which would hopefully bear some fruition at my local swim haunt of QE2 lake. My swimming had been showing great signs of improvement in the weeks leading up to this race and was looking make a good start in the swim to get onto the road as far up the field as possible. One of the keys to triathlon is a strong swim and if you can get an advantage on your rivals it is always going to be tough for them to catch you up on the bike and run legs.

Starting on the right as I had done last year I pushed hard from the start to get near the front but a flaw in my stroke makes me swim towards the right when doing so and this is what happened. Upon looking up I spotted a buoy and headed that way. Turns out it was the far right buoy and when I realised I looked left and there was they main pack, tight to the left bank heading the other way!

Out of the water in 22nd (8th last year) I came off the bike in 5th place and that’s where I finished. My run legs are still to be found in 2010 but one good sign is that I am finding them eventually and seem to be getting stronger and stronger the further I get.

I made the journey down the A1 to Ellerton Park Lake to race Cleveland Standard Triathlon on Sunday, my first Olympic Triathlon of the season.

A couple of easy days after QE2 and I was to begin my 3 week peak period of training to bring my fitness to it’s max ready to head to Athlone, Ireland to race in the European Age Group Championships for Team GB at the start of July. I completed Wednesdays 5×4 mins tough bike session with good wattage numbers (I failed to complete this set the week before Ashington Tri) but Thursdays 10×400 run session was hard work.

Looking to swim a lot better than at QE2 I started left of the field to make sure I didn’t swim off course and it worked perfectly. I swam hard, made a gap into 3rd place and with only one person on my feet getting a draft I swam by myself the whole way and had clear calm water for the first time ever. Only two swimmers were ahead of me and I held a gap of about 30 meters to 2nd position.

I flew through T1 and hit the bike in 2nd position and after an early ding-dong with a Leeds & Bradford Triathlete who came 2nd last year I found my bike legs to get clear and for the rest of the 25 miles I was alone again.

Into T2 in 2nd place with no-one to be seen behind me this was one of my best ever performances. Onto the run I again struggled to find my stride and with two uber-runners in Rob West and Gary Grounds somewhere behind me I needed to find my legs fast. I found them with about 4 km to go but Rob chased me down and pinched 2nd place by only 26 secs.

3rd Overall and 1st Senior prize made it a good days work. Next up is the Euro’s… hopefully I will find my running legs again by then as I know I have them lying around here somewhere… Davy

I`m so Jealous ….My 2 friends and colleagues are doing this :

The Event: In aid of Help for Heroes, Over 10 days from the 10th June – 20th June, Physical Education Instructors Chris Seals  and Chris Bawden will commence a gruelling   marathon expedition cycling from John o Groats to Lands End. As if that was not enough of an endurance test, on route they will stop to climb Mount Snowdon, Scafell and Ben Nevis!

I spoke to Chris B today as he was about to set off up Ben nevis, He was in good spirits despite having a old knee injury flare up a few weeks ago, they had done 130miles on the bike yesterday.today they had biked 50miles to the Ben Nevis visitors centre and are going to walk up the tourist route this afternoon. They will do another 30 miles tonight before nightfall.

Chris B will keep us updated of their progress. I will of course up date you all..or check out their website and follow and support them……
http://2bikes3peaks1200miles.co.uk/2_bikes_3_peaks_1200_miles/Welcome_in_aid_of_Help_for_Heroes.html

I hope the weather is kind to them, Keep going boys…it is for a good cause..

B.Tri-Northumberland.

Will You be part the Tri Northumberland triathlon scene this year ?

All You Have to do is enter.

We had a great event at the QE2 lake last weekend, but it’s back to normal this Thursday (10th June) when training resumes. It’s is a “Just training” night and everyone should turn up to register and be in the water at 6.30pm. See you all then.

Don’t forget. You MUST register before you get in the water and you must adhere to the club rules for open water swimming. You’ll need to buddy up, Swim on a set course, and be out on time. we’ll do a briefing prior to lake entry and it will be all there for you to see at registration.

It is important that we do this to ensure your safety, to satisfy BTF regulations and the requirements of the lake owner.

N. Tri-Northumberland

Tri Northumberland once again proved they know how to put on an event hosting the North East Regional Triathlon Championships for the first time at the fantastic QE2 Country Park.

This is a fantastic venue that almost seems purpose built for triathlon; 17°C temperature clear water with lots of space for mass starts, endless bank sides enabling spectators to view the whole swim, transition within 20m of exiting the water and to top it off closed roads straight outside transition providing a fast, safe and again perfect opportunity for supporters to cheer on everyone and whoever they came to support.

Also on show yesterday were the northeast’s up and coming Alistair Brownlee’s and Chrissie Wellington’s of the future with TriStar Start’s, 1, 2 and 3 covering ages 8 to 14 following the senior race.

The forecasted rain held off till the afternoon and the swim got underway on time in the senior’s race with a single clockwise 750m loop of half the lake and it was young Calum Johnson upstaging the top senior swimmers first into transition with a time of 10:28. He was closely followed by Tony Weed, Douglass Roberts, and Alan Copland, all of Blackhawk Bikes.

Quickly through transition and out onto the closed roads it was Tony Weed who took control of the bike leg and circumnavigated the 4 laps of the 20km course that provided a mix of conditions with a couple of short hills, fast sections, dead turns and a small but testing headwind when heading westward. Alan Copland closed the gap from transition to gain a slight advantage over teammate Roberts and into 2nd place. Fellow teammate and strong cyclist Nicky Mcgee raced himself into contention and up to 4th place with Tri Northumberland’s David Barker biking hard to round up the top 5 into T2.

Onto the 5km 2 lap run of the lake and it was Weed still holding 1st place only to have to retire due to an old calf injury. This allowed Alan Copeland to take the lead which didn’t last long as Douglass Roberts swept him aside with a blistering 19:06 run to become the Northeast Regional Sprint Champion followed by Copland and Mcgee to make it another Blackhawk Bikes 1-2-3.

There was another Roberts on show today, Douglass’s younger brother Fergus appeared from nowhere to overtake Barker on the run to take 4th place in his first ever triathlon. We hear that triathlon is not his first love but there is definitely a bright future ahead for this young fellow if this race is anything to go by!

In the senior women’s race it was Helen Waugh of Tyne Tri dominating the proceedings in all three disciplines to take the Sprint Championship in a time of 1:13:10. The race for 2nd and 3rd was a closely fought battle between Natalie Batey, Marie Stansmoor and Stephanie Dann with less than a minute and a half separating them. Batey held on to take 2nd with Stansmoor in 3rd.

The Tri Stars entered the water in 2 waves shortly after the end of the main race and they put on a show for the many spectators on the banks of the lake with many a senior wishing they had a stroke like some of these kids - amazing technique on show in the water.

Tri Star Start category was won by Matthew Egglestone followed by Tom Murphy in 2nd and Bethan Nitsch in 3rd place.

Tri Star 1 category was an extremely close fought race with Harry Staines taking 1st place by only 4 seconds from Rhianna Nitsch in 2nd and Elena Bluck only a further 3 seconds back in 3rd place, what a finish!

Tri Star 2 category was won by Anna Barnes followed by Fergus Robinson in 2nd and Finlay Robertson in 3rd place.

Tri Star 3 category was won by Greg Chambers followed by Jack Willis in 2nd and Jordan Hull in 3rd place.

The future is certainly bright in Northeast Triathlon.

Results (Abbreviated) Overall Men

1) Douglass Roberts - Blackhawkbikes.com - 01.06.28

2) Alan Copland - Blackhawkbikes.com - 01.07.35

3) Nicky Mcgee - Blackhawkbikes.com - 01.08.04

Overall Women

1) Helen Waugh - Tyne Tri - 01.13.10

2) Natalie Batey - Ryton Tri - 01.19.09

3) Melanie Stansmoor - 01.19.16

Full results available at - http://trinorthumberland.sweat365.com/qe2-sprint-triathlon/

and here http://www.sportstimingsolutions.co.uk/results.php

QE2 Sprint Triathlon results are here. http://www.tri247.com/results_8506.html

Full results (Provisional for Children) available here. http://trinorthumberland.sweat365.com/qe2-sprint-triathlon/

Race report will follow shortly.

N. Tri Northumberland

congratulations to all those who competed in the QE2 triathlon yesterday in what were perfect race conditions. It was gr8 to see so many spectators lining the closed road bike route and around the run / finish area.It was good to see so many competitors with a smile on their face when crossing the finish line.

your feedback has fantastic - thank you so much for all your kind comments.

more information on where to go for photos will be published shortly, after we have had a rest !!

B.Tri northumberland.

Well, Wot a day!

The event crew have worked really hard today to get the QE2 tri ready for you 2morrow,It was all hands to the pump and the venue looks gr8 for you.

A lot of competitors came down to register and have a swim around the course, the weather helped as it was hot and sunny, it was good to see so many competitors hanging around and just chilling around the park.

We the race organisers are finally having a Beer ! …..

We hope you enjoy the experience of the QE2 event , have a gr8 race.

see you tomorrow.

Barry,Gary and Neil - Tri Northumberland.

The event crew will be hard at work tomorrow ( saturday) at the event location putting the finishing touches to the QE2 triathlon.

Remember you can register between 1400hrs - 1600hrs and the swim course will be marked out for you, so your all welcome to bring your wetsuits for a splash in the lake.

We will be on hand to answer any last minute questions you may have.

please note: the Tyne Tunnel will be closed this weekend….Has no one informed them that we have a very important event planned !!!

B.Tri Northumberland.

The weekend is here !  and the first open water Triathlon in the NE region kicks off at QE2 lake, Woodhorn. The lake temperature has been climbing every week and it is almost tropical !  We are publishing water temperatures on our website, but it is currently standing at around 18 degrees.

All Tri Stars please register from 08:30 and remember, if you wish to park near to transition then you must arrive before 08:00 as the A189 closes at that time. if you arrive after 8.00am, dont worry, we have permission for you to park in the Woodhorn Museum car park and it is only a short walk around to transition. Details and address are in the race pack. The entrance is adjacent to the easterly turn point on the bike course.  Also, don’t forget your parental consent form, available from the event website and race licence if you have one. The race pack confirms your race distance and routes, there will be plenty of marshals on the day to help, so dont worry you wont have to remember everything! :o)
http://trinorthumberland.sweat365.com/qe2-sprint-triathlon/ 

Seniors can register from 6.30am on the day but Registration will also be available 14:00-16:00 on Saturday 5th June and we will be marking out the 750m swim course if you wish to get some practice in.  On the Sunday, please find your name and race number from the entry lists on the notice boards before approaching the registration desks. registration will be set out numerically by race number ranges. You need to know your race number when you arrive at the registration desk.

Finish area - For those of you new to triathlon as well as you experienced triathletes results will be available immediately after finishing. Just type in your race number to the keyboard in the finish area and view your time, splits and finishing position.

Please remember to hand in your timing chip otherwise the timing system organisation will charge you.

Reserves - you will be emailed later in the week, we suggest you plan for the event as if you are confirmed, and expect email later in the week to enter/ It’s on a first come, first served basis until slots taken.

For those travelling from the South and intending to use the Tyne Tunnel, please note it is CLOSED on the weekend of 5-6 June 2010, http://www.tynetunnel.info/

You may be interested to know that we have weekly swims every Thursday 18:00 - 20:00. Please note that there is no swimming in the lake at any other time without prior approval from lake owner.

Tri Northumberland are providing coached sessions alternative Thursday’s, next one 3rd June. Please register by email to trinorthumberland@googlemail.com.

Please also have a look at our open water swim on 19 June. More info at http://trinorthumberland.sweat365.com/northumberland-swim-challenge-19-june-2010/

Finally, Tri Northumberland wish you all the best for the race and look forward to seeing you at the weekend.

G. Tri Northumberland

Please get there in good time to be in the water at 6.30pm.

You MUST register before you get in the water and you must adhere to the club rules for open water swimming. You’ll need to buddy up, Swim on a set course, and be out on time. we’ll do a briefing prior to lake entry and it will be all there for you to see at registration.

It is important that we do this to ensure your safety, to satisfy BTF regulations and the requirements of the lake owner.  

Thanks

N Tri Northumberland

We had another great night at the QE2 lake yesterday evening. Beautiful weather encouraged over 100 people (alot were new to the QE2) to turn out for our second coaching and training night. The majority of people came along for coaching but we had a good group of people just training. The night was made even better with water temperatures soaring and currently at the 18 degrees C mark.

Next week (10th June) is a “Just training” night and everyone should turn up to register and be in the water at 6.30pm. See you all then.

Don’t forget. You MUST register before you get in the water and you must adhere to the club rules for open water swimming. You’ll need to buddy up, Swim on a set course, and be out on time. we’ll do a briefing prior to lake entry and it will be all there for you to see at registration.

It is important that we do this to ensure your safety, to satisfy BTF regulations and the requirements of the lake owner.  

N. Tri-Norrthumberland

OMG - how hot is it ……..Bring your shades + suncream  !

B.Tri Northumberland

We hooked up just outside Morpeth with our colleagues from Tyne Tri and had a great ride up to forrest burn gate. a few of the group are doing the Cyclone ride in a few weeks time, so they wanted to do part of the route.Graham had the maps, so we were in safe hands. It was good to have a bit Craic with the lads …..and i know Michael and Steven are going head to head next week at the QE2 triathlon, which also doubles as Tyne Tri`s club championship event….who will win ? ……watch this space….may the best man win.

B.Tri Northumberland.

Our new inflatable finish line arrived on Tuesday and we had a trial run putting it up this evening on the promenade at Newbiggin by the Sea. I timed it at 1 minute 12 seconds. It looks really good and the first outing will be at the QE2 Triathlon on 6 June. It’s going to save alot of back breaking work!! Our scaffold finish line gantry has gone to pastures new……….. It’s now bike racking!!  

This is gonna look gr8 at QE2 tri …..cannot wait.   

N - tri Northumberland

27 May 2010

Another great night at the QE2 lake on our “Just Training” night. Almost 60 people turned out on a night not quite as warm as the week before! It was quite chilly and we had a little bit of rain! On a positive note, the water temperature was much improved. Two readings were taken at 15.9 degrees and 16.1 degrees and it was noticably warmer. Everyone was pleasantly surprised and it was lovely to swim in. A few new faces arrived from NE31 Triathlon Club, and they were impressed! A training facility like this virtually on their door step. I think they’ll be regulars now…….See you next week guys!

A word of warning.

Thursday night Training and Coaching has been agreed with Northumberland County Council. We have gone through a rigorous process to ensure the use of the lake and we must not do anything to jeopordise the agreement. There are other lake users to consider and we must not swim outside the agreed days/times. Please respect this at all times. 

N Tri Northumberland 

20 May 2010

Wow…92 people turned out on the hottest day of the year for our first coaching and training session of the season. These are going to be popular and the QE2 lake is a superb venue.

Everyone enjoyed the evening’s exercise and will be back for more!!

Coaches Barry Jameson and Neil Bowers with a few keen swimmers.

If you do want to attend the coached sessions, you MUST register and get a confrimatory email to say you are booked into the sessions. There are limited places available so if you do turn up for a coached session without confirmation you may be disappointed.

N Tri-Northumberland

Neil and myself went up to Bonny Scotland at the weekend to race at the Strathclyde triathlon, which also happened to hosted the ETU Elite events after our age group events.The weather was fantastic, so hot and sunny all weekend ( what a difference it makes to race in great conditions).It was really good to see some old friends when we arrived at the event HQ.We always seem to know someone!

I would say well done Strathclyde, we really enjoyed your event  and watching the Elite event was Awesome, that must of taken some organisation.

So - i hear you ask who is the champion between Neil J and myself, we`ll i have will have to concede that one……Neil Definitely had more pints in the bar on Saturday night than me !  

am sooo pleased they had that water station on the run course !!!!

B.Tri Northumberland

Open water swimming starts on Thursday 13th May. Open water swim training will be on every Thursday from 1830hrs-2000hrs. We are also putting on coaching sessions.

Coached open water swim sessions @ QE2 for adults and children.These coaching sessions are being lead by Neil Bowers and Barry Jameson.The  dates for these are: 20th  May, 3rd June, 17th June & 1st July.

Open water swimming then switches to Newbiggin bay on Thursday 8th July, in preparation for the Couple challenge and the Newbiggin Sprint Tri.  

Coached open water sea swim sessions @ Newbiggin bay for Adults and Children. These coaching sessions are again being lead by Neil Bowers and Barry Jameson. Coaching dates@ Newbiggin: 8th July & 22nd July, 19th Aug, 9th Sept. 

Another solid result for Tri Northumberland’s Davy Barker at yesterday’s Alnwick Triathlon.

My 2^nd triathlon of 2010 in my build up to the European Triathlon Championships in Athlone, Ireland in July took place on Sunday as I headed up to Harry Potter country to race against some in-form competition.

Looking to maintain my target of top 5 in each Northeast race this year I was a bit nervous as to whether I could even get through the swim. I couldn’t manage the lake swim the previous Thursday night up at QEII and had to get out after 15 mins with rattling lungs from a cold hanging over me and a very cold head (Barry has now supplied the neoprene hat BTW!).

As it happened I swam really well with no ill effects. An unconventional swim system was in place whereby you have to duck under the lane ropes after each 100m until you get to the last lane and up to 500m for the swim leg. That sounds easy right? Wrong. My mind drifts when I swim and lost count half way through when passing a slower swimmer and I ended up doing 550m!

Well that was the plan of chasing the target on my brothers back out the window and had given up a lot of time in doing those extra 2 lengths. The target had gone but you should never give up so I pushed on till the end.

Alnwick provides an undulating course where you are either flying downhill or pushing uphill which makes finding your rhythm pretty difficult. Overall I felt pretty good despite missing a good block of training with the cold and ran well enough to get 5^th place. No prize but I can still take plenty of positives from the race.

As always Alnwick provided a very well organised and friendly race, well done to Alan Copland, Emma Pearson and all the other prize winners.

The racing comes thick and fast from now on and continues next weekend at Strathclyde Super Series with the boys Baz, Jeffers and Gazza. I will look to really enjoy this race and use it as a key training session in the lead up to the Euro’s.

Right, I’m off to do a few equations…

4 + 4 + 6 + 4 + 4 = 500m?

Davyb

This is the swim and run course for the senior race.

Important registration information will be posted soon.

Tri Northumberland & Tyne Tri have some of it`s members doing the Alnwick Tri on Sunday.

Our Friends up in Alnwick, put on a really good triathlon and they have come away from the usual lane swim, we hope the Sun shines and the event runs smoothly.

Good luck from Tri-Northumberland.

Open water swimming starts on Thursday 13th May at QE2 Country Park.

We have tested the water quality, and its fine, temeperaures are OK and we’ve got all the approvals in place. We are ready to go! 

We’ll start at 1830hrs prompt so please be there then ready to swim. There’s a few club rules you’ll need to read and adhere to, you’ll need buddy up with a friend or another person if you haven’t got any friends! and you’ll need to sign in and out of the water. There’s a nominal £1 charge to pay also, so bring your purse.

Please note that coached sessions do not start until 20 May.

Looking forward to seeing you all tomorrow night.

N - Tri Northumberland.

4 weeks to go and the QE2 Sprint Triathlon is full. If you didn’t get round to entering, don’t despair, there is still an opportunity to race. We operate a reserve system as there are always people who drop out for one reason or another. Just register and you’ll be added to the reseve list. Well contact you when a place comes available. 

If you do miss out, never mind we have another great event coming up on the 19 June. The Northumberland Swim Challenge is new this season but will be an excellent event for novices an experienced swimmers alike.

There’s also coached swimming and training at the QE2 lake from 13 May and we’ve got 2 more Triathlon events in Newbiggin coming up plus another open water swim for good measure 23 July.

See you all soon!

N. tri Northumberland.

Open water swim training will be starting at the QE2 lake, Woodhorn, soon, but we couldn’t wait!  With the open water season upon us (For us it’s Grendon on 9 May, 2010 European Qualifier, 2010 World Qualifer, 2011 European Qualifier http://www.justracinguk.com/ ) we needed to get our wetsuits on and our toes in the water. 

Pictured at Druridge Lake…..Left to right. Jeffers, Robbo, DavyB, Baz

Michael took the photo on DavyB’s phone. Sorry Michael that’s why you are not in the snap. It’s got nothing to do with the fact that you are ugly!….Says the fat bloke on the end!!

It was a little bit chilly though and we had to swim hard to keep warm.     Robbo’s come back from an extended holiday in Turkey all full of himself! “I’m swimming great” he said “I’m going to leave you all as if you were all treading water”!!….DavyB made him eat his words…

One little revelation for me, was my new neoprene hat! At last, I got into the water and didn’t get an “ice cream head” I was warm for the whole 40 minute swim. Great. That’s going to come in useful when we start sea swimming in July. (It really is too cold to get in the North Sea before then!) Can’t wait.

For details of our QE2 and Newbiggin open water coaching and training, please see our posting below.

N. tri Northumberland

Sunday rides will leave from the Queens Head at Guide Post at 8.15am picking up at the Chantry in Morpeth at 8.30am.

The high - The Ashington Triathlon, seeing all the smiling faces of the competitors as they prepared, competed and finished the event, the feedback have been fantastic….Thank you so much, after months of planning it was a joy that everything seemed to go so smoothly for you.

The Low - feeling ill on Tuesday and not recovering until today and having to miss my planned training for the week. I had planned to put in a real good solid week of training in as i have my first open water triathlon of the season at Grendon on the 9th May.(for those that do not know it , Grendon is a qualifier for the Worlds.

I have been feeling sorry for myself..have i missed too much training ?, what with my knee surgery and now the illness ?.

I know, your now thinking what has this to do with it ?  Well…..I now find myself thinking back to the Ashington Triathlon finishing line where i congratulated nearly everyone on their efforts and i find myself smiling as i remember all those smiling faces .We have to keep reminding our selves of why we do this great sport called Triathlon, is it for the times we get when we get to the finsh line? …..maybe for some.

It is easy to forget why we do it..and when i`m racing next week, you can be assured that when it gets tough and im not doing as well as i hoped , i will remember the faces and comments from you at Ashington…That will make me smile.

I`m now really looking forward to Grendon….

B Tri-Northumberland