Auchie’s silver strike beats youngsters
Ayrodynamic Ayrshire Triathletes were out in force at Monikie Country Park, in Angus, for the Scottish Sprint ( 750 swim, 22km bike, 5k run) Championships, and returned with a fistful of medals.
Davie Auchie continued his remarkable season by taking supervet silver – no mean feat as unlike in the British and European championships, where the age categories are in five year intervals, Scotland still insists on 10 year groupings.
That means Davie had to beat rivals six years his junior to take his medal.
There were bronze for Lorna Todd and Lorna Sloan in the veteran ( 40 plus) and supervet ( 50 plus) respectively, and Alastair Stewart in the male vintage vet group.
Other finishers from 259 were Karl Owens in 46th, Angus Peden 48th, Alastair Ness 83rd, Graeme Wylie 102nd, Stewart McKinstray 111th, Lyndsey Blair 135th, Emma Lunan 142nd, and Bob Lunan 170th.
Earlier, three Ayrodynamic members were in Edinburgh for the first ever Iron Man 70.3 event – for which the entry fee was a princely £ 230.
Due to windy weather and choppy seas, the swim section in the Firth of Forth was shortened.
Top club finisher was Gavin Kelly, who recorded an impressive 5 hours and 28 minutes over a bike course where riders battled the wind, and then had to run round a half marathon route including severe climbs around Arthur’s Seat.
Charlie Martin, a veteran Iron Man competitor, completed the course in 5 hours and 46 minutes, while Mandy Stewart produced a brilliant final run to finish in just over six hours.
Meanwhile, Chris Mullen completed the Artemis Great Kindrochit Quadrathlon, at Loch Tay, in 14 hours and 24 minutes. The four discipline event involved a swim of over a kilometre in the cool loch, followed by a 15- mile run which reached the summits of seven Munros, a seven mile kayak on the loch, and topped off with a 34- mile cycle around the loch.
Ayrodynamic will support the newly reopened New Cumnock Pool, by organising a short ‘ super sprint’ Triathlon on August 27.
This will allow newcomers and less experienced athletes to try the sport, in a short, snappy format.