Kentish Express Ashford & District
Team hit the heights in Austria
Six members of Tri Spirit Team took on the epic Ironman Austria course, three of them making their debut in the long-distance race.
The event in Klagenfurt (June 26), is a favourite venue for many Kent triathletes, with Deb Milton, Julie Bradford and Sophie Steel taking on the challenge for the first time, Nick Whitfield and Tara Symonds competing for a second time, while Liz King clocked up her fifth appearance, finishing the race despite picking up an injury
The 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike ride and 26.2-mile run saw the field climb more than 1,600m in total.
Whitfield led the team home in an impressive time of 12hr 12min 38sec, followed by Symonds in 12:17.29, ahead of Milton (13:03.58).
Bradford finished in 14:01.52, Steel in 14:54.06, and King in 15:29.33.
Whitfield said: “It makes a huge difference to those of us taking part, knowing there are people who are willing us all on to finish. Ironman is one of the toughest forms of triathlon, and I am so pleased that Deb, Julie and Sophie all had such a great time on the day too.”
King added: “Austria is such a fabulous place, and the support you get in Klagenfurt is second to none when it comes to Ironman racing.
“The support we had both here and at home was phenomenal, and I want to thank everyone who either came out to cheer us on, or was glued to their computer screens at home watching our progress.
“Four have already signed up to race the event next year.”
Meanwhile, Steve Berry was an impressive fifth in the Gauntlet Half-Iron event at Cholmondeley Castle in Cheshire, part of the Castle Triathlon Series.
Berry admitted he felt tired in the lead-up to the event, coming home in 4:43.17 and placed first in his age-group V40.
He said: “The performance surprised me, I was a bit gobsmacked when told I had finished fifth overall, and even more so with how I ran.
“I had only done three proper half-ironman events and this was by far the best performance I have put in at this distance.
“It really does show me how much my coach has done to turn me into a more complete triathlete.”
Another boost for Tri Spirit is the news that Conningbrook Lake has now re-opened again following the recent closure by the Environment Agency, due to the discovery of a killer algae.
The ABC Kids Aquathlon takes place on Sunday week, with the Owler Tri going ahead on July 31.