Triathlon triumph:
FEMALE members of a local triathlon club headed out in force last weekend to compete in a prestigious event.
The GOG girls were in Chester for the Deva Divas (ladies only) triathlon.
The increasingly popular event for both novices and experienced triathletes was voted Best Triathlon Event of the Year in 2014.
A total of 272 women took to the course, which comprised a 750m swim in the River Dee, a scenic 25km bike ride and a 5km off-road run.
The weather was kind for the women with the worst of the day’s conditions holding off until the last competitor crossed the finish line.
With just over a minute between the first three GOG members at the end, competition between them was really heating up as they got onto the run section.
However, Emer Sandham managed to stay ahead, which saw her standing on the podium for the first time since taking up the sport, coming third in her age group, following a super-fast run.
Vicky Cole was only two places behind her team-mate, and Merilin Sikk only three places further back, making for a very exciting final 1km.
Other GOG results were: 147th Alex Holt, 158th Dinah Hazeldine.
Last weekend also saw GOG members Chris Bennett and Mark Dodgson travel down to Nottingham to compete in The Outlaw Long Distance Triathlon.
Featuring a 2.4 mile swim, 112-mile bike ride and finishing with a 26.2 mile marathon, both athletes were hoping for better weather than had been forecast.
As the swim got underway at 6am, the skies were bathed in glorious sunshine, however this was not to last and at about 80 miles into the bike leg the heavens opened and the torrential downpour started.
Unfortunately this continued throughout the rest of the day, ensuring all competitors were as wet on the run as they were during the swim.
This did not deter them though, as both club members finished well within the 17-hour cut off point, Dodgson coming home in an impressive time of 10 hours and 45 minutes and Bennett clocking 12 hours 39 minutes.
The British Triathlon Championships came to Liverpool last weekend and two GOG youngsters took part on a very wet and windy draft legal course by the docks.
Jake Tapping, 15, and 16-year-old Sam Johnson were among 53 youth athletes from around the UK.
The race started with a 500m open water swim in the docks and Johnson started well, coming out of the water 11th overall.
Tapping struggled with the swim. The lead pack was out on the bike before he could jump aboard, leaving him on his own for the whole of the 10km ride, in the rain, sapping his energy for the run.
Despite this, Tapping did finish strongly but he had lost too many seconds on the swim to have any impact on the final results.
Following Johnson’s fast swim, he found himself chasing the lead group on the bike and working with fellow Welshman Tomas Nesham, they gained valuable seconds and places.
This initial success ended abruptly, however, when Johnson took the final corner into transition too fast, the slippery conditions meaning his wheels lost grip and he found himself sliding into the barriers – a disappointing end to a race which was going so well for the young GOG.
It was a great race experience nonetheless for the two athletes who are looking to improve on these results in the Under-20s Triathlon Festival in Leicestershire in September.