GOOD DAY OUT FOR GOG TRI AT BALA
MANY people might wonder what it would be like to take part in a top triathlon race, writes Don Hale. Well last weekend, Liz Driscoll, an air traffic control officer at RAF Valley, decided to have a go during the Welsh Triathlon “Super Series” at Bala.
The North Wales Road Runner was representing her second claim club GOG Triathlon and she tells of her experience as a veteran debutant.
Race organisers, Tough Runner UK, teamed up with highly experienced local club, Clwb Beicio Bala, to bring back this amazing fixture, which was previously considered one of the most popular races on the circuit. And this year, the event was included as Stage 5 of the Welsh Triathlon Super Series, televised by S4C.
Billed as the Bala Standard Triathlon, it involved a closed road triathlon, which began with a 1500-metre swim in the waters of Llyn Tegid, followed by a 40k cycle ride along the A494 on a fast closed road circuit to
the turn-point at Rhydymain, before returning to the lakeside, finally a 10k run to Glanllyn and back.
After completing her first-ever triathlon, Liz, was exhausted but very satisfied, and confirmed: ‘So I completed my first ever triathlon today at Bala. I went straight in for a standard distance, a 1500m lake swim, (43.16) 40k bike (1.24.47) and a 10km run (54.28) with a total finish time of 3.05.54.
‘It was a fantastic day though, and I absolutely loved it. I think I might just have found my new sport! Absolutely buzzing, I loved all of it. I was a bit apprehensive about the swim, but I held back a bit and let the faster ones go first.
‘The bike was fine but OMG, the run was so hard with the first couple of miles up a steady incline. Jelly legs followed by heavy legs, and I really wanted to walk at one point, but my stubbornness said no! What a fab day!’
*The overall event recorded 463 finishers and Liz was 330th overall and the 163rd female and 11th in her F50-59 age category, in 3.05.54. She was also the 12th GOG Triathlon finisher.
GOG Triathlon had a strong team of over 30 members and won gold and silver medals for several top podium placings in different age categories, with Rhian Roxburgh first female club runner home in 21st position and claimed gold for winning her Vet Female 40-49 age cat, finishing in 2 hours 11 minutes 19 seconds, and she won silver as the 2nd female finisher overall to celebrate a unique double.
Gareth Bowyer was another worthy gold medal winner claiming 1st place in his Vintage Vet 50-59 age cat, finishing 16th overall in 2.08.30. And teenager Caitlin Owen continued her superb run of form to strike gold by winning the Junior Female 17-19 age category in 255th place in 2.53.21, with Super Vet Liz McIndoe winning silver as the 2nd place finisher in her 60-69 age cat in 451st place in 3.50.40.
Jonathan Seymour was the first GOG man back home finishing 10th overall and was 5th in his VM40-49 cat with a time of 2.04.40, followed by Gareth Bowyer in 16th place and he was the 50-59 age cat winner in 2.08.30, with Tom Kennedy the 3rd club man back in 19th place in 2.09.23.
Grant Falconer was 34th in 2.18.45, with Rhian’s husband Simon Roxburgh 42nd in 2.20.48. Dan Hurst just made the top 50-finishers in 45th spot with a time of 2.21.54, with Matt Thomas, 54th in 2.25.11, and Matt was just four seconds ahead of colleague Merf Jones in 55th place, who just missed out on age cat honours by finishing 4th MV50-59 in 2.25.15. Mared Dafydd was the second club lady home in 2.25.30 in 57th place, with Andrew Brazier 76th in 2.29.55. And Emer Sandham was the third club lady home in 89th spot in 2.31.59, and Steven Owen just dipped into the first 100-athletes back, finishing 97th overall in 2.33.02.
Other results included: 114th Paul Sanders 2.34.30, 116th Sara Gallacher 2.34.55, 120th Iwan Davies 2.35.08, 148th Aranli Thomas 2.37.43, 157th Carlo Galeotti 2.39.23, 162nd Nick Fleet 2.39.43, 173rd Ashley Tomlinson 2.41.27, 217th Jen Wells 2.47.39, 224th Malcolm Harrison 2.48.20, 230th Paula Stevens 2.49.26, 255th Caitlin Owen (also 1st Junior Female 17-19), in 2.53.21, 266th Rachel Cook 2.54.36, 311th Andrew Ellwood 3.01.31, 330th Liz Driscoll 3.05.54, 334th Melissa Everley 3.06.42, 374th Miklos Biro 3.14.28, 378th Angharad Lewis 3.15.06, 392nd Sarah Massey 3.17.38, 434th Sarah Marriott 3.37.01, 451st Liz McIndoe 3.50.40 and 2nd Super Vet 60-69, and 458th Deborah Robinson 4.14.19. The race was won by Oliver Simon (ATAC), who was the 1st MV40-49 athlete in 1.52.16, with 2nd Dan Elliot (TriCentral UK) in 1.57.08, and 3rd place was Paul Skipper (Mersey Tri) in 1.57.31. The first lady was Katie Curran, who was also the 1st Senior Female age cat winner in 2.04.46, with Rhian Roxburgh (GOG Triathlon) the 2nd female athlete and 1st FV40-49 cat winner, in 2.11.19, and Sarah Harrison 3rd, and the 2nd FV40-49 age cat in 2.13.49.