A Euro place for triathlete Harrison
Euro spot after UK show
Rattray triathlete Robert Harrison booked a place in the European Championships following an impressive performance at a recent event in Cambridgeshire.
The Grafman Triathlon, this year’s British Middle Distance Championships, took place on May 22 near Cambridge and comprised a 1.2-mile swim, 56-mile cycle and 13.1mile run.
Local athlete Robert, who competes in the category reserved for men aged between 40 and 44 years, made the trip south knowing finishing in the top five in his class would ensure qualification for the ETU Middle Distance Triathlon European Championships, to be held in Walchsee, Austria, on September 4.
Explaining his preparation for the gruelling test of endurance – which ultimately saw him finish second in his class after completing the course in 4:24:38 – he said: “My training had been going well on the bike, but a foot injury over the winter reduced the amount of running I was able to do.
“To try to remedy this, I moved towards more sessions on the treadmill and many laps on the soft, grassy, surface at Blairgowrie Rugby Club.
“A couple of swims in Loch Clunie during the weeks leading up to the event meant that I was well acclimatised to the fairly cold water temperatures in open water triathlons at this time of year.”
The triathlon itself kicked-off with a typically frenetic start in the water – something which Robert describes as a “mad rush”.
Sixth in the M40-44 section after the swim, Robert continued by revealing preparation was the key to his success.
He explained: “The bike ride followed and I spent the first half hour riding hard towards the front end of the race. I had studied the course profile and matched a number of my training rides along the Strathmore Valley, via Kirriemuir, Glamis and Newtyle, to the fairly flat and fast roads expected at Grafham.
“A strong bike ride enabled me to move up from 57th overall in a field of 760 to sixteenth place.”
Injury threatened to hamper Robert’s chances on the third leg of the race.
He added: “The 13.1-mile half marathon started well for the first two miles but when I hit a rise at about the three-mile point my right hamstring cramped up severely without warning, probably as a result of holding an aerodynamic, tucked, position on the bike for over two hours.
“I was forced to stop for about 30 seconds to stretch it before carefully making my way on up the hill. For the rest of the run, I tried to ensure that I didn’t push too hard on the hills and made up the time on the flats and slightly downhill sections.
“I passed a couple of others during the run but was aware of another competitor, who looked to be in the same age group as myself, closing in gradually.
“This meant that I had to push really hard to the line. I decided to run the last half mile as fast as I possibly could without looking around as this tends to slow you down. Twisting your body at this stage of a race as you look around can also bring on cramp.
“Thankfully, I didn’t hear any steps approaching from behind and I crossed the line in thirteenth place overall and second in my age group.”
Reflecting on his performance, levelheaded Robert concluded: “Almost everything in my performance went as planned.
“It can be very easy to make impulsive decisions leading up to a race, or during the race itself – resulting in a below par performance.
“But the trip to Cambridgeshire was definitely worth it as I’ve also guaranteed my selection for the European Championships.”