Kentish Express Ashford & District
Owler Tri collects top award
Ashford’s Owler Tri has been named Event of the Year for South East England by the sport’s governing body.
The Owler incorporated a full irondistance triathlon of a 3.8k swim, 180k bike and full marathon to finish, plus a half iron-distance and sprint distance and was held at the Julie Rose Stadium on August 3.
The event attracted triathletes from across the UK and Europe and was organised by Tri Spirit Events whose event director, Liz King, said: “We are hrilled and delighted to have received this award. It took around 18 months of planning and preparation and a veritable army of helpers, volunteers and marshals to make the event happen and we are grateful to everyone who helped the event run so well.
“It is testament to the dedication of not only the Tri Spirit Events’ management team but also the members of Tri Spirit Team and other local groups who assisted with everything from registration to running transition, marshalling the cycle and run routes and managing aid stations. This award is for everyone who made it happen.”
Mark Carty, head of culture and environment for Ashford Borough Council, said: “Congratulations to Tri Spirit for securing this prestigious award which is a major achievement because the competition is high.
“We are most fortunate in Ashford to have Tri Spirit events based here and attracting local, regional, national and international sports competitors and visitors to the borough on a regular basis. We all wish them every success for the future and look forward to supporting their growing success as an award-winning local organisation.”
Ashford Tri Club hold their popular annual ‘666’ Trail Run on Sunday (10am).
The 6.66-mile off-road race takes place in King’s Wood, Challock, and the challenging course uses woodland paths, bridleways and fire roads.
For more details, see the club website at www.ashfordtriclub.co.uk
The club, who will be celebrating their 10th anniversary next year, hold their annual meeting and awards night on December 5.
Press officer Julie Abbott said: “It’s been a great year for the club with our members enjoying success at all levels from sprint triathlons to Ironman distance events, park runs to Ultra Marathons and bike rides organised to suit all abilities.
“We also welcomed our 100th member earlier this year which is great timing ahead of our 10th anniversary year.”