The weekend of the 14th and 15th of September 2019 saw members competing in England, Scotland and Wales! On Sunday, fourteen members raced in the popular North Norfolk Triathlon held in Wells. This Olympic distance event consisted of a 1500m swim in the harbour, 40km cycle around the town and a gruelling 10km multi-terrain run down through the woods, along the sand and back to the harbour.
Fastest of the KLTC bunch was Johnny Turnbull, in his 1st ever triathlon he put in both the fastest swim of 24.54 and fastest bike leg of 1.13.26. He flew over the finish line in 2.29.16. Close on his heels was the fastest runner of the club, Warren King. He made running in the soft sand look easy & completed the 10km in 42.03 crossing the finish line in 2.31.08. After a fall on the run and some superficial dents to her pride, Geraldine Jordan was next to cross the line an amazing time of 2.34.59, winning her 1st place in her age category. In her 1st Olympic distance race, Debbie James (AKA Tigger due to her endless supply of positivity & energy) was hot on Jordan’s heels and came in at 2.37.39 earning her 3rd place in her age category. Seasoned triathlete Neil Gayton put in a stirling effort on the run and crossed the line in 2.39.27, very closely followed by Ian Todd at 2.39.42 and Paul Terreros at 2.43.46. Next home was Jemma Redhead who once again was untouchable on the bike leg, completing the undulating 40km course in 1.13.44 making her fastest female overall. She crossed the line in 2.45.58. Juliette Meek was faster than she expected and achieved the fabulous time of 2.52.17. Next Home was David Hicks. Despite not doing as well as he had hoped & stating that the swim didn’t go as planned, he still achieved an Olympic distance PB crossing the line in 2.55.50. John Sayer also put in a cracking run of 58.59, making light work of dodging dogs and toothy toddlers on the beach and crossed the line in 2.57.29. Karen Wood and her massive smile was next over the line in 3.03.21 followed by Maureen Wolfe whose time of 3.16.08 saw her come 2nd in her age category. Team Coach Jess Cunningham is currently unable to run and so completed the swim and bike leg for the sheer hell it!
On Saturday Junior members Lola Kidman and Thomas Elsdon raced in the Lincoln Kids Triathlon. Both completed a 150m swim, 2.4km bike and 1.2km run. The club are so proud to report that Elsdon came 7th out of 52 (swim 4.39 bike 5.47 run 5.16) and Kidman came 14th out of 47 (swim 5.32, bike 7.59, Run 5.16)
Over in Scotland, something possessed Chris Playford to undertake the Coast to coast adventure race. This consisted of kayaking, cycling and running 105 miles. He tackled 40mph head winds and horizontal rain, finally reaching the finish line in about 12 hours. Chris stated that his body is broken and he resembled a drowned rat but feels a massive sense of achievement.
Finally, three courageous club members, Jenna Gotts, Arthur Sargeant and Steven Bowdery faced the dragon and undertook their 1st full Ironman in Tenby Wales. They were faced with a 2.4 mile sea swim, 112 miles cycle, 26.2 mile run and 17 hours to complete it. All three put in countless hours of training over the last few months to take on one or the hardest triathlons.
Bowdery completed this, one of the hardest Ironman events, in 15 hours 8 minutes and 43 seconds in aid of the West Norfolk MENCAP club. This fantastic local charity is very close to his heart and is attended by his daughter, who has complex learning difficulties. He is proud to report that he has raised £400 for the club which is run by tireless individuals who give up their own time to ensure the children have an opportunity to have fun in a safe environment. Steve states ‘to say his daughter has changed is an understatement. She looks forward to attending and has made a great group of friends’ ’
Arthur Sargeant wasn’t too far behind Bowdery, earning his ironman title after a gruelling 15.26.52. Unfortunately, this wasn’t Jenna Gotts’ year. Ironman events are very strict with their various cut-off times throughout the event. After completing 82 miles of the cycle leg, Gotts was pulled from the race for being 2 minutes under the required time. Understandably, Gotts was upset and her club feel totally gutted for her but she is an outstanding athlete who will turn this into a positive and slay the Dragon next year!
