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Kings Langley Kids Triathlon
Race Report from 12th July 2009
Results here

The 2009 Kings Langley Children’s Triathlon was a storming success. Here’s how the day panned out…

I arrived at Kings Langley Upper School at 8am swiftly followed by Maurice Bond, Shires Triers Chairman, ready to start setting up for the day. Luckily we were soon joined by many Shires Triers members all eager to get the bike course laid out and the transition area ready. The time flew by and the first young triathletes started turning up at about 10.15. We were ready for them!

A slow trickle of people arriving quickly turned into a steady stream of mainly first time triathletes all keyed up and ready for their challenge. The weather stayed kind to us and before we knew it the Fun Run line up was at the start ready to go. Samuel Hardy gave the starter’s orders and they were off! Russell Scott ran ahead to lead them out and many looked like they were going to catch him! It was a hotly contested Fun Run this year with lots of 7 year olds looking ready to compete in their first tri next year. The Fun Run had a widespread age range with 1 year olds fiercely running against the 7 year olds! Well done Fun Runners! Each received a specially engraved Fun Run Medal and a scrummy cereal bar.

Now we were moments away from the main event of the day. All the competitors listened keenly to the race briefing – all taking things very seriously! The oldest age group of 15 to 16 year olds started first and we were up and running! There were only 2 in this age category but they both made a superb race of it with James Harper finishing strongly. Laurence Bisdee put up an excellent fight.

The following group (13 to 14 year olds) set off next with many strong swimmers. There were many children in this group who were ‘old timers’ at triathlon and it was a tight race. Harriet Hollis came out triumphant for the girls with Lewis Hawkins and Kieran Lindars having a ding dong battle over 1st and 2nd for the boys.

The 11 to 12s were equally determined. The top two girls, Hannah Morton and Abigail West, were only 15 seconds apart, with Henry Dawson romping home for the boys. An excellent race had by all in this age group with many happy smiles as they crossed the line.

By far the largest age group of the day was the 9 to 10 year olds. Most of these children were competing in their first triathlon and did not know what to expect. A memorable moment was seeing Tom Lewis speeding out of the swimming pool into transition with his towel flapping behind him like Superman! Transition was a big challenge to those unfamiliar with triathlon and I’m sure there have been many re-enactments since in everyone’s back gardens.

Melanie Hall came in 1st for the girls – an impressive 35 seconds ahead, with Charlotte Ibbeson and Sophie Morton battling it out for 2nd and 3rd. Thomas Baslington brought it home for the boys with Nicholas Hawkins and Daniel Lindars only 2 seconds apart for 2nd and 3rd - fantastic.

The final group were the 8 year olds who had had to wait a long time for their big moment. They had spent over 2 hours picking up hints and tips from the older competitors and also running about enjoying the sunshine and their picnics! We hoped they had enough energy left to compete. We needn’t have worried…

They set off like greyhounds out of a trap (if greyhounds swam of course!). With determination and grit they tackled transition and made it out on to the bike and then the run. Charlie Scott came in 1st for the boys with Jamie Ayres in 2nd. 3rd and 4th place was agonisingly close with Cameron Mitchell just missing out on a podium finish to Jay Chitnavis by only 1 second! Natalie Lincoln steamed in for a superb 1st place for the girls with Katie Chapman and Jemima Hall separated by just 3 seconds for 2nd and 3rd.

It really was an excellent day for all the competitors who thoroughly enjoyed their triathlon experience. All received a goodie bag and medal to mark their achievement. Many parents voiced their appreciation on the day and we’ve also received some lovely email messages telling of tired but very happy triathletes.

Many children from many schools took part. Particularly well represented were Brookmead School, Ivinghoe and Kings Langley Primary. Looks like those two schools should be putting together their own junior triathlon teams!

Here at Shires Triers we would like to thank all the parents and children for conducting themselves in a very sporting and enthusiastic manner on Sunday and we sincerely hope to see you all again next year for another exciting race.

We finished at the school by 5pm and all went home exhausted but elated by such a successful day. Everyone was buzzing with the atmosphere of a beautiful sunny day, plenty of coffee and sandwiches and the spectacle that is triathlon. The look on the children’s faces as they raced was very rewarding.

As event organiser I would like to say a big thank you to all our sponsors and to all the club members who gave up their Sunday to support and run such a super event.

See you all next year

Becky
Kings Langley Childrens Triathlon
Competitors enjoying the 2006
Kings Langley Kids Triathlon
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