for wondering if they'd turned up at the same venue; in 2010 the rain came down in torrents, but this year's event was blessed with sunshine.The perfect conditions made for a trouble-free swim in the lake. The 43K undulating bike leg didn't present too many

mouthfuls of mucky water when the swim leg of your triathlon takes place in a reservoir for drinking water.Athletes took advantage of the good weather conditions to make quick work of the two-lap 1.5K swim. The bike course was a scenic 40K trek through

to claim first place in a time of 2:11:07. Rachel Boyd's superb swim in the women's race (her time was 20:08) meant she was able to hold off a brave challenge from Isobel Joiner whose magnificent efforts in the run saw her close a gap of more than two

, with some lazy boating included, rather than one of the toughest middle-distance triathlons in the country.The 1.9K swim in the beautiful but bitterly cold Ullswater Lake was shortened owing to strong winds, bringing swimmers into the safety of a sheltered

. The swim was a straightforward out-and-back affair but the bike, described as "very undulating" was the kind that crushes spirits: it features 2,500ft of ascent. However, it wasn't enough to slow down Karl Alexander, who opened up a big lead and never

on the race."Tom also has clear plans to build on this year's successes and, if all goes well, he should be all set to break his own record."If I have a good winter, take a couple of minutes off the swim, maintain my bike mojo and keep chipping away at the run