, the Forestman - a full Iron-distance triathlon. This year, it was a standalone race and the relatively small field made for occasional lonely moments on the undulating but beautiful course.After two laps of Ellingham Lake, competitors set off on the bike
Distance: 300m/ 21K/ 4KWhen: June 19Where: Ongar, EssexFirst man: Toby Gordon 1:00:29First woman: Elanor Cadzow 1:05:20Last finisher: 2:01:00No of finishers: 148Tri Sport Epping hosted the perfect introduction to triathlons with its Jenny Clark Try
Distance: 1.5K/ 42K/ 10KWhen: June 12Where: Knockburn Loch, AberdeenshireFirst man: Andrew Brierley 2:11:07First woman: Rachel Boyd 2:23:45Last finisher: 3:42:14No of finishers: 107As triathlon increases in popularity, event organisers need to find
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
, 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
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
, old satan was in a very bad mood that day.This incredibly tough triathlon - which was moved from its September date to make way for the 2012 Olympics sailing test events - is one that earns you brownie points for life if you make it to the finish
:05, with eventual race-winner Graham Leitch close on his heels.Then it was onto the undulating 20K bike course that provided a chance to take in the scenery of Tighnabruaich and surrounding villages, while providing some challenging hills. Leitch quickly overtook
pace on the bike. But powerful headwinds allowed the chasing pack to catch up, so the leaders had to dig deep as they headed for home. Tim Don was race favourite (he won here in 2009 and 2010) but he struggled somewhat on the exposed sections
in. When you start to do well, it kind of hooks you in."Her biggest year so far was 2008. She won the ITU World Championships and a place on GB's Olympic triathlon team. She was sixth out of the water in Beijing and seventh off the bike, but it wasn
