The hectic start to the 2016 British triathlon season continued with athletes racing for ITU World Championship qualification slots over the Sprint distance (Eton Sprints) and Standard Distance (Southport Triathlon) on the road to Cozumel in September
The London 2012 Olympic rowing venue of Eton Dorney has been a familiar sight on the South East triathlon calendar for the past 15 years, including playing host to the British Triathlon Age-Group Championships in 2014. With the change in format at this year’s World Championships, Sunday’s Human Race (www.humanrace.co.uk) Eton Sprints event was a draft-legal affair on the flat, fast and importantly, closed-roads around the 2km international rowing lake. The first of three qualification races, four automatic qualification slots were on offer to eligible athletes in each category.
Thanks in large part to an exceptional run Chris Green was the fastest male athlete of the race, while Brit Tate earned her win courtesy of a swift swim-bike combination.
Eton Sprint – Sunday 22nd May 2016
750m / 21.2km / 5km (Draft Legal)
MEN
1st – Chris Green (M25-29) – 1:01:53
2nd – David Robertson (M20-24) – 1:02:18
3rd – Michael Fabes (M Junior) – 1:02:27
WOMEN
1st – Brit Tate (F20-24) – 1:10:50
2nd – Hannah Ewans (F25-29) – 1:11:23
3rd – Lynsey Carveth (F25-29) – 1:11:26
Full results: http://www.resultsbase.net/event/3239/results
Registration / Qualification status: http://www.britishtriathlon.org/ge-gb-teams/age-group/detail/2016-Cozumel-ITU-Sprint-distance-triathlon-World-Championships_5662
The Southport Triathlon was the penultimate qualifier for the Standard Distance World Championships in Cozumel, with just the Dambuster Triathlon on 19 June remaining. With four qualification events, just three automatic slots were on offer to registered triathletes in Southport. While the Sprint distance event at the World Championships is now draft-legal, the Standard distance remains in its traditional non-drafting format.
Hosted by Vital Events (www.vitalevents.co.uk), the Southport Triathlon features a swim in Marine Lake, followed by a two-lap, flat and fast bike course on fully closed coastal roads before the final two-lap run around the perimeter of the lake.
Richard Ebbage (Royal Marines/triology) and Nichola Jackson (Preston Harriers) took the overall honours with impressive winning margins.
Southport Triathlon – Sunday 22nd May 2016
1.5km / 40km / 10km
MEN
1st – Richard Ebbage (M25-29) – 1:56:19
2nd – Stewart Moore (M25-29) – 2:02:27
3rd – David Cullen (M35-39) – 2:03:20
WOMEN
1st – Nichola Jackson (F20-24) – 2:18:09
2nd – Kirsten Cameron (F35-39) – 2:21:40
3rd – Naomi Keira Wright (F30-34) – 2:24:02
Full results: http://www.resultsbase.net/event/3458/results
Registration / Qualification status: http://www.britishtriathlon.org/ge-gb-teams/age-group/detail/2016-Cozumel-ITU-Standard-distance-triathlon-World-Championships_5663