The race was part of both the Junior Tri Series and the Senior London League, so it was a great opportunity to see all of the juniors gliding through the 33m Merton pool and taking on the trail run around Merton Park before the seniors’ turn on the course. Both the junior and senior races were sold out with 400 registered competitors in total.

 

The senior race involved a 400m pool swim – up and back down each lane before ducking under the lane ropes – before a brisk walk out to transition and a 4-lap 9km trail run around the wooded edges of Merton Park. 

 

All competitors had been asked to provide estimated swim times prior to the race and were seeded accordingly. Those not in the first group piled into the spectators stands to loudly cheer on club mates and friends. Being inside the pool building also meant the spectator area was nice and warm, so it was a great place to wait until your allocated start. Initially half of the swimmers were set off at 15 second intervals starting with those with an estimated swim time of 7:20 to the slowest swim time. The pool was cleared before the fastest through to 7:19 which meant that the slower racers were unlikely to be the last to finish the overall race.

 

The atmosphere on the run course was great with cheers being heard before rounding the corner to see the supporters crowded near the finish line. Volunteers were

 handing out water at the start of each lap and the marshals cheerfully encouraged everyone through to the last competitor. Cakes awaited finishers once they had crossed the finish line and their timing chips had been removed.

Kingfisher triathletes did a fantastic job putting on an event that was both inclusive to those new to the sport and those that were competing for the overall honours.

 

 

 

Results were tallied and the prize-giving promptly held. Some of the standout performances include:

 

Overall Male podium:

Alex Yee – Crystal Palace Triathletes (35:11), Andrew Dyson – Red Top Swim/Victoria Park Harriers (38:24), Euan Lees – Ful-on Tri (38:28)

 

Overall Female podium:

Becky McNicolas – Epsom Triathlon Club (44:58), Alison Wilson –B Team (45:00), Sara Thomas – Serpentine (45:22)

 

Best male swim time: Billy Kelly – Ealing triathletes (5:04)

 

Best female swim time: Caroline Dunnett (5:41)

 

Best male run time: Alex Yee – Crystal Palace Triathletes (30:02)

 

Best female run time: Becky McNicolas – Epsom Triathlon Club (37:25)

 

Mob Match: Crystal Palace Triathletes, Clapham Chasers, London Fields

 

A full listing of results are HERE.

 

Further details on the latest London League results and placings for both teams and age groups are available HERE.