Pembrokeshire Quadrathlon
Pembrokeshire Quadrathlon
Bliss ... cloudless sky, calm sea, ideal conditions for Nayland Dock!
As the sun inched over the horizon of Neyland Bay on Saturday morning a small but enthusiastic field of 10 athletes dived off the jetty at the start of the 2009 Pembrokeshire Quadrathlon. For those that were camping this was not the first challenge of the day. A combination of the 7am start time (due to the tides) and a late season race, meant grovelling around a campsite trying to cook porridge in complete darkness!
The conditions could not have been more different from those described to me two years ago. The sky was cloudless, the water was calm and there was just a fresh breeze. First out of the beautifully clean but icy water was Christopher Morris, some 1.5mins ahead of his closest rival. However, he was soon to be overtaken by Nigel Unwin who put in a superb 1:10:44 bike split over a hilly 40km course to take the lead. For those that don't know the course, you pass through a village called "Hill Mountain" which gives you an idea of what to expect!
Meanwhile, in the women's race, local athlete Claire Davies was first out of the swim, but a speedy transition by Anita Buxton saw her first out on the bike course, a lead which she maintained. Kate Lock also put in a good bike to get past Claire.
The 2 lap kayak course takes you through the moored boats in the Neyland Estuary. By then the tide had started to flow and the first straight was tough going; I was wishing I was in a K1 and not a sea kayak. However 20 mins later when the motor cruisers started to leave their moorings creating serious wake, I knew that had I been paddling a K1 I would have been out! I would only recommend K1s for experienced paddlers in this race, although there is loads of help on hand for those less experienced.
Nigel enlarged his lead throughout the kayak Timothy Wood lying 2nd and 3rd respectively and an excellent paddle in her sit-on boat saw Kate close the gap on Anita. The lovely 10km run course through a nature reserve alongside the estuary with just a few steep inclines around the halfway mark did not alter these positions. First over the line was Nigel Unwin, first female Anita Buxton, but there were huge cheers from onlookers and encouragement from enthusiastic marshalls for everyone.
The race concluded with the awards presentation in Neyland Yacht Club and hot baked potatoes for all! A friendly, well organised race in a glorious setting with a bar at the end - what more incentive could you need to put this on your race calendar for next year?
1st Overall Male (+1st MV45) - Nigel Unwin
1st MV40 - Timothy Wood
1st MV55 - Paul Belcher
1st MV60 - Ian Hipkins
1st Overall Female - Anita Buxton
1st FV40 - Kate Lock
