Deeside Triathlon/Duathlon
Deeside Triathlon/Duathlon
Tough conditions hit Braemar
Early Sunday morning upon travelling to the Race start point in Braemar, competitors were greeted with 3 different seasons with a mixture of snow, rain and hailstones. Once at Braemar the temperatures were said to be below 0c. With most deciding to put extra layers of clothing on, a few hardy souls still decided to brave the elements in shorts.
The first cyclists left the start point at around 10.15. The race was started similar to a Time trial with a competitor leaving every 30 seconds to tackle the 35 mile route to Potarch Bridge. Pro Ironman Scott Neyedli was the last to leave the start line 20 minutes behind the first cyclist.
During the first 10 miles of the bike course the cyclists were pelted with rain and hailstones including a head wind to battle through. Once athletes reached the Pass of Ballater the weather improved slightly. By this time the whole of Deeside was scattered with Lycra clad athletes.
As the first cyclists arrived at T1, Scott Neyedli was into his rhythm and starting to make his way up the field. As he arrived at Potarch Bridge he had recorded the fastest bike split of the day, completing the 35 mile bike section in 1hr 18 minutes. Shortly after Scott left for the run Transition 1 became a busy place with lots of cyclists arriving at the same time.
Once the bike leg had been completed runners were greeted with an initial 2 mile incline, climbing approximately 500 feet to the top of ‘Shooting Greens’. Runners then turned left and followed the offroad track through Blackhall Forest down and along the bank of the River Dee until Banchory. The run route definitely warranted the Adventure Race branding as athletes had to navigate through some private land, open gates and limbo under a large fallen tree. Once all the obstacles had been navigated, the run continued into King George V Park and a welcome water station. Continuing along the old railway path competitors eventually arrived at T2 opposite the Bridge at Crathes.
Transition 2 was where the race became a duathlon or a triathlon. The competitors doing the duathlon were reunited with their bikes and pointed in the direction of Leggart Terrace 13 miles along the South Deeside road. The Triathlon competitors climbed into a kayak and began the 16 mile paddle down river to the finish outside the Aberdeen rowing clubhouse. The first Athlete to finish was Scott Neyedli after completing the 12 mile run in 1:21:40 and recording the fastest time for the 2nd cycle in a time of 32 minutes. Giving him a formidable time of 3:24:44 on the new course.
The first Triathlon competitor to reach the finish line was Ian Wilson who was racing as part of the team Deeside Cosmics team. Faced with very testing conditions, he completed the kayak in 2:1:38 the fastest Individual Triathlon competitor was Sean McFarlane in a total time 05:13:02, 2nd was Vetran Alan Strachan 5.28.11, 3rd Joe Morris 5.45.45 and 4th Roland Maclarg 6.08.37.
The fastest team of the day was the Anderson Family assisted by Kimberley Preston for the 2nd cycle. They took home the Fleet Feet / Stonehaven Running Club Team prize.
A big thank-you goes out to the Marshalls, Time keepers and especially the support crew who ensured competitors equipment made it to the transitions on time.
