Box End Sprint Quad
Box End Sprint Quad
National Sprint Championships
After an initial very slow start with regard to entries, we had a last minute flurry [including 10 from the 2 York Regiment] that allowed us to put on the race.
Race day dawned with the sun streaming into my tent at 04.30 hrs [it was going to be another scorcher] as I prepared to put out the swim buoys. The race set up had not been easy, with the ground baked as hard as iron by the sun. It took some grunt, broken sign’s and a lot of swearing to get the course marked.
At 09.00, after the race briefing, 38 Quadrathletes floated around on the 750m swim line, with a further 5 Triathlelets [numbers well down] on the 400m swim start waiting for the off. And then they were off! It soon became clear that there was a wide range of swimming abilities [some wet suited and others naked, well not quite]. Russell Atkinson was the first person into T1 after posting a swim time of 12:57, hotly pursued by Phil Binch and Andy Grimwood [both from Lincsquad]. New comer, Abigail Wild, was the first lady out of the warm tropical waters [that are Box End water ski lakes] in a time of 14:37.
In T1 wet suits were stripped and paddles grabbed before the competitors sprinted over to the kayak holding area. With a vast range of craft on display from expensive sleek K1’s to old mould covered barges to choose from. The 4.4km paddle involved 2 laps of both water ski lakes, including 2 portages over a slippery steep bank [that caught out a few un-prepared paddlers]. At the front of the field, that K1 master Andy Grimwood, put in a fantastic time of 23:07 to regain the race lead from Russell. The second fastest paddle was recorded by our youngest competitor, Josh Hook, in a time of 24.51. At the other end of the field the Army lads from the 2 York regiment seemed to be struggling with this new mode of transport, the problem being the kayaks were not green and armoured; they certainly paddled the furthest distance. Jean Ashley [the current World Quad age group champion] was the fastest lady on the water and posted a time of 29:18.
After completing 2 kayak laps [well most people did] it was a quick dismount [or fall out for some], leaving the kayaks in the holding area, then a short sprint back to transition for T2. Donning helmets and clasping bikes of various type and pedigree the athletes headed out of T2 in a mad rush onto the bike section of the race. The bike course was to be 3 x 5km laps of mainly grassed track around the picturesque surroundings of Box End Water Ski Park. The sun baked ground, short parched grass and undulating slopes made the going hard to plain harder. The 5km loop may be relatively short but it certainly feels a lot further. It was made worse by the hot temperatures and the surprisingly strong energy sapping wind.
The fastest bike time was set by Russell Atkinson, who by this stage must have been closing down the lead set by Andy on the kayak leg. Steve Giles [the Wadenhoe veteran] posted the second fastest bike split of 41.35. Brian Burrows, from team Burrows, suffered 2 punctures and a tyre change on route [some people have all the luck].
After completing the 3 bike laps the Quadrathletes powered [well some did] into transition for T3. A quick change from biking attire into running mode and our eager athletes headed out for the final 5km gentle jog around the water ski park. Not!! By this stage most people were looking quite exhausted from the trials and tribulations of the course. Everyone was happy to be on the final stage of the race and heading for home.
Russell Atkinson was the fastest man on the run course and crossed the line in first place in a time of 19:10, less then a minute ahead of his arch rival of the race Andy Grimwood [who came second place overall]. The hard ground and rough terrain made for hard going on the run.
The knackered, dehydrated athletes flopped and lulled around the finish line eagerly waiting for everyone to finish and the results to be published. Right on time the results came hot of the press [well out of a cheap printer actually], and with no further ado:
The first overall male was Russell Atkinson in a total time of 1:43:34, with Andy Grimwood coming second in a time of 1:44:47. Josh Hook was the first U23 male in a time of 1:40:44 [shortened course],he has a very promising future in Quadrathlons after the outstanding performance that he displayed [a future world champ, maybe, watch this space]. Timothy Deykin was the first male veteran, home in a time of 1:52:11.
In the ladies class, Anita Buxton was the first to arrive across the line in 2:02:37 [must be because she used my kayak]. The first U23 lady was Kate Ashley while her Mum [Jean] took the first vet ladies position.
In the team event it was yet more Ashley’s that stole the day with Dave [dad] and Lucy [another daughter] romping home to take first place in a combined time of 2:06:00.
In the Triathlon, Mike Graham was the first person across the line in a time of 1:19:01. He was hotly pursued by the first lady, Roz Giles, in a time of 1:19:07 [only 6 seconds behind]. It must have been a tightly fought race.
I would like to thank everyone who took part in the events, especially to the lads from the 2 York regiment who travelled a fair distance and made the race possible. Big thanks also to all the race marshals, time-keepers and helpers who made the event run smoothly [especially those still recovering from Ironman Nice last weekend].
I hope to see you all at our Wadenhoe Quagmire Challenge series, details at www.quadracracing.co.uk
