Category: BQA Trophy

Box End was blessed with beautiful weather for the National Quadrathlon Championships (3rd Trophy Race of the Season). As ever Mark and his Team ‘Quadrac Racing’ put on another excellent event, and looking at all the comments and photographs on our BQA Facebook page it was enjoyed by all the Quadrathletes that raced!  

Sadly due to difficult family circumstances at the moment ‘the fairyquadmother’ was unable to make it … but Jean was very pleased that plenty of you were sharing your passion and spreading her fairy dust in her absence … thank-you! X

If anyone does have time to do a race report or put together a few thoughts about the race you’d like to share please send me an email, this is open to our QuadKidz too, I’d love to here from you too and would love to put a QUADKIDZ REPORT on your Website page! malpasashleys@btinternet.com  

Thanks to Alan for his race report Alan Cole’s Blog/2019/box-end-quadrathlon-2019-british-championships  

This race was certainly Quadrathlon at its best and the leaders and age groupers certainly had their work cut out! It was a tough fight at the top with Billy Butler taking 1st by just 30 seconds from  Michael Mason in 2nd with Alan Cole in 3rd. Helen Russell won the Ladies race with Jacq Odgers in 2nd and newcomer Rachel Temple-Fry in 3rd.

Full results can be seen here  BOXEND Results 2019

These are our National Champions and runners up … well done to you all! As requested by the quadrathletes at the race we did a role down for the prizes.  

National Champions Male
1st Billy Butler Senior
2nd Michael Mason MV40
3rd Alan Cole MV40
4th/1st MV50 Ewan Cox
5th/2nd MV50 Kevin Blakey
8th/1st MV60 Michael Toomey
9th/1st MV40 Wayne Smith
10th/2nd MV60 Andrew Lawson
1st MU23 & 1st QuadKidz 13-15 Blake Mawson-Burren

National Champions Female
1st Helen Russell FV40
2nd Jacqueline Odgers FV50
3rd Rachel Temple-Fry Senior
4th/1st FV60 Mary White
6th/1st FV50 Gillian Melia
7th/2nd FV50 Elaine Palmer
8th/2nd FV60 Margaret Huyton
11th/1st FV40 Mandy Lewis

1st FU23/1st Quadkidz 13-15 Hermione Ball
2nd Quadkidz 13-15 Rebecca Lewis
1st QuadKidz 9-11 Willow Lewis

Congratulations to the 33 athletes that raced and to our 4 Quadkidz, the numbers at BoxEnd were down by a lot this year, the BQA chose this Sprint race to be National Championships in the hope the shorter distances may have  been more inclusive and encouraged a lot more athletes to enter, but sadly not. Speaking to race organizers this may put the race in jeopardy for the future it has been a lot of hard work and effort for such a small field, so lets do what we can to keep encouraging our friends and especially our youngsters to join our great sport! It was excellent to see 24 of the 33 athletes taking part were BQA Members so a huge thank-you to those for flying the flag!  

National Trophy standings after 3 races BQA trophy 2019

QuadKidz after 2 races BQA Quadkidz 2019

Just over a week to go ….. Still time to send your Entries in for RACE 3 in the BQA National Trophy Plus the added bonus as its our NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS Box End Sprint Quad & QuadKidz on 30th June.  

A very well established and superbly organized by Quadrac racing, the whole event held within the Box End Waterpark. It’s ideal for youngsters, beginners as it’s a sprint distance and support crews can see the whole race from the lovely lake side café.

It’s is our British National Championships so we need to give this race the backing it deserves. Excellent camping on site too the whole race takes place within the boundary of the Box End Water park, it really is a superb venue! After a successful Quadkidz race last year the second Quadkidz Race of the junior series will take part at the same time as the Open Race!

BoxEnd Quadrathlon Be Inspired and get your Entries in NOW!!! 

BOX END ENTRY FORM 30 June 2019

Race Details

The Box End Quadrathlon BQA National Championships & Quadkids Race 2 – Sunday 30.06.19
The National Championship event is suitable for both experienced and novice athletes just wanting to start out in the sport.

Date: The event takes place on Sunday 30th June 2019.
Timing: Registration on Saturday 29.06.19 is open from 17.00 to 18.00 and on Sunday
30.06.19 registration opens 06.00 to 07.15. Competitors are encouraged to register on the
Saturday. Race briefing is at 07.45 in the transition area [compulsory to attend]
The race will start at 08.00.
Venue: Box End Park, Box End, Kempston, Bedford, Beds, MK43 8RQ Grid Ref: TL011485
Directions available from Box End Water Ski Park website: http://www.boxendpark.com/directions.php
EVENT DETAILS
The Quadrathlon – 750m open water swim  – 4.8km kayak [4 laps]  – 15km off-road bike course [3 laps] 
5km trail run 

Quadkids Race – 250m open water swim – 1.2km kayak (1 lap) – 5km off-road bike (1 lap) [1 lap] 2km distances can be reduced if necessary  for younger quadkidz.

Wet suits are advisable but not compulsory unless low water temperatures.
ENTRY FEES FOR QUAD
MINIMUM AGE : 14 Years
Individual Entry fee for BQA member £30
Individual Entry fee for non BQA member £35
On the day [at registration] £5 extra
Limited kayak hire (pre-booking essential) £5
Team for Quadrathlon £60
Quadkids £15

Facilities available: toilets, showers, changing areas, refreshments, camping, parking, bar, restaurant and café.
CAMPING – is available at Box End Park for all competitors. Caravans and campervan facilities available; apply directly to Box End – Telephone Number: 01234 846222, 07922 824678

Event Rules: The event will be run under the rules & guidelines set out by the British Quadrathlon & World Quadrathlon Association can be seen here – https://www.britishquadrathlon.org.uk/56-revision-v1/

Thank goodness the days of rain we’d had finally stopped in time for the Dearne Valley Quadrathlon, our 2nd Trophy Race of the Season, lots of passion for our sport, with non stop smiles as juniors, first timers, and seasoned quadrathletes crossed the finish line! Organizer Mark Benton and his ‘Team’ of volunteers and marshals hosted a great race for us all, there enthusiasm and friendliness shone through, to make their 3rd time of running the event a huge success, thank-you you did your selves proud yet again!

A fantastic turnout with 13 juniors, 8 in the Quad and 5 in the Tri, and 34 seniors in the Quad and 32 in the Tri, so all the pre race training days organized by Mark Benton and Mandy Greenaway certainly paid off, so again a big thanks for getting those athletes in kayaks and encouraging them to do the Quad!

The kids races got underway at 8:30am and everyone seemed to be having a good time. As always they were supported the whole way around. The ethos of the Manvers Waterfront Boat Club is one of inclusivity and giving everyone a chance, which is just how it should be, this was clear throughout the weekend and it was good to see the kids giving it their all, Congratulations to them all!

Gemma Block 13F Junior Quad 1st Girl
Hermione Ball 13F Junior Quad 2nd Girl
Tabatha Caruthers 14F
Rebecca Lewis 13F
Willow Lewis 8F
Blake Mawson Burren 15M Junior Quad 1st Boy
Thomas Caruthers 15M Junior Quad 2nd Boy
Theo Caruthers 13M

The kids presentations were made at around 9:30am. The jubilant podium finishers collected their certificates, proud parents cheered and the adult Quadrathletes and Triathletes assembled ready for their races.

It was a real mixture of 34 quadrathletes racing with 20 of those BQA members, so plenty of National Trophy points ready to be picked up!  There were plenty of athletes giving the quad a go for the first time, and they looked like they had given everything and had a great time!

BQA trophy 2019 After 2 Races

Congratulations to the Winners and to all those BQA Members Flying the Flag for British Quadrathlon, as ever thank-you for the support, you make our races tick!

Overall Male                                                                                  
1st Alan Cole Vet 40
2nd James Block Vet 50
3rd Peter Tindall Vet 40

BQA Members
4th Mark Pryor Vet 50
5th Pete Chappill Vet 50
7th Lance Ball Vet 50
8th Wayne Smith Vet 40
9th Mike Garnock Jones Vet 60
11th John Redmond Vet 60
13th Chris Moorhouse Vet 50
16th David Jones Vet 60

Overall Ladies
1st Helen Russell Vet 40
2nd Gillian Melia Vet 50
3rd Helen Adams Vet 50

BQA Members
4th Elizabeth Angood Senior
6th Helen Recchia Vet 60
7th Mandy Greenaway Vet 50
8th Caz Jones Vet 50
9th Amanda Clements Vet 40
10th Margaret Huyton Vet 60
11th Mandy Lewis Vet 40

Link to some Action Shots on the BQA Facebook Page (Thanks to Mike Ford).

Box End Sprint Quadrathlon will be the BQA National Championships for 2019, a big thanks to Mark Pryor and Quadrac racing for hosting the championships this year! It will also be our 2nd Quadkidz race of the series too. Entries are NOW OPEN!

A very well established and superb Race, organized by Quadrac racing, the whole event held within the Box End Waterpark. It always promises great racing across the board and is also ideal for beginners too as it’s a sprint distance and support crews can see the whole race from the lovely lake side café. All Quadrathletes racing will get BQA National Trophy and will be part of the ‘National Championships’ 2019!  Its also the 2nd race of the QuadKidz Series, and is a great onsite race for our Quadkidz to be part off, with a chance to support them around this great course. Without a doubt a great weekend in store! Don’t Miss this Great Race and enjoy the venue with a lovely weekend of camping too!

See Details and Entry Form BOX END ENTRY FORM 30 June 2019

Event Details –
The Sprint Quadrathlon – 750m open water swim – 4.8km kayak [4 laps] – 15km off-road bike course [3 laps] – 5km trail run

QuadKids – 250m open water swim – 1.2km kayak (1 lap) – 5km off-road bike (1 lap) – 2km trail run. This is the 2nd QuadKidz race of 2019 Series

Lets watch ‘QuadKidz’ Grow and Grow, exciting times ahead for our juniors – Its time for our ‘QuadKidz’ to Shine!

Camping – is available at Box End Park for all competitors. Caravans and Campervan facilities available; apply directly to Box End – Telephone Number: 01234 846222, 07922 824678

Entries and Information Box End Quadrathlon

The BQA started a National Trophy Series in 2005 this is a series of events which are generally spread throughout the country. Each event contributes points towards finding a National Champion, with the best three results for each individual to count.

This is our Hall of Fame, since the Series started in 2005 BQA-Hall-of-Fame-2018

Trophies are awarded each year, provided each winner has done 3 races in the series, and must be a current BQA Member. (In the event of a tie the 4th race points will count to decide the winner).

2018 National Trophy: The Mens Trophy was still in contention up to the last race of the season, and with the age Group slots still up for grabs Bude was going to be the decider!  Michael Mason took 3 wins in the series, but as the rules state the winner must be a currant BQA Member that takes the Trophy. So the Trophy rolled down to Alan Cole after he finished 3rd in Bude. Alan won the Vet 40 event, so there was then another roll down to 2nd place. Despite Bryce Dyer coming 3rd in the overall positions, in the Vet 40 category he had joint points with Peter Tindall, so the rules quote ‘we then take the points from the 4th race into account’. Peter having done 5 events had the extra points, so took the title. Peter has had a great first season in Quadrathlon, apart from one race sadly he got lost on the Conwy Mountain Tri, so missed the cut off time on the run. Vet 50 went to Nigel Unwin and Vet 60 to Nicholas Farnell. For the first time ever we had had a Vet 70 winner, we are proud to have the veteran Canoe Slalom Olympian supporting us … Congratulations John Macleod!

The Ladies Trophy, had been decided before Bude, with Helen Russell winning all her 4 races. Newcomer to our sport Elizabeth Angood in her first year of Quadrathlon took the Senior prize. The very supportive seasoned quadrathlete Jacqueline Davies took the Vet 50, in what is proving to be our most competitive age group. Jean Ashley  won the Vet 60 catagory, quite a mile stone 20 years in the sport, she did her first Quad when she was a young 40 year old!

Congratulations to John Kavanagh (Vet 60) and Lance Ball (Vet 50) for showing ‘true commitment’ competing in all 6 of our Trophy Races!

Finally ‘The Eric Hatliff Memorial Trophy’ was presented to Nigel Unwin he has shown enthusiasm and commitment to our sport, and has raced at a very competitive level for many years, showing true dedication to Quadrathlon, long may he continue to compete and enjoy!

A big thank you to everyone who has competed in our National Series, and all our BQA members we really appreciate your support, we need you to keep our small sport Alive and Kicking … so see you all in 2019! Next Years dates and Races are in the making …. watch this space ……

The Final Race of the season and our National Championships for 2018, as ever Bude lived up to its reputation, and we were in for some great racing!  A strong turnout of athletes, the regular BQA members, all fighting for those extra ‘BQA Trophy Points’ and age group placings, plus a couple of strong newcomers, and locals from the local surf-lifesaving scene, some compete as individuals but there are also lots of teams or pairs competing too.

It had been wet and windy the day before, and their was plenty of heavy swell in the sea. It was a little chilly at 7.00 am on race day, but we had  sunshine and light winds, and as the day went on it got warmer and proved to be good race conditions, even though most of us found the sea challenging!

After the race briefing we all headed down to the sea lock, the swim consists of two 400m loops split by a 200m run across the sands of the beach, the tide was higher than expected and the beach was completely flooded. so the beach run was a wade through knee deep water instead. In the individual event Alan Cole was out first (20.28) with newcomer Billy Butler in 2nd place (22.10) with Nigel Unwin (23.30) and Andy Parrritt (23.30) close behind, there were a lot of locals in the team and pairs event amongst the top swimmers, all looking strong in the choppy swell.

The Bike is a course of two halves, a very hilly 1st half, along the coast road to Widemouth and then up those 30% climbs out of Millook, the 2nd half is very fast down the A39 into Bude. Alan managed to hold onto his lead for a while but his legs were still suffering from the Conwy Mountain Tri the week before. Nigel loves this bike course and put in the fastest bike split of the day (54.49) which took him into the lead. Alan stayed in 2nd (58.58), there were some good splits from Peter Tindall (56.00), Nigel Leeson (57.01) all looking for those Trophy points!

The 10km kayak section consists of two loops of the canal, with tight turns at either end, it was nice and calm and had started to warm up. Nigel pulled away and opened up a gap between him and Alan, but then paddler Billy Butler started to make huge gains on everyone, he produced the fastest kayak split by far (44.52) leaving everyone in his wake! Nigel was still 2nd fastest (51.29) Andy Parritt (53.05) with Alan (53.41) and Nigel (53.54). Race organizer Simon Hammond also produced a strong kayak split (54.36) … so all the age groups were still in contention!

The first couple of miles of the run are along the flat tarmac of the canal towpath, then up hill across fields and down to the coast road into Widemouth Bay, where you climb up the coastal path towards Bude, before a final descent to the Canal Warf. Billy had built up a strong lead, and maintained his position with a good run split (43.47). Nigel running the fastest time of the day (42.02) couldn’t quite catch Billy so held 2nd place, with Alan in 3rd (45.17) . There were some excellent age group performances, but the National Championship Title was well deserved by Billy Butler producing a fine win in his first ever Quadrathlon!

In the Ladies race Helen Russell came out of the swim in first place (22.51) with Jacq Davies 2nd (24.59), Natalie Abbott 3rd (26.23) followed by Alison Parritt, Bethany Goodlad, and Jean Ashley. Helen increased her lead on the bike (1.01.00), Natalie also having a strong bike moved into 2nd place (1.05.44) with Alison close behind (1.06.25).

Going into the kayak Helen maintained her lead (57.19), and the positions were to change again. Natalie was some what disadvantaged paddling a heavy sea kayak, so Alison moved in to 2nd (58.45) and Jacq into 3rd (1.00.03). Jean in her favorite discipline started to make up time and had the fastest kayak (56.48) which moved her into 4th place.

Helen maintained her lead and went on to take the National Championship Title for the 2nd year on the run, Alison stayed in 2nd place with Jean running into 3rd place. Some excellent racing from the ladies with a good quality of field, great to see newcomers to our sport performing well and strong performances from our BQA members too.

A special congratulations must go to our 2 BQA members who have done all 6 races in our BQA Calender, John Kavanagh and Lance Ball … a superb effort! Lance also deserves another mention, he was just at the start of the famous Millook climb when his chain broke, he quickly got his ‘chain tool out’ and proceeded to mend it … he then noticed a fellow ‘athlete in distress’ just ahead of him, who also had a broken chain …. so he mended hers  so they both could continue to finish the race. Genuinely a top guy, showing us what a true advocate he is to our sport!

Everyone that completes this awesome course finishes it with a huge sense of achievement, its a true testament to the standard all our Quadrathletes, some out at the front, and some behind … equally your all just as important… Strong motivated and giving 100%, that’s what makes you all special!

A big thank-you to Simon Hammond and his Team for putting on another brilliant race, as always very friendly plenty of support, great commentating and lots of happy smiling faces!

National Champions 2018

1st Billy Butler Elite winner 2:51:00
2nd Nigel Unwin Vet 50 winner 2:51:42
3rd Alan Cole Vet 40 winner  2:58:24
4th Nigel Leeson Vet 50 3:02:50
5th Des Gosling Vet 50 50 3:09:31
6th Peter Tindall Vet 40 3:12:03
7th AndyParritt Vet 60 winner 3:12:49
8th Simon Hammond Vet 50 3:13:43

1st Helen Russell Vet 40 Winner 3.07.33
2nd Alison Parritt Vet 50 Winner 3:24:50
3rd Jean Ashley Vet 60 Winner 0 3:28:42
4th Natalie Abbott Vet 50 3:29:18
5th Bethany Goodlad Elite Winner 3:33:42
6th Jacqueline Davies Vet 50 3:36:02
Emma Whitehouse Elite 3:50:46

BQA Members
Peter Chappill Vet 50 3:32.57
John Kavanagh Vet 60 3:34:44
Lance Ball Vet 50 3:39:52

Full Results Bude 2018 results

This was also the last race of the Quadrathlon Trophy Series for 2018. This trophy is awarded to BQA members only and is based on your best 3 finishes out of the 6 trophy series races. Alan Cole took the overall Men’s trophy series win this year, whilst Helen Russell defended her Female British Trophy Series Champion status with the overall in the women’s series.