"The great news is that triathlon has already exceeded the number of sport specific volunteers required for the London 2012 Olympic triathlon," says Competition Manager John Lunt. The route in will close very shortly so if you wish to be considered then this is probably your final chance. All the successful sports specific volunteers will be interviewed early next year and they will be expected to work at the 2011 event in August 2011.

If you still wish to enter then you can get the access codes by logging on the Triathlon London volunteer page or by logging into the British Triathlon website. You can also contact your local triathlon club who will have details on how to get into the triathlon Sport Specific Volunteering system.

The Clash of the Tritons aquathlon, hosted by Greenwich Tritons, saw some hot League competition at the weekend with Optima Racing Team moving up to pole position overall. The men’s race was won by James Lock (Thames Turbo) setting a new course record of 21:47, whilst the ladies race saw an exceptional win by 16-year old Sophia Saller (Optima Racing Team). The vets race was narrowly won by Paul Smoothy (Thames Turbo) from Greg Lewis (Crystal Palace).

The League win on the day was easily Optima’s, who had depth in both talent and numbers. Good results also came from Crystal Palace who move up the rankings. The Mob Match win went to Thames Turbo. With only one race left in this year’s series, the battle for first place overall is now between Optima Racing Team and Thames Turbo, with only a point difference between them! So there could be some tough racing at the final race – the Jekyll & Hyde Duathlon on 31st October, entries for which will open on 6th September 2010. Thames Turbo will have to finish one place ahead of Optima in the League rankings on the day in order to retain their title. Ful-On Tri club look set to round out the podium in third place.

A full breakdown of current League standings can be found on the Triathlon London League page.

Following Round 6 of the Triathlon London League at Hillingdon on 18th July (Photo credit: Simon Slater), the tight battle between the top 3 clubs continues. A League win for Optima Racing Team at Hillingdon sees them move up to second place, just 3 points behind Thames Turbo. Ful-On Tri Club placed third at Hillingdon and sit third overall, just one point adrift of Optima. Home team Hillingdon got their first points on the board by taking second position at their own race.

Mob Match rankings are even closer, with Thames Turbo and Ful-On Tri Club tied in first position, and Optima Racing Team in third place. So lots to play for in the final two races - Clash of the Tritons on 14th August and the Jekyll & Hyde Duathlon on 31st October. Full breakdown of current League standings can be found on the Triathlon London League page.

Congratulation to all the Tristar and Youth athletes that took part in this years race series. The final results are available here.  Keep an eye on the website for detalis of the forthcoming awards ceremony and end of season party.

Congratulations to the following athletes on their selection for the Inter-Regional Championship at Parc Bryn Back on the 19th September.

Category	Girls	Boys
Youth	Armanni Antoine-Chagar (Swim for Tri)	Rory Atkins (Optima Racing Team)
	Sophia Saller (Optima Racing Team)	Luke Penney (Thames Turbo)
	Sky Draper (Hillingdon Triathletes)	James Allan (Crystal Palace Tri)
Tristar 3	Greta Sharp (Crystal Palace Triathletes)	Lewis Hawkins (Jetstream Tri Club)
	Harriet Hollis (Jetstream Tri Club)	Henry Dawson (Thames Turbo)
Tristar 2	Evangeline Foster (Orion Harrier)	Alex Yee (Crystal Palace Triathletes)
	Madeleine Nutt (Thames Turbo)	Anthony Anderson (Thames Turbo)

View the full details on the Inter-Regional Championship page. 

South London Swim Club are building upon the popularity of their mid-week adults Aquathlon series and hosting a childrens event on the Sunday 5 September 9am

The children’s Aquathlon (swim followed by a run), is intended as a fun and safe introduction to multi sport.

ALL ENTRANTS 10 AND UNDER RACE FREE. All other entries £8.
The race is split into waves by age group and only one age group will be swimming
at any one time. The competitors must be comfortable swimming the distances
below continuously. Age category defined as age on 31 December 2010.

Age 8 (Tristarts): 60m swim (2 widths) and 500m run
Age 9 to 10 (Tristars 1): 150m (one loop round a buoy) and 750m run
Age 11 to 12 (Tristars 2): 250m swim and 1500m run
Age 13 to 14 (Tristars 3): 350m swim and 2250m run
Age 15 to 16: 450m swim and 3000m run
Parents and guardians: 450m swim and 3000m run

Medals will be awarded for each individual race. All entrants who complete the
course receive a certificate.
Enter online at www.slsc.org.uk

Sat 11th & Sun 12th September 2010 at Hampton Outdoor Pool

Tri Dynamic is offering triathletes of any ability interested in improving their swimming this opportunity to receive swim coaching & underwater analysis from Jim Vance. Jim is an Elite Coach for TrainingBible Coaching and an 8.37 Ironman PRO. TrainingBible Coaching is owned by the legendary Triathlon and Cycling Coach, Joe Friel, who is the author of the best selling ‘Triathletes Training Bible’ Series. Jim Vance was a guest speaker at the prestigious 2010 Global Open Water Swim Conference in California where the topic was "Building the Mindset and Performance of a Front-Pack Swimmer".

Full details here

This weekend sees the Dextro Energy Triathlon ITU World Championship elite, paratriathlete and age group races taking place in Hyde Park. Come down and watch the sport's elite compete in the London 2012 triathlon venue. There is a triathlon expo taking place throughout the weekend from 15:00-19:00 on Friday and 09:00-18:00 on both Saturday and Sunday.

Order of events is as follows:

Saturday 24th July:
07:30-12:30 - Age Group sprint race
13:06-15:00 - ITU Elite women's race (with live BBC coverage)
15:45-17:00 - Paratriathlon race

Sunday 25th July:
07:30-15:30 - Age Group olympic race
16:06-18:00 - ITU Elite men's race (with live BBC coverage)

Information on the elite course is available here: http://london.triathlon.org/event_information/event_information/course_map/ with the action passing the grandstands 15 times (2 lap swim; 8 lap bike; 3 lap run). There are some big names on the start list - eg. Helen Jenkins, Emma Snowsill, Hollie Avil in the women's race and Alistair Brownlee, Javier Gomez, Jan Frodeno, Tim Don in the men's race.

Watch out for the "Primes" prizes which are effectively a race within the elite race. There are cash "prime line" prizes for:
- the first athlete entering the water for the second lap;
- the athlete in first position at the end of the second bike lap;
- the athlete in first position at the end of the penultimate (bell) bike lap - which is 7th lap.

Full details on all the weekend's events can be found on the website: http://london.triathlon.org

British Triathlon is proud to announce that the Thames Turbo Sprint Series has been awarded the new and exciting Event Qualitymark Level 1. The new programme is part of British Triathlons drive to increase the standard of triathlon events across the country and to provide a quality assurance standard for both event organisers and athletes.

Nigel Clemens the Chairman Thames Turbo was delighted and said, " The last couple of years have seen a rapid evolution in Thames Turbo as a club. We have increased membership significantly (most particulrly in our Youth section) and taken many areas of the club to new and higher levels. With the support of the BTF we have achieved Clubmark and Starmark and now are proud to accept Level 1 accreditation for our ever popular Sprint Series of races. Entrants can be reassured (as they have come to expect) that Thames Turbo provide safe and high quality events, attractive to novice entrants and the elite alike". 

Heather Barclay, the Series Race Director also was overjoyed to hear the news "Thames Turbo are proud to have achieved BTF Event Qualitymark Level 1 for the popular sprint race series. This demonstrates the hard work from all Turbo members behind the scenes to make the race a success and appealing to all levels from novice to elite, without it's members volunteering at the races it wouldn't be the success that it is. We hope to be working as a club to achieve Level 2 later this year."

There are only seven other events in the country that have achieved the Event Qualitymark Level1. If you think your event is a high quality event please get in touch with Gareth Hall, National Development Manager,  email. 

Entries for the Surrey Legs of Steel 2010 event on Saturday 25th September are now open through the following link: ENTER ONLINE. Event details, together with the gold/silver/bronze timing standards for 2010 are posted on the FUL-ON TRI CLUB website.

All profits from the event will go towards the Dave Aitchison SportsAid Fund to assist talented young triathletes in the Triathlon London and SE regions. Last year the event raised £15,500 for the fund. Donations to the fund can be made through the online entry process. There are currently eighteen athletes receiving Dave Aitchison funding and you can track their progress through this link: Dave's Athletes. We hope to see many of them taking part in this year's Legs of Steel event, either as riders or as part of the event team.

Event merchandise can be purchased for an early bird discount until 31st August through the following link: Legs of Steel Merchandise.

For the first time since 1860, Hampstead Heath’s Mixed Pond, located in the heart of London, is available as an open water venue to triathletes of all abilities.  Tri specific swim sessions start on Thursday, 17th June from 7 pm to 8.30 pm.  This pond is an ideal location to prepare for London Triathlon in the Docklands and the Dextro Energy triathlon in Hyde Park. Sessions will include specific open water drills and intervals which will improve your open water stroke performance and increase your overall swim fitness. The pond is located near East Heath Road, Hampstead, London NW3.
For further information and to book your place please contact Terence Collins @ Triforfitness via info@triforfitness.co.uk or call on 07879 401550

The Triathlon London Committee is looking for a new Communications Officer.  Might you have the skills, time and commitment to accomplish the following tasks?

• manage the regular posting of news announcements (with photos where possible) to the home page of the website either through writing or commissioning the news item. News should reflect major events in the region’s calendar such as senior & junior series races, development, coaching and club news;
• write and supply press releases on Triathlon London activity to external medium where appropriate;
• send monthly e-newsletters on regional activity to the Triathlon London database;
  source photos from regional events;
• produce banners, leaflets, posters, etc to promote regional activities at triathlon expos within the region, eg. London Triathlon, Hyde Park events, TCR;
• organise the Triathlon London Annual Awards party with the assistance of other Committee members;
• update website content for Home page, Features section and Photo Gallery.

If you are interested please email secretary@triathlonlondon.org for further information.

The Triathlon London League 2010 is shaping up to be a much more open competition, with SLH Tri Club claiming League victory in the sunshine at Crystal Palace on Sunday. Second in the League team scores was host club Crystal Palace with Ful-On Tri Club taking third spot. New club on the block, Windrush Tri Club, claimed victory in the Mob Match with around 30 members competing. Second and third places in the mob match went to Serpentine and Tri London respectively.

The results from round 5 of the Triathlon London League, still see Thames Turbo and Ful-On Tri sitting in first and second place, but the competition is hotting up from the other London clubs rounding out the top 8: SLH Tri Club, Optima Racing Team, Serpentine, Wimbledon Windmilers, Clapham Chasers and Met Police Tri Club. The starting line up for the next race in the calendar, Hillingdon Sprint Triathlon on 18th July (an event that has now filled), sees strength and numbers from host club Hillingdon Triathletes, SLH Tri Club and Optima Racing Team as they battle to topple the current League leaders.

For a full breakdown of League scores, please visit the Triathlon London League page.

Hillingdon Series Race 3, which forms round 6 of the Triathlon London League is almost full and will be closing very soon. To enter before it closes, please go to the Hillingdon Triathletes website.

Ealing Swim Club D3 Triathlon held their first Aquathlon on Saturday 15th May at Gurnell Leisure Centre in Ealing. There was some great racing and you can see the results HERE

At the half way point in the Triathlon London League, defending champions Thames Turbo are currently in the lead with wins at two of the first four events. Ful-On Tri are 6 points adrift in second place, with Met Police Tri Club in third position. All three clubs have scored in each race so far so have the maximum number of four race scores to their total. Worth noting that League contenders Optima Racing Team, SLH Tri Club, Serpentine, Wimbledon Windmilers and Clapham Chasers are all well placed on three scores, so a lot could change at the forthcoming Crystal Palace Triathlon on Sunday 23rd May.

The 2010 Triathlon London League kicked off on 5th April at the Thames Turbo Sprint Triathlon where strength in numbers gained Thames Turbo both the win in the League and the Mob Match (photo credit: Phil O'Connor). Next up was the Dragonslayer Duathlon on 18th April, hosted by East London Triathletes where Ful-On Tri managed the double and won both the League and Mob Match on points. The third event, Ful-On Duathlon on 24th April,  threw a little more excitement into the scoring when a large number of the lead females and vets got DQ'ed for cutting the run course short. The biggest losers on the day were host club Ful-On Tri who lost both their scoring vets. The outcome saw the League win go to Thames Turbo, while Ful-On Tri still clung on to the Mob Match win. Round 4 on 9th May saw champion aquathlon scorers Thames Turbo and Optima Racing Team battling it out for the win at the Morden 6'n'6 hosted by Kingfisher Triathletes. Crucially the League win went to Optima Racing Team, which really opens things up in terms of who could win this year's League. With each club's best FOUR scores counting this year including one triathlon, the battle of the London clubs at Crystal Palace Triathlon could be a very interesting one to watch! Every place will count.

For a full breakdown of League scores, please visit the Triathlon London League page.

The Games will be a fantastic opportunity to get up-close to your sporting heroes and heroines as well as taking in the unique buzz and excitement of the Games.

We just learned that the selection process for volunteers will begin very shortly. Anyone interested would please have to register an interest on the LONDON 2012 website as soon as possible (tick the box “express interest in Games-time volunteering”).

Application forms will be sent out once the register is closed. A selection process will take place and everyone selected will be interviewed. Note that the selection process will give priority to sport specific volunteers, especially to applicants with previous sports volunteer experience. We understand that even though selected volunteers can not ask to volunteer at specific events i.e. triathlon races, they will be able to express an interest in a category such as Road Events, which covers triathlon, road cycling and marathon events.

Anyone interested should please note the following:

• You will need to find and pay for your own accommodation
• You will need to pay your own travel expenses
• You will need to attend 3 training sessions in London
• You will need to be available for at least 10 days of the Games

If you have not already registered as a volunteer on our regional Triathlon London database, you may want to consider doing so to further increase your chances of being selected as a volunteer for The Games. Registration will also enable you to gain invaluable volunteer experience at this season’s ITU World Championship race in Hyde Park on 24/25th of July – Register here. Good luck with your application!

Clapham Chasers are hosting an aquathlon event on Sunday 2nd May. The event is a 400m pool swim followed by a 5k run on Wandsworth Common. Ideal for novices or experienced athletes alike.
Entry is only £10. Full details and online entry are on the Clapham Chasers website at: http://www.claphamchasers.co.uk/upthejunction

The Tristar/Youth Race Series 2010 will consist of the follow events: 

The Triathlon London League 2010 will consist of the following 8 races (3 triathlons, 3 duathlons, 2 aquathlons):

Triathlon London registered clubs need to score in at least FOUR of these races, including one triathlon, to be in with a chance of winning the League. Further details of rules and scoring can be found on the Triathlon London League page.

On-line entry is now open for the Crystal Palace Triathlon to be held on Sunday 23rd May:

• The race comprises a 750m swim in the 50m pool at Crystal Palace, 20k bike around Crystal Palace Park and a 5k run, finishing on the athletics track.
• We are also holding a Junior Triathlon on the same day, from ages 8-16. The junior race will be run according to BTF rules, ages and the distances raced. Please note the junior race will start once the main race has finished, at approximately 14:00.
• Updates regarding the 2010 Crystal Palace Triathlon will be added to the Crystal Palace triathletes website, so please check regularly:

http://www.crystalpalace-tri.co.uk/race/2010-race/2010-race.htm

James Beckinsale MSc, British Triathlon Level 3 coach, Triathlon London Academy Head Coach and Triathlon London Coach of the Year 2009, has written an article on the science of performance running, which has garnered much discussion in recent years, with developments in shoe technology, the promotion of 'fore-foot striking' / Chi-running and more. You can view the article here: Tri 247 performance running article.

If you would like to learn more about performance running from James, he is organising a Winter Running Clinic on Saturday 27th February 2010 from 1pm to 4pm at Arch 5, Kew Bridge, Kew. Cost is just £35 per person, and is limited to 10 people per clinic.

For more information and bookings, contact emma@optimahealth.co.uk or call 07736 669227.

The Dextro Energy Triathlon ITU World Championship returns to Hyde Park, London on the weekend of 24 and 25 July 2010 – including opportunities again for Age Group racing. Participants of all abilities have the chance to race at the London 2012 Olympic Triathlon venue in the Age Group races over Sprint and Olympic Distance. Registrations are now open and you can enter online via www.triathlon-wcs-london.org.

The organisers are offering an early bird price for entries before 31 December 2009. The discounted early bird offer starts at £59.00 for Sprint Distance and £65.00 for Olympic Distance.

In a change to the 2009 format, the elite races will be staged on both days; elite women, Saturday 24 July and elite men, Sunday 25 July.  Consequently, the age group races, which are open to participants of all abilities, will also be staged across the entire weekend.

Participants will once again have the opportunity again to raise funds for Marie Curie Cancer Care as the official charity for the London event. Money raised will help provide free nursing care for terminally ill people in their own homes. Entries are limited and on a strictly first come first served basis. Enter now to avoid disappointment and to benefit from the early bird discount!

Friday 20th November saw the 2009 Triathlon London Awards Party take place at Thames Rowing Club in Putney. The turnout of around 80 people was made up of some of the best junior and senior triathletes in the region. The evening also featured an incredibly motivating presentation from the 'LEJOG' girls who cycled from Lands End to John O' Groats in non-stop relay, raising money for the Dave Aitchison Fund.

Awards this year were presented by Alan Spelling, chairman of Triathlon London, and Bill Black, Olympic and world champion triathlon coach. Cups were presented to the top three girls and boys in each age category who took part in the Junior Series, with special mention going to Sky Draper (Gold), Armanni Antoine-Chagar (Bronze) and Luke Penney (Bronze) who all three podiumed in Tristar 3 at the IRC Championships. The 2009 awards for the Triathlon London volunteers went to: James Beckinsale as Coach of the Year, Lynda Chase as Referee of the Year (who also won the National Award), Kim Rowe as Volunteer of the Year and Abi Frame as Young Volunteer of the Year. Presentations were also made to the Triathlon London Club of the Year, Ful-On Tri Club (who also won the National Award) and the Triathlon London Event of the Year, Thames Turbo Race 2. The final presentation went to Thames Turbo as winners of the Triathlon London League 2009.

Following the awards presentations, many athletes stayed on to enjoy a drink and a chat with fellow triathletes, along with the light buffet of sandwiches provided and a musical selection from 'Cheese with Lees' (thanks to Euan Lees). It was a treat to have Tony & Jenny Aitchison at the party meeting many of the athletes currently under funding through the Dave Aitchison Fund. Also in attendance was Triathlon London President, John Lunt who is the Competition Manager for the London 2012 Olympic Triathlon event.

Photos from the Triathlon London Awards party are now up in our Photo Gallery page, with thanks to our photographer, Brian Morris: www.brianmorrisphoto.co.uk. Many thanks to all those who attended for making the evening such a success. 

London clubs were well represented at the Triathlon London AGM which took place last night at South Bank Technopark. The evening featured reports from the region's outgoing Chairman and Treasurer, and Regional Programme Manager, Jon Train, on developments within the region. The new and expanded committee were then duly elected:

Chairman: Alan Spelling, Met Police Tri Club
Vice Chairman: John Petrides, Crystal Palace Triathletes
Treasurer: Sandy Sehmi, Ful-On Tri Club
Secretary: Fay Israsena, Serpentine
Technical Officer: Lynda Chase, Met Police Tri Club
Coaching Officer: James Beckinsale, Optima Racing Team
Senior Series Coordinator: Siobhan Brownlow, Ful-On Tri Club
Junior Series Coordinator: Phil Taylor, Crystal Palace Triathletes
Junior Coordinator: Emma Beckinsale, Optima Racing Team
Communications Officer: Gordon Hutton, Serpentine
Website Administrator: Simon Austin, Serpentine
Volunteer Coordinator: Patrizia Victor, Serpentine
Partnership Officer: Claire Chapman, Serpentine

A copy of the Chairman's report on the year's activities has now been posted on the website. Many thanks to all who attended.

Triathlon London's Regional Committee has developed a new Strategic Plan for the London Region, in consultation with interested parties. This plans forms the basis of the direction of Triathlon London as regards access to BTF and other resources, including funding, coaches, development, etc. A copy can be downloaded here: Strategic Plan.

If you have any questions about the Strategic Plan and how the Committee can work with you, or how to access the resources that are available within the London Region, please contact a member of the Committee. We are keen to foster closer links with all the Clubs in London and would welcome representation from clubs on the regional committee, either as ordinary members attending our meetings, or as full committee members.

The Triathlon London AGM will be held on Tuesday 10 November at South Bank Technopark, 90 London Road SE1 6LN (near Elephant & Castle tube) from 7.30pm. Details and directions can be downloaded here: AGM Notice. We would like to encourage each club within London to send a committee member to this meeting and/or stand for nomination. A full list of committee positions can be found on our Volunteer Positions Vacant page.