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 organisers of the SPW Triathlon have issued the following statement regarding their triathlon on the 18th April.

Dear Tri-athletes,

Happy New Year! 

January is here and I am sure you are now thinking of planning your 2010 triathlon season.  If this is the case, I just wanted to let you know about SPW’s Hyde Park race:

- Taking place in Hyde Park, the venue of the 2012 race
- Date = Sunday April 18, right at the start of the season
- Distance = Sprint (400m swim, 15km cycle, 5km run)
- BTF accredited

Registration is £30 before the end of January and £35 after.  The race is a fundraising event and all money goes towards Students Partnership Worldwide (SPW), the global leader in youth-led development.  SPW works with young people in Africa and Asia around the issues that affect their lives most, including policy making, HIV/AIDS and life skills & livelihoods. (www.spw.org)

As a fundraising event, each participant is required to raise a minimum of £225 in sponsorship.  However, we are keen to increase the number of experienced tri-athletes in this year’s race, and will therefore be reducing the minimum sponsorship target to £150 for the first 20 people to sign up from triathlon clubs.

If you are interested in finding out more or registering, please see www.spwtriathlon.com or contact Liz West:  liz.west@spw.org / 020 7808 1793.  If you would like to sign up, please let Liz know first so she can put you on the reduced fundraising list if you are in the first 20.

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. 

The Triathlon London Awards Party will take place on Friday 20th November at Thames Rowing Club, Putney Embankment, London SW15 1LB from 7pm. All triathletes and club members from within the London region, both junior and senior, are welcome to attend and we are hoping for our biggest turnout ever.

The evening will consist of the junior awards presentations from 7.30pm, followed by the award presentations to the Triathlon London coach, official, volunteer & young volunteer of the year and the Triathlon London League trophy.

There is no entry fee, and a light buffet of snacks and sandwiches will be available. Drinks can be purchased from the bar. The evening will be rounded off with some dancing to tunes from "Cheese with Lees" (whom some of you may have spotted racing as Elvis earlier in the summer!).

A free party in London - what's not to like? Spread the word to all your club members & see you there!

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.

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 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. We would therefore 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. The deadline for nomination submissions has been extended to Friday 6th November.

Online voting for the British Triathlon Annual Awards closes on Wednesday 28th October, so don't miss out and vote now through the following link: British Triathlon Awards.

On these pages you can cast a vote for the contested regional awards of:

• Coach:
  • James Beckinsale, Optima Racing Team
  • Phil Taylor, Crystal Palace Triathletes
• Official:
  • Lynda Chase, Kingfisher Triathletes
  • Peter Lambert, Trent Park RC
• Volunteer:
  • Karen Ayers, Crystal Palace Triathletes
  • Kim Rowe, Thames Turbo
  • Sarah Watts, Ful-On Tri Club
• Young Volunteer of the Year:
  • Abbie Frame, Thames Turbo
    (nomination was uncontested, so Abbie is the regional winner - no voting required)

You can read about the work of our regional nominees on the Triathlon London Awards page. Following the regional vote there is a national vote for disabled triathlete, standard distance triathlete, long distance triathlete, duathlete, junior triathlete and age group athlete of the year. You need to be a Triathlon England member to log-in and vote.

All regional winners will be put forward for the National Awards, decided by an independent panel and announced at the British Triathlon Awards Dinner on Saturday 14th November at the Hilton East Midlands Airport Hotel, Castle Donington. The Triathlon London Awards will be presented at the Triathlon London Awards party to be held on Friday 20th November at Thames Rowing Club, Putney Embankment, SW15. 

A mass call to arms for Thames Turbo at the Jekyll & Hyde Duathlon on Sunday, saw the club take the overall victory in the Triathlon London League 2009. Victory seemed a cert for Ful-On Tri with Thames Turbo needing to win both the League and the Mob Match on the day. The starting line-up for the event, hosted by Serpentine, showed strength in numbers for both clubs, but the injury drop-out rate for Ful-On Tri meant they slipped to second place in the mob match behind Thames Turbo. With both clubs equal on both league and mob match wins after 8 rounds, a count back on second place league scores (the decider in the event of a tie), pushed Ful-On Tri to second place behind Thames Turbo. Optima Racing Team took third place, with Serpentine in fourth.

As the final event in the League for the year, the race saw a mass turnout from all London Clubs with very few unattached entrants. The event was won by Andrew Mercer (Thames Turbo) in a time of 1:11:50, with James Brown (Thames Turbo) second and Charles Hammon (Optima Racing Team) third. First female home was Esther Evans (Thames Turbo) in a blistering time of 1:19:08 nearly 3 minutes ahead of her nearest rival, Victoria Gill (also Thames Turbo). Gillian Curr (Optima Racing Team) was third. Photos from the event can be found here: Sussex Sport Photography

A full breakdown of the final League results can be found on the Triathlon London League page.

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.

We are pleased to announce the launch of the TRIATHLON ENGLAND: LONDON REGION COACHING BURSARY SCHEME. The Bursary Scheme is open to all triathletes and coaches based in Triathlon London affiliated clubs and covers all three UKCC Triathlon Coaching Courses. The scheme aims to:

• Provide candidate triathlon coaches, of all levels, the opportunity to take coaching qualifications at reduced financial cost to themselves.
  • Level 1 bursary will cover 100% of the course fee.
  • Level 2 bursary will cover 85% of the course fee.
  • Level 3 bursary will cover 66% of the course fee.
• Provide coaches the opportunities to put into practise the skills learnt on the courses.
• Create new opportunities for Londoners to gain access to high quality triathlon coaching.
• Assist new and growing triathlon clubs to provide high quality coaching for their members.

For full details of how to apply, please visit the Triathlon London Coaching page. Please contact Jon Train (07739 526 558) if you have any questions, or download an application form HERE.

Tri Swimming are offering a series of 6 masterclasses aimed at improving your swimming over the winter months. Each session consists of theory (approx 1hr) and practical (approx 1.5hrs). Individual analysis and practice sessions are given as an integral part of the course to work on in between each monthly session. The courses are run by Bill Black - Olympic and World Champ Tri Coach & Duncan Rolley - GB Swimmer / Tri Swim Coach and take place on the following dates: 1 Nov 09, 6 Dec 09, 3 Jan 10, 7 Feb 10, 7 Mar 10 and 4 Apr 10. The courses will be held at Charing Cross Sports Club, Aspenlea Road, Hammersmith, London W6 8LH and costs are as follows: Single session: £60ea; 2-5 sessions: £55ea; 6 sessions: £50ea. Fees to be paid in advance

For more information and to book your place, contact: Bill Black, 14 Red Lion Lane, Chobham GU24 8RH. Email: black.billy@btinternet.com. Website: www.billblackcoaching.com

On 12th September, London's 14-strong IRC Team journeyed to Wales to compete in this year's Inter-Regional Championships at Parc Bryn Bach. Their day started with an early morning swim at Princes Lake before boarding the coach to Wales. The coach trip formed an important part of the team-bonding exercise, with a general scrum for seats at the back of the coach. After checking into their accommodation, the team headed over to the triathlon venue to register and familiarise themselves with the course. The day was rounded off with a team dinner back at the hotel, followed by an early night in preparation for the next day's racing.

Sunday morning heralded an early start, and after a healthy breakfast, our team were back on the coach for the 20 minute trip to the race site. Our London athletes were up against some stiff competition from the 10 other regions, competing in waves for Tristar 2, Tristar 3 and Youth, boys & girls, throughout the morning. The swim was open water for the first time, followed by a fairly technical and hilly draft-legal bike course on closed roads and finished off with a run in the Park. Parc Bryn Bach proved a great venue, and thankfully the weather was glorious. Our London team put on some gutsy performances and achieved great results. Podium places went to Sky Draper who took gold in the Tristar 3 girls, with a bronze for both Armanni Antoine-Chager and Luke Penney (also Tristar 3). Overall the London IRC team finished 7th on leader board. For full results, click here: IRC Results.

This was a great experience for all our young athletes who did the region proud in their matching London kit. Our thanks also to James & Emma Beckinsale for managing all the arrangements and motivating our team to perform at their best.

Saturday's beautiful sunshine made for near perfect conditions in the third running of the Surrey Legs of Steel cyclosportive at Box Hill. The event was a sell-out once again, and around 460 riders set out to tackle this challenging circuit of the Surrey Hills. Most riders opted for the longer 81k route which features eight major climbs with a total of 1600m of climbing, including the 21% climb at Winterfold. However, the shorter route, at 46k and 1020m of climbing, was no easy option, with five major climbs including the 18% climb at White Down.

The event is held to commemorate the life of Dave Aitchison and raise money for the Dave Aitchison SportsAid Fund set up in Dave's name to assist talented young triathletes in the Triathlon London and South East regions. There are currently eight athletes receiving funding, and it was great to see four of them involved at the event. Early indications show that this year's ride has raised over £12,000 for the fund, with an additional £3,000 in donations!

Our two youngest athletes, 13-year old Lewis Hawkins and 14-year old Armanni Antoine-Chagar, took on the shorter route with accompanying riders Kevin Draper (funded athlete Sky Draper's Dad) and Parys Edwards (from the Ful-On Tri LEJOG relay team). Lewis was riding his new Giant bike, bought with the funding he received. Despite suffering a blow-out along the route, Lewis finished in an impressive time of 2:10:39. Armanni was not far behind finishing in a time of 2:19:08, and feeling inspired to work on her cycling after the encouragement she received from Parys. Both finished to rapturous applause from the crowd at the top of Box Hill, which included both their mothers who were marshalling at the event.

Tackling the longer route was Matt Myers, who had just turned 17 the day before. He would have been joined by 18-year old Lucy Chittenden, but unfortunately Lucy had a bad cold, so helped with handing out the medals at the finish line instead. Matt achieved the gold standard in the long route finishing in a time of 2:59:35. He said it was the toughest, hilliest bike ride he had ever done, but he thoroughly enjoyed the experience and would be back again next year.

The four funded athletes who were unable to take part, all of whom sent messages of support, were 13-year old Sky Draper, who was competing in the South of England Road Relays; 17-year old Emily McLoughlin, who was competing for GB at the Youth Olympic Games qualifier in Spain; 17-year old Lara Nyman, who was on a swim coaching course; and 19-year old Bradley Hales who was moving up to Loughborough to start University.

The fastest finisher on the long course was Ewan Jewels (Prologue Bikes), who came home in a new course record time of 2:32:18 and Natalie Creswick (Ful-On Tri Club), the current South East Road Race champion and a fellow LEJOG relay team member, was the fastest female in a record time of 2:46:44. In the short course, Jeremy Bishop (Bigfoot Bike Club) was first home, also in a record time of 1:41:29 and Benedetta Dionori was the fastest female in a time of 2:01:54. Another noteworthy finisher was polar explorer Ben Saunders who finished in the gold standard time of 2:54:44, and uses cycling as part of his training.

Taking a rest from riding the course last year, Dave's Dad Tony, sister Jane and brother-in-law Ed joined other members of Dave's family, including his Mum Jenny, and Ful-On Tri Club members to assist with marshalling the event. The event was also well supported by its sponsors: Prologue Bikes, Infinit Nutrition and Incrediprint.

Riders finishing the course were full of praise for the event. Despite it being "relentlessly hilly", the sense of achievement in completing it outweighed all the pain suffered in the attempt! With temperatures hitting 21ºC at the finish, many stuck around at the cafe and soaked up the late season sunshine whilst enjoying a cake and a coffee.

It's Triathlon London Awards nomination time again! The deadline for all awards nominations is Friday 25th September.

The Triathlon London regional volunteer awards cover the following four categories:

• Volunteer of the Year
• Young Volunteer of the Year (14-25 years)
• Official of the Year
• Coach of the Year

Nominees are only allowed to be entered in one category, for example an individual cannot be nominated in both the Coach of the Year and Volunteer of the Year categories. Regional winners from 2008 (ie. Alice Clemens, Conan Gibney, Steve Newell & Andrew Tong) are ineligible for nomination. Executive Board members and staff members of British Triathlon or Triathlon England are also ineligible for nomination.

To submit your nomination in one or all of these categories, please download and complete the Nomination Form and return it by email to alisonsibcy@britishtriathlon.org. Please make sure your nominations fulfill the Criteria for Volunteer Awards Categories.

Additionally, nominations for the National Awards of Club of the Year and Event of the Year should be submitted to the Triathlon London Regional Committee, who will select one nominee in each category for submission to the British Triathlon National Awards Panel.

Submissions should be sent by email to secretary@triathlonlondon.org no later than Friday 25th September. For both these award categories, please identify in no more than 500 words why you feel that your nominee deserves to win the National award, referring to the Criteria for Club and Event of the Year.

Full details of the Awards process can be found on the Triathlon London Annual Awards page.

The Pools in the Park Richmond appears to be becoming a real hotbed of triathlon activity, with the announcement of a childrens Aquathlon and now the start up of swim coaching for triathletes.

TRIATHLON SWIM SESSIONS

For Triathletes of all abilities on:
Wednesday evenings from 21:00-22:00 and Sunday mornings from 07:00-08:00

FREE trial session at 21:00 on Wednesday 7th October 2009

At Richmond Pools on the Park

Sign up for 10 weeks of 2 x sessions at a cost of £4.00 each

For more information and to register your interest in advance
Email: triathloneurope@gmail.com
Phone: 02089770244

The Optima Junior Aquathlon, a new event hosted by Optima Racing Team, will take place on Sunday 11th October at Pools on the Park, Spring Health Leisure Centre, Old Deer Park, Richmond TW9 2SF. The event caters for Tristars, Youth and Juniors aged 8-19 years and will feature a swim in the indoor 33m pool followed by a run in the Old Deer Park.

For full details and to download an entry form, please visit the website: www.optimaracingteam.com.

Whilst most of the triathlon media focussed their attention on the elite action at Hyde Park on Saturday, the leafy grounds of Eltham College provided the venue for the penultimate race in the Triathlon London League, hosted by Greenwich Tritons. The Clash of the Tritons (500m swim/5km run) was a must-win race for Thames Turbo if they are to stand any chance of toppling Ful-On Tri as this year’s League winners. The action didn’t disappoint, with what is possibly the first sighting of swim skins in a pool-based aquathlon!

Last year’s winner, James Lock (Thames Turbo), retained his title in a time of 22.06, with John Worcester (Met Police) second, and Dion Harrison (Thames Turbo) third. In the women’s race, Lucy Bowen (Thames Turbo) was first home in a time of 24.54, with Edwina Sutton (Optima Racing Team) second, and Victoria Gill (Thames Turbo) third. As ever, the vet race was hotly contested, with Simon  Kenyon (Ful-On Tri) taking the win from Tim Bishop (Optima Racing Team) and Brian Hennessey  (SLH Tri Club).

Crucially Thames Turbo won the League points, with Optima Racing Team second and Ful-On Tri in third position. Overall, Ful-On Tri still sit in the top spot in the League with Thames Turbo and Optima Racing Team joint second. With one match remaining, Ful-On Tri’s position is looking very hard to beat – but it is just possible... Thames Turbo would need to win both the League and the Mob Match at the final event, the Jekyll and Hyde Park Duathlon on 25th October (entries for which open on Friday 4th September). If both Ful-On Tri and Optima make it their business to overtake as many Turbos as they can on the day, then it will secure victory for Ful-On Tri once again and joint second for Optima Racing Team, proving that the League is not all about the big clubs.

For a full breakdown of the League standings and points scoring, please visit the Triathlon London League page.

The dates have been announced for the 2009-10 Triathlon Coach Training programme. If you are interested in becoming a coach or taking the UKCC Level 2 Coaching qualification then please contact Jon Train or Stewart Ward for an application form. You can also download an application form HERE. The UKCC Level 1 course costs £300 and the UKCC Level 2 course costs £470.

UKCC Level 1 Newham Leisure Centre : FULL waiting list in operation   
17th, 18th October and 1st November
UKCC Level 1 Dulwich College : FULL waiting list in operation
7th, 8th November and 22nd November
UKCC Level 1 Barnet Copthall
28th February, 7th March and 21st March
 
UKCC Level 2 Newham Leisure Centre
16th, 17th, 30th, 31st January and 14th March
UKCC Level 2 Dulwich College
9th, 10th, 23rd, 24th January and 21st March

This weekend London’s Hyde Park plays host to a festival of triathlon with the Dextro Energy ITU World Championship Race, International Paratriathlon race, the British Youth & Junior Championship races, Age group races and a full sports Expo area. Racing will take place over two days with the men’s and women’s elite races and paratriathlon on Saturday 15th August, and the Youth & Junior championships and age group races on Sunday 16th August.

Saturday’s ITU World Championship series race sees some of the biggest names in the sport take part, and probably the strongest elite field since Beijing last summer. In the men’s field, racing at 1.10pm, from GB we have Alistair Brownlee, already a 3-times winner in this year’s series, former world champion Tim Don, Will Clarke, Olly Freeman, Stuart Hayes, Jonny Brownlee (Alistair’s younger brother) and David McNamee. In the GB women’s field, racing at 10am, we have defending world champion Helen Jenkins, Liz Blatchford, Hollie Avil, Jodie Stimpson, Kerry Lang and Jodie Swallow. Athletes will compete over the olympic distance with a 2-lap swim, 8-lap bike, and 3-lap run, so plenty of good viewing opportunities for spectators. The paratriathlon race at 4.30pm will be the largest paratriathlon race to be held in Europe, with 42 competitors from 7 different countries taking part.

On Sunday, racing starts at 8am with the British Youth Championship race, followed at 8.30am by the British Junior Championship race. Age group sprint distance racing follows at 9am with waves approximately every 10 minutes, and the olympic distance age group waves start at 11am. We expect to see a large proportion of London athletes and clubs represented throughout the day.

The event expo will be open from 9am-6pm on both days and is located on the northeast side of the Serpentine. Spectators are advised to enter Hyde Park from the north and east, ie. Hyde Park Corner or Marble Arch, to avoid problems with crossing the bike course. Full details and course maps are available on the following website: www.triathlon-wcs-london.org.

Triathlon London's new "Get Involved!" marketing campaign for the sport was launched at the Mazda London Triathlon on 1st & 2nd August by London's Regional Programme Manager, Jon Train and members of the Triathlon London regional committee. The London Triathlon is the largest triathlon event in the world and saw around 13,000 triathletes from all over the country take part. Triathlon London launched their new Get Involved! campaign from the British Triathlon stand at the Expo, and well over 1,000 London-based athletes came to the stand to find out more about triathlon events and clubs in the Capital.

The Get Involved! campaign features flyers for both junior and senior triathlon in London (you can download the flyers in the left hand panel) and posters on Clubs and Events in London. The campaign aims to highlight the work of the Triathlon London Regional Programme Managers and committee and provide clear pathways for individuals to get involved in the sport no matter what age or ability.

The posters and flyers will also be on display at the forthcoming Dextro Energy ITU World Cup Expo in London's Hyde Park this coming weekend, 15th & 16th August. Come and visit the British Triathlon stand at the Expo to pick up your own copy, and enjoy the weekend's festival of triathlon racing:

Saturday 15th: Women's Elite race at 10am; Men's Elite race at 1:10pm; Paratriathlon race at 4:30pm
Sunday 16th: Youth races at 8am; Junior races at 8:30am; Age group races from 9am

The results of the Triathlon London Regional Championship held on 5th July are now available: Results 09

Top 3 male and female athletes are as follows:

	Male	Club	Female	Club
1st	Adam Chadburn	Tri London	Emily Low	unattached
2nd	Clark Schofield	Hillingdon Triathletes	Victoria Sheward	unattached
3rd	Richard Evans	Metropolitan Police Tri Club	Gill Deane	unattached

Any queries should be submitted to league@triathlonlondon.org no later than Wednesday 12th August 2009.

Four members of Ful-On Tri Club – Natalie Creswick, Jessica Taylor, Emma Williams and Parys Edwards – will be attempting to cycle from Land's End to John O'Groats non-stop as a cycling relay team, leaving Land's End at 6am on Friday 7th August.

Each team member will ride for 2 hours before swapping to the next cyclist and resting until their next turn. They will sleep and eat in a support vehicle that will follow each rider. The distance by road from Land's End to John O' Groats is 874 miles and takes most cyclists around ten days. There is no relay record for the ride, but the current non-stop record for a solo rider is 44hrs 4min 20secs set by Gethin Butler in 2001 and the solo female record is 52hrs 45mins 11sec recorded by Lynne Taylor in 2002. To put this into perspective, in order to finish in 48-hours the girls will have to average approx 18.2 mph over the entire journey – and that includes the Scottish Highlands!

For more information about this record attempt, read the article in Tri 247 or follow the team on Twitter: www.twitter.com/lejogrelay. The team is raising money for the Dave Aitchison SportsAid fund and need your help to raise as much money as possible for this great cause. Please visit and support the team on their JustGiving page. We wish the girls the very best of luck in their challenge!

Update: The girls have successfully completed the challenge in a total time of: 46hrs 16mins 26secs. Congratulations to all of them!

London Dynamo have organised a couple of pilot time trial events in Richmond Park, by agreement with the Royal Park authorities. The dates are Sunday 9th August and Sunday 23rd August, at 6am. This is before the park opens to traffic so you should get a fairly clear run at the non-standard 10.4 mile course - just watch out for wildlife!

The events are classified as “club”, “come and try" events and will be run in accordance with CTT rules and regulations. In the event that the two pilots are a success, this may lead to a 5-7 race series in the Park in 2010. If you'd like to enter, the details are on the CTT website.

Following the completion of the 2009 Triathlon London Tristar and Youth Series events, the following athletes have been selected to represent the London Region at the IRC 2009. The event is an open water triathlon, taking place on Sunday 13th September at Parc Bryn Bach, Tredegar, Wales. Please note, racing will take place on Sunday 13th - not on Saturday 12th as had previously been communicated.

The latest information we have on the event can be found HERE

(Note - in line with published policy, a 48 hour window for appeal exists for the selections. Any appeal should be directed to Triathlon London Regional Programme Manager, Jon Train (07739 526558 or jontrain@britishtriathlon.org) by midday, Friday 31st July at the latest.)

The following athletes will be offered places on the team:

Category	Girls	Boys
Youth	Daniela Raffel (Optima Racing Team)	Christopher Atkins (SFT/ Walthamstow)
	Victoria Strutt (Optima Racing Team)	Pavan Rooprai (Thames Turbo)
	Molly Renfer	Joe Kidson (Crystal Palace Triathletes)
Tristar 3	Sky Draper (Hillingdon/Jetstream)	Luke Penney (Thames Turbo)
	Armanni Antoine-Chager (SFT/Walthamstow)	Lewis Hawkins (Jetstream)
Tristar 2	Madeleine Nutt (Optima Racing Team)	Henry Dawson (Kingston Wheelers)
	Alice Hoolahan (Crystal Palace Triathletes)	Alex Yee (Crystal Palace Triathletes)

Athletes are requested to confirm the acceptance of their place (or not) as soon as possible by email to: juniorseries@triathlonlondon.org (see details below).

If you are unable to race, or don’t wish to take up you place, please do contact us such that we can offer the position to the reserve list.

Please confirm by email:

• Name,  Age Group & Club (if applicable)
• I would like to accept my IRC place for Team London (Yes / No)
• Your Triathlon England / BTF membership number is:   (Note, it is essential to be a member of the governing body to take part in the event and represent the region - your race licences will be checked at registration!). If you are not currently a member and wish to race, please confirm that you will register asap, and forward on your details at the earliest possible opportunity. This information is required to submit your entry. No exceptions will be granted.
• Your date of birth
• Your address
• Contact telephone number (email will be used as the primary communication method, however you never know when a phone call may be needed).
• Your height and weight (required such that race tri-suits can be arranged in the correct size)

Many thanks, and congratulations to you all!

Calling all coaches......

With Triathlon being one of the country’s fastest growing sports we are currently working to build a database of current and interested coaches to help with a number of projects that we are looking at in the coming 12 months geared around the overall development of Triathlon in the London region.

Projects may range from supporting general Triathlon taster sessions, sessions aimed specifically at junior athletes through to more advanced sessions with experienced athletes to aid performance.

Coaches could be from a Triathlon background or have expertise in a particular discipline (Swim, Bike, Run) with recognised coaching qualifications from their sport. Coaches will be paid for any sessions they coach according to experience which as a guide based on Triathlon coaching qualifications would be at the following levels:

BTF Level 1 Coach: £15 Per Hour
BTF Level 2 Coach: £20 per Hour
BTF Level 3 Coach: £25 Per Hour

All payment will however be discussed with coaches before undertaking any sessions to ensure we have a clear recognition of the experience the coach is bringing to the session. In order to undertake any sessions all coaches would need to hold a current British Triathlon CRB check and we will be happy to discuss the process for this with you when you let us know of your interest in being considered for coaching.

If you would like to be considered for opportunities which may arise in the London region please complete the attached form and we will collate details and contact you when suitable opportunities arise in your location/area of expertise. When completed forms should be returned to stewartward@britishtriathlon.org or please contact us for further information. We look forward to hearing from you.

Stewart Ward & Jon Train

Please note that provisional results for the Triathlon London Junior Series 2009 are now available through the Junior Series & IRC page and also here: JSresults09.xls.

Any queries /  errors should be emailed to Jon Levision at: juniorseries@triathlonlondon.org.

For Max Burt, November 2nd 1999 was a life-changing day. He had recently married and was about to move into a new home with his wife. He had also just resigned from his job as Head of Planning for a major advertising agency to start a new business. Then, on his usual route home from work that day, he was involved in a collision with a fire engine answering an emergency call. The accident left him with severe head injuries that mean he is unable to balance, or walk, or talk properly. Today Max uses a wheelchair permanently, is partially paralysed down his left side, with severe tremors in his right arm, and with a severe speech impairment, and sight and hearing impairments.

In mid 2009, Max embarked on a project travelling the length of Britain on a three-wheeled reclining cycle. This journey is not designed to be a fundraising exercise, but rather a publicity campaign to change perceptions: a campaign to highlight both the diversity in disability, and the positive common experience of the ability to overcome obstacles - diversability (a new word).

On Monday 20th July Max will be making the final stage of his journey from Marble Arch to Trafalgar Square. Max would like to invite you to join him if you can to cycle into central London on this final part of the joureny after work on Monday 20th July. They will be leaving Marble Arch (at the NE corner of Hyde Park) at 7pm sharp. From there, they'll be pedalling to Trafalgar Sq for the finish in Trafalgar Sq at 7.30pm. For more information on Max and his project click HERE

Basking in the summer sunshine, Hillingdon played host to Round 6 of the Triathlon London League on Sunday, with possibly its biggest field ever. As with last year, Euan Lees (Ful-On Tri) was beaten in a sprint finish in this swim-run-bike format event, this time by Matt Chapman (SLH Tri Club) in 1:12:18. Just 30secs behind, Stuart Archer (Ful-On Tri) took third place. In the ladies race, Karen Axelsdottir (Optima Racing Team) recorded a very swift time of 1:15:40 to take the win from Jess Taylor (Ful-On Tri) in second and team mate Rebecca Adams in third. The men’s vet race was also hotly contested with Jon Horsman (Crystal Palace) finishing ahead of Simon Kenyon (Ful-On Tri) who snatched 2nd place from Tim Bishop (Optima Racing Team).

With a sea of yellow and black competing and hogging the podium, the results gave Ful-On Tri the league win on the day and push them to the top of the League table with three race wins out of the six races so far. Optima Racing Team took second place, but significantly didn’t get the triathlon win to help them challenge for top spot (your best 3 scores must include one triathlon race from the series). Whilst it’s not a sure thing, it will take a big push from Thames Turbo to topple Ful-On Tri in the next two races. Home team Hillingdon took the mob match win on the day, but significantly Ful-On Tri also sit top of the mob match table which will prove the decider in the event of a tie.

So all eyes will be on the final two league matches: Clash of the Tritons aquathlon on 15th August and the Jekyll & Hyde Park Duathlon on 25th October. For a full breakdown of the League standings and points scoring, please visit the Triathlon London League page.

The volunteer application form for the Dextro Energy Triathlon ITU World Championship event taking place in Hyde Park on 15th & 16th August, 2009 is now available. Volunteers are needed for Friday 14th, Saturday 15th and Sunday 16th August. You can download the form through the following link: DE_TL_VolunteerApp.doc

You must complete this form if you would like to volunteer at this event and submit it by email to: volunteering@upsolutuk.com or by post to: WCS Triathlon Volunteering, British Triathlon Federation, PO Box 25, Loughborough LE11 3WX.

To hear about all volunteer opportunities at major events in the Triathlon London region, you need to complete the registration form on the Register as a Triathlon London Volunteer page. Triathlon London will keep a register of regional volunteers and will contact you when volunteer opportunities arise within the London region.

Triathlon London is seeking a Regional Head Coach to build and lead a Triathlon London Academy capable of developing athletes from local and regional programmes to become nationally and internationally recognised triathletes. A full descripion of the role can be downloaded here: Regional Head Coach.

Applications should be sent to Triathlon London Chairman, John Petrides on: chairman@triathlonlondon.org. Closing date for applications is 6pm on Friday 26th June.

Round 5 of the Triathlon London League, the 2009 Crystal Palace Triathlon took place in glorious summer sunshine last Sunday. With the mercury rising and nearly 500 participants, competition was always going to be red hot. The refurbished competition pool now open, this year saw the race return to the traditional format of a 750m swim in fifteen 50m lengths, nine laps of the crit circuit round the sports centre on the bike, and a hilly two-lap run.

Last year’s second placed male and female both went on to take the honours this year, with Timothy Male (Thames Turbo) winning the men’s event in a time of 1:03:09 and Parys Edwards winning the female event in a blistering time of 1:08:15, and 15th place overall. Overall second place went to Nick Malynn (Ful-On Tri), just 20 seconds behind the winner and third place went to Matt Chapman (SLH Tri Club). Second female was 2007 winner and vet, Ruth Hutton (SLH Tri Club), with Lara Hawkings third. The Male vet race was very closely contested with Richard Evans (Met Police Tri) taking the win from Simon Kenyon (Ful-On Tri) and Des Adkinson (Tri Condor).

The league results saw a crucial league win for Ful-On Tri, with home team Crystal Palace in second place, and SLH Tri Club third. The Mob Match win went to Tri London who were out in force, with Ful-On Tri second and Serpentine third. The current overall league standings still see Optima Racing Team in front with Ful-On Tri and Thames Turbo sitting joint second in one of the closest League matches we’ve seen.

Round 6: Hillingdon Triathlon on 28th June promises to be an even hotter contest, with some big names on the start sheet. Entries to Hillingdon are now closed, but you can still enter Round 7: Clash of the Tritons on 15th August, when some scores may need to be settled. For a full breakdown of the League standings and points scoring, please visit the Triathlon London League page.

Wetsuit Training Sessions
We are holding a series of wetsuit familiarisation / training sessions at Brockwell Lido in South London, for TriStars, Youths and Juniors. The Lido is unheated, 50m in length and recently refurbished.

Dates: 6th June, 13th June, 20th June and 27th June
Time: 09:00-10:00
Cost: £2.50 per session
Venue: Brockwell Lido, Brockwell Park, Dulwich Road, London SE24 0PA.

The sessions are being run in partnership between Triathlon England and Windrush Triathlon Club, who are  based at the Lido.

Places will be limited so please advise interested parties to book a place with me via email jontrain@britishtriathlon.org

The London Region has a small number of wetsuits suitable for our younger participants. Like last year we are loaning our these wetsuits for the season to athletes from the London area.

Unfortunately we only have the two sizes outlined below:-
Size 2: Weight 80-95lbs / 36.3-43 kg.    Height       4’6” – 5’4” / 137-162cm
Size 3: Weight 90-108lbs / 40.8-49 kg.  Height      4’8” – 5’5” / 142-165cm

If anyone is interested then please contact jontrain@britishtriathlon.org mob: 07739 526 558. We have limited supplies so I would advise a quick response.

Triathlon England in partnership with Hillingdon Triathletes are running a series of Women Only Training sessions over the coming months, in the build up to the Women Only Duathlon at Minet Park (West London) in November.

These sessions are a perfect introduction to duathlon (run-bike-run) events! They are open to female novice/new duathletes & triathletes of all abilities, and will be run by experienced triathletes & coaches.

Never done a duathlon? No problem - come along and ask all the questions you've ever wanted to know!

The sessions are FREE TO ATTEND, but you need to REGISTER via the online form (link below)....
https://www.clubsonline.com.au/eventsregform/index.cfm?fuseaction=display_event_detail&EventID=2576&orgid=3654

The four sessions will be held at Hillingdon Cycle Circuit, Minet Park, Hayes - a purpose built, traffic free, road cycling circuit on the following dates. Come to as many or as few as you wish, you don't have to commit to all of them.

Monday 1st June: 6.15-7.30pm
Monday 6th July: 6.15-7.30pm
Monday 7th Sept: 6-7pm
Monday 14th Sept: 6-7pm

If you have any questions about these sessions please contact Jon Train (jontrain@britishtriathlon.org).

The Contact Group together with Marketing magazine and the MCCA have teamed up with Human Race – Britain’s pre-eminent triathlon organisers to stage a one day event at Dorney Lake, Eton, Windsor on 10th July 2009.

Aimed at people who work in any aspect or in the support of marketing, sales, external relations, PR, and business/company development, or who are studying marketing/PR/advertising etc. This tailored event provides the ideal stage for experienced individuals, teams, amateurs and first timers.

In staging the event they are hoping to raise £100,000+  for charities CLIC Sargent and Alzheimer’s Society. Whilst fundraising is of course optional, the organisers hope you will join them in trying to achieve this target. The Marketing Industry Triathlon will make for a great day out for spectators and supporters too so families and friends don’t have to miss out.
 
For registration please go to the following site http://humanrace.co.uk/more-info-on-the-marketing-industry-triathlon-375.html. See it also on Facebook “Marketing Industry Triathlon”, and on Twitter "marketingtri"

The ITU Dextro Energy World Champ Series Race in London's Hyde Park will take place on Saturday 15th August - a chance to see some Olympic athletes battle it out over the standard distance. The women's elite race will take place at 10:00hrs, with the men's race at 13:10hrs.The weekend also features youth (18:45hrs), junior (07:00hrs) and paratriathlon (16:30hrs) races and an expo (09:00-18:00 Sat & Sun), plus there'll be an Age Group race on Sunday 16th August from 09:00hrs. The Age Group race will consist of a 750m swim in the Serpentine followed by a 20k bike and 5k run, all within Hyde Park.

Places in the Age Group race are expected to sell out quickly, and priority entry has already been given to GB Age Group Team qualifying athletes. Entries are limited to just 2,100 and you can register for the Age Group race at www.triathlon-wcs-london.org where entries have just gone public today.

If you are interested in volunteering at this major London event, please register your details on our Volunteer Registration Page. The event will require a minimum of 300 volunteers, and Triathlon London are keen to enlist the services of triathletes and clubs within the region to help the event run smoothly, particularly those with previous event experience.

Over 140 competitors took part in the Morden 6n'6 Aquathlon on Sunday 10th May at Morden Park Pool, Round 4 of the Triathlon London League. This friendly event, organised by Kingfisher Triathletes and Z Tri. was helped in no small measure by the glorious May sunshine. James Lock (Thames Turbo) retained his title from last year in a new record time of 39:10. Jon Worcester (Met Police) finished second with 19-year old Bradley Hales (Optima Racing Team) third. For the Ladies, Lucy Bowen (Thames Turbo) took the win in a time of 44:45 with Alice Keane second and Karen Axelsdottir third (both Optima Racing Team). The winning vet was Simon Kenyon (Ful-On Tri) from Crystal Palace Triathletes' Jon Horsman and Greg Lewis.

The results see Optima Racing Team taking the lead in the London League for the first time with two League wins out of 4 races. Thames Turbo are in second place, with Ful-On Tri third. Ful-On Tri currently top the Mob Match, which could prove significant as we get further through the season (Mob Match placings will count in the event of a tie). As the action at the sharp end hots up, we look forward to seeing some stiff competition at Round 5: Crystal Palace Triathlon on 31st May. For full details and rankings, please refer to our Triathlon London League page.

This year’s Clash of the Tritons aquathlon, organised by the Greenwich Tritons, will take place on Saturday August 15. Held in the traffic-free grounds of Eltham College in London SE9, the event comprises an adults’ race (500m swim/5k run) and a children’s race (250m swim/2k run) open to ages 11-14 years. Trophies will be awarded to the first three boys and girls, and to the first three men and women in the youth, senior and vet categories. There is also a trophy for the fastest team, and the fastest family – so it’s a great race for everyone. We also have some fabulous spot prizes, including a 1:1 session with Swim for Tri.

Enter online at http://www.entrycentral.com or for more information contact Keren Fallwell 07956 291 829. This year’s event is sponsored by PhysioActive and Swim for Tri.

The new Dextro Energy Triathlon ITU World Championship Series comes to London in 2009. British Triathlon and Upsolut are offering all Age Group athletes who qualified for a British Team in 2007 /2008 or 2009 priority entry into the Age Group Race to be held alongside the elite races in Hyde Park in August.

With only 2000 age group places available, it is anticipated the race will sell out quickly once open to open age group entry.

Priority entry for qualified athletes has opened but ends on 12th May.  All qualified athletes should have received an e-mail notification – so check your in box to gain the priority booking code and information!   Entry for all other Age Group athletes will commence on 12 May.

All Age Group Racing will take place on Sunday 16 August 2009 so come and watch the Dextro Energy Triathlon ITU World Championship Series elite races on Saturday 15 August alongside the British Youth and Junior Championships and a paratriathlon demonstration event.

All Age Group and elite races take place within Hyde Park.   The Age Group race will consist of a 750m swim in the Serpentine followed by a 20km bike and 5km run.

Windrush Triathlon Club have announced that they will be holding a series of Aquathlon races at Brockwell Park Lido and that you can now enter online at www.windrushtri.co.uk (Follow the link on the left to Aquathlon series.)

The races are designed be accessible to all and are priced very reasonably. Whether you are an experienced triathlete or just starting out in the sport why not try out this great central London venue.

All races are priced at £7.00 for BTF Members and £9.50 for non members.

The events have two distances 200m swim and 2.5km run and a longer 750m swim and 5km run.

Aquathlon Race #1     Thursday 11th June, race starts at 18:30 
Aquathlon Race #2     Thursday 9th July, race starts at 18:30    
Aquathlon Race #3     Sunday 23rd August, race start at 09:30

Please visit the Clubs website for more info www.windrushtri.co.uk

Just a quick note to alert all young triathletes in the region that the junior series events are open for entries and some are very nearly full. To avoid disappointment we would encourage early entry to these events.

The London TriStar and Youth Series events are:

Race	Date	Event	Organiser	Entries
1	3 May	Hillingdon Children's Duathlon	Hillingdon Triathletes	Now open
2	10 May	Hatch End Junior Triathlon	Jetstream Tri Club	Now open
3	31 May	Crystal Palace Triathlon	Crystal Palace Triathletes	Nearly full!
4	21 Jun	Thames Turbo Junior Aquathlon	Thames Turbo Triathlon Club	Now open
5	4 Jul	Eton Open Water Children's Triathlon	Human Race Events	Now open
6	11 Jul	Upminster Junior Triathlon	Tri Sport Epping	Nearly full!

To qualify for the London Region IRC squad your best three event results count. For more info on the Series check the Junior Series page of this website

An event not in the series this year is Greenwich Tritons' Clash of the Tritons on 15th August, entries for which are now open. The event, which will once again be held at the Eric Liddell Centre, Eltham College, comprises a 500m swim/5k run for adults, and a 250m swim/2k run for children aged 11-14. Every competitor will receive a goody bag. Trophies will be awarded to the first three males and females in the children’s race, and in the youth, senior and vet categories in the adults’ race, and there will also be an adults’ team trophy and a family trophy. For more info please visit: Greenwich Tritons

Just like London buses, you wait all year for the start of the Triathlon London League races, and then three come along at once! With three races in a week, the League got off to a far warmer start than the 2008 series at the Thames Turbo Sprint triathlon on a mild and windless Easter Monday. Racing at the sharp end was very close, with the host club wheeling out the big guns and their disc wheels! Home athlete Dion Harrison took the win after spending most of the winter training in Stellenbosch, South Africa for a 2009 season focussed on longer distances. Second place went to fellow Turbo, Timothy Males, with 3rd place taken by Bradley Hayles (Optima Racing Team). The women’s race was even closer with Fiona Moorehead-Lane (Optima Racing Team), taking a 3-second win over Lucy Bowen (Thames Turbo), with another Turbo, Holly Tomlinson taking 3rd. As in past years, the League win in this event went to the home team, Thames Turbo with Optima Racing Team taking 2nd place and current league champions, Ful-On Tri in 3rd.

The weather did its worst between Tuesday and Friday, only to dawn bright and sunny again on Saturday for Round 2, and new addition to the League, the Ful-On Duathlon at Longcross Test Track. 2006 World Champion, Tim Don (Prologue Bikes), was the star turn at this race, winning by a comfortable margin from Tristan Shipsides (Ful-On Tri) and Andrew Mercer (Thames Turbo). The men’s vet race proved much closer, with last year’s winner Gavin Francis (Optima Racing Team) pipping Simon Kenyon and Richard Staite (both Ful-On Tri) to the post. The Women’s Open race was won by Lucy Bowen (Thames Turbo) in impressive form from Parys Edwards (Ful-On Tri), with Nicola Boyd (Optima Racing Team) third. The League win for Round 2 went to home team, Ful-On Tri with Thames Turbo taking 2nd place and Optima Racing Team 3rd.

The next day saw the Dragon Slayer Duathlon return to its roots as a cycle circuit based duathlon at the new Redbridge Cycling Centre. The course proved extremely challenging, with a largely off-road run on the mountain bike circuit, complete with jumps, berms and ultra-sharp zig-zag sections. The bike course comprised 20 laps of the road racing circuit, with a sharp 12% gradient on the approach to the finish line. A few competitors had raced the day before at the Ful-On Duathlon, but were out racing again to gain valuable League points for their clubs! The event was won by Justin Webb (Optima Racing Team) from Nick Malynn (Ful-On Tri) and Timothy Male (Thames Turbo). The women’s race was won by Karen Axelsdottir (Optima Racing Team) from Holly Tomlinson (Thames Turbo) and Rebecca Adams (Optima Racing Team). Optima Racing Team took the the League win from Thames Turbo, with Ful-On Tri scraping 3rd.

So with three clubs showing a win a-piece after three rounds, it looks like this year’s Triathlon London League is going to be a close-run thing. Rule changes this year mean that a tie on first place will be decided by each club’s standing in the mob match, so it's wise to get as many club members racing each event as possible. For more details on how to take part in the league and current rankings, please visit our Triathlon London League page. The next race is Round 4: Morden 6n’6 Aquathlon on 10th May, entries for which are now open.

The Hampstead Heath Lido open water season starts on Tuesday 5th May. Triathlon specific open water swim sessions will be held on Tuesdays from 7 - 8.30 pm and Saturdays from 9.30 – 10.30 am. These sessions are suitable for every level, from beginners to more experienced triathletes. They are designed to meet your needs and skill level, so that you swim the distance and intensity required to achieve your racing goals. Additionally, these sessions will include specific open water drills which will improve open water performance and increase overall swim fitness. For further information and to reserve your place please contact Terence Collins who is a qualified BTF level 3 coach on terencecollins9@gmail.com or call 07879 401550.

Popular open water swim venues Liquid Leisure and the Princes Club opened for business at the weekend, with Heron Lake due to open this Saturday 25th April, though lake temperatures are still hovering around the 12ºC mark.

Full details and locations of all open water swim venues (lakes and lidos) in and around London can be found on our Training Venues page. Please contact web@triathlonlondon.org with any updates to this information. Swim safety should be your primary concern, so please download our Open Water Swimming Guidelines to implement best practice when swimming open water at the lakes.

A young London club triathlete has destroyed the 1-12 years Half Marathon Indoor Rowing World Record.

12 year old Katie Metalli broke the record for rowing the 21097 metres on an indoor rowing machine at the Northcroft Leisure Centre in Newbury on Wednesday 15th April.

Although the record of 4:58:09.0 had been unbeaten since 2004 when it was recorded by American Beonka Pope, Katie reduced the record by a staggering margin of more than three hours as she broke through the sub-two hour mark to complete the row in 1 hour 43 minutes 40.6 seconds.

Katie joins the ranks of just 42 other lightweight women who have completed the half-marathon distance in the past 12 months and she is now the 25th fastest lightweight female (of any age group) in the world this year!

Afterwards she put her achievement largely down to a slip of paper attached to a chair in front of her rowing machine “I received a personal good luck email from Rebecca Romero on Monday and put it so I could see it on the day. With about 7 or 8k left to row, it really made the difference and I thought of her victory in Beijing and that spurred me on”  Romero was the Olympic Silver medallist in Rowing in 2004 who won gold last year in cycling.

She also currently leads the world best times in 8 different distances this season and has previously already won 2 British National Titles. A few weeks ago she also collected her second silver medal at the National Junior Indoor Rowing Champs in London; repeating her position at the 2008 event. 

The remarkable thing however is not the world record but that Katie has never rowed on the water!

She is now normally found riding her bike, swimming or running for her main sport of triathlon where she represents Jetstream Tri Club in North London and is the current London Region Tristar 2 Champion and also came 9th for the region at last year’s IRC.

She is also cycles for Hillingdon Slipstreamers and is currently leading the National Cycling rankings and has been a member of the British Cycling DHL Sprint School development squad for the past 2 years.

Since she started competing in triathlons at the age of 8 she has won 198 different swimming, cycling, running, triathlon, duathlon and aquathlon events as well as athletics events such as javelin, shot and discus County Javelin Champion in 2007.

She is also a member of the Southern Region Talent ID Squad for Modern Pentathlon.

The all-round athlete has already been recognised for her past performances and was runner-up at the recent Basingstoke and Deane Sports Council Awards for her performances in 2008.

She also finished third in the same Awards 2007 and was also the youngest-ever winner of the prestigious Michael Austin Harlick Outstanding Sports Person award in 2006; previous winners of which include England’s rugby world cup winning captain Jonny Wilkinson and GB International runner Steph Twell.

She was raising money from her friends and family for Spectrum; her school charity which she attends in Newbury and which helps people with autism where her efforts were boosted by more than £50 worth of donations collected on the day.

Katie is now contemplating an attack on the current 1k and 10k world records before her birthday on April 29th after which time at 13 she will be too old!

Further details can be obtained from Katie’s father Peter Metalli on:
Email: peter@metalli.co.uk. 

The first training sessions for Windrush Triathlon club will be on Wednesday 1st April, starting at 19:30 Based at Brockwell Lido near Herne Hill train station. The session will take place on the centres' resistance fly-wheel bikes and be a triathlon specific session and cost £2.50. Swimming in the 50m Lido will start in May when the full training programme will be in operation.

Initial training timetable as of May 2009.

Swimming: Tuesdays 19:00-20:00, Thursdays 19:00-20:00 and Saturdays 08:00-09:30                   

Bike: Wednesdays 19:30-20:30, these sessions are indoors on resistance bikes and Saturdays 09:30-10:15 poolside after swim session please bring bike and turbo trainer.

Please contact Stuart Brown or Jon Train for more information

There were some fantastic performances on Sunday at Newham with 25 young athletes from across Newham, Waltham Forest and Redbridge participating.

TriStar 2 swim 200m / 1km run
1st Ciara Purcell (7:59)/ Jermey Nockels (8:10)
2nd Evangeline Foster (8:02)/ Oliver Payne (8:25)
3rd Cathryn Bowyer (8:58)/ Andy Okito (8:50)

Tristar 3 swim 250m / 2km run
1st Laurne Payne (14:39)/ George Hoy (12:57)
2nd Benny Okito (13:12)
3rd Reza Bhajun (15:57)

Youth/Juniors swim 400m / 3km run
1st Neha Dabhi (17:17)/ Jake Burgess (20:24)
2nd Said Awad (20:36)
3rd Tommy Bover (20:47)

Thanks to all the volunteers that helped make the event.
To download the full results click HERE

The Triathlon London Tristar/Youth Series and Inter Regional Championship (IRC) qualifying events for 2009 will consist of the following 6 races:

Race	Date	Event	Organiser	Entries
1	3 May	Hillingdon Children's Duathlon	Hillingdon Triathletes	Now open
2	10 May	Hatch End Junior Triathlon	Jetstream Tri Club	Now open
3	31 May	Crystal Palace Triathlon	Crystal Palace Triathletes	Now open
4	21 Jun	Thames Turbo Junior Aquathlon	Thames Turbo Triathlon Club	Now open
5	4 Jul	Eton Open Water Children's Triathlon	Human Race Events	Now open
6	11 Jul	Upminster Junior Triathlon	Tri Sport Epping	Now open

The 2009 IRC Championships, which include an openwater swim for the first time, will be held on 12th September 2009 at Bryn Bach Parc in Tredegar, Wales.

Full details on rules and scoring for the series can be found on our Kids Series & IRC 2009 page.

The first seven triathletes to benefit from Dave Aitchison SportsAid funding have been announced by Sports Aid. "Dave's athletes" are:

• Armanni Antoine-Chagar, Walthamstow Tritons, aged 13 years;
• Lucy Chittenden, Farnham Tri Club, aged 17 years;
• Sky Draper, Jetstream Tri Club, aged 13 years;
• Lewis Hawkins, Jetstream Tri Club, aged 12 years;
• Emily McLoughlin, Crawley Tri Club, aged 16 years;
• Matthew Myers, Optima Racing Team, aged 15 years;
• Lara Nyman, Jetstream Tri/Team Viper, aged 16 years.

Six of the athletes, 4 from London and 2 from the South East region, have received awards of £1,000 each, with one London athlete, Sky Draper, receiving a £1,500 award. We wish all of Dave's athletes every success in their 2009 race season, and hope to see many of them at the main fund-raising event, the Surrey Legs of Steel cyclosportive on 26th September 2009. The Surrey Legs of Steel event has raised over £12,500 for the fund in two years.

Full details of Dave's athletes and information on the Dave Aitchison Fund can be found on our Athlete Funding page.

Human Race will once again be hosting the Triathlon London Regional Triathlon Championships and South East Regional Triathlon Championships, both of which will be held at Dorney Lake, Eton on Sunday 5th July 2009 (Individual) and Sunday 12th July 2009 (Team Time Trial). The Championships are expected to attract over one thousand competitors and are set to showcase some outstanding racing from many of the UK’s leading triathletes, across individual and team entries.

The Championships are open to individuals and club members, living or working within the Boroughs of London and the South East Region. Individual championship racing will take place over the standard distance (1.5km swim, 40km bike, 10km run) on Sunday 5th July. In addition, there will be a regional Team Time Trial over 3/4 distance (800m swim, 30k bike, 7.5k run) on Sunday 12th July.

For more information and to enter, please visit the Regional Championship Page.

Triathlon England: London are holding a taught Level 1 Club / Assistant Referees course on Sunday the 8th March at London South Bank University (Elephant & Castle) between 09:30 and 12:30. The course will take you through the Level 1 Homestudy Pack and then assign you to an event and senior Referee to shadow inorder to complete the qualification.

If you would like more information please contact Jon Train (email: jontrain@britishtriathlon.org) or phone 07739 526 558.

Please find details of the BTF 2009 Youth and Junior Series. Please note that the National Junior Championships date and venue is still to be confirmed. This may be a separate race or it may be incorporated into one of the triathlon events listed below.

Details on how the series will work will be finalised once the Youth and Junior Championships has been confirmed. Please contact Laura Macey email: lauramacey@britishtriathlon.org

Designated Races

Youths
•    26th April    Youth Duathlon Championships, Prestwold  
•    17th May     Youth Aquathlon Championships, venue tbc
•    24th May     Eton Youth Supersprint race
•    6th June    Blenheim Youth Supersprint
•    1st August     London Youth Supersprint race

Juniors
•    26th April    Junior Duathlon Championships, Prestwold
•    17th May     Junior Aquathlon Championships, venue tbc
•    7th June    Blenheim Junior Sprint race 
•    19th July     National Elite Sprint Championships
•    2nd  August    London Junior Sprint race

The Triathlon London Awards party took place on Saturday 24th January at Pizzarro's Restaurant in Chiswick. The Junior Awards party was very well attended with over 40 juniors from all London Region clubs getting together to recognise the success of our 2008 IRC team who finished 5th overall - a marked improvement on previous years.

The award presentations were conducted by John Petrides, chairman of Triathlon London and James Beckinsale, Triathlon London's talent coach. Cups were presented to the top three girls and boys in each age category who took part in the Junior Series. The 2008 awards for the Triathlon London volunteers went to: Andrew Tong as Coach of the Year, Steve Newell as Referee of the Year, Conan Gibney as Volunteer of the Year and Alice Clemens as Young Volunteer of the Year. And the final presentation went to Ful-On Tri as winners of the Triathlon London League 2008.

Following the awards presentation, many athletes stayed for a very enjoyable awards dinner at Pizzarro's. Many thanks to all those who attended for making the evening such a success. See our Triathlon London Award Parties and Photo Gallery pages for more details.

A huge congratulations goes out to Crystal Palace Triathletes for achieving ClubMark status. ClubMark is a Sport England kite mark denoting a high quality club with a junior section. Crystal Palace are the only triathlon club in London to have achieved Senior accreditation of StarMark and also to be junior accredited through ClubMark.

Sports Coach UK (scUK) are offering FREE "Analysing your Coaching" workshops for all Coaches within London. There are workshops across London through out March. To book your place and for more information download the application form HERE