Triathlon

Brownlee brothers bring their first triathlon home to Yorkshire. Alistair and Jonny Brownlee will be taking part in the event this September World-beating triathlete brothers Alistair and Jonny Brownlee have partnered up with the National Trust to host their first ever triathlon this September in their native Yorkshire at Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal. Alistair, who famously won gold at the 2012 London Olympics, and Jonny, the current reigning ITU World Champion, are bringing this new triathlon to their home turf of north Yorkshire. World Champion and Olympic bronze medallist, Jonny Brownlee, said: “It’s great to be holding our first Brownlee Triathlon at Fountains Abbey. “As young children, our parents used to take us there for walks to try and wear us out so we have good memories of the place. We want this triathlon to be part of our legacy and to see as many people take part as possible.” The ‘Brownlee Tri’ will taking place at the World Heritage Site on Saturday 21 September. A super-sprint triathlon, it will start with a 400m swim in Studley Royal lake, a 10km bike ride will take competitors through the medieval deer park before culminating in a 2.5km run. The run goes through Studley Royal water garden and the ruins of Fountains Abbey before finishing on the east green. Olympic gold medallist Alistair Brownlee added: “The whole area around Fountains Abbey is fantastic to train as triathletes and a perfect fit for us. “The paths and trails in the abbey’s estate are a lovely setting for a run, with great views of Ripon Cathedral and the Yorkshire Dales. The lanes close to the abbey are some of the best in the country for cycling. We’re very lucky in Yorkshire to have some of the finest countryside around, and Fountains is a great place to see a lot of it.” Chris Fowler, National Trust General Manager at Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal, said: “This is going to be a unique event, not just for triathletes who will get to run through the iconic ruins, but for spectators too. We’re thrilled that Alistair and Jonny are combining their love of triathlon with this special place – one of their favourite stop off points when out training.” Triathlon is the fastest growing Olympic Sport with 31% participation growth per year and 20% of the triathletes completing their first triathlon in 2012. Alistair and Jonny are hoping to see this continue with more events like the Brownlee Tri. Enthusiasts have already started registering their interest for the inaugural Brownlee Tri to make sure that they are kept up to date with the latest information for the event. People interested in taking part can register for a place from 10.00 on Tuesday 4 June; places are expected to sell out really quickly. Chris Fowler continued: “We want our visitors to come and enjoy the outdoors, feel closer to nature and be inspired by wonderful experiences – the Brownlee Triathlon is just a fantastic way to do this.” For more information about the Brownlee Triathlon, visit www.brownleetriathlon.com and look out for updates through Twitter @Brownleetri or www.facebook.com/brownleetriathlon Triradar.com is the online home of Triathlon Plus – the best source of triathlon training advice, triathlon gear reviews and triathlon news. Log your training for free at the TriRadar.com Training Zone. Have every issue delivered to your digital device by getting Triathlon Plus through Apple Newsstand, Google Play or Zinio. Subscribe to the print edition with massive savings at MyFavouriteMagazines. Join the conversation on the Triathlon Plus Facebook page, follow us on Twitter @TriathlonPlus.

Episode 362 of the IMTalk triathlon podcast is out now. IMTalk Podcast – Your weekly fix of all things Ironman IMTALK episode 362 – Gordo Byrn is now available from the IMTalk website. In this week’s episode: News: Results for IM Lanzarote and Texas, IM Brazil coming up, Gomez crushes Challenge Half in Barcelona, Terenzo and MBE win Florida 70.3. This Week’s Discussion: Bevan wants to get to know you guys a whole lot better. He was wondering if you were to get stuck on a desert island what would be the four things that you want to have with you? You can’t take people. Comment here. Age Grouper of the Week: Carol Murray sent through her husband Dave for this week’s Age Grouper of the Week. While training for the Long Distance European Duathon Championships he got a serious injury. This didn’t stop Dave, he overcame the injury and went on to complete the race. Good luck at the worlds guys. Interview: We have Gordo from Endurance Corner back on the show this week. He covers bike training so you don’t lose all your speed trying to qualify for Kona every year. Coaches Corner: John answered a question from Martin Silver Surfer Silvester about taking a month off work to prepare for an IM.    

Terenzo Bozzone of New Zealand edged Kevin Collington of the U.S. by 1:21 and Mary Beth Ellis topped fellow U.S. competitor Mandy McLane by 5:07 to win the Ironman 70.3 Florida overall titles.

We reveal our verdict on the Merrell Flux Glove Sport shoes Merrell Barefoot Train Flux Glove Sport £80 merrell.com/uk As the name suggests, the Merrell Flux Glove Sports have a snug and immediately comfy fit. The mesh-laden upper is flexy, breathable and holds the foot securely without pinching while the footbed is comfy with or without socks and has a wide enough toebox to allow your pinkies to spread easily. Out on the road, the zero heel-to-toe drop is immediately apparent, forcing you to run on your forefoot. The 4mm of EVA midsole padding takes only the slightest edge out of the pavement, meaning a flexible sole with great road feel, but a potentially painful proposition for longer runs. To combat this, we found that we naturally upped our cadence to lessen contact time with the ground – all in-keeping with the barefoot ethos. The Vibram outsole meant great grip – but showed wear quickly – and the arch support was just enough to avoid collapse. Be warned though, adjust to the zero-drop slowly or your calves will be screaming in pain for days.

This past weekend, I did the Galena Triathlon. Or, the Chicago National World Championships.Galena has become the nonofficial season opening race of triathlon season in this area. A lot of the best athletes in the area come out to test their fitness on this very challenging (and surprisingly gorgeous) course. Drive about 3 hours west where Iowa meets Illinois and you find beautiful rolling hills, waterfalls and bluffs carved out along the Mississippi River valley in the Galena Territory.Like last year, I traveled with Jennifer and a few of her neighborhood athlete friends. I thoroughly enjoyed 120 miles of Driving Miss Daisy where she not only ate all of my pretzels but talked the entire time. Once we arrived in Galena, we dropped off our bikes along with many, many socialization stops. Next time I travel with Harrison, I really need to consider getting one of those monkey backpack leashes that parents put on their kids at the mall. A few changes in the bike course and some major changes in the run course left us wondering just what we were in for so we drove the course. There was the usual livestock warning on Pea Ridge (in Miss Daisy’s words see those baby goats? If they run on to the road on race day, it’s going to be a hot mess going up this hill). The headwind on Elizabeth-Scales-Mound. A new long descent into Shenandoah and a hill going into T2 – yay! More hills. Also a new run course that went in two directions: up or down. The only flat section was the 400 meters leading into the finish line!The morning of the race, we were up early and ready for multiple bus rides. We parked at remote parking, waited (impatiently) for the bus to fill so we could depart to T2. The bus driver admitted he had no idea where he was doing (reassuring!) so we directed him turn by turn. This is what happens when you sit in the first seat of the bus (and if you travel with Miss Daisy you will always be in the first seat!). At T2 we dropped off our run shoes. Then, we boarded another bus to the lake.We had left our bikes at T1 the day before. Quickly we got about setting up our transition. Though we boarded the first bus at 6:40 am, we didn’t arrive to T1 until 7:50 am (plan accordingly – the bus rides take time!). There wasn’t much to set up in transition since everything had to be stuffed back into a plastic bag so they could transport your “swim bag” back to T2 at the end of the race. Confused yet? Me too. All I knew is that I needed to be on the start line at 9:36 am. The race seemed like the easiest part of this whole adventure!This year, I decided to leave my bike shoes along the path from swim to run. Last year I really struggled with the rocks in T1. Believe me, this is an entire transition area of chunky, awkward, painful rocks that slowed me to a walk – painful and embarrassing! My plan was to exit the swim, stop before the timing mats, take off my wetsuit and put on my bike shoes to run into transition. Many others did this – and I highly recommend it if you want to cruise through transition without worrying about the rocks (and your feet!). After setting everything up, then, we waited. Nothing like being in the second to last wave! Miss Daisy informs me that this is what happens as you get older, you go close to last - something about saving the best for last or there's no way anyone woman over 35 could possibly win a race so put them last! While waiting, I did a warm up in the water. A week ago, the water was 57. Race day, it was closer to 65 and perfect. Cold to the face at first but then really refreshing. The swim start is on the beach with a short run in. I did a few practice run ins and realized that running and then diving in to swim really jolted my heart rate up and made me burn. I also realized that there was no point in running – you only had room for a few steps before the depth dropped off and you had to swim anyways. Being in the second to last wave, I had plenty of time to watch

My 5th Ironman is now complete. People had asked me, "why Texas?" and my answer was, " I wanted a challenge. A new experience." It proved to be just that. A huge challenge. But, while the ending wasn't exactly what I planned or hoped for, my Finisher's shirt is drying on the line and my medal is on the counter. And that, is success. The day was brutal. I had to dig deeper than ever before. My words here will never really tell the story. It was a day that has made me a stronger person forever. Things don't always go just as planned, but I know I fought with all my might and because of that, I feel great about my day. First--- At 4:22 a.m. today, I made it to my bed. I actually had to have help getting there, my back seized up on me and I was unable to get up off the floor just moments before. We knew we'd be getting home "late" on Sunday but it was supposed to be 11 p.m. Sunday not 3 hours before work and school began on Monday. Travel delays.... brutal. They seem to come at the most inopportune times. So forgive me if the first parts of this race report don't flow smoothly. My brain isn't firing properly. I'm working on 3 lousy nights of rest ( the night before the Ironman, the after {the body is a mess and unable to relax} and then a night of travel.)_____________________________I flew to TX on Tuesday and enjoyed several great days of visiting with my Aunt. I rarely get to see her since we are so far away so it was a treat. She spoiled me with wonderful hospitality and it was a great way to kick off race week. The rest of my family arrived Thursday night. At that point, I was ready. I had my support crew. Friday was... a bit stressful. You see... something was awry with my back. I'm not sure what happened but on Thursday, it became clear that I had done something to it. I'm not going to go too into it....but after my big breakfast that day, I spent most of the day laying around icing it. I was pretty worried. I feared it might seize up on me during the bike and well, that would be that. I tried to stay calm. We headed into town to rack my bike that afternoon. It was HOT and very very muggy. The air was thick, heavy and wet. Tommy, bless his heart, wasn't trying to be 'bad' in anyway but said, "Mommy, I don't mean to be mean or anything but I have NO idea how you're going to do this tomorrow. " ha! :) Yeah.... have faith kiddo. But inside, I was worried too. We were soaked with sweat just from that little walk to hand in bags and a bike. And, my back was Tightening more and more as I walked. I had to just have faith. I took care of myself,, listened to the local weatherman warn "those Ironman folks" not only because of the high heat and humidity arriving but the smoke that was blowing in from Mexico ( farmers burning crops) and messing with the air quality. Ok... time for bed. Enough of the worry... Race day: I got up bright and early and felt pretty good. I put my back out of my mind as it felt pretty good that morning, and just went through my routine. I ate, I showered, and we all left the hotel at 4:45 a.m. ( My kids are total troupers... they just go with the flow. I'm so lucky..... ) Mark dropped me off and I walked in the dark to T1. It was going smoothly. Tires pumped, gels in bento, bottles on bike, garmin on bike, in bag, Hi to a few people I knew and off to the swim start. And, I was very very nervous. I was standing around at the lake, in a Long portapotty line, and was Totally surprised and Psyched to see Mark and the guys walking along!! I had no idea that I'd see them. We didn't know our way around so we had no way to plan meeting spots. This made me SO calm and happy to have their hugs one more time. Things moved along quickly and before I knew it, I was in the water waiting to go. The water was 77-78degrees so wetsuits were Not legal unless you wanted to be out of contention for awards. Phew. This was good. No need to overheat from the start!! The brown water that I knew was hiding snakes

Emma-Kate Lidbury has a tough time of it at Ironman 70.3 St George   Emma Kate is made of strong stuff and refused to quit even when she felt bad YOU DO NOT GET TO QUIT TODAY. YOU DO NOT GET TO QUIT TODAY. YOU DO NOT GET TO QUIT TODAY. Welcome to my mind during mile 1 of the run course at Ironman 70.3 St George in Utah. It’s the 70.3 US Pro Championships. The field is stacked and reads like a Who’s Who of triathlon. I’ve had a dog of a day. My swim start tactics were foolish and my swim painful (think revving your engine to maximum RPM and then stalling). My bike was average at best and now, here we are, on the run course. I’ve come into T2 with three others and together we occupy positions five through to eight. There’s already significant daylight between us and the leaders so we’re fighting it out for the scraps. As you can probably tell, I’m not in a good headspace. In fact, I haven’t been all day long. I wish I could tell you exactly why, but at this precise moment I simply don’t know. All I know is that I have 13.1 miles of running ahead of me and I really, REALLY want to quit. My legs are heavy, my chest is heaving, absolutely everything is irritating me and I just can’t get my head into gear. I soon watch the other three girls run away from me. Their fast feet are moving at a cadence I simply can’t get my legs to move at today. This does nothing to alleviate my bad mood and I grumble some more. At this point – probably less than 800 yards from T2 – the evil guy in my ear, the voice telling me to quit, telling me it’s all going to hurt too much, well, I think even he’s starting to get tired. This allows just a moment for a positive thought to pop up and I realise I have a very simple choice to make: race or quit. I hear my coach, Matt Dixon’s, voice. A few of the lines he said to me in our pre-race phone call start echoing around my brain. “Whatever happens on that run course, Eccles, you stay in the race. Be brave, Eccles.” Yes, be brave, Eccles. Last time I looked up “brave” in the dictionary, quitting at mile 0.5 was not the definition. It’s time to grow some cojones. Realising I’m probably a little low on sugar and that’s not helping my cause, I start gulping down sticky electrolyte drink at the first aid station. I take on a little High5 gel from my gel flask. The sugar kick is instant. That fog is lifting from my brain. A mantra begins to flood it: “YOU DO NOT GET TO QUIT TODAY”. I begin to focus purely on my run form: fast feet, light arms, strong core. I allow myself to think only positive thoughts – allowing even the slightest trace of negativity into my brain at this pivotal time is going to be disastrous. I look up the road to see those girls who did such a good job of running away from me out of T2 and tell myself they’re all going to blow up. I keep on keeping on. This is the totally unglamorous part of racing. The part that’s a long, hard, heavy slog. There’s little to prepare you for it – you simply have to bring out your best tools on the day. If my mind wanders, it doesn’t go far. It’s soon back to that now rhythmical mantra and I’m almost proud of it. It’s getting me places. By mile 5 I’ve reeled in one of those three girls who bolted from me at T2. The other two are now within 20 seconds’ reach. How things change! Aid station Coke is a lifesaver and continually focusing on form is vital. I’ve been passed by a couple of faster runners but this doesn’t distract me. I stay focused. I stay strong. I’m hurting in every possible way – mentally, physically, emotionally – but I’ve pledged not to give up on this race and I absolutely will not and cannot. It’s at races like these – the ones that don’t go to plan, the ones where there’s no pay cheque, glory or trophies – where you’re forced to go deep within yourself and take a long, hard look at what you’re made of. You learn a lot. You learn there’

Britain triumphant at Ironman Texas with Paul Amey and Rachel Joyce taking centre stage. In stifling heat and humidity, Ironman Texas got underway with a non-wetsuit swim that saw Australia’s Brett Carter lead from the water in 49:13 at the head of swift-swimming bunch. Mathias Hecht of the Czech Republic – third last year – was seventh out of the water, followed by South Africa’s James Cunnama and Germany’s Jan Raphael, while the USA’s Ian Mikelson was another 90 seconds behind. Once onto the Woodlands-based bike route, it was Hecht who mashed the gears to build a five-minute advantage over Cunnama, who chased hard in second place. Behind the leaders, Britain’s Paul Amey – 21st in the swim with a deficit of around six minutes – started making inroads and moving up the rankings. As the day grew ever hotter, Hecht started to fade on the bike, his lead over Cunnama down to less then three minutes by the time he racked his bike. Raphael and the USA’s Ian Mikelson got out onto the pavement less than a minute behind the South African while Amey posted the day’s fastest bike split – 4:29:07 – to start the marathon in sixth place, four minutes behind the leader. With Hecht fading badly on his way to a DNF, Cunnama overtook three miles into the run. Amey stormed through the course and had managed to take the lead only three miles later. Amey pushed his advantage in the heat while Cunnama and Mikelson battled for second place on the course. Amey ran on to the day’s fastest run split – 2:56:18 – to win Ironman Texas in 8:25:06. Cunnama got the better of Mikelson to secure second in 8:27:35, with the American taking third in 8:30:06.   In the women’s race, Britain’s Rachel Joyce took on her first Ironman since struggling with illness in last year’s world championship. Leading from the water in 54:02, just ahead of the USA’s Amy Marsh, Joyce rode with the American at the head of the race, distancing the rest of the field as the morning drew on. 40 miles in, Joyce took off to establish an unbeatable lead, her advantage blossoming to over six minutes by T2 thanks to the day’s fastest bike split of 4:42:29. Second off the bike, Marsh was soon overhauled on the run by fellow Americans Christine Anderson, Kimberley Schwabenbauer and Jennie Hansen, who were running strongly, but well off the pace at 30 minutes behind Joyce. The Brit coupled her fast bike with the day’s fastest run, completing the marathon in 3:07:27 to cross the line victorious in 8:49:14. Joyce’s third sub-nine-hour performance was also enough to take the course record in Texas, besting Mary Beth Ellis’ 2012 result by over five minutes. Hansen proved best of the rest, finishing in 9:25:35, the 36-minute time difference underlining Joyce’s class. Schwabenbauer completed the podium in 9:33:01. The USA’s Ashley Clifford ran up from 11th to fourth, overtaking Anderson who rounded out the top five.   Top 10 Men PAUL AMEY, GBR 8:25:06 JAMES CUNNAMA, ZAF 8:27:35 IAN MIKELSON, USA 8:30:06 JUSTIN DAERR, USA 8:30:35 SWEN SUNDBERG, DEU 8:37:30 JAN RAPHAEL, DEU 8:42:34 BALAZS CSOKE, HUN 8:44:01 AJ BAUCCO, USA 8:53:37 MIKE SCHIFFERLE, CHE 8:56:06 LATORRE CASTILLO, ANDRES COL 9:02:04   Top 10 Women RACHEL JOYCE, GBR 8:49:14 JENNIE HANSEN, USA 9:25:35 KIMBERLY SCHWABENBAUER, USA 9:33:01 ASHLEY CLIFFORD, USA 9:36:51 CHRISTINE ANDERSON, USA 9:44:51 AMY MARSH, USA 9:55:49 APRIL GELLATLY, USA 10:01:54 SARAH HANKLA, USA 10:04:41 OLESYA PRYSTAYKO, UKR 10:08:49 JENNIFER LENTZKE, CAN 10:27:58

German pairing Faris Al-Sultan and Kristin Möller dominated the race at Ironman Lanzarote. The men’s swim was led out by Britain’s Stephen Bayliss, who leapt from the water in 47:45, followed closely by Germany’s Faris Al-Sultan, fellow Brit and Triathlon Plus columnist Phil Graves and Spain’s Miquel Blanchart. The quartet were soon out on one of the toughest bike routes in triathlon and while it was Graves who smashed the course in last year’s event, this time it was the turn of Al-Sultan to do the same. The 2005 Ironman world champion pulled away from his competitors to build an ever-increasing lead over the 112 sun-drenched and windy miles, returning to transition after 4:53:03 on the road, the day’s fastest bike split by nearly 10 minutes. Graves, riding conservatively to avoid a repeat DNF in the race, was second to rack his bike, while Blanchart followed a minute later. Kirill Kotsegarov of Estonia was around another seven minutes back. With time to kill, Al-Sultan ran a strong 2:55:03 marathon to cross the line in 8:42:40, claiming victory and a starting spot at the Ironman World Championship in Hawaii this October. Graves ran solidly but was passed by Blanchart to drop down to third. The Spaniard took second place in 8:52:08, while Kotsegarov also managed to nip by Graves in the finishing straight to steal the final podium spot in 9:04:09. The Brit finished fourth in 9:04:17 while Belgium’s Bert Jammaer, seventh onto the run, came home in fifth (9:06:48) after the day’s fastest run of 2:50:52.   The women’s race began furiously fast, with age group athlete Hanneke De Boer of the Netherlands blitzing the 3.8km course in just 54:06. Spain’s Saleta Castro was the first pro to transition with a 54:46 swim. Britain’s Bella Bayliss, who would later pull out during the run, was second pro out of the water in 57:06, behind a pairing of British age-groupers, Melissa Dowell and Andrea Mason. Despite coming 10th from the water, six minutes off the pace, Germany’s Kristin Möller, soon stamped her authority on the race, taking the lead with apparent ease on the bike and like Al-Sultan, only continuing to distance her pursuers. Racking her bike after the day’s fastest split of 5:31:47, Möller began the marathon with 13 minutes in hand over France’s Heleen Bij de Vaate, while Castro was sitting in third around another six minutes back. The status quo remained during the run, but not content to cruise to victory, Möller put in a storming 2:58:37 marathon, claiming the win in 9:37:34. More than half an hour later Bij de Vaate claimed second in 10:09:31 with Castro taking third in 10:14:27. Age-grouper De Boer was fourth with Ireland’s Joyce Wolfe rounding out the top five.   Top 10 Men Faris Al-Sultan, United Arab Emirates 8:42:40 Miquel Blanchart, Spain 8:52:08 Kirill Kotsegarov, Estonia 9:04:09 Philip Graves, United Kingdom 9:04:17 Bert Jammaer, Belgium 9:06:48 Michael Wetzel, Germany 9:19:16 Diepart Xavier, Belgium 9:21:59 Alvaro Velazquez, Spain 9:31:13 Andreas Wolpert, Germany 9:33:27 Stephen Bayliss, United Kingdom 10:00:31   Top 10 Women Kristin Möller, Germany 9:37:34 Heleen Bij de Vaate, France 10:09:31 Saleta Castro, Spain 10:14:27 Hanneke De boer, The Netherlands 10:28:45 Joyce Wolfe, Ireland 10:31:45 Barbara Schwarz, Switzerland 10:51:28 Zsuzsanna Harsanyi dr., Hungary 10:59:51 Line Foss, Norway 11:05:41 Lydia Sommerfeld, Germany 11:12:12 Claire Shea-Simonds, United Kingdom 11:12:41            

Always Aim High Events Skates and Roxborough show their class at the Slateman. Huge crowds and an atmosphere to remember welcome 1000 triathletes to Llanberis The 2013 Seen2Help Snowdonia Slateman triathlon will live long in the memory of local people – and visitors alike – as Llanberis today (May 19) came out in force to watch what is fast becoming one of Wales’ premier triathlons. International triathletes graced the proceedings with an intense battle in the men’s full Slateman seeing eventual winner Stephen Skates storming the run leg, triumphing by a little under two minutes from Manchester Tri Club athlete Robert Bridges. Paul Hawkins was third. In the women’s event Welsh triathlete, and ‘new-mum’ Rhian Roxburgh was a clear winner after dominating the event from the very first swim stroke, winning by a clear five minutes as she crossed the line. Jane Hansom was second and Welsh fell runner Anna Bartlett claimed a brilliant third place just three seconds further back. Under bright skies and almost windless conditions the triathletes entered the waters of Llyn Padarn in 4 waves, with swimmers battling for clear water as the racing got underway at 9.30am. Following a swim of 1000m, they embarked on a gruelling bike ride of some 51km around the Llanberis Pass and Dyffryn Ogwen, before transiting for a second time in Llanberis and heading off for an 11k trail run in the quarries of Dinorwig and the Parc Padarn undulations. The Snowdonia Slateman was launched in 2011 and has since been acclaimed as one of the most exciting events on the UK triathlon calendar, hosting 400 entrants in its first year, 700 in year two, and in 2013 selling-out over 1000 places almost 5 months ahead of race day. 2013 has seen Always Aim High Events recruit Seen2Help as their headline sponsor for the Slateman, which today saw the competitors take on the mighty Llyn Padarn for a 1000m lake swim, the Llanberis Pass and Ogwen Valley for a challenging 51km bike leg and the slate quarries overlooking Llanberis for the final 11km trail run. The Slateman ‘sprint’ event also took place with a 400m (swim), 20km (bike) and 6km (run). Earlier local triathlete and 2012 third-placer Huw Brassington had scored a narrow in the men’s sprint event – held over 400m, 20km and 6km – ahead of Alex Hall and Thomas Garbett. The ladies race was comfortably won by Sarah Rose, over five minutes clear of Natasha Geere and Judith Wall. Speaking after the race French-based men’s winner Skates was effusive about his success, but also about the course and his enjoyment of the event: “That was pretty tough. However, I run a fair bit of trails in the south of France and I would say that that was my strongest aspect today as I felt very strong, so I was able to pull away from the guys in the quarries. The organisation was superb and the event was very well put together.” Speaking about improvements the organiser could make to the event, he added: “If it ain’t broke, don’t try to fix it!” Women’s winner Roxburgh is no stranger to the Slateman, having won the inaugural event in 2011: “Oh, that was hard on the run”, she stated, “I was walking on some of the hills on that leg!” However, having only given birth to a baby daughter some 5 months ago, the event is obviously a favourite for the Evolution Bikes triathlete and she is obviously in good shape. “Yes, this event is superb. I mean the organisation, the course, the views, the challenging nature of the terrain and even the weather today. What is there not to like, I love the Slateman”, she concluded. Speaking about the outstanding success of the 2013 event, Always Aim High Events director Tim Lloyd stated: “We could not have hoped for a better event once this year. The weather was perfect, the crowds of spectators in the finish arena were just phenomenal, and it was topped off with some