Budding young triathletes from across the West Midlands flocked to Worcester University on Sunday to take part in Worcester Triathlon Club’s annual Children’s Duathlon (run-cycle-run) at Worcester University, the first event of the 2012 West Midlands Children’s triathlon series.
On a gloriously sunny day, the youngest competitors in the Tri-Start category (7/8 years) battled it out over a 3.1km (400m run / 1.5k cycle / 200m run) course and Ella-Mae Fereday of Rugby Tri Club won the girls’ event in 8 mins 40 secs with Harry Cockcroft (unattached) leading the boys home in an impressive 6:16.
Tri-Star 1 (9/10 years) competitors completed a 1.2km run followed by a 4km cycle and a final 400m run. Jade Phillips of Oswestry Olympians won the girls’ event in 14:40 with Skip Snelson of Rugby Tri Club leading the boys home in 13:00. Worcester tri Club’s Tom Charles and Brad Law finished 7th and 11th.
In a strong girls’ Tri-Star 2 (11/12 years) line-up Ellie Russell of Wrekin College Tri Club took the honours for the second year running, improving on last year’s time by almost a minute with a time of 17:49 over the 1.6km run / 6km cycle / 600m run course. Worcester Tri Club’s Lucy Baxter in her first competitive event came 9th. Daniel Wilkinson of Stratford Sharks comfortably won the boys’ event in 16:48 with Jack Raine giving Worcester Tri club’s boys their best result of the morning by finishing third in 18:39 with team-mate James Sheldon coming 10th.
Tri-Star 3 competitors (13/14) faced a 2km run / 8km cycle / 800m run course and Worcester Tri Club’s Nixie Turner, who has already won the 2012 West Midlands Aquathlon (swim / run) series with four wins out of four, got her triathlon campaign off to a perfect start with victory in 21:42. Worcester Athletic Club member Maia Hawkins was second in 22:09 and Worcester Tri Club’s Helen Jubb made it a local clean sweep by, for the second year running, putting in a strong finish to come in third by one second in 22:20. Team mates Jordan Prust, Rachel Powell and Meg Baxter (like sister Lucy also competing for the first time) followed one another home in 10th,11th and 12th with Emma Law 16th. The boys were led home by the impressive Joel Roura of Wrekin College Tri Club in 19:35, Ethan Hunter of Worcester Tri Club coming in 10th