On Sunday 25th June, 3 triathletes from Worcester Triathlon Club competed at Ironman 70.3 UK in the heart of Exmoor National Park.  Arguably the toughest race on the Ironman 70.3 World calendar, the race was made up of a 1.9km swim in Wimbleball lake, 52 hills during a 56 mile bike and a mainly off-road and hilly half marathon.  The 3 triathletes Neill Crump, Nigel Watson, and Carl Kendal were determined to deliver some great personal performances and finish as a top 3 UK triathlon club which would qualify Worcester for the European and African TriClub Championship in Barcelona in May 2018.

The rural location is truly spectacular and was made more challenging by seeing all seasons on the day – winds and rain during a treacherous bike leg made up of steep 1:6 descents and sunshine for a warm and hilly run!  Brutal at times, all 3 had a great race.  Their age group finishing positions of 3rd for Nigel in the 60-64, 7th for Carl in the 45-49 and 9th for Neill in the 40-44 secured 3rd spot in the UK for the club and a trip to the European and African Ironman 70.3 Club Championships in Barcelona next year.  Carl also took an individual spot for the Ironman 70.3 World Championships in Chattanooga, USA, in September this year.