Exeter Triathletes dominate Aquathlon series.

Sunday 11 May played host to the final race of the Springtime Aquathlon series organised by Exeter Triathlon Club. The four races in the series, consisting of a 600 meter swim followed by a five kilometre run, had been taking place once a month since February, with teams from the University of Exeter Triathlon Club (EUTriC) competing in all four.

The first race took place in Dawlish. The series is a great way of getting some races under the belt before the season properly starts, and the Dawlish Aquathlon is often the first race of the year for many university triathletes. For some though, such as Exeter’s Lee Markham and Laurence Higgins it can be the very first experience of multisport racing. For Harriet Browning and James Phillips, the Dawlish Aquathlon was evidence of strong early season form, with Browning finishing first and Phillips finishing second in the Senior Female and Senior Male categories respectively.

The second race, in Sidmouth, featured a significantly flatter run course, allowing several club members to set personal best times. The university was well represented at Sidmouth, with fifteen members racing throughout the day, starting with Sarah McKenna in the Novice race getting her first experience of racing. The month of high quality training between the Dawlish and Sidmouth races paid off, with everyone improving on their times from Dawlish. Browning continued her winning ways, again finishing first in the Senior Female category. She was joined on this occasion by fellow Exeter student Meg Berry, who finished third, and Triathlon club captain Mathias Mortensen, who finished second in the Senior Male category.

The third race of the series took place during the Easter break at the police headquarters in Middlemoor. Despite the fact that only six triathletes from the University of Exeter competed, there were still plenty of successes for the club. Mortensen matched his result from the Sidmouth Aquathlon by again finishing second whilst Josh Donaldson, an honorary club member on loan from the Swimming Club, finished third. McKenna saw massive improvements after Sidmouth and this time finished second in the Novice Female category.

The final race was a home race for the EUTriC, taking place at the Cornwall House Outdoor Pool on Streatham campus with a run course consisting of two laps around the campus with a climb of the hill past Mardon and Holland halls on each lap. Many of the university club members came into this final race in excellent form after the BUCS Sprint Triathlon the weekend before and this was reflected in the results they achieved. Emily Dow started the day well by finishing second in the Novice Female category and the success snowballed from there. In the Senior Male category, EUTriC locked out the top five positions, with Jack Bristow, Mortensen and Phillips finishing third, second and first respectively. There was similar success in the Senior Female category, with Browning finishing second and Clare Parkin finishing first. Overall it was a dominant performance by the university club that was demonstrative of the hard work and dedication many members put into their training.

As well as the age category standings at each race, EUTriC were also highly successful in the overall male and female series standings. These were calculated by adding together each athlete’s best three overall finishing positions from the four races. After the results from the University race were taken into account, club members from EUTriC emerged victorious. Browning and Mortensen were awarded the overall series trophies to cap off a fantastic day for the club.

The Springtime Aquathlon series is always very well organised by Exeter Triathlon Club, with great atmospheres at each race. The races are open to everyone who wants to take part without needing to be a member of a triathlon club. Full race reports for each race, along with detailed results, can be found at www.universityofexetertriathlon.co.uk .