Bassetlaw Tri Club duo enjoy success at Dalesman

Sharon Burton and Gaz Hughes were on form.

Based around the racecourse at Ripon the event included an open water swim of 0.6 mile followed by 29 mile bike ride through the twisty country roads around the racecourse and finished with a 6.6 mile run along the grassland of the racecourse and the canal towpath.

For Sharon this was her first open water event and she finished in a very creditable 3 hours and 22 mins placing her first in her age category.

Sharon said: “It was my first open water triathlon, as practice for a half distance I’m doing next month.

“I also wanted to practice getting out of my wetsuit as I had been struggling in training. I was very apprehensive/nervous about the swim, although I’ve done lots of open water swim training at Thrybergh reservoir, I’m not used to being in a group.”

Sharon, who has been doing extended cycle training found that the two lap, relatively flat course allowed her to start to pass other competitors and gain some confidence.

The run, on a cross country style course, suited her experiences of previous running events and she moved through the field.

Finishing first in her age group was a surprise, Sharon added: “I didn’t know until I got home that I’d won my age group. I’ve just moved up to a new one so it was a great feeling to find that out.”

Fellow club member, Gaz Hughes , who has a wealth of experience in open water events, finished in a time of 2 hours and 22 minutes, which placed him sixth overall. He said: “I was hoping to finish top 10, so I’m really happy.”