Triathlon club secretary defies the heat in Romania grueller

The secretary of Bassetlaw Triathlon Club is looking back with pride on a gruelling challenge she took on in Romania.
Yannie Duveen at the ETU Middle Distance Championships.Yannie Duveen at the ETU Middle Distance Championships.
Yannie Duveen at the ETU Middle Distance Championships.

Yannie Duveen travelled overland with her husband Leon to represent Great Britain in the European Triathlon Union Middle-Distance Championships.

Faced with warm weather, her event was tough, comprising a swim over 1.9 kilometres, followed by a bike ride over 80 kilometres and winding up with a run over 21 kilometres.

But she came through it to finish fifth in her age group with a time of six hours, 26 minutes and 13 seconds.

Duveen said: “It was the hardest middle-distance triathlon I have done up to now.

“After the swim, there was a climb out of the transition on a dam covered by a slippery carpet. The bike course was technical, hot and hilly, and then the run was hot and humid, with temperatures around 30 degrees. But it was all a good experience.”

Also taking to the continent for their latest event was another member of the Bassetlaw club, Gaz Hughes.

He travelled to Roth in Germany for the DATEV Challenge, an Ironman race over a course made up of a 3.8K swim, a 180K bike ride and then a 42K marathon run. In a large field, Hughes posted a time of ten hours, 50 minutes and 40 seconds.