WORTHING OTTERS
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RACE RESULTS - 2009 Woking Aquathlon - 27th September 2009 Four brave Worthing Otters ventured off into the depths of Woking to take part in the final south east series event. It was an early start for everyone and this wasn’t helped by the winter weather that welcomed us. Bad organisation meant that the Otters had a to wait to show the supporters their talent. Eventually, the first swimmers were off. Sophie Downham was the first Otter to set off. She had a steady swim and was the first girl out the pool and into transition. With a comfortable transition, Sophie set off on her run. Braving the cold she had a confident run with a fantastic finish, placing her 2nd. Bethany Lewis was next off. She had a good swim which lead into a brilliant transition leading into a storming run finished off with a strong sprint finish meaning Bethany ended up in a fantastic 2nd place, only 2 seconds behind the leader. Abigail Downham was next off in the pool with a super swim, easily catching the girls in front of her. As usual her transition was speedy, preparing her for a good run with a sprint finish. Well done! Edward Taylor was the last Otter to set off. He had a strong swim making him second out the pool and into transition. With a speedy transition he was first out onto the run. He made a good effort on his run with a healthy finish. Overall all 4 Otters should be proud of their performances. Well done guys! Congratulations to Edward and Bethany who both made the top 3 of the South East Series. (For future reference Woking is probably one to miss because it was so poorly organised.) To view photos Click Here. Chapel Tristars Triathlon - 29th August 2009 An early start for 4 of our Otters this morning making their way to Hedge End, Southampton to compete in one of the South East Region Junior Triathlon series events. First out of the traps was Sophie Downham who after a good swim was 3rd girl out, but made up time putting on trainers and t-shirt to be first out and running to the bike transition. Unfortunately due to bumpy ground her chain came off and she lost 15 seconds, but performed well on the bike route and then with a good run made up time on the 3rd place girls but not quite enough and finished 4th. The next event was the Tri Star 1 with both Abigail Downham and Bethany Lewis in the field. Another excellent performance from Bethany in all three disciplines, making up time out on the bike route and with a storming run to catch the series leader, finished 3rd in her wave, resulting in a 4th place overall. Abigail continued to deliver a good swim, but with a slight fall on way to bike transition delivered a steady bike ride and a nicely paced run to finish in good style. Megan Lewis was last out of the 4 to race and as normal produced another good performance, looking comfortable in both the bike and run sections with a nice strong finish. Over all a well-organised event in good surroundings, plenty of marshals on hand to offer help and information, well marked out routes, a definite one to remember for next year. For event results Click Here, and to view photos Click Here. Chichester Aquathlon - 19th July 2009 The Swan Song event for the Otters’ 2009 season took place on 19 July at Chichester where seven members took part in a Regional Series Aquathlon held at Westgate Leisure Centre. Although it stayed dry for the duration of the competition, the athletes had to deal with blustery conditions out on the run course. First up for the Club was Sophie Downham in the Tristar Start race and after a good swim she did a well paced run to finish 14th overall and third girl. There were so many entries for the other races that 2 waves were required. Bethany Lewis had a strong swim and despite struggling with a wayward timing tag went through Transition in fine style and produced a characteristically strong performance on the run stage to finish 15th overall and 7th girl. In the same race Abigail Downham had a great swim and after struggling so heroically on the run phase at Bognor a few weeks ago looked much more comfortable this time out. Edward Taylor continued his assault on the Regional Series title with a determined performance that under normal conditions when medals are awarded to boys and girls would have won him a bronze. Nonetheless his fourth place was an excellent achievement, especially as he recorded the second fastest run time of the day. Harry Tipton continues to impress with his outstanding effort in the same age category. Emerging from the pool he attacked the run course with his usual gritty attitude and overhauled several of those ahead of him. Megan Lewis emerged from the pool as the first girl in her wave of the Tristar 2 event and streaked through Transition in one of the fastest times. Out on her own for the entire run phase she did brilliantly to sustain a strong pace throughout and with more company might have improved her nonetheless impressive final placing of 7th girl. Jack Hopkins as a first year T2 competitor has to contend with lads a year older than him but he showed on this day that he can cope with the longer distances very well and produced an all-round performance of which to be proud. Well done to all the club members taking part. Once again the Otters colours were flown with distinction and everybody can be very satisfied with a job well done. Many congratulations to the organizers for staging the event which was so well attended and thanks too to the families of those taking part who came along to support them as without this backing they could not participate. For event results Click Here Club Aquathon - 4th July 2009 On 4th July we held an intra-club aquathlon, which was also Race 10 in our Top Otter Age Group Series. In the Tristar 3 race Kurt delivered a solid performance to collect maximum points but behind him Sam was on fire registering a swim time which was over a minute quicker than when he did the distance in March and a run time that was 46 seconds quicker. Megan achieved a very consistent result with a swim and a run time on a par with what she did last time out in February. Lewis Baker making his return to the Otters stage was impressive with an all round performance which showed he has lost none of his ability for triathlon. A familiar sight this season has been that of Bethany roaring up the Prom in the T1 girls’ races and this was no exception as she rushed to a 22 second faster time than she had done last time out in February. Eloise put in another consistent performance as she recorded an overall time that was virtually identical to those of the previous two occasions. Abigail did a much improved run despite struggling in the early stages. Edward Taylor continues to impress with improved performances in both the swim and the run distances and narrowly missed breaking 6 minutes for the run stage. James and Billy were making their debuts in a multi-sports event and both coped excellently with the new demands especially as there was only time to give them the minimum of instruction about transition – well done to both guys. Sophie had a brilliant race in the Tristart event recording an excellent swim and run time which took an impressive 20 seconds off her previous best overall time. In the Tristar Start race Joe and Harry’s rivalry for top slot continued with Joe gaining the upper hand thanks to a stronger swim but Harry was quicker on the run. Jack also took part in the Start race and finished gamely despite struggling on the run stage. Congratulations to everybody who took part for the determination and commitment you all showed. As ever very many thanks to all the officials who worked so hard to help things run smoothly especially Ann, Niki, Val and Graeme who were responsible for organising the waves and recording the times For event results Click Here Arun Triathlon - 13th June 2009 On Saturday 13 June 2009 triathletes from across the South East gathered at Arun Leisure Centre in Bognor Regis in order to take part in the 8th Arun Junior Triathlon and amongst them were seven members of Worthing Otters. It was a warm sunny day but cool enough for the heat not to be too much of a problem for the competitors as long as they kept their fluid levels topped up. The swim was held in a 25m 8-lane swimming pool and the cycle and run took place on a large grass field. First off for the Club in the Tristar Start race was Sophie Downham, who was tackling not just her first regional event but her first triathlon as well. Exiting the pool after the 50 metre swim she was soon out on the 600m bike course and despite some inexperience with gear selection early on made steady progress on to the 600m run course which she completed in good form to finish first in the girls’ competition, which is a great way to start your triathlon career. In the Tristar 1 Girls race all the competitors faced a formidable trio of triathletes from Amersham but what a contest Bethany Lewis gave them despite being a year younger. Fresh from victory in the Urbanrace Aquathlon in Ardinglly two weeks previously Bethany set out her stall in the swim phase by emerging in second place and hanging on grimly during the bike section; she only relinquished a foothold on a podium place in the closing stages of the 1200 metres run. Fourth is the harshest place to finish being so close to a medal that it hurts but there was no shame in this performance. Against older slightly stronger opponents Bethany was outgunned on this day but looking ahead she must on this showing be a red hot favourite for glory at this age group in the 2010 season. Further back in the field was Eloise Walker, who was also attempting her first triathlon. In training she had struggled with the swim/bike transition skills but she conquered these problems as after a strong swim she moved smoothly on to the bike section. Pedalling on a grass circuit is not easy even if you are used to it but Eloise stuck to her task gamely before showing excellent running style to finish well. Club stalwart Abigail Downham completed the Otters line-up and demonstrated what it takes to finish a triathlon. After completing the 150 metres swim in good order she found herself out on her own for the rest of the race and after two energy sapping circuits of the bike course, she had to call on her last reserves to complete the run phase. Here was a vivid example of what is meant by the loneliness of the long distance athlete – it’s only you who can overcome the discomfort. Somehow with a little support from the sidelines and a lot of personal determination, she kept going to the end even finishing with a flourish. Very well done to all 3 girls who in different ways demonstrated to the highest level the qualities needed for the sport of triathlon. Edward Taylor and Harry Tipton represented the Club in the Tristar 1 Boys race. Both are new to triathlon and showed characteristic spirit in their performances. Edward currently heads the rankings for the age group in the Regional Multisport Series thanks to his strong running. Both lads were up against older and stronger competition from across the region and their mission was to learn as much about their event as possible. After a steady swim Ed was out on the cycle course in good order. He had to work harder to pedal his bike round the circuit than those on sleeker racing machines and by the time he reached the run phase he was racing for a pb (personal best) time. In typical fashion he attacked the run without fear and can be very satisfied with his performance. Further back in the field Harry, who had more than his fair share of health issues last winter, was demonstrating what a tough little operator he is. Never comfortable in the water he emerged from the pool a little way back but stuck to his task admirably throughout the bike ride and pushed on in the run to finish strongly. Mission accomplished, guys. The largest entry on the day was for the Tristar 2 Girls race in which the Otters were represented by Megan Lewis. An experienced and savvy competitor Megan, who earlier had given Sophie enthusiastic encouragement in her race, was soon out of the pool after a 200 metres swim and making great headway on the 4km cycle course as she hunted down those ahead of her. All looked to be going to plan but on approaching the dismount line disaster struck. Onlookers were unsure what happened but somehow the back wheel went from under her and she was sent crashing to the ground with her bike falling on top of her. Later she would be found to have a bruised shoulder, a swollen and black knee and an injury to her calf caused by catching it on the cog. Battered but unbowed she set off on the 1800 metres run. Those watching out on the course and unaware of the incident at Transition were impressed by her dogged determination but it was multiplied by tenfold when they heard the story. As in life unfortunate things can happen in a race and it is how you cope with them that counts. Megan showed she has a No Surrender attitude that will serve her well in everything she does. Congratulations to all seven of our superheroes who in their individual performances made everybody very proud to be associated with Worthing Otters. Thanks too to those who came along to encourage the athletes in their endeavours. There was a wonderfully supportive atmosphere around the Otters’ base camp with everybody looking after each other and cheering one another on. For event results Click Here Steyning Aquathon - 13th April 2009 Ed Taylor’s first place in the Boys’ Tristar 1 race was the highlight of Worthing Otters’ performances in the Steyning Aquathlon, which was held on Easter Monday, 13 April 2009. Emerging out of Transition at the front of the field he was never troubled and finished strongly. In the same race Jack Churchill was making his first appearance at a regional event and showed great perseverance to complete the distance in good order. Also making her debut was Eloise Walker who made an instant impact in the Girls’ Tristar 1 race with a sensational swim that gave her a useful lead and although she was unable to hold on to first place, she finished second just ahead of fast finishing clubmate, Bethany Lewis, who took bronze in this her first year in the age group. Abigail Downham showed great determination in the closing stages of the run phase with a final burst that took her away from another competitor who had looked in danger of overtaking her. Jack Hopkins tackled the longer distances of the Tristar 2 age group, in which he must also race athletes a year older than himself this season, with true grit. Unluckiest of all the Otters’ entrants was Megan Lewis in the Girls’ Tristar 2 race in which she performed very well but finished fourth just outside the medals despite a great effort. Well done to everybody who took part, you made all of us feel really proud, and there was a bonus for the Club in receiving the award for having the most entries which is a great tribute to everybody who came along. Many thanks to all the families for supporting their athletes and to John Scott and everyone at Steyning AC for staging such a well organised and friendly event. For event results Click Here Club Aquathon - 28th March 2009 For event results Click Here Club Aquathon - 28th February 2009 For event results Click Here This page was last updated on 12/05/10. |
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