Sebamed triathlon was conquered by all who braved it

On Sunday, September 16, the triathlon commenced with the eight to 14-year-olds who braved the crashing waves and big swells to complete their required 50m swim before heading onshore for the bike and run.

Holly Freeman, event manager, said: “The children were amazing in their races and were very inspiring, diving into the sea with real gusto. It really set an example for the adults.”

By the time the adult races started at 8.30am, conditions meant only the first wave of the men’s sprint did the advertised 750m swim before the event team made the safety decision to change the swim distance to 400m for all categories.

Event organiser, John Lunt said: “We evaluated the sea conditions during the men’s 750m and we decided to concentrate the lifeguard power into making the 400m a priority.

“The lifeguards did a fantastic job and got everyone through the system as a lot of athletes thought the swim section of the competition would be cancelled.”

John added: “I was briefing the next group of swimmers who were the women’s Sprint. I said to them, ‘as you can see from watching the men struggling with the 750m, we have decided to change your distance to 400m.’

“At which point there was a tremendous cheer of relief from the women who were all clearly relieved.”

Some competitors though were loving the rough sea conditions.

One in particular Hazel Fulker, 48, who was competing in the Olympic distance said: “I would love to have stayed longer in the sea and given myself that challenge. ”

For a full list of results, go to www.resultsbase.com