STRATFORD Triathlon Club’s Emma Bexson finished ninth placed lady at Saturday’s Seville Middle Distance Triathlon in Spain.
This early season event was a test of Bexson’s form prior to competing in the middle distance European Championships in just six weeks’ time.
It was an ‘interesting’ race, much of which was lost in translation, but the resourceful Bexson managed to hold her nerve on the unusual Australian-style exit that had competitors clambering out of the water and on to a floating pontoon.
Bexson was unfazed and executed a superb dive from the pontoon to enter the water for the final loop. Again, the exit from the water was as much of a test of how to haul yourself out of the water unassisted.
Bexson put in a spirited race out of the water to the transition zone before heading out on to the bike course.
Slightly longer than a normal middle distance bike leg at almost 60 miles, Bexson knew she would not perform her best as she was riding her road bike rather than her time trial bike.
Despite this, she completed the bike sixth lady overall which was followed by a super swift second transition which had her out on the two-loop run course in just 55 seconds.
The run was not her best part of the race as the 30-degree heat took its toll in the first loop before a better second half had her racing to a stunning finish time of five hours, 22 minutes, placing her ninth lady overall.
Report compiled by Victoria Jeffs.
