STRATFORD Triathlon Club’s Emma Bexson produced a fine performance to take runner-up spot in Poland’s Ironman Gdynia 70.3 amongst a strong field of athletes.
Clear blue skies and a light breeze made for good swimming conditions and Bexson swam well – leading as she transitioned from the 1.2-mile swim to the 56-mile bike section.
The bike course departed Gdynia into the Tricity Landscape Park – a protected area in northern Poland.
Undulating, winding, tree-lined roads made for a great course, but a strong breeze made for tough conditions. However, Bexson rode well to complete the 56 miles in 2hrs, 44mins.
Finishing with a 13.1-mile run, athletes weaved their way through the streets of Gdynia for two laps before taking their final strides to finish on the beach – a beautiful setting to finish this challenging Ironman event.
Bexson finished second in her age category with an overall time of 5hrs, 13mins. With little racing under her belt this year, she was happy with her performance and is looking forward to some smaller, somewhat more local races before the season comes to a close.
FIVE Stratford Athletic Club members competed in an efficient Leamington Cycling & Athletics Club open track and field event.
Four of the SAC members were running in the 1,500m races. U13 Martha Peters was running her first official 1,500m race and should be very pleased with her performance.
She did not go off too quickly and ran a consistent pace, held her form well and finished strongly in a time of 5:42.
U17 Ellie Deaner who, like Peters, ran a technically excellent race, was delighted with her run.
Returning from a long period of injury, she ran a five-second PB, finishing in a time 5:17.4.
M70 David Jones completed his quickest 1,500m for three-and-a-half years and his time of 5:44.2 was a new club record and moved him up into second place in the current UK rankings for his age.
U15 Alex Adams, who is currently ranked in the UK’s top 20 in his age group for the 1500m, was competing against a group of runners who did not really match his ability.
He won the race by a comfortable 25 seconds and also probably had half an eye on his race the following day in the club championships. However, he still managed a time of 4:30.9.
Paula Williams, the UK’s top-ranked javelin thrower in her age category, was disappointed with her throw of 34.01m but was happier with her time of 13.39 in the 100m.
