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Burnham Triathlon 2004

Phew wot a scorcher. yep the sun shone at Burnham this year. I don't think there was much wind either, very unusual indeed.

Position Name Swim 500m Bike  20km Run 5km Total
5 Simon Spedding 7'34" 34'12" 21'32" 1-03'18"
29 Paul Chappell 9'31" 36'01" 23'18" 1-08'50"
44 Ron White 7'55" 38'25" 24'04" 1-10'24"
116 Mandy Spedding 9'01" 40'16" 28'27" 1-17'44"
191 Claire Seward 11'34" 42'36" 30'44" 1-24'54"

Mandy Spedding was the Hogweed prize winner at Burnham coming out on top of the F35 category. Husband Simon Spedding was 2nd M40, Ron White was 2nd M50.

Burnham Aquathlon 2004

Well the weather did not make last year's lofty standards so we had to put up with a stiff crosswind and occasional squally showers. the full results are on the Kingswood site at 
 In the 500m/5k race Hogweed Trotter Ron White showed what a strong old duffer he is by swimming a superb 8 mins for the 500 min followed by a 24'48" run for 1st over 50 and 11th overall. In 6th place was former Hogweed Trotter Steve Clayson (come on Steve renew your membership!) with a swim of 8'20" and run of 22'38".

Also making an appearance was Sandra Webber form Thornbury Running club who looked very comfortable in front crawling her way to 13'38" for the swim and 30'01" run was positioned in 48th place.

In the longer event (100m swim 10k run) Simon Spedding claimed 3rd place for the Hogweeds and 2nd vet 40 and Adrian Howell was 22nd. 

 

Burnham Triathlon 2003:500m swim 20km bike 5km run

While the mass Hogweed outing was to the Bull Run at Horton a few dared to venture to the seaside to partake in the Burnham on Sea Triathlon. A flat and fast course  that saw some very changeable weather!

Three months on from the Duathlon (see below) and into the summer (ha ha) of 2003. 18 degrees the same as March but this time cloud wind and if you unlucky enough to be less than 40 years old you went out into a hail storm or the very least driving rain. Meanwhile all us over 40's were undercover sniggering quietly to ourselves.

There were a few comments about the narrowness of the cones on the flat course where roads merged, and I (Simon) certainly had a narrow call with a casual cyclist on the first roundabout.

 
The Burnham race sees that Triathletes take part in a  500m pool swim before a 20km bike ride that circumnavigates Brent Knoll. The hill, which was once and Iron Age hill fort, is associated with an Arthurian Legend, and was the abode of three fearsome giants! There were no Giants to be seen on 8th June but the Gods did curse those starting the event after midday with some very heavy rain storms. Having completed the bike there follows a tough 5k run along the beach including a sand dune to cross and some soft sand to navigate.
 
First Hogweed home was Simon Spedding who came home just under 1 hour and five minutes to secure 1st over 40 prize for the second time in three weeks. The placing set up by an excellent 34'40" split for the bike leg.  Not far behind in 26th place was Paul Chappell in a time of 1 hour 8 minutes. Coming home in 1-09'40 was alias Stuart McDougal!!! With a swim time like that Mr McD I want to see you in lane 2 on Thursday night training.

 In 40th position and just about winding his events up on English soil was Dom Clarke who completed the course in 1 hour 10. Dom was one of the unfortunate ones who was caught in the storms . No doubt thinking about his imminent move to Australia. Next week he will sign off from Blighty by taking part in the Windsor triathlon in the shadow of the Queen's residence there.

 
In 77th position was Ron White who has been struggling with injury all year and was just glad to be able to race well without feeling the aches and pains that has cursed his early season. Ron's time overall was 1 hour 13 including an impressive 7'54" for the 500m swim.
 
In 112th position and 11th lady overall was Mandy Spedding in 1 hour 16  just ahead of Phil Robbins in 125th place with a time of 1 hour 17.

You can read about the Kingswood posse on Eric's site here

As for Nigel Cox....last year it was a slow tractor in the narrow lanes putting pay to his race, this year it was a puncture in transition. Retire from Burnham Nigel!

A special mention must go to the soon to be "Mrs." Mark Brooks, Susan competing in her first ever triathlon. Well done Susan and let Mark talk you into more but not an Ironman!

285 F O SUSAN BROOKS STOCKWOOD 00:11:49 246 00:51:10 267 00:43:16 293 01:46:15 285

The Hogweeds at the races were:-

 

9 M V40 SIMON SPEDDING HOGWEED TROTTERS 00:07:58 41 00:34:40 8 00:21:56 18 01:04:34 9
26 M V40 PAUL CHAPPELL HOGWEED TROTTERS 00:09:35 131 00:36:19 20 00:22:13 24 01:08:07 26
35 M O STUART McDOUGAL HOGWEED TROTTERS 00:08:46 84 00:38:38 55 00:22:16 25 01:09:40 35
40 M O DOM CLARKE HOGWEED TROTTERS 00:08:08 51 00:39:00 70 00:22:58 35 01:10:06 40
77 M V40 RON WHITE HOGWEED TROTTERS 00:07:54 39 00:40:51 108 00:24:42 85 01:13:27 77
113 F O MANDY SPEDDING HOGWEED TROTTERS 00:08:53 94 00:40:36 104 00:27:12 168 01:16:41 113
126 M V40 PHILIP ROBBINS HOGWEED TROTTERS 00:08:27 66 00:41:45 125 00:27:19 171 01:17:31 126

And as a final note wait for the picture of The Eel in his exotic legware. If he hadn't worn these he would have beaten (actually he wouldn't) Mr Spedding! Keep going Eric, you're getting closer......

Burnham Duathlon 2003: 500m swim and 5k run or 1000m swim and 10k run (run on the beach)

March 30th 2003, 18 degrees of sunshine and not a cloud in the sky. The rest of it's irrelevant isn't it? Who cares what the race was like and what place anybody came? It's the taking part that counts  or so the story goes, well today that was true. It's no wonder the English spend all their waking hours talking about the weather. You wander in to work and after the normal hellos or whatever there is quite often the comment "corr mate a bit cold out", "raining again", "bloody luvlee out today", wevver dunt know what it wants to do". 

The drive along the M5 is brisk and sunny the windows slightly open I'm sure if Eric had a sun roof it would have been tilted open too. Three weeks of this weather too. Mind you the weather man says Tuesday will bring a low across the UK distributing a bit of moisture. wallow in the sunshine while you can, moan about the rain then wait for a day or so until the high pressure takes a grip and shines for another weekend. Will it last until the London Marathon? Who know and to be honest who cares, the weather will do what the weather will do and unless you can dance the dance of the native American Indian and bring out the sun it's not worth worrying about. Worth talking about, but nor worth worrying about. 

So if you don't worry about the weather what can you worry about? the war? No that's not worth worrying about either. The common bod has as much influence over that as they have over Nimbus Stratos drifting by. Worry about the state of your legs after a the duathlon? perhaps.

Oh by the way, the main event was won by a young whipper-snapper from Bath called Philip Wylie who skinned everyone alive on the run to win in just over 50 minutes. 100 other s turned out and thoroughly enjoyed themselves (well apart from the 2DNF's)

I am sure a real review will appear on the SW website courtesy of the SW's press officer one Eric the Eel, Prince of Fishponds, Bristol . For results click here http://www.kingswoodtri.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/race%20results.htm when Eric gets them uploaded

Burnham Triathlon 2002

Sunday 16th June 2002 saw a number of local triathletes travel down to Burnham on Sea for a sprint Triathlon. The English summer held back and there was no rain for a change. In high calibre field of close to 300 triathletes, Hogweed Trotter and Sodbury Cycle sport’s Simon Spedding continued his good run with 2nd veteran over 40 and 10th overall, finishing in 1-03’38”. Only out-gunned by Mike Cox of Corsham Running club.  Wife Mandy also had an excellent race to finish in 1-15’00” a personal best for a sprint triathlon and take the prize for 4th female and 87th overall. Also amongst the prizes was Alison Lucas of Kingswood Tri Club showing that age is no handicap, taking the 2nd female over 50 prize in 1-17’16” and finishing a superb 106th overall.

The event was also the Avon and Somerset Police Triathlon championships and in a close fought contest the 1st home was Rich "The celebrity" James of Kingswood Tri club in 1-06’34” (22nd overall). 2nd home was another local athlete Rob "Ten Bikes" Barker from Chipping Sodbury (Sodbury Cycle sport) who came in just over a minute behind Rich, in 1-07’52” and was 27th overall. Bitton road Runner Nigel Cox’s challenge was seriously hampered in the lanes on the bike course. A local farmer decided to take his tractor for a Sunday afternoon spin at a very sedate pace in the narrow lanes. Nigel was unable to overtake and quickly realised that any attempt to challenge for the Police Champs was not going to be this year. Nigel still managed to potter around the run route and top up the sun tan a little though.

Other locals finishing in the top 50 were Eric "The Eel" Downey of Kingswood who came in an excellent 16th in 1-05’47”, Simon Attwood of Kingswood (1-08’19”), the rapidly improving Simon "I'm gonna kick Spedding's ass one day" Hill (33rd) of Bitton Road Runners (1-08’42”), Paul Chappell of Hogweed Trotters (37th in 1-08’54”), Jeremy Dale from Rangeworthy racing for Kingswood Tri, who is on his way back from a hip replacement operation last winter finished in 1-09’48” in 41st place. Jeremy was clearly suffering at the end but no doubt the pain will quickly be forgotten as he continues with his comeback into the triathlon world.

Others racing were: -

56th Christian Burge (1-10’57”),

58th  Lee Francis (1-11’09”),

74th  Barry Slocombe (1-13’04”),

93rd Paul Calabrese  (1-15’41”),

115th Ben Thomas      (1-17’38”), all from Kingswood Triathlon Club.

137th Nigel Cox of Bitton Road Runners (1-19’47”),

174th Keith Smith-Kingswood (1-24’23”),

181st Ian Gillard –Kingswood (1-25’09”),

and Hogweed Trotter and Kingswood Tri club member Phillipa Crocker (1-33’44”) in 230th.

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