Here’s a quick round up from Nick Shasha, who he has pretty much won his Age Group in all of the races he entered across the South East of England. His first report is on the Owler, where the weather transpired against him, yet he came through in the end with a storming run (partly to warm up). His second and third reports are based on his local series races, where he did TORQ proud and won his Age Group in both series…

Owler Triathlon

A new race for me this year was the Owler Triathlon in Kent. I’ve raced twice before in Kent and loved the countryside, so no excuse was needed for me to tackle this combined Sprint and Standard Distance Triathlon that has been on the circuit for a number of years.

On the day, the conditions were appalling, with strong winds and torrential rain. This did undermine my confidence, but, halfway through the swim, it occurred to me I was enjoying it so much that I thought I’d push on through to the end and tough it out.

Out of the weed infested swim and with a long transition to the bike, the weather really slowed things down for all competitors. Nobody was taking any risks on the bike, and I only really put the pressure down when the road was straight and flat, as the wind and rain made taking risks far too dangerous. After about 12k, I started shivering on the bike (in July!) and was so relieved to make it to the 2nd transition. This was because I knew I could elevate my heart rate and core temperature quickly through running as fast as possible and out of it!

In the end, I managed to put in my trademark fast run – a 16.53 cross country mud fest 5k. With no other competitor cracking 18 minutes, this was good enough to finish 1st in Age Group and 5th Overall in a field that was crammed full of Junior GB academy athletes at the top end.

Hillingdon Triathlon Series

My annual visit to the Hillingdon Triathlon has continued this year, though due to competing in the European Masters 10k Road Championships in Italy, I was only able to complete two of the three race series. In both races, I managed to take the Age Group victory and come 3rd and 4th Overall, respectively. The Hillingdon race series is the oldest running triathlon series in the country and is one of the best organised and friendly races on the circuit, which is another reason why I can’t help coming back year after year!

Last but not least, Lee Valley Aquathlon

I also did the Lee Valley Aquathlon race series, held at the Olympic White Water centre in London, between May and September. This series of monthly 500 metre swim/6k run aquathlons has been a perfect excuse to develop my swim and run form in a fantastic venue.

In each of the 4 aquathlons I completed, I managed to record the fastest run split by a considerable margin, and ended up taking the Age Group Series win and finished 3rd Overall against a field that included Belgian Elite triathlete, Dieter Moens – who finished 2nd overall.

All pro snaps courtesy of Jolekha Shasha

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