The ever popular Ellesmere event, the Shropshire Triathlon (a favourite with TORQ) has a long and illustrious history, indeed an Olympian still holds the course record, and what a result Sam achieved in her first race for the team…

This race also doubled as a qualifier for the European Triathlon Championships to be held in 2017. As such, the race had a deep field which could only watch as the blur of orange and black went past them. Setting off with a great swim start, Sam quickly found herself settling into a good pace that allowed her to put some distance between herself and the other women in the field. She finished the swim in 00:18:16 and set off on the bike course – one 40km undulating loop. Initially Sam’s legs felt quite tired, but, after 5 or so minutes she started to get into her stride and, although not feeling particularly powerful at any point during the bike, Sam knew she was holding a steady pace, with no other ladies overtaking her so far being a good sign! A smooth T2 saw Sam setting off on the run course – a hilly 2 x 5km out and back. Hills are not Sam’s strongest point, so she found the run pretty uncomfortable on the climbs, but pushed through trying to focus on form and breathing. Crossing the line Sam said, “I was so happy with the result – 02:08:44, coming first woman by 3 and a half minutes, qualifying for the 2017 European Champs in Austria, and knocking 7 minutes off my course time from 2014. A good start to the season, and big thanks to Team TORQ and my wonderful crew, Ale, for the support.

Well done Sam; all at TORQ HQ send their congratulations.

Event website: www.shropshiretri.info

A big thank you to our sponsors for making it happen; we couldn’t do it without you.