11/09/2007 - Helvellyn Triathlon 2007
Race Report
An amazing event topped off by many amazing performances. You simply can’t add too many superlatives to the Helvellyn Triathlon, it just gets bigger and better each year. A 1 mile swim in Ullswater followed by a 38 mile bike route that takes in Matterdale and Kirkstone Pass is enough to frighten most sane people but a run route that goes to the top of Helvellyn and back must have been designed by Atilla the Hun.This year saw 479 swimmers go off with the gun in Lake Ullswater at Glenridding, over 100 up on last year. Conditions were good but what happened next took everyone by surprise. Alistair Brownlee, last year’s world junior triathlon champion and his younger brother Jonathan, both members of the GB Junior Squad were late entrants into the race. In fact Jonathan was too young to enter but was allowed to go on a long training session at the same time …
They were both out of the lake within seconds of each other and it was over two minutes before the next swimmer, Jason Howell hit dry land, by which time they were both well up the road on the bike section. That was how it stayed for the rest of the race. Jonathan understandingly dropping back in the later stages of the run and eventually finishing unofficially in 6th place but Alistair stayed well ahead of the field for the whole race and even managed to break the course record without anyone to push him.
Last year’s winner Marc Laithwaite came in second in a faster time than last year followed by fell running specialist Ben Bardsley from local club Borrowdale Fell Runners who had the fastest run time.
In the ladies race Heather Dawe, second on the two previous occasions, came out determined to go one better. However it was Natalie Batey who led out of the lake with Cheryl Frost over a minute behind. Dawe was down in 11th at this point, nearly four minutes behind. Out on to the bike and it was Wendy Barnes of Wakefield Tri Club who made the pace with the fastest bike split and came into T2 in first place with Cheryl Frost over two minutes behind. Crucially though, Dawe had made up a lot of ground and was now in third, just over a minute behind Frost.
Dawe could now see Frost and the race between these two eventually carried them past Barnes and into a two-way fight for the lead which lasted until the finish when Dawe prevailed by only 14 seconds. Barnes came in an isolated third place over seven minutes ahead of Nicola Davies the first lady vet.
After the winners the rest of the field came in over the next three and a half hours, every one a champion. The amount of blood dripping from many knees and elbows bore testament to the severity of the course and yet one of the first questions they all asked was “when is it on next year?” The same weekend is the answer.
Full results are HERE.
Race photos are HERE.