Hemel's first triathlon hailed a big success

Hemel's first ever Triathlon on Sunday has been hailed a big success.
Stephen Hargest at the Hemel Triathlon. Picture: Adam Hollier.Stephen Hargest at the Hemel Triathlon. Picture: Adam Hollier.
Stephen Hargest at the Hemel Triathlon. Picture: Adam Hollier.

A total of 129 athletes set off at 8am to swim 400m in Sportspace’s outdoor pool and cycle 8km through the hilly streets of Hemel before completing a 5km run.

The winner was Patrick Brown, finishing in a time of 41.05 mins. Matt Hamilton of Dacorum & Tring AC was second in 42.31, with Andrew Mulligan third in 43.48. Francis Owen was the first woman home in 53.16.

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The event run by Sportspace was the culmination of 18 months of planning work with local triathlete Cliff King. The event was made possible by funding from Triathlon England and Get Set Go Dacorum.

Competitors at the Hemel Triathlon.Competitors at the Hemel Triathlon.
Competitors at the Hemel Triathlon.

The distances were set to appeal to beginners, not just existing triathletes and with two thirds of entrants claiming it was their first event, it would appear that strategy worked.

There were entrants as young as 16 years with one entrant in the 70-79 year old category.

Carol MacDonald from British Triathlon said: “The Hemel Triathlon was extremely well run, well organised and friendly. This encouraged so many first-timers many of whom were semi-sedentary before entering the event.

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“It was a great local event which served the local community with a beginner-friendly route, organised supported training sessions within Sportspace, along with a low price to encourage people from all economic price bands.

Competitors at the Hemel Triathlon.Competitors at the Hemel Triathlon.
Competitors at the Hemel Triathlon.

“This event also encouraged so many women to take part and fitted in very well with the #thisgirlcan campaign run by Sport England and supported by British Triathlon. British Triathlon are proud to support such a well-run and novice-friendly race”.

Amanda Colwill, Head of Sport for Sportspace said ‘After such a fantastic first event, we simply have to do it again!

“Hopefully we will be able to get funding or sponsors for next year which will enable us to increase the number of participants and even open it up for relays. We will be contacting all the athletes this year to ask for their feedback so that we can build on it next year.”

Ms Colwill thanked the 40 volunteers who helped ensure the route and event as a whole was safe.

For full results, visit www.sportspace.co.uk/sports/triathlon/tri-results-photos