A pair of podium finishes for the Triers to start the 2019 season

Richard Ruffell was among the 200 competitors who braved the cold weather on Saturday to compete in the Ashridge Duathlon, which doubled as the Triathlon England Duathlon Championships.

Fortunately the rain held off for Ruffell’s first race of 2019 and he finished third in his men’s 55-59 age category and 104th position overall in a time of 2 hrs 41 mins and 31 seconds.

On Sunday, Sarah Watson ran in the Harpenden 10k, a multi-lap race around Rothamsted Park, where she crossed the line as the third woman overall.

Demonstrating his support to the triathlon community, Ruffell then joined fellow Shires Triers back at Ashridge in the early hours of Sunday morning, marshalling for the second Ashridge race of the weekend – the sprint distance triathlon.

The Shires Triers club aims to be a friendly group of competitors and novices, and they welcome new members from across the region.

The ethos of the club is to provide a platform for triathletes of all abilities to have the opportunity to train with others both through formal and informal sessions.

The club race at all distances from super-sprint to the full Ironman.

For more details, visit the website www.shirestriers.co.uk.