The fifth and final Welsh Triathlon National Championship race for the 2016 season
Welsh National Championship Aquathlon 2016
The fifth and final Welsh Triathlon National Championship race for the 2016 season, was held on Saturday 23 July 2016, at Porth Eirias in north Wales. The distances were a two lap 750 metre sea swim, followed by a 5 km run.
On a typical sunny Welsh afternoon, the athletes lined up on the golden sands of Porth Eirias, After the mandatory safety briefing, the air horn signalled the start of the race. The athletes plunged into the cooling water following a triangular route. After one lap there was an Australian exit, around a buoy, before repeating the lap a second time.
After the swim they raced up the beach to transition, before heading east along the promenade. The finish was on the roof of the Watersports Centre, giving the spectators great views and the athletes a ramp to finish off their 5k run.
The winner of the youth age category and second overall male Rhys Jones said, “I enjoyed the sea swim and liked the two lap format, with the Australian exit. It’s a good fast run course. An awesome race.”
The winner of the female race Rhian Roxburgh of Gog Triathlon said, “I loved it! It was harder than I expected, but it was well organised and fun! I had a decent swim, it took me a while to settle on the run but once I did I felt I had a strong run. The crowds helped me on the finishing ramp, that was fantastic! Big shout out to all the GOGS team"
The list of winners of the Welsh Triathlon Aquathlon National Championships for 2016 were:
| Youth Female | Gold | Mali Jones |
| Junior Male | Gold | Rhys Jones |
| Senior Male | Gold | Oliver Thorogood |
| Silver | Philip Lynes | |
| Bronze | Alex John | |
| Senior Female | Gold | Alexandra Aldous |
| Silver | Sasha Jones | |
| Bronze | Emer Sandham | |
| Veteran Male | Gold | Gareth Bowyer |
| Silver | Tim Burnett | |
| Bronze | Richard Smith | |
| Veteran Female | Gold | Rhian Roxburgh |
| Silver | Joanne Donnelly | |
| Bronze | Marilyn Hunt | |
| Super Veteran Male | Gold | Mike Pfeiffer |
| Silver | Chris Wynne | |
| Super Veteran Female | Gold | Bridget Ripley |
| Silver | Carolyn Ripley | |
| Bronze | Dinah Hazeldene | |
| Vintage Veteran Male | Gold | Paul Bennett |
| Super Vintage Male | Gold | Roger Kiernan |
We would like to thank the Race Director Simon Roxburgh and all the volunteers from GOG Triathlon, for putting on a superb event. The feedback from the athletes has been very positive.
Well that’s the last National Championship race for 2016, good luck to all our members for the rest of the season.
Photo courtesy of sports pictures cymru
