Nikki Bartlett and Lydia Dant were both victorious at IRONMAN events over the weekend as British triathletes enjoyed a weekend of podium finishes over the middle and long distances.
There were also qualification opportunities for age group athletes hoping to represent the Great Britain Age-Group Team next year.
IRONMAN 70.3 Marbella (22 May)
Nikki Bartlett was the winner at IRONMAN 70.3 Marbella, where four British women finished in the top-six.
Bartlett, who came into the race two weeks after competing at her first IRONMAN World Championships, made the decisive move on the bike, building an advantage of over two minutes by transition two.
It was a lead that grew on the run as Bartlett crossed the line in 04:32:41, more than four minutes ahead of Germany’s Svenja Thoes.
Olivia Mitchell was the next British triathlete to cross the line in fourth, followed by Debbie Greig in fifth and Tara Grosvenor in sixth.
There was a top-10 finish for James Scott-Farrington in the men’s pro race, thanks to his seventh place finish.
IRONMAN Lanzarote (21 May)
It was a full IRONMAN distance debut to remember for Lydia Dant as she won IRONMAN Lanzarote to become the latest British triathlete to triumph at the event.
Dant was third out of the 2.4 mile swim, around 90 seconds behind the two leaders, but, by the first checkpoint on the bike, Dant was in the lead and had a five minute advantage over Els Visser of the Netherlands heading onto the run.
On the run, Visser did reduce the lead of Dant, but the British triathlete held off the challenge by more than a minute and a half to take the tape and the victory by 00:01:44 in a time of 09:37:26.
Sam Proctor was 19th in the men’s pro race in his first IRONMAN event since 2019.
The Championship (22 May)
Emma Pallant-Browne led the British challenge at The Championship, finishing second after a strong performance on the run in Samorin, Slovakia, where three British women finished in the top-four.
Lucy Buckingham was first to exit the swim, closely followed by Sara Perez Sala of Spain. The pair remained as the leading duo at the end of the bike, holding around a 90 second advantage over Fenella Langridge and the Netherlands’ Sarissa De Vries.
On the run, the charge came from Pallant-Browne, who was over seven minutes behind the leaders in transition two, as she completed the 21.1km run five minutes faster than anyone else in the field to finish second and within two minutes of race winner Perez Sala.
Buckingham joined Pallant-Browne on the podium in third, while Langridge was a further two minutes back in fourth before Lucy Byram crossed the line in ninth.
In the pro men’s race, Thomas Davis was the highest ranked British triathlete, finishing eighth having been part of the chasing group and within the battle for the top spots for most of the race.
Will Draper was 13th, one place ahead of James Teagle in 14th, while Sam Wade was disqualified.
IRONMAN 70.3 Chattanooga (22 May)
Holly Lawrence was another British triathlete to end the weekend on the podium, finishing third at IRONMAN 70.3 Chattanooga, just 10 days after a bike crash put her appearance on the start line in doubt.
Lawrence showcased her swim ability once again, exiting the Tennessee River 40 seconds ahead of the rest of the field, before being part of a small group of athletes leading on the bike, including race winner Jackie Hering of the USA.
On the run, Lawrence dug in to cross the line in 04:09:23 to earn her second podium place of the season, repeating her third place finish from last month’s IRONMAN 70.3 Oceanside.
2023 World Standard Distance Aquabike Championships Qualifier at Northumberland Triathlon (22 May)
Northumberland Festival of Sport hosted the first aquabike qualifying event of the year for age group athletes hoping to qualify to represent the Great Britain Age-Group Team at the 2023 World Standard Distance Aquabike Championships.
Athletes had to register their intent to qualify ahead of the event, with qualification spots in each age group up for grabs over the swim, bike format.
2023 European Standard Distance Triathlon Championships Qualifier at Southport Triathlon (22 May)
Southport Triathlon’s 10th year anniversary celebrations included hosting a Great Britain Age-Group Team Qualifier for the 2023 European Standard Distance Triathlon Championships.
Athletes needed to have registered their intent to qualify ahead of the event, with over 600 triathletes taking on the standard distance in Southport including those with Age-Group Team ambitions.
More information about Age-Group racing, qualifiers and qualification criteria can be found by clicking on the button below.
