The Inter-Regional Championships (IRCs) returned to Mallory Park on the weekend of the 9-10th September 2023. The IRC’s is an annual event where all regions of the UK put forward their strongest Tri-Star 2 and 3 athletes to compete for the title.
Wales sent a strong team of 18 athletes – 8 TS2’s and 10 TS3’s, who competed across 2 days in the individual races, mixed team relay and a new addition for 2023, the Transition Challenge. The formats vary across the weekend, with the individual races being an Aquathlon for TS2 and Triathlon for TS3 athletes, while all athletes complete a Triathlon for the Mixed Team Relay. Points are collated from each event to crown the overall winners at the end of the weekend.
As a region, Wales did brilliantly and finished in 8th position overall, with the leading Welsh performances in each category from Ollie Hale in the T2 Open race, Annie Evans for the T2 Female race, Macsen Watts for the T3 Open race, and Carys Hughes for the T3 Female race. Every athlete showed determination and great teamwork through 2 long days of racing in tough conditions.
The event is a great opportunity for young athletes to compete at the top level for their age groups, with several athletes from the team now stepping up to the Welsh Triathlon Academy Programme this year.
Welsh Triathlon are incredibly proud of how the whole team coped with the tough conditions the weekend brought; cheering and encouraging each other until the end!
