The Hamsterley “Hammer” Duathlon
Hamsterley Forest, Co Durham
22nd October 2006
10kms run – 45kms bike – 5kms run
The Hamsterley Hammer Duathlon is not an event for the faint-hearted. Starting with a 10k run along the trails of Hamsterley Forest, followed by a 45k bike race around the villages of Hamsterley and Woodland and completed by another 5k run back in the forest, this event is targeted at experienced competitors.
Last Sunday morning the curtains were drawn back to reveal torrential rainfall and gale force winds and it seemed unlikely that anyone would turn up for the event! However by the 9am start time the rain had eased and most of those who had entered turned up to race.
From the gun it was a race –long tussle between Graham Beal of thebicycleworks.com from Edinburgh and Nick Swinburn, a junior, studying at Durham University. Swinburn flew round the tough first 10k run in 32.49 with Beal second in 33.53. Another junior, Tom Perrins of NE31 Tri Club was third in 36.33. Out onto the bike and into gale-force winds Beal made his experience tell with the second fastest bike split of 1.25.13 while Swinburn lost 6.39 on the bike and was passed by Colin Robson, also of NE31 Tri Club who posted 1.27.20. The fastest bike leg was from veteran Timothy May of Edinburgh Road Club with 1.23.39.
Out onto the run and Beal had a good lead of 4.59 over Robson and 5.35 over Swinburn who by now was down in 5th place and had also been passed by May and Paul Figg of Cleveland Biketraks Tri Club. Only 36 seconds covered second to fifth. However Swinburn wasn’t in the mood to concede and now having his strongest discipline in front of him he quickly caught and passed May, Figg and Robson and made inroads into Beal’s lead. However Beal had done enough on the bike leg and was able to cruise the run in 21.04 to Swinburn’s 19.08 and came in the winner with an inaugural course record of 2.20.10 to Swinburn’s second place 2.23.49.
The ladies race was a much closer-fought affair between Marietta Van Der Linden-Beal of Edinburgh Road Club, veteran Helen Trees, unattached from Richmond and Hilary Ross, super-veteran also unattached, from Matfen, Northumberland. However it was another member of Edinburgh Road Club, Kim Threadgall, who led in the ladies at the end of the first run with a time of 40.39. Marietta was in second place 29 seconds down at this point with Helen a further 2.11 down in third. Helen put in a tremendous bike leg to take the lead going into the second run but only by 28 seconds from Hilary who in turn was only 13 seconds ahead of Marietta.
Kim had suffered in the wind on the bike and slipped to fourth, a position she wasn’t to improve on even though she still put in the fastest second run time of 24.23. Marietta moved through from third to take the win and complete a victorious double border raid for Edinburgh clubs with a second-best time of 24.34 and a total time of 2.48.46, 1.15 ahead of Helen with Hilary only ten seconds further down.
When the race was over the sun came out and the wind died down!
Activcycles from Corbridge are keen to make inroads into the north-east triathlon market and they had a stand at the event where they displayed a new range of Felt bikes and other triathlon-related cycling gear. We are indebted to them for their presence.
Photographs of all competitors are in the usual place at:-
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