CURRENT NEWS

Sunday 1 August 2010 saw the first ever Nokia Thames Swim take place from Hampton Court Palace to Kingston-upon-Thames, staged by Human Race.

1,200 swimmers turned up for the early start opposite the picturesque Hampton Court Palace, with calm and mild water conditions, to swim the 2.25 miles to Kingston-upon-Thames.

Olympic Silver medalist open water swimmer Kerri-Anne Payne was on hand at the start to give swimmers some expert words of wisdom, her main point was for everyone to enjoy it.

Kerri-Anne. returning from the Open Water World Championships decided to do the swim with her father, resisting the temptation to race on her day off, however still recording an impressing time of 47minutes 50 seconds.

Kerri-Anne said "the race was amazing, the water was nice and warm and the location is brilliant. To swim but not race was really enjoyable, I can now see why people enjoy swimming so much, I had a great time out in the water talking and encouraging people along the way".

The swans made way as swimmers passed through Thames Ditton and past Ravens Ait before finishing at the chestnut trees at Kingston Bridge. Michael Adams was the first to come out of the water in a time of 42 minutes 43 seconds, followed by Richard Stannard 43.52 in second and Guy Giles in third with 45.11.Second place Richard Stannard, at the finish line said "What a great venue, a fantastic place to start a race and I'm definitely looking forward to doing it again next year. I want to win it next year".The ladies were hot on the heels of the men with Danni Pryor being the first woman and fourth overall swimmer out of the water with a time of 45 minutes 34 seconds. Following her were Faye Barnard 48.40 and Kay Hamilton 52.23.Amongst the swimmers were Olympic rower Toby Garbett, finishing in 52 minutes 41 seconds, showing that he not only excels on the water but also in it.Chris Jones from the events title sponsor Nokia said "Nokia are delighted to have brought the first ever Nokia Thames Swim to such an iconic location as the River Thames. Innovative events such as these are chosen because they are perfect for the Nokia Outdoor Series, they enable people to train in the great outdoors with friends and family"."The swim was a great success" said Human Race founder John Lunt, "This is something I've always wanted to do, stage an event where you can't normally swim, and the support that we've had today has exceeded all expectations".

Rebecca Poyntz of WaterAid, the official charity of the swim, said "We had over 100 swimmers, it was the first swimming event we've been involved in and it's been a great success. I'd like to thank our fundraisers who we expect to have raised over £10,000 for WaterAid, this will go towards helping some of the poorest people in the world gain access to clean water and sanitation".

For details on all future Human Race events including the The Great Big Open Water Swim, go to our events page.

 

Olympic Rowing venue Dorney Lake became a hive of triathlon activity over the past two weekends as Human Race welcomed some 8,000 competitors including celebrities and world class athletes as well as raising over £100,000 for charity in a 6 day triathlon extravaganza.    

Over the two weekends, organisers Human Race offered a complete range of events, enabling kids, women, corporates, teams or individuals to compete in a triathlon either for charity or for their own personal challenge. In the stunning summer conditions that England has been enjoying, Dorney Lake’s warm water and flat bike and run course proved once again that it is a perfect venue for all levels of competitors from the age of 2 to 73, as well as the thousands of spectators cheering them on from the grassy banks.

The first of these two consecutive bumper weekends kicked off on Friday 2 July with the invasion of the Marketing World for The Prostate Cancer Charity Marketing Industry Triathlon. Over 2,000 women then descended on the Saturday for UK’s largest Shock Absorber WomenOnly Triathlon in support of Breast Cancer Care. Sunday was all about the men with competitors partaking in the Steelman Olympic distance triathlon which is renown for its PB course.

The second weekend saw record numbers of over 2,500 athletes compete in the 3rd annual Kingsturge Property Triathlon on Friday 9th July. This was followed by the inaugural and UK’s largest U17 SUSO Open Water Triathlon in support of the Dame Kelly Holmes Legacy Trust. These consecutive bumper triathlon weekends culminated in the BananaMan Triathlon, in support of Leukaemia & Lymphoma Research Fund.

The range of events attracted a number of celebrities and athletes who were there to cheer on or partake themselves alongside the thousands of competitors. These included Olympic Gold Medalist Daley Thompson (Marketing Industry Triathlon), World Triathlon Champion Helen Jenkins, and Former England Rugby Captain Lawrence Dallaglio (Kingsturge Property Triathon), Channel 4 Presenter Jasmine Harman (Shock Absorber Women Only Triathlon), World Champion and Olympic rowers Anna Hemmings, Sarah Winckless, Toby Garbutt, and Francesca Jus-Burke, Olympic Swimmer Ross Davenport and Beijing 2008 Paralympic Gold Medallist, Rower Helene Raynsford (SUSO Open Water Triathlon). All of whom proved a real inspiration to the range of athletes, many of whom were competing in a triathlon for the first time.

A few from this fantastic team of elite sports performers cheered on over 700 kids from the age of 2 to 17 who took part in the SUSO Open Water Triathlon. The demand for entry to this now stand alone event demonstrated both the extensive growth of the sport and the tremendous talent Britain holds in the future of these young triathletes. Children from the age of 2-17 took part in either the 400m ‘Toddle’ (2-4 years), a Scootathlon (4-7 years), or an open water triathlon of varying distances for 8-17 year olds.

Sky Draper, 14, fresh from beating Jenson Button at Dorney a couple of weeks ago, proved yet again that she is a rising GB star and successfully qualified for the European Youth Team Relay Championships by winning the girls 13-17 high performance drafting race.

Amongst the many inspirational competitors was first timer Pauline Karminski from Kent, who at the age of 73 was the oldest competitor over the 2 weekends and Alex Pickard competing with a prosthetic limb, who completed the 3Quarter BananMan Triathlon in an impressive 2hrs 5m 29s. Alongside the many other competitors, these two proved that triathlon really is achievable for everyone, whatever their shape, size, age or ability.  

John Lunt from organisers Human Race commented, “This is by far the toughest couple of weeks in our extensive events calendar and the team work so hard to ensure every competitor has an unforgettable experience. We are very fortunate to be working with such supportive and active partners who each contribute to the success of every one of these events to make them even more memorable. It has been fantastic to see so many people of all ages wanting to give triathlon a go for so many different reasons - and the sunshine always helps!”

Human Race will be back at Dorney Lake on the 4th September (with the Half Iron Aquathlon, Half Marathon and Great Big Open Water Swim) after hosting the inaugural Nokia Thames Swim on Sunday 1 August, a 2.25 mile open water swim in The Thames from Hampton Court Palace to Kingston.

UK’S Largest Women Only Triathlon Proves a Perfect Place in the Sun

Jasmine Harman (Channel 4’s A Place in the Sun – Home or Away) was amongst over 2,000 women that cooled off in the waters of Olympic venue Dorney Lake for the UK’s largest Shock Absorber WomenOnly Triathlon on Saturday 3 July.  
 
With a range of distances on offer, the event truly gave women of all ages and fitness levels the opportunity to give triathlon a go, either individually or in a team. Jasmine, like over fifty percent of the field, was embarking on the sport for the first time, in support of Breast Cancer Care and the warm sunshine provided optimum race conditions for the thousands of competitors.
 
Harman was determined to overcome a phobia of putting her face in the water in order to compete in the Novice event which comprised of a 200m swim, 5km bike and 2.5km run. Together with the help and advice of the Shock Absorber WomenOnly training day and lots of practise in her local lido Jasmine deservedly achieved her goal. Crossing the line in a respectable 37:08 and in 113th postion, she said, “I really enjoyed that - much more than I thought I would. Everyone has been so friendly and supportive - it was a fantastic atmosphere and I would definitely take part again.”
 
Amongst the many inspiring stories of the day, was notably Pauline Karminski from Kent, who at the age of 73 was not only the oldest competitor but astonishingly also tackling her first triathlon. She entered the Sprint category (400m swim, 20km bike,5km run) with her daughter claiming, “the Sprint distance seemed too short and hardly worth doing!”.
 
Despite competing on a very old rusty mountain bike and the gears getting jammed during her race, Pauline completed the race in a hugely impressive 405th position (out of 551 finishers) in a time of 2hrs10m10s. “Everyone is so friendly, there are such a range of people competing. I always need a goal to try and stay fit and healthy and i’m so glad I did it together with the support of my daughter,” she enthused.
 
Commenting on the success of the day, Kirsty Kothakota, Senior Brand manager of Sponsor Shock Absorber, and successful Novice competitor said: “It’s wonderful to see such a range of women having a go with everyone encouraging each other along. We are really excited to be part of a growing sport that reaches so many women of all shapes and sizes, enabling us to educate women on the importance of wearing a sports bra.” 

The event also offered a 5km and 10km run, with a view to runners being inspired to build up their fitness and give triathlon a go whilst seeing the huge volume of novice triathletes in action. Many of these athletes return year on year and build up to the Challenge distance comprising a 800m swim, 30km bike, 7.5km run. The Challenge distance is also available in the team category - where each person completes one of the three disciplines.

Sporting Events Manager at Breast Cancer Care, Claire Pulford, who also made her debut to the sport, commented, “it is fantastic to be involved in such a superb event for the 4th year running and to see even more women competing for Breast Cancer Care. We are aiming to raise over £60,000 and every penny that is raised makes a real difference to the Charity.”

Jenson Button Is Left Trailing On the Track By Teen Triathlete

Tuesday 6 July....Jenson Button, the World Formula One Champion, was put through his paces by rising triathlon star 15 year old Sky Draper, at the recent 220 Triathlon Evening Series.  

Jenson, who uses the sport of triathlon as part of his intense training regime, entered the sprint race (750m swim, 20km bike, 5km run) with a group of old school friends for some light relief ahead of this Sunday’s British Grand Prix. Teenage Sky, from Northwood Middlesex, meanwhile was also taking time out - from her GCSE's - and using the event as part of her preparation to qualify to represent Great Britain.

The race, staged by UK’s leading multi sport event organisers Human Race, was held at Olympic rowing venue Dorney Lake, Eton and forms part of a series of four races sponsored by 220 Triathlon Magazine, which are held on the last Wednesday of each month.

Despite Jenson’s impressive time of 01:04:44 which put him in the top ten, it was rising star Sky, who at half his age, left Button trailing over 3 minutes behind her as she crossed the line in a stunning 01:01:36 and 3rd placed overall. “It was such a great race” she said “I didn’t even know he was competing so it was a big surprise to see him there at the end. It was an honour to meet him and to be able to warm down together added to an amazing race experience.”

Sky's 3rd placed result follows her successful debut into open water racing having won the Sprint race at the recent Nokia Windsor Triathlon. Sky was racing in preparation for the ‘SUSO Open Water Triathlon’ at Dorney Lake this Saturday 10th July. Organised by Human Race and in support of the Dame Kelly Holmes Trust, the SUSO Open Water Triathlon is one of the very few open water triathlon’s for young people aged 8 - 16. Sky will be racing in the 13 - 17 year old elite drafting race, in her bid to qualify to represent Great Britain in the European Youth Relay Championsips, later this year.

Jenson, meanwhile will be focusing his claims for the drivers’ Championship on British soil at Silverstone this weekend in his bid to move ahead of team mate and first placed Lewis Hamilton.

Human Race, the country’s leading multi-event organiser, is to host its second annual The Prostate Cancer Charity Marketing Industry Triathlon, on Friday 2 July 2010, supported by Olympic gold medalist Daley Thompson.

Some 1,000 competitors from the marketing community will be uniting together for some fierce competition out of the office when they take to the water at Dorney Lake, Eton, home of the 2012 Olympic rowing venue for a different - and healthy - take on the corporate day out, in support of The Prostate Cancer Charity.

The event was pioneered by Marketeer Iain Sanderson of Sanderson International Marketing, together with the support of Human Race founder and MD John Lunt, “This is something I’ve always wanted to do” said Iain, “to bring agencies and clients together out of the office and stage a triathlon for some fun networking, team bonding competition, in what we expect will become a classic event.”

The event, which follows last year’s inaugural success, will see a range of abilities from novice to hardened triathlete, all battling it out either individually or in a team for some healthy and fierce competition amongst colleagues, clients and agencies. With a range of distances on offer from Super Sprint (400m swim, 10km bike, 2.5km run) through to Olympic (1.5km swim, 40km bike, 10km run), as well as Relays you can share with friends there truly is something for everyone, whatever their triathlon experience.  

“This promises to be a great event, which is encouraging people who work in different sectors of the marketing industry to come together in support of the fight against the most common cancer in men in the UK”, said Olympic gold medalist Daley Thompson, “It will be great fun to see a range of marketing colleagues and rival companies battling it out on the day to see which firm can come out on top. I would urge anyone who works in the marketing industry to sign up today - it’s a great chance to take on an epic challenge, represent your company and support the work of The Prostate Cancer Charity. I look forward to cheering on all the participants on the day.”

Mark Bishop, Director of Fundraising at The Prostate Cancer Charity, added: “We are looking forward to seeing marketeers from across the industry battling it out, and enjoying some truly healthy competition. We are proud to be the title sponsors of this event. Not only will it bring the Charity to the attention of some of the top brands in the UK, it will help the Charity raise funds to fight the disease which affects 36,000 men every year in the UK.”

Amongst the thousand competitors from over fifty companies that Daley will be cheering on, there will be Marketing Executives through to Chairmen of leading companies and agencies including Coca-Cola Enterprises, 02, Orange, Yahoo!, Google, The Telegraph, The Economist, Unilever, and Ella’s Kitchen promising some exciting competition.

Olympic Venue Dorney Lake offers stunning facilities and perfect course for all levels of competitor. The Lake offers a calm, clean open water swim, followed by a bike loop around the lake (closed to cars), and finally the run goes down the side of the lake. All of this makes perfect spectator viewing  as well as there being on site parking, catering and showers for competitors.

Every month we email out out the latest Human Race News. For those who would prefer to read it on our website, we will also be posting it here. To view the latest Newsletter, click on the link below. If you would like to subscribe to the newsletter, enter your details on the Human Race Home Page, under the EMAIL UPDATES heading.