SuperTri race report: Showcasing the UK’s future triathlon stars

5th September 2016

After the Brownlee brothers’ success in Rio a few weeks ago, it was the turn of the next generation of British triathletes to strut their stuff this Sunday 4th September at the SuperTri Children’s, Youth and Junior Open Water Triathlon.

Organisers, Human Race Events, once again welcomed hundreds of eager youngsters to Dorney Lake for what has become an unmissable annual event for aspiring triathletes as well as for the sport’s talent spotters.

IMG_4208The event was kicked off in raucous fashion by the now legendary LittleLife Scootathlon which allowed 4-8 year olds their first taste of multi-discipline sport as they tore around the perimeter of the event village, first on scooters, then bikes, before crossing the finish line on foot. Even mums and dads were allowed in on the action with the Parent and Child Relay that followed soon after. Just a bit of fun? Try telling that to the kids as they dragged their wheezing teammates around the course!

Next up was the the first open water triathlon of the day, the 9 & 10 year olds’ Fun Triathlon, which involved a 100m swim in the clear water of the lake, a 3km bike and a 1km run. First girl across the line was Elizabeth Atkinson from the Jersey Triathlon Club in a time of 15:25. The fastest boy was George Mahon in 14:27.

The youngest triathlon category of the day, the 8 year olds were next into the water. For many of the participants, this is their first experience of an open-water swim, but you would not have known it given the confidence and speed with which they set off. The 100m swim was followed by a 1.5km cycle and finally a 600m run. Macey Browning was the first girl to finish in a highly impressive 12:28, whilst Rufus Parry was the first boy across the line in a time of 13:22.

As the SuperTri competitors’ ages grew, so did the distances. The 11-12 year old’s races were made up of a 200m swim, a 5.3km cycle and a 1.8km run. By now the boys and girls were set off in separate waves and so it was Daniel Van Aardt of the 4Life triathlon club who was first to appear sprinting down the home straight. He was the fastest boy in a time of 23:00. Not long after, Katie Repper of the Amersham Tristars crossed the line in a time of 24:20, making her the fastest girl of the age-group.

IMG_4296The day’s finale came courtesy of the 15-18 year old’s Youth & Junior Triathlon, made up of a 400m swim, a 10.6km bike and a 2.5km run. The battle for first place in the boys’ race was a classic, with Niall Caley of Tri UK pipping Zac Purnell of Crystal Palace Triathletes to the win by just four seconds with his time of 34:28. First girl across the line by some distance was triforfitness’ Megan Greensmith in an astonishingly quick time of 37:14. One to watch out for at a future Olympics, no doubt. Sadly for us Brits, though, Megan was sporting a New Zealand trisuit!

It was fantastic to see so many of the children that had already finished cheering on those competitors still out on the course throughout the day in a perfect example of the friendly and supportive atmosphere that SuperTri has become famed for.

Plenty of youngsters were lucky enough to be rewarded by proud parents for their wonderful efforts with a new bit of kit from the Zone3 tent. Motivation, no doubt, for the next stage of their burgeoning triathlon careers.

Full results from the SuperTri Children’s, Youth and Junior Open Water Triathlon can be found here.