Our almighty August kicked off with Adrian Collyer and Nick Herbert taking on the Woking Sprint triathlon and the European Championship qualifier at Anglian Water. Adrian came 4th in his age group and 13th overall. He also raced his way to a 1 minute 6 second personal best. Nick raced the qualifier and placed his best qualifying position. Nick placed a phenomenal 8th place with a massive Olympic distance personal best.
Over at Grafham Olympic distance triathlon we had a double qualifier taking place. Team Dillon rose to the occasion with Toby Cole clocking 2 hours 10 minutes and 45 seconds, finishing 25th in his age group. Kirsty Middlemist raced herself to a huge pb, knocking 8 minutes off her previous time. Both athletes committed to training and the rewards were very much deserved.
Jamie Chatfield was out racing in preparation for the World Championships. Jamie competed at the Emberton Park 70.3 against a quality field including popular names like Jenson Button. Jamie finished a stellar 8th overall and 2nd in his age group in a time of 4.31.27.
Our Almeda Triathlon team were competing at the Sahl hasheesh Aquathlon. Khaled Essam finished in first place. A fantastic performance after weeks of commitment and hard work. Across the globe we also had Michael Montgomery competing. Michael was competing at 70.3 Poland where he clocked a superb time of 4 hours 32 minutes.
Then along came the World Duathlon Championships where our TDC girls rose to the occasion. Ella Jane Harvey was competing at her first World Championships, a tremendous achievement for Ella Jane and Team Dillon. The Championships were held in Penticton, Canada where Ella Jane finished an outstanding top 10. Her hard work and determination shone through in Canada and we are delighted with Ella Jane’s performance.
In the elite race we had Emma Pallant finish a fantastic third place. Emma came in to the World Duathlon Championships as the favourite, and with great preparation she left no stone unturned. Unfortunately unexpected events were thrown at Emma leading up to the race. Therefore a bronze medal was a truly special result here in Canada.
The World Aquathlon Championships were then to follow. Pallant rose to the occasion and executed a perfect race. Emma came away with a gold medal, finishing as World Aquathlon Champion a brilliant results from an athlete that started swimming a lot later in her career. Team Dillon are incredibly proud of Emma and her commitment to a superb race.
Our TDC girls continued to triumph as Lori Westcott won the Mid Sussex sprint championships. Kevin Scotcher was competing the same weekend as the girls in his first Ironman in Vichy. He completed the event in a time of 11 hours 14 minutes and 23 seconds. Kevin can now call himself an Ironman, something that will remain a truly special achievement. Other long distance efforts included Jon Baguley and his intense 120km. The event was the Grand Raid des Pyrénées. This was completed in a stellar time of 31 hours. It was then back to the girls where Lori Westcott and Celine Mcphillips excelled at Lanzarote 70.3. Both gave it their all reach two stunning performances! Lori came 15th overall and won her age group to qualify for the World Championships in South Africa next year. Celine came 2nd in her age group with 18th overall which also qualified her for the World Championships next year. Both girls deserve a huge amount of recognition for their results and the effort they put in.
We would like to conclude August’s race report with comments on the month and these performances from head coach Michelle Dillon. We hope you have enjoyed this month’s race report and the glorious British summer. As we move into the Autumn/winter we hope to use these results to motivate us to achieve more. We have some brilliant races to look forward to next month, including the 70.3 World Championships.
“What another incredible month TDC athletes have had in August, from success in sprint, middle distance and ultra marathon running to some of our athletes finishing their first 70.3 distance. We had another World Championship win in Canada and more medals we can be super proud of. Congratulations to everyone again, keep doing what you are doing, aim high and great things will come. Also good luck for all our athletes competing at all their World Champs this month, the team are right behind you!” Michelle Dillon.
Thanks for reading,
The TDC Team
Written by Michelle Dillon & Caitlin Bradley
