2019 OULTON PARK SPRING DUATHLON EVENT REVIEW

The Oulton Spring Duathlon took place on Sunday March 6th, under very good weather conditions, welcoming plenty of elite, amateur and novice racers to one of the first races of the season at an iconic venue.

Taking place at the famous Oulton Park motor racing circuit in Cheshire, Oulton Park Spring Duathlon was an ITU World Championship sprint distance qualifier.

The race saw some outstanding performances from all levels of athletes as they ran and cycled on one of the country’s finest motor racing circuits. With the promise of a traffic-free race track, super smooth tarmac, transition in the pits and a banked hairpin, the potential was always there for some awesome racing, and the competitors didn’t disappoint, with some fierce battles amongst the top placed athletes. Spectators in the stands had a fantastic view of both races and contributed to a thrilling overall atmosphere on the day.

The sprint distance race comprised a 4.3 km run (1 lap), followed by a 21.6 km cycle (5 laps) and a final run lap of 4.3 km, covering a total distance of 30.1 km. The standard distance race comprised a 8.6 km run (2 laps) followed by an exhilarating 38.76 km cycle (9 laps) and a final run lap of 4.3 km, totalling 51.6 km.

The sprint distance race in the morning saw Ian Lawton from Mersey Tri Club, took the men’s title with a time of 01:01:13. 2^ndplace went to Matt Barnes of Manchester Tri Club with a time of 1:02:23 and 3^rd place went to Jonathan Currie from Stockport Tri Club with a time of 1:02:37. Also worth noting, Matt Barnes won the “Need for Speed” Challenge and had the fastest run lap and won a TOMTOM fitness watch (Retailed at £199)

Gwen Kinsey of Pedalcover Insurance Tri Team claimed the women’s sprint title with a time of 01:11:45. She had a very small lead of over Ellie Campbell who came in 2^nd place with a time of 1:11:50 and Jessica Kaye with a time of 1:12:18.

The standard distance race set off at 1pm and was a close-fought battle for the top spots. Phil Ellison from Thatto Cycles RT club took 1^st place with a time of 1:42:13, and 2^nd place went to David Cullen with a time of 1:42:31 and 3^rd place went to Aidan Holgate with a time of 1:43:04. In the women’s category Rachel Jeff took 1^st place with an impressive time of 2:03:03, 2^nd place went to Clementina Davies with a time of 2:07:54 and 3^rd place went to Sarah Renshaw from Manchester Tri Club with a time of 2:11:21