Over 400 competitors and spectators arrived along with the Indian summer for the annual Crystal Palace Triathlon, which took place on Sunday 21st September at the Crystal Palace Park and National Sports Centre. The standards of the race and its competitors keep on rising and this year was no exception, with an increasingly competitive field adding to the excitement and entertainment for everyone who had turned up to cheer on their friends and family. And as if getting up before day-break on a Sunday to complete a punishing triathlon wasn’t enough, each competitor could take pride in contributing towards what is believed to be the first ever carbon neutral triathlon to be held in the UK.

Harriet Neuberger competed in the race, and said: “I really enjoyed it, even the tricky bike course – it is such a friendly and well organised event, with great support from the marshals. The fact that it is carbon neutral is very positive.”

Sue and Gareth Burgess just completed their third ever race in their first season on the triathlon circuit. “The swim was brilliant, I did my quickest ever swim time,” beamed Gareth. “The carbon neutral scheme is a really good idea; we car shared to the race with friends,” added Sue.

“It was great to be part of an event where everyone was in such great spirits. The marshals kept us going – their support really makes a difference. I will definitely be doing another race. The carbon neutral scheme was a real opportunity not only to make a difference but raise awareness of something critical,” said Deborah Haines.

CPT Chairperson John Petrides said: “We had been discussing the race and its impact on our local environment and it soon became clear that we were all committed to making sure that our race had as little environmental impact as possible. This has included improving our rubbish recycling facilities, sourcing items such as T-shirts and mugs from recycled and recyclable materials, as well as encouraging car sharing schemes for both competitors and marshals.”

“The race has been a great success and the feedback on our ‘green’ initiative has been fantastic. We are really pleased to be able to put on such a popular event, while at the same time taking responsibility for our local environment,” added John.

After a gruelling race in the Indian summer heat, in the end it was Andrew Mercer from Serpentine Triathlon Club who took home the first prize in the men’s under-40 race, whilst the women’s under-40 category was won by Jill Parker from Tri London. The male over-40 race was won by Richard Evans from Met Police Tri; Olivia Hetreed took home first prize in the women’s over-40 race. Adding to the lively atmosphere, this year also saw the launch of the Junior Crystal Palace Triathlon which extended the race to competitors as young as eight years of age.

A provisional set of results can be found here.

Log on to www.crystalpalace-tri.co.uk for further information about Crystal Palace Triathletes.