Windsor, Monday 21 September 2009: British no. 2 off-road triathlete, Tim McDowell, won yesterday’s Men’s Fitness Rough Track Triathlon advanced category in a blistering time of 1h:25m:19s, 1min 38sec ahead of Graham Wadsworth (1h:26m:57s) and 6min 10sec ahead of British no. 3 Jim McConnel (1h:31m:29s). Pre-race favourite, British no. 1 Sam Gardner, did not post a time after a puncture during the mountainbiking sector.

“I’m totally knackered, but really pleased to take away a win from my first attempt at the Men’s Fitness Rough Track Triathlon,” said McDowell. “I was really pushing myself hard - I was first out of the water and about 20 seconds ahead when we hit the bikes. Sam [Gardner] was just flying and I thought it was all over when he caught me during the cycle. He had some bad luck with a puncture so I was able to take the win.”

McDowell started yesterday as one of the race favourites, while Graham Wadsworth, in only his first year as a professional, took a surprising and well-deserved second overall.

“I’m really happy with second place,” said Wadsworth after the race. “This is my first Men’s Fitness Rough Track Triathlon and I really didn’t expect to do as well as I have, especially against guys like Sam [Gardner], Tim [McDowell] and Jim [McConnel] – I was really surprised when I came out of the water in fourth! The Dorney Lake off-road triathlon course is great, it’s very challenging because it’s mostly flat, so you have no recovery time at all – you have to be consistent throughout the entire race.”

McConnel, who has been battling with injury throughout the latter part of the season, was thrilled to finish in third place. “I’ve struggled recently and to come back from injury to take third is great,” he said. “I really like this event, it’s a good challenge for professionals but also a good introduction for novices, which makes it quite unique.”

The foursome, friends, training partners and fierce rivals, compete together all over the world in the XTERRA Off-road Championship series, with Gardner finishing third in the European Championships just last week. The World Championships will take place in Maui in October and on recent form, Gardner is expected to finish in the top ten.

“I’ve had some bad luck at the Men’s Fitness Rough Track Triathlon the past two years [2008 saw him finish second after a puncture], so I want to come back to prove a point!” he said. “I’m determined to finish in the top ten at the World Championships in October and given my results in XTERRA this year, I think I have a strong chance.”

The Men’s Fitness Rough Track Triathlon at Dorney Lake, Windsor, is one of the UK’s most popular off-road events for men and women, with around 1,000 competitors taking part across the four categories. Entrants in the Advanced, Sprint and Relay categories first took to the waters of the London 2012 venue, Dorney Lake, before mountainbiking and then running through the trails surrounding the picturesque lake. The Duathlon entrants started with a dash into the trees, followed by the cycling.

Well-known for its friendly atmosphere, the Men’s Fitness Rough Track Triathlon surpassed itself again in 2009, attracting a hoard of spectators to cheer on competitors. Reigning Double British Triathlon Champion (on-road), Will Clarke, was also on-site on the Multipower stand. Straight off a plane from the final of the ITU World Championships in Australia, Clarke was on-hand to award prizes. Maintaining its long-standing support for charity, the triathlon again partnered with Leukaemia Research.

“We are thrilled with the success of the Men’s Fitness Rough Track Triathlon again in 2009,” said Men’s Fitness magazine Editor, Pete Muir. “It reflects the increasing interest we are now seeing in triathlon and men’s fitness as a whole. It’s great to see so many big names from the off-road triathlon world involved in the event this year.”

Results

• Advanced - 800m swim / 20km bike / 9km run - RESULTS
• Sprint - 400m swim / 10km bike / 5km run - RESULTS
• Duathlon - 5km run / 10km bike / 4.5km run - RESULTS
• Relay - 800m swim / 20km bike / 9km run - RESULTS