<?xml version="1.0"?><rss version="2.0"><channel><title>Racing abroad - Tri247</title><link>http://www.tri247.com/index.html</link><description>Latest racing abroad articles from Tri247</description><item><title><![CDATA[Heading for Abu Dhabi?]]></title><link><![CDATA[http://www.tri247.com/article_9520.html]]></link><description><![CDATA[SportsTours have some great travel packages available for anyone heading out to the Abu Dhabi International Triathlon at the beginning of March. A three night hotel package is available from &amp;pound;299 per person which includes transfers and, if you book your flight with Etihad you&#039;ll also get free carriage for your bike.

More details on the packages are available on the Sports Tours International website.]]></description></item><item><title><![CDATA[Desperate for an Ironman New York slot?]]></title><link><![CDATA[http://www.tri247.com/article_9257.html]]></link><description><![CDATA[Although the event sold out in less than ten minutes Nirvana are offering complete packages which include a guaranteed entry. The cost of the entry is &pound;1,105 and they also need a &pound;50 deposit towards the accommodation package that you select. Their official event hotel is the Sheraton at &pound;225 per room per night or the Novotel in Times Square at &pound;185 per night - both have a JFK transfer charge of &pound;35.

Nirvana can also arrange flights for you and deal with the bike carriage as part of the package. For more details see their website or email mail@nirvanaeurope.com]]></description></item><item><title><![CDATA[Abu Dhabi travel packages]]></title><link><![CDATA[http://www.tri247.com/article_9211.html]]></link><description><![CDATA[One of the world&#039;s most dramatic and exciting triathlons is back in 2012. Taking place on March 3rd, with the option of different race distances, the Abu Dhabi International Triathlon is one event you cannot miss. Plus there are prizes in various age categories, giving you even more reason to enter.

For 2012, Sports Tours International have travel packages which include hotel, airport transfers and rep assistance from only &pound;299 per person. And, incredibly, they are offering FREE bike carriage to Abu Dhabi potentially saving you hundreds of pounds when you book your Etihad flight through them. For details see the Sports Tours International website.]]></description></item><item><title><![CDATA[2012 RnR Tri Camp Greece: dates revealed ]]></title><link><![CDATA[http://www.tri247.com/article_8918.html]]></link><description><![CDATA[Special price until 31st August 2011
RichardAllenFitness.com is proud to  announce the date and price for the 2012 R&#039;n&#039;R Triathlon Camp in Sivota Greece,  from May 6th to May 13th 2012. The camp will once again be held at the idyllic  Neilson, &amp;lsquo;The Retreat&#039; Sivota Beach Resort in Greece.
The camp carries on from the long  tradition of this year&#039;s inaugural RnR Tri Camp and previously the highly  successful adidas eyewear triathlon camps that came to an end in 2009.
The coaching and support team include;  Richard Allen, Pro Triathlete and head coach; Ryan Bowd an experienced Ironman,  coach and camp manager; Tonya Allen, assistant coach and with special guest  physio&#039;s and additional coaches to be announced.*. It has been designed as an  all-round pre-season triathlon camp.

The week at the camp is split between  the opportunity to train hard with expert advice and to relax and enjoy the  resort with family or friends who may accompany you to the resort.  The  program covers all essential parts of pre season triathlon training such as  open water swimming, transition skills, brick workouts, interval workouts, long  aerobic workouts, core stability workouts and a sprint tri race at the end of  the week. In addition guests will get a one-2-one coaching session with one of  the coaches to help with their technique or planning their training and  schedule.
In addition to the session, The  Retreat which is one of Neilson&#039;s luxurious Beachplus Club resorts, offering  four-star accommodation with spectacular sea views and delicious cuisine. There  is a swimming pool, two floodlit tennis courts with tuition included,  children&#039;s clubs for all ages (pre-bookable), and a terraced bar area making it  perfect for athletes and their partners and friends to enjoy. There&#039;s also a  chance to enjoy a whole range of inclusive activities with tuition such as  sailing, windsurfing, waterskiing and mountain biking.
Because of the diversity of the  coaching staff and the resort the camp caters for everyone from complete  novices to experienced Ironman triathletes, male or female and any age.
Angela Patterson, who went on the  camp comments: &amp;ldquo;Having decided to do my first triathlon this year, I felt  that immersing myself in the sport on a week&#039;s camp would be the best way to  get some top tips!  After spending some time on the internet researching  the subject and asking around, I came across the R&#039;N&#039;R Tri Camp in Sivota,  Greece and consequent correspondence convinced me that this was the best  choice! And I wasn&#039;t disappointed.  
As soon as I arrived in  Gatwick and met my fellow 16 camp mates and instructors, I was put at  ease.  I was the rookie of the bunch (some were Ironmen!) &amp;ndash; but from the  first day, I felt motivated, confident and supported.  I learnt so much  during the week, pushed myself harder than I thought possible and loved every  minute of it.  Being with strangers wasn&#039;t a problem at all &amp;ndash; we all had a  common interest and talked constantly on the subject for 7 days &amp;ndash; when we  weren&#039;t in the sea, on bikes or running.  Every day was different, well  planned and fun - highlights included a swim around the local island, a very  challenging bike ride and a sprint triathlon on the last day. I didn&#039;t once  feel pressurised into participating &amp;ndash; I just felt that the energy and support  of the others would get me there.  
I came back buzzing, fitter,  more confident and 100% sure that I would complete the London Triathlon with  dignity.  In fact, I might even be considering a half ironman now!   Whether you are a veteran of the sport or have just embarked on your triathlon  journey, I highly recommend this trip.&amp;rdquo;
The price of the camp includes;  Flights, Accommodation, Greece airport transfers, Healthy buffet meals (less 2  dinners), inclusive Neilson activities, full technical coaching support,  Massage, Race entry, Camp t-shirt and pack 
Until August 31st, 2011 the  camp will cost &amp;pound;735 (Tri Camp Cost &amp;pound;335 and Neilson Holiday cost &amp;pound;400) online  per person all inclusive! &amp;pound;42 single supplement for the week. &amp;pound;40 bike  charge).  May 6th to 13th. See www.richardallenfitness.com for full details and to how to register under the coaching section- R&#039;n&#039;R camp  or email  richardallenfitness@gmail.com with  questions. After the 31st of August the Neilson portion of the  Holiday will increase to &amp;pound;649.
Coaching Team

Richard Allen, Head Coach &amp;ndash; 9-times national triathlon champion  with multiple Ironman event and ITU event podiums, who has provided coaching to  over 600 athletes at corporate events, first timer days and on camps and coach  to a select group of RichardAllenFitness.com clients.
Ryan Bowd , Camp Manager, Assistant Coach &amp;ndash;  Past  international age-group triathlete and multiple Ironman finisher who rode  across America in 2006 with Jane Tomlinson and helped her to her successful  Ironman finish in Florida. Has provided coaching to over 300 athletes at  corporate triathlon events, first timer days and on camps.
Tonya Allen, Assistant Coach- Having gone from novice triathlete  in 2008 to first time Ironman finisher in 2010, Tonya is the beginner coach at  RichardAllenFitness.com, a qualified swim teacher, spinning instructor and  personal training.

* additional special guest coaches  number dependant
]]></description></item><item><title><![CDATA[Antwerp 70.3 report: Steve Adams]]></title><link><![CDATA[http://www.tri247.com/article_8878.html]]></link><description><![CDATA[More often seen organising races of his own through Go Beyond Challenge (www.gobeyondchallenge.co.uk), Steve Adams found time to race himself last week at Ironman 70.3 Antwerp in Belgium, and has kindly reported back on the event for us.

I will remember Antwerp this year for three things;

the wind and how tough  that can make even the flattest of bike courses
having to buy more cloths for  the event
tragic death of a fellow competitor reminding us all there is  danger in the sport.

It was cold and the previous day  I was out scouting for base layers and arm warmers thinking that even with the  transition times destroyed it was still better not to go hypothermic on the  bike. As it turned out it wasn&#039;t that bad and although the air temperature was  only 12&amp;ordm; the water temperature of 17&amp;ordm; actually felt like it - although the wind  (more of that later) had made the swim conditions pretty choppy.
I got out in 39 minutes and was pretty happy with that then started the  faff with socks and arm warmers (which in Belgium you can&#039;t wear under the  wetsuit). With this and running with the bike the entire length of transition  set me up nicely for a PW transition split. Still, onto the bike now and  feeling OK and looking forward to it. 
After a short ride on wide roads it was into the tunnel connecting to the  docks. The tunnel was alive with what looked like half of Antwerp&#039;s emergency  services, lights sirens, and whistles the whole bit. There had been a huge  crash and although I peddled past pretty quickly but there were a lot of bikes  parked up against the tunnel wall and what I hoped was spilled drink on the  ground. We later learned of the death of Arthur Aghajanyan and I have assumed  this is where the tragic accident occurred.
While in the race its best not to dwell on accidents and so I got on with  the ride and out into the docks and whack - into the teeth of what felt like a  full gale as the wind funnelled down between the building and the stacked  containers. The bike was bucking all over the place and I was beginning to  regret the 808 and 900 disc I had on the bike.
Three out-and-back loops  in the docks don&#039;t make this the prettiest of routes and with the slog out into  the wind and the back, riding it and concentrating staying on the bike as the  cross winds gusted out from between the buildings it felt like a very hard day  at the office. Maintaining any sort of decent average speed was really tough. 
The course would  definitely have benefited from at least some indication of mileage and riding  out of the docks the course had one final sting in the tail as the last mile or  so into the wind along the riverside to T2.
The run was pretty  uneventful other than getting out of the kit I no longer required as the  forecast rain hadn&#039;t shown up, the sun had come out and out of the wind it was  getting quite warm. The route weaves in and out various parts of the city  including the main shopping precinct and the busy market as well as the main  square where we were taunted with the finish line at the end of each of the three laps,  although the atmosphere created by the full grandstand and people lining the route  certainly made up for it.
Finishing the run in a  respectable 1:47, in the sunshine with a PB time of 5:21 and sixth in  my category rounded the day off nicely.
]]></description></item><item><title><![CDATA[Jonathan Hotchkiss: Challenge Cairns]]></title><link><![CDATA[http://www.tri247.com/article_8652.html]]></link><description><![CDATA[After winning TriGrandPrix UK recently, British long distance professional Jonathan Hotchkiss headed out to Australia on a whistle-stop trip to race at the debut Challenge Cairns iron-distance race, won last weekend by Ironman World Champion Chris McCormack.
Not quite the result he wanted (though seventh place and an 8:42:29 isn&#039;t too shabby!), Jonathan reports on a race that he thinks will become &amp;quot;one of THE great races in the world!&amp;quot;. 

The 2011 inaugural &#039;Challenge Cairns&#039;
Before I get into how my day went, I want to  say what an amazing race and location for the newest addition to the Challenge  Family. I&#039;d never been up to the tropical north of Australia and despite it being  Winter there, sunny and 85+&amp;deg;F was the order of the day most days. Stunning is a  word I&#039;ve found myself using over and over here, but it really is. A more  beautiful swim location and bike course you&#039;d struggle to find; with a very  cool final half of the run in the town (city) centre along the beach fronted  Esplanade made for a fabulous race for everyone involved. The R.O. (as you&#039;d  expect from Challenge) got it all spot on, first time and I personally can&#039;t  wait to return next year.
So to my race...
A HUGE prize purse (paying in Euro&#039;s too!...  take note WTC!) was on offer and though small, the Pro field was strong and on  the men&#039;s front headed by current world champ Chris McCormack. We all stood  tentatively in the beautiful tropical waters just before 7am... not least because  of the very real threat of death by croc, shark, jelly fish, sting-ray...to  name but a few. Maybe this helped me though as I had (for me) a very satisfying  swim leaving the two lap M-shape course in just over 50minutes. Somehow though in  the last 500m I&#039;d lost the chase pack I&#039;d been with and they&#039;d gapped me by a  minute!

I was through T1 and out onto the course to  chase them down quickly though and shortly after I hit the main coastal highway  I&#039;d managed to rejoin with Tim Berkel, Jamie Whyte and Matty White (all Ozzies  and contenders for the race). I chatted to them and we were soon working  together taking very legal two minute turns at the front on our way out to Port  Douglas at the top end of the course. To say the totally closed roads,  turquoise sea hugging course was pleasing to the eye is an understatement.  Check out some of the video highlights:

Before we knew it we were out in Port Douglas for the first turn-around and  able to time the gap to Macca et al... four minutes meant it was holding... Macca  tried to act like he was all casual as we crossed on the road which made me smile,  but I knew we&#039;d have to pick up the pace if we were to get closer to the top three  by T2. The first return leg went about 2/3 of the way back where we&#039;d come from  and by that turn the gap remained the same. However, personal frustration was  setting in as I found myself (and Jamie Whyte) doing almost all the work at  the front now. Heading back to Port Douglas the second and last time this got worse.  The pace dropped noticeably whenever anyone else went to the front and within  30km by the final turn, we&#039;d lost a minute more to the leaders. Knowing we  couldn&#039;t afford for this to continue Jamie and I decided to try to break away,  but shall we say... our two wheeled companions stayed close enough to prevent  this being possible. I and Jamie were forced to accept we do the work and  maintain pace or lose time if we didn&#039;t.
Fortunately by the time we returned to  transition the gap to the leaders hadn&#039;t grown but I was anxious all the work  I&#039;d done would leave me a lot less fresh in the legs than the  &amp;quot;passengers&amp;quot;. I didn&#039;t rush transition which allowed Matty White to  get a jump start on us all leaving me heading onto the run in sixth place just  behind Jamie.
The crowds and local residents to Knobbies  Point were out in force for the first 4km of the run, which REALLY helped as I  was now seriously worried that my legs were fried. I tried to remain confident  and trust that though the pace felt horribly slow, it actually wasn&#039;t... to my  delight by the 4km mark not only had my legs begun to wake up, but my pace had  been bang on target all along too.
The run for this inaugural event started from  T2 which was where we&#039;d swum earlier in the day too, but we finished the run  down past the airport in the heart of Cairns  by the waterfront and all the restaurants and cafes by now buzzing with  friends, families and locals. However, we had about 17km to cover before we  made it there and begun the three loops along the Esplanade. 
Now in the heat of the day, the 29 degree sun  beat down and back up off the road as we ran along with no chance of ANY shade.  Having only arrived on Thursday I knew this could become an issue for me.  However as normal my Power Bar nutrition and CompresSport U2&#039;s meant that cramp  was never a concern and I made sure to take cups of ice at every aid station,  sucking on some cubes and holding the rest in my hands to help keep me cool. It  all seemed to be working and while by the time I hit the halfway mark I&#039;d been  caught by Tim Berkel, I myself had caught and passed Jamie Whyte and Graham  O&#039;Grady so now found myself in fourth. Passing through the 21km mark in 1h24 I  still felt good...ish and was hopeful I might catch Clayton Fettel in third who  was struggling up ahead.
Sadly as km&#039;s 27, 28 and 29 came and went so  it seemed did my energy and my pace targets. Jamie caught and re-passed me and  as I resorted to walking aid stations to try and resolve the energy issues, I  was soon caught and re-passed by Graham O&#039;Grady and finally David Dellow slipping  me back to seventh! It was by now though a case of get myself to the finish and  thoughts of regaining any of these positions didn&#039;t enter my head. I&#039;m not  sure, but I think the last 12km took me well over an hour and would have been  an &amp;ldquo;18&amp;rdquo; certificate if caught on film. 
The crowds and volunteers all round the  course were incredible though and with great relief I found myself for the last  time heading down the road past the cafes and eateries for the last time  towards the bright red Challenge Finish shoot carpet and banners.
A disappointing time and position but a  fabulous race and the always satisfying feeling of finishing meant I didn&#039;t  dwell on any of the negatives for too long. The atmosphere was too electric and  witnessing so many people battle on, WAY into the night to cross that line no  matter when and no matter how is always an inspiring and gratitude fuelling  experience.
There was also the 2-4-1 (gluten free)  &#039;Healthy Burger&#039; meal to be destroyed...err I mean enjoyed. I also caught up  briefly with my friends from the Gold Coast who&#039;d come up to race the &#039;Half&#039;  race the same day. Sadly for Andy, his day had ended with food poisoning and he  didn&#039;t leave T1 after the swim.
My ridiculously short five day trip to Oz (I kid  you not) was almost over, but it had been worth it to be part of this  incredible race in such a wonderful place. I truly believe this will grow to be  one of THE great races in the world! I for one will be back next year...  hopefully to spend less time walking and maybe some more time sight-seeing and snorkelling  too!
As always a HUGE debt of gratitude to my  sponsors PowerBar, ProFeet, CompresSport, Greeper, Sigma, Ceepo. It&#039;s now back  home to start work on a new ambassadorial role for the Marie Curie Cancer  Hospice Trust.]]></description></item><item><title><![CDATA[Roger Canham: Ironman St. George]]></title><link><![CDATA[http://www.tri247.com/article_8525.html]]></link><description><![CDATA[Last Saturday&#039;s Ironman St. George in Utah was one of the toughest races that will be on the whole Ironman calendar this year. For British Age Group athlete Roger Canham, it was a great day - not only qualifying for Kona (again), but winning his Age Group and setting a new course record in the process. This is how he did it. 

The Facts 
Ironman St. George, Utah, USA, 7th May 2011. 
  3.8km Swim | 180km Bike | 42km Run - Temperature 98&amp;deg;F 
Swim 1:06:11 | T1 03:03 | Bike 05:24:56 | T2 02:20 | Run 03:29:47 | Total Time 10:06:17 
Winner M45-49, 45th overall, Broke previous course record of 10:24:09, Qualified for Ironman World Championships.
The Report 
Ironman is considered as one of the toughest triathlon endurance events to race and Ironman St George is reputedly the toughest Ironman course in the world. The race took me to my absolute limits and lived up to its brutal reputation.
The swim venue was up in the hills around St. George at Sand Hollow Canyon, a beautiful setting for the start of a long day. Last year&amp;rsquo;s race ended here for some competitors with water temperatures in the low 50s causing some hypothermic athletes to be pulled from the water. This year the water was a balmier 62&amp;deg;F and ensured most athletes made it onto the bike.  The gun went off at 0700 and 1600 bodies collided, arms and legs flailing as I struck out to find some clear water to swim in. Within 400m I found myself able to swim unimpeded, proceeded to establish a rhythm as I made my way round the single loop course in the reservoir and before I knew it, I was kicking hard to exit the water. I grabbed my helmet and shoes, changed out of my wetsuit and was out on the bike course to tackle the 1900m of ascent over two loops.
The bike course was incredibly scenic, a mixture of deep canyons and sharply rising hills coloured with the reds and yellows of the local sandstones. The bike course is renowned for its spectacular topography and beauty, each lap finishing with a gruelling ride up The Wall, happily followed by a 75kmph descent. I had planned to pace the first lap with a controlled effort and all went to plan, managing to conserve my energy for the looming marathon. As I started out on the second lap the temperature started to rise as we approached the middle of the day, at each 15-mile aid station I was careful to grab two full bottles of water, one to drink and one to cool myself, staying hydrated was going to be critical in keeping my body&#039;s core temperature under control. I continued to meter out my pacing on the second lap and was relieved to find myself finally spinning down the hill towards T2, having avoided any mechanical mishaps and feeling well hydrated.
The volunteers grabbed my bike from me as I hit the dismount line and I raced through T2 donning my running shoes, nutrition and cap. The run would be the part of the race that would claim the most competitors with almost 300 athletes failing to make it across the finish line. It was a brutal course, essentially a 10k run up a hill then turnaround, back down to the start and repeat for a total ascent of 500m, all in temperatures soaring close to 100&amp;deg;F. I had planned for an overall run time of 3:30 so I set out with a pace of 8mins/mile or better. The first lap seemed to roll by as I focussed on controlling my pace and staying hydrated but I knew the second lap was going to be where the race began.
By this time I was pretty certain I was in the top five and, with the first lap completed in 1:38, I could reset my pace to 9min/mile to achieve my goal race time. By mile 16 it was becoming a mental battle to keep my feet moving up the hill as my core temperature began to spiral upwards, with little I could do at this stage to control matters. I clawed my way through each mile, one step at a time until I finally propelled myself towards and ultimately over the finish line. I was completely spent and really had no idea of my time or position; I just wanted to be out of the ferocious heat and to sit down. I was in the medical tent for nearly an hour in what resembled a M.A.S.H. unit, the medics stating they had treated more people in the first hour than they had in the whole of the previous year&amp;rsquo;s race. The course and conditions had taken their toll.
It was here that I learned from a fellow athlete that I had won my age group and was an Ironman Champion - I was ecstatic with winning the title, setting a new course record and qualifying to race at Ironman World Championships in Hawaii in October.

Roger is a member of the Human Performance Unit Race Team (www.humanperformanceunit.co.uk) - visit his blog here:  www.rogercanham.blogspot.com
]]></description></item><item><title><![CDATA[Sophie Whitworth: St. Croix warm-up]]></title><link><![CDATA[http://www.tri247.com/article_8479.html]]></link><description><![CDATA[Sophie Whitworth is one of the most experienced and successful British Age Group triathletes of the last decade. By our reckoning she won at least four ITU World Silver medals at the Standard distance before 2010 served up F40-44 World titles and Gold medals at Aquathlon, Triathlon (Standard) and Ironman 70.3, plus the Europeans in Athlone - which resulted in her being named British Triathlon Female Age Group Triathlete of the Year last year. 
This weekend Sophie is in the beautiful St. Croix for Ironman 70.3 St. Croix. The race is an Age Group qualifier for Kona, which suggests that she might have her sights on &#039;going long&#039; in October this year... 
Sophie has been in touch pre-race, and reckons that &#039;The Beast&#039;, the iconic climb on the bike course is even steeper than it looks on screen. 

Hi there, just dropping you a note to say a few of us Brits are out here to hit &#039;The Beast&#039; this weekend at Ironman 70.3, St Croix.
The place is going to get really busy with the arrivals of the US contingent today, at swim practice swim today were around 50 athletes of 500 testing out the Caribbean waters. As a Kona qualifier for age groupers there seems to be some quality on the start list, a quick scan of the women suggests some top Kona finishers from last year looking for the short cut route in.
I have been here four days now and my goodness this is the real deal! I watched the YouTube clips of &#039;The Beast&#039; before coming out (oh yes, certainly steeper in reality I would say), but not too long, and I think the final 15 miles are actually the most challenging. If you imagine Lanzarote terrain and turn up the heat by about 15 degrees and you get the picture. All part of the challenge of this unique and iconic race, won in the past by true legends such as Paula Newby-Fraser. I am looking forward to seeing Mirinda v. Cat and should experience how fast they go on the run somewhere! The humidity is something else but each day gets easier. The run is truly tough and totally exposed so the tremendous local support for this race will be a huge factor in getting round. 
Friday is &amp;quot;Jump Up&amp;quot; which is the St Croix version Pasta Party. You have a pass to the local restaurants so expect a fun night out with all the locals and triathletes.
For now it is time to rest and anticipating rubbing shoulders with some of the sports greatest athletes in this truly amazing spot on the planet. 
Will let you know how it all goes. We are off from 6.30 am local, 5 hrs time change.
Regards,
  Sophie]]></description></item><item><title><![CDATA[David Vaughan: Powerman European Champs report]]></title><link><![CDATA[http://www.tri247.com/article_8439.html]]></link><description><![CDATA[UK based Irish Duathlete David Vaughan joined Brits Matt Moorhouse and Lee Piercy at the weekend to race in the European Powerman  Duathlon Championships in Holland. All three recorded top-15 positions in one of the most hotly contested races of the weekend, and here David reports on some fast and furious racing - and he&#039;s keen to spread the word on these high quality, high profile European duathlon races. 

Europe&#039;s best long distance duathletes met in Holland for the European Powerman  Duathlon Championships at Horst aan de Maas on Sunday, which consisted of a 15k  run, then a 60k bike followed by a gruelling 7.5k run. 
Pro athlete Anthony Le Duey from France won the  event for the second year in a row exhibiting a dominant display in one of the  most competitive international fields assembled in the sport of long distance Duathlon  for many years. The race also formed the Dutch and Luxembourg National  Championships.
GB based athletes were very active at the front of  the race with Matt Moorhouse finishing in seventh, and Lee Piercy and David Vaughan  battling it out over the final run to finish 13th and 14th respectively in a  field of over 400 athletes. You could be forgiven for thinking that the  pace is more sedate in these long distance events but at the top of the field  the athletes were clocking 31.30 for  the first 10k of the very twisty  first 15km run leg and averaging over 25mph on the 60km technical bike leg.
Any UK athlete wanting to learn more about the  Powerman race series and entry into future events held around the globe should  visit Powerman.org or contact Matt, Lee or David directly. 
You can find David on Twitter (@dv_du) for more inside information on the Powerman World Series, or find out more about David via his blog www.davidvaughanduathlon.blogspot.com.

  
    Pos
    Men
    Women
  
  
    1st
    Anthony Le Duey (FRA) 2:45:14 
    Camilla Lindholm (SWE) 3:08:52 
  
  
    2nd
    Wim De Cort (BEL) 2:48:25 
    May Kerstens (NED) 3:11:21 
  
  
    3rd
    Peter Bech (DEN) 2:49:08 
    Maud Golsteyn (NED) 3:12:05 
  
  
    4th
    Wim Nieuwkerk (NED) 2:49:48 
    Sonja Jaarsveld (NED) 3:12:25 
  
  
    5th
    Zoltan Senczyszyn (GER) 2:49:56 
    Beate Gotz (GER) 3:12:34 
  

Matt Moorhouse took seventh (2:50:38), Lee Piercy 13th (2:53:53) and David Vaughan 14th (2:53:59) 
FULL RESULTS]]></description></item><item><title><![CDATA[Nick Saunders: ICAN Marbella]]></title><link><![CDATA[http://www.tri247.com/article_8391.html]]></link><description><![CDATA[British long distance professional  Nick Saunders has been in the wars a little over the past couple of years - this car crash being a particular &#039;feature&#039; of a challenging couple of years!
2011 has started well however, with a consistent period of training &#039;for the first time in two years&#039;, and Nick put his fitness to the test this past weekend at the inaugural ICAN Marbella (www.icantriathlon.com) half-iron distance triathlon. A good result and a good performance followed - here is his report. 

There is always a degree of  uncertainty before your first triathlon of the season. For the first time in  two years I have been able to train all the way through winter so I went into  the ICAN Marbella race with five months of training behind me. I stayed in Jersey  for all of it and that seemed to do the trick I think. We had the odd bit of  snow and rain but it did not stop me training. My training partner Doc Snook  and I had some tough rides in the cold; it helps to have someone to share the  pain and sometimes misery of riding in the cold and rain! &amp;nbsp;
It was the first edition of the ICAN  Marbella event and they have gone to a lot of trouble and effort to make sure  it was a success. I can tell you it did not disappoint at all. We were met at  the airport and taken to our hotel which was right on the sea front where the  race finished. We were driven around the course the next day. The food at the  pasta party was what every athlete would expect which is lots of it and tasty!  They certainly have athlete care taken care of so all the boxes are ticked with  satisfactory.
The course was closed to traffic,  aid stations were good and what will be important to most people is the weather  is great. We had an overcast day with a drop of rain while we were on the bike  but the temperature was 18 to 24 degrees as recorded by my Garmin. The swim was  two laps, the bike two laps on a closed highway and the run two laps along the  seafront with plenty of spectators and a good view.
My race went as well as it could  have, I lost a bit of time on the swim to Eneko Llanos and a couple of other  faster swimmers. I came out on the heels of Doc Snook who is quite handy to  swim behind as he creates a bit of a wake with his big shoulders. I got out  onto the bike feeling pretty good and worked my way up to second which I held  for the remainder of the bike leg. Eneko put about 90 seconds or so into me on  the undulating bike course. I managed to hold off a couple of chasing packs. I  came off the bike roughly five minutes down on Eneko and two minutes up on the  chasers which included Nicholas Ward Munoz. I made a bit of time on Eneko on  the run but not enough to really challenge for the win. Eneko had done enough  on the bike. I came in second with Nicholas Ward Munoz coming in third. The bulk  of muscle from Zimbabwe, Doc Snook came in 13th beating a few pros.
It&#039;s no disgrace to finish second to  an athlete of the calibre of Eneko who I think is in pretty good shape having  just competed in the Abu Dhabi event and he is off to the US to compete in IM  Texas in May. Next up for me is Challenge Fuerteventura at the end of the month  followed by the Volcano race a week later.
I have really been focusing on  increasing my power on the bike during winter. My coach Ben Bright has  certainly put me through some tough sessions and I think the weekend result  proves it is working. There is still work to do though, but the main thing is I  have kept my training consistent though the winter for the first time in two  years so I will be able to race more this year and have a good season of racing  for a change.
The next event the ICAN organisation  is putting on is in Majorca, I am thinking of maybe doing the half iron  distance event. They have a full distance as well. I reckon it&#039;s one to put in  the diary if you want to go to a well organised event.]]></description></item></channel></rss>
