<?xml version="1.0"?><rss version="2.0"><channel><title>Tri247</title><link>http://www.tri247.com/index.html</link><description>Latest news from Tri247</description><item><title><![CDATA[Run naked]]></title><link><![CDATA[http://www.tri247.com/article_3310.html]]></link><description><![CDATA[Mike Trees, Tri247&#039;s running guru, really isn&#039;t suggesting that you all strip off and run around in your birthday suits! It&#039;s more about stripping things back to their essentials - and that means ditching the technology and understanding how your body should feel.



Before I begin, I should define my terms. By &#039;running naked&#039; I don&#039;t actually mean running with no clothes. However, I am sure if that is what you are interested in there are plenty of websites to look at on the subject. By naked running I mean putting that heart rate monitor to one side and listening to your own body for a change. Heart rate monitors were invented as a tool to help training but, as I have realised, all too often they take over. I often feel that it becomes a case of the tail wagging the dog. Always remember who the boss is.

A good run ruined...
My inspiration for this article came after my evening run with a friend of mine. We were running along putting the world to rights and enjoying an easy recovery run. I asked Lander how long we had been running and he looked at his monitor. Unfortunately when he saw his heart rate he forgot my question. &quot;Oh no,&quot; came the reply, &quot;I am running too fast. My heart rate is 147, and this is supposed to be an easy run&quot;.

Just seconds earlier Lander and I had been chatting quite happily, which suggests that we were running well within our aerobic zones. Before the invention of heart rate monitors our coaches would say that if we could not talk comfortably then the pace was too fast for an easy run, and although not rocket science, it helped me to listen to my body as I trained. If Lander had been running too fast, his breathing would have been stronger and he would have struggled to talk. So in this case I was sure that we were running at the correct pace. My advice to him was to forget the HRM.

For some reason Lander&#039;s heart rate was higher than expected. There are many possible causes for this; jogging up hill, being slightly dehydrated, eating just before running, being unfit, running in hot weather, a faulty heart rate monitor, running near electricity pylons... The monitor can not allow for these factors!

Unfortunately the psychological damage was done. Our easy, stress release run had now become the cause of his biggest stress that day; trying to understand why he had an elevated HR. The more he stressed the more his HR and blood pressure remained high!

The heart is simply a mechanical pump, which delivers oxygen and fuel to the muscles. The harder you train the more oxygen is needed and the faster the heart needs to beat. To achieve the desired training effect heart rate monitors have been used and training has been placed into different zones based on heart rates. Although a very valuable training tool, I sometimes think that many athletes place too much emphasis on heart rates and not enough on their perceived work rate.

Sometimes it is important to go out and run naked (without the HRM). That way you learn to listen to your body, which will soon tell you to slow down when you are going too fast. Just as you know through the intensity of feeling if you are running too fast.

Sometimes you may be tired and your HR just will not rise. In this case your monitor will show a low heart rate and you may mistakenly think you are running too slow, just because your HR is low. This does not always mean you are not trying. It may be dangerous to push harder just because the monitor is showing a low heart rate. Your body&#039;s defenses may be trying to stop you from over training!

How many of you reading this article have been tested for blood lactate samples to try and ascertain your anaerobic threshold?  How many have just bought a monitor and looked up your training zones in a book or on the internet? If you have not had your zones scientifically worked out, you are guessing. The more you use a monitor the better you will get at guessing. This article is not designed to scaremonger, but merely to get you to ask more questions and to think more about what your are doing.

I will give you another example to show why the guideline figures really are just that, and can be meaningless in many cases.  I will use myself as an example, and calculate some training zones. The section at the end of this article shows typical training zones that many of you will be familiar with.

Calculating your training zones
Maximum heart rate - Unless advised otherwise by a physician, you may want to run to exhaustion to find out your maximum heart rate. Warm up and then run up a hill for about five minutes as hard as you can. After five minutes of maximum effort you heart rate will max out. However, a much easier, but also (much) less accurate, method is to subtract your age from 220. Thus at 45 I will have a theoretical maximum heart rate (MHR) of 175.

Resting heart rate - To determine your resting heart rate (RHR) is very easy. Just count your pulse for one minute in the morning before getting out of bed.  As you get fitter your heart becomes more efficient at pumping blood around the body. As a result you will find your resting heart rate gets lower so you will need to check your RHR on a regular basis (eg monthly).

Calculation of a zone value

The calculation of a zone value, X%, is performed in the following way:

Subtract your RHR from your MHR giving the working heart rate (WHR)
 
Calculate the required X% on the WHR giving a value &quot;Z&quot;

Add &quot;Z&quot; and your RHR together to give you the final value

Example: Mike Trees; MHR is 177 and  RHR is 27 - determine the 70% value

MHR-RHR = 177-27 = 150

70% of 150 = 105
 
105+RHR = 105+27 = 132 bpm 

I have used myself to show how we are all different and do not simply fit into the guidelines. At 45 my suggested max HR is (220-age) 175 so I&#039;m not too far out there, but as my resting heart rate is very low, it throws all the models out.

If you do want to use a monitor remember who is the boss and make sure you understand the variables. According to the tables an easy run for me should be at 60-70% so my minimum should be 117 and max about 132. However, my recovery run will nearly always be run at about 95-110, which is theoretically too slow. My race pace should be about 80% which would be 147, however I am able to hold around 170 at 10km race pace.

Through years of interval training and teaching my body to become efficient I have achieved these figures. It is only after I am comfortable at a certain training pace that I will use a HRM to see what the HR is for any perceived effort. For me the perceived effort is always a more valuable tool than the HRM.

Rest up your HRM from time to time and listen to your body

A tale of two hearts
I will give another example of how complex hearts rates are: Remember that I said my resting heart rate is 27. If I double it, it is 54. If I double it again it is 108. Amazingly this is about the maximum pace that I run my easy runs at. (Although the books say I should run faster.) Let me take my wife Rieko, as an example. Her resting HR is around 50. If we double it, it is 100, double it again that is 200, this is her maximum heart rate. At 27 beats, per minute, my body is able to pump enough blood around itself for me to function adequately at rest, while Rieko needs 50 beats. But for my easy run I must raise my resting heart rate four times my resting pulse, while Rieko must only raise her resting heart race two and half times.

I hope I am starting to show that all our heart rates and bodies are different, and listening to our own body is much more effective than blindly following what the monitor says we should do. Although HRMs may have some good points, they are, just a tool that would be better understood by using them less frequently, and by listening to our bodies more often.
	
Training zones
Training zones are based on a percentage of your maximum heart rate. Within each training zone subtle physiological effects take place to enhance your fitness.

The recovery zone (60% to 70%)
Training within this zone develops basic endurance and aerobic capacity. All easy recovery training should be completed at a maximum of 70%. Another advantage to training in this zone is that while you are happily fat burning you may lose weight and you will be allowing your muscles to re-energise with glycogen, which has been expended during those faster paced work-outs.

The aerobic zone (70% to 80%)
Training in this zone will develop your cardiovascular system. The body&#039;s ability to transport oxygen to, and carbon dioxide away from, the working muscles can be developed and improved. As you become fitter and stronger from training in this zone it will be possible to  some of your longer runs  at up to 75%, so getting the benefits of some fat burning and improved aerobic capacity.
 
The anaerobic zone (80% to 90%)
Training in this zone will develop your Anaerobic Threshold. In this zone your individual anaerobic threshold is found. During this training glycogen is the main source of energy. This training will help you to race faster, as your body will develop an ability to use less oxygen, it will become more efficient. Training in this zone is ideal for races up to about two hours in length.

The red line zone (90% to 100%)
Training in this zone will only be possible for short periods of time. It effectively trains your ability to develop speed. Only the very fit can train in this zone, but it is vital for sprint finishes.]]></description></item><item><title><![CDATA[Win Blenheim places with Powerbar]]></title><link><![CDATA[http://www.tri247.com/article_3327.html]]></link><description><![CDATA[Individual places for the Mazda Blenheim Triathlon held on the 7th and 8th of June 2008 are full but Powerbar have kindly offered us places in the
event for three lucky Tri247 site users. All you need to do is send us your email
details to be in with a chance of taking part in this great event.

Powerbar have always been at the leading edge of endurance nutrition and their
exciting  range of new products includes the  PowerBar C2 MAX bar. Their
exclusive carbohydrate mix contains a special ratio of glucose and fructose sources.
During sporting activity, this special mix allows the working muscles to increase
carbohydrate absorption by up to 55% when consumed regularly. Scientific studies
show this allows for longer lasting energy and could improve performance by up
to 8%!

Other benefits of the new bars are:

optimized carbohydrate absorption due to a special ratio of glucose and fructose sources
improved texture: it&#039;s now easier to chew!
good digestibility before and during sports activities
with extra sodium, the key electrolyte to compensate sweat loss


There are three places available at the Mazda Blenheim Triathlon, just email
us at powerbar@tri247.com and we will
add your name into the draw. Make sure that you include your full name and get
us your entry before 5pm on Friday 23rd May, we&#039;ll notify the winners on Tuesday
27th (or earlier) by email. Please note that by entering the competition you agree for Powerbar to send you an email informing you about their exciting new range of products.]]></description></item><item><title><![CDATA[Gatorade Athlete of the Month: April]]></title><link><![CDATA[http://www.tri247.com/article_3332.html]]></link><description><![CDATA[The eagle-eyed among you may have noticed our Special Features section was updated over the weekend to reveal the identity of April&#039;s winner of the Tri247 Gatorade Athlete of the Month.
It really was a very tough decision this month, but we&#039;ve selected Emma Dews from Thames Turbo as the second recipient of the award, after an excellent start to the year. Find out more about Emma here, and the surprising news that until February last year she didn&#039;t even own a bike! 
Do you know anyone who deserves this award? If so, tell us! As always, we&#039;d love to here from you. With the May calendar already in full swing, we&#039;ve got our eyes and ears open already for next month. Get in touch with us on aotm@tri247.com and tell us who you would like us to recognise and why. 
Remember - you don&#039;t necesarily need to be at the front of the field to catch our eye. Our choice may be based on one, or perhaps a combination of factors including:

  Outstanding performance at one race,
  Consistent performances over a number of events,
  Recognition of an athletes efforts over many months, years&amp;hellip;or even decades in some cases!
  Overcoming setbacks, challenges or obstacles.
]]></description></item><item><title><![CDATA[Weekend roundup]]></title><link><![CDATA[http://www.tri247.com/article_3345.html]]></link><description><![CDATA[The European Triathlon Championships have their own coverage, the age group news is here, the Saturday elite races are here, so this part of the roundup will be focussing on the domestic racing from the weekend.

First up with a full set of results was the Waveney Valley Triathlon and the winners here were Matthew Ellis (Tri Anglia) in 0:50:14 and Nicola McIvor (UEA Tri Club) in 0:57:45. A full set of results is online here.

Tri247&#039;s John Levison snuck out for a bit of racing at his local Hatch End Triathlon and reports that the event went off in perfect, sunny conditions with the three-lap bike, three-lap run meant plenty of spectator viewpoints, and chances to size up (or be seen) by your competitors. The mens winner was a junior, Joe Giggins (East Essex Tri), while the ladies winner was Suzanne Hopper (Hillingdon Triathletes). We don&#039;t have times or a full set of results yet.

Black Sheep may well live in the Forest of Dean (sorry Trev...) but they do get the results in quick! The Lydney Triathlon saw its third outing in lovely weather conditions and the winners were Julian Hatcher (AVS Tri) in 0:54:41 and Deborah Evans in 1:05:34. A full set of results is here.

Exeter Tri Club put on its Exe Valley Sprint and Novice races at the Tiverton Leisure Centre in weather conditions that bore no resemblence to those of a year ago (it was chucking it down that time) with scorching results to match. The main race was won by Peter Freedman in 0:58:59 and Sue Walker in 1:12:49, a full set of results is here. In the novice race the honours went to Steven Bauress in 0:54:34 and Kate Stamp 1:00:45, full results are here.

We don&#039;t expect to see a full set of results from the Helston Triathlon until Monday, council-run websites tend not to be updated at weekends, but the organisers did send through the top three athletes in the various categories. Overall winners were Rich Brady (Tri-Monkey) in 1:05:45 and Sam Herridge (Total Fitness Bath) in 1:12:11. for other category winners see the temporary results page here - it will be replaced with a full set as soon as we have them.

Concept Sport&#039;s Fast Twitch Series pulled into Dorchester for the second race of the summer. Winners here were Peter Younghusband (Tri-UK/Gatorade) in 1:03:30 and Tracy Cook (North Dorset Tri/Tri-UK) in 1:11:51. A provisional set of results is here.

There&#039;s something slightly odd about the Alnwick Tri results - everyone is classified as male and the only obviously female name is a Maureen... We suspect that something has been filtered in the processing! The overall winner was Haydn Maughan (Ryton Tri) in 1:0:03 and we&#039;ll wait for confirmation before naming a female winner. The draft results are here. 

The BSLT series race at Selkirk was won by a junior athlete, Graham Scobie, in 1:00:13 with the Eleanore Haresign the first woman home in 1:08:40. A full set of results are here.

The Furzefield Triathlon saw wins by Michael Bridge (FVS Tri) in 1:01:10 and Leigh Harvey (Shorter Rochford RT) in 1:12:29. A full set of results are here.

It may have been the last running of the Harlech Triathlon (if the local Council get their way and sell off the pool&#039;s land to a developer - see the club&#039;s website for a petition to try to stop them) and over 300 people turned out to race. The overall winner was Adam Thomson (Primera) in 1:16:45 with Rhian Roxburgh (Carneddau Tri) the fastest woman in 1:21:26. A full set of results is here.

The Basildon Off-Road Triathlon was won by Nathan Miller (53-12) in 0:38:04 and Heather Storey in 0:50:02. Full results are here and also include the Essex Police Championship results at the bottom of the table.

A good morning in the sun for the Thames Turbo/Sigma Sport team at the Morden 6n6 Aquathlon where James Lock took the overall win in 0:40:03 and Esther Evans was the joint first female with Helen Mussen (Serpentine) in 0:45:17. Both male and female winners appear to have broken the standing course records. A full set of results is here.

The smallest, but still perfectly formed, set of results came from the Stromness Mini Triathlon where Torquil Clyde finished first in 0:36:25 with Beccy May the ladies winner in 0:44:11. Full results are here.

Domestic racing on Saturday took the form of the OWS Aquathlon at Liquid Leisure&#039;s lake in Datchet where an astonishing 300 people turned up to swim. Not all raced (thank goodness!) and the 44-strong field was won by junior Harry Smith in 0:27:34 with the fastest woman being Carin Hume in 0:33:40. Full results are here.
]]></description></item><item><title><![CDATA[European AG update]]></title><link><![CDATA[http://www.tri247.com/article_3342.html]]></link><description><![CDATA[UPDATE: We now have over half the age group results in a form that&#039;s useable - the more &#039;senior&#039; men still have to be uploaded but we&#039;ve lobbed what we have onto the site for you, more to follow ASAP. 

After the full-on media coverage and live timing of Saturday&#039;s elite races you could be forgiven for thinking that the age group races had been cancelled! No updates on the ITU website, no results, just radio silence. Our only source of information was Scott Murray, the GB Age Group Team Manager, who sent us this as the last in a series of reports from Lisbon:

A great day&rsquo;s racing here for the GB age group athletes; Team GB had 157 athletes out of the 998 on the start list. The swim was an &#039;M&#039; shape with four 180&amp;deg; turns, the bike was a two-lap affair with few technical aspects to it other than a short cobblestone section and a long drag on the bike, it was slightly long but thankfully the weather was mainly fine and the showers that did come didn&rsquo;t cause the AG athletes the problems it had for the previous day&rsquo;s events. An out-and-back, two-lap run course showed the strength in depth of the GB team as it seemed no matter where you looked you could see red, white and blue kit. So, how did we do?

Female athletes: 25-29: Gold to Emma-Kate Lidbury, Silver to Jacquie Slack and four top ten finishers. Emma was the overall race winner in a time of 2:14:55. 35-39: Silver to Shona Forrest, Bronze to Lisa Greenfield and four top ten finishers. 40-44: five top ten finishers. 45-49: Gold to Juliet Vickery, Bronze to Jo Crotch and eight top ten finishers. 50-54: Silver to Liz Clegg, Bronze to Julie Williams and four top ten finishers. 55-59: Bronze to Rani Sinniah. 65-69: Gold to Carol Killick.

Male athletes: 18-19: Bronze to James Sedgewick, two top ten finishers. 20-24: Bronze to Phillip Fishwick. 25-29: Gold to Alex Lewis. 30-34: Gold to Chris Stuart, Silver to Richard Legge, five top ten finishers. 35-39: Gold to Richard Wilder, Silver to Euan Lees, three top ten finishers. 40-44: One top ten finisher. 45-49: One top ten finisher. 50-54: One top ten finisher. 55-59: Bronze to Dave Pratten, four top ten finishers. 60-64: Bronze to Michael Smallwood, six top ten finishers. 65-69: Two top ten finishers. 70-74: Bronze to Arnott Kidd. 75-79: Gold to Peter Howard. AWAD Dave Corrigan finished top 10. In the open Sprint race Gold to Paula Caplan (not ETU).

Seven golds, five silvers, seven bronzes and 54 top ten finishes in total &ndash; not a bad day at the office!! The athletes raced as hard as they could and the family and friends out as support crew really cheered them on. As team manager it is always humbling to see so many athletes realise their dreams and race for Great Britain at a championship event.]]></description></item><item><title><![CDATA[Euro Champs roundup]]></title><link><![CDATA[http://www.tri247.com/article_3341.html]]></link><description><![CDATA[Day one of the European Triathlon Championships in Portugal has ended with its usual mixed bag of results for the GB squad. The ITU media team were tapped into the live TV broadcasts for the elite women and men but the two junior races were relegated to the finish line comments and live timing from the Danish wizards at Ultimate - we do like the new format, very comprehensive indeed. So, how did the day go down?

Things started well for the Junior women with Kirsty McWilliam earning a deserved second place despite falling twice on the run in conditions that saw several bike crashes due to the rain and cobbled surface not playing fair. Having exited the swim behind early pace setter, Anais Moniz (POR), McWilliam set about driving up the pace of the chasing bike group to ensure that the deficit was reduced to just 25 seconds at T2. The rain/cobble mix had removed two of the GB girls, Jodie Stimpson and Rebecca Milnes, leaving just Kirsty and Vicky Graves in the race.

On the run McWilliam and Emmie Charayron (FRA) quickly caught Moniz, but two slips on the wet cobbles denied the Scot the chance of a gold medal and she finished 12 seconds back but still ahead of the home favourite, Moniz. On her performance McWilliam said, &quot;I feel a bit disappointed to be honest because I think I probably would have won had I not fallen over twice; however I have one more year as a junior and having now won a bronze and a silver medal at the European Championships I&#039;ll be looking to win gold in Holland next year.&quot; Vicky Graves finished in 29th place. 


The next item on the menu was the senior women&#039;s race and here it wasn&#039;t really a matter of who would win but who would get the other places - betting against Vanessa Fernandes on home turf would have been cause for a lynching out there. Unusually for a women&#039;s race a reasonable large pack formed in the swim and created a 20-strong lead group on the bike. Kerry Lang worked hard to try to establish a breakaway but Fernandes was maintaining a strong grip and the break never materialised. As with the earlier junior race, the mix of rain and cobbles proved too much for some and Vanessa Raw was one of those forced into an early exit.

As soon as the group hit T2 it was a case of &#039;bye, bye Vanessa&#039; as the reigning World Champion headed off into the distance opening up a 20+second gap in the first 2.5k lap and then extending it by as much again in the second lap. The chasing group of six had their work cut out and while Lang faded on the run, eventually finishing 17th, Nadia Cortassa (IT) kept up the pressure and took the silver while Lisa Norden (SWE) managed to out-sprint Nicola Spirig (SUI) to grab the bronze. Abbie Thorrington was also listed as a DNF.
 
Time for the junior men to do their stuff and with a Brownlee in the race there was always hope for another medal. At last year&#039;s Europeans in Copenhagen Alistair Brownlee took the title but younger brother Jonathan only managed a bronze after a breakaway split the bike group and stole a 30 second lead. Despite running the second fastest 5k of the day Brownlee was unable to catch Vincent Luis (FRA) and Joao Silva (POR) who produced a photo finish sprint ending to the race. Brownlee made up ten places in the run totake third place, just 18 seconds behind. Brownlee said of his bronze medal, &quot;I&#039;m really pleased. It was hard work but it was certainly worth it. Unfortunately three guys managed to get away in the technical section of the bike course and I couldn&#039;t bridge the gap back up to them. It was a bit hairy riding over the cobbles, but it made it interesting and I had a good time out there today.&quot; Jeremy Gilmour used his running ability to finish ninth in his first outing at this level but Matt Sharp had to stop for a wheel change after a puncture and finished 29th.

It would be unfair to call these three races just an appetiser but with Javier Gomez in the field it certainly looked like the main course was, indeed, about to be served. Richard Stannard led out the swim with the French duo of Belaubre and Poulat on his heels. With the battle lines drawn it was Olivier Marceau (SUI) who made the move and broke off the front of the pack to gain a small advantage over the first lap and as the laps passed he was joined by Simko and then Raelert, Zeebroek, and the French team of Moulai, Belaubre and Poulat to create a near two minute gap by lap eight. Will Clarke, Al Brownlee and Stannard were all in the main chase group with Gomez, a third smaller group was well adrift off the back.

By T2 the gap had been set at 2:14 and it looked like the breakaway group had the race pretty much sewn up with just the 10k run to go. Clarke and Brownlee were still in the chase group but Stannard had dropped back to the third group and was 3:40 adrift. By 2.5k into the run  a trio of tricolours was established at the front with Moulai leading Belaubre and Poulat and the group of seven had begun  to spread. With one lap to go the only real change was that Poulat had drifted back and it was going to go down to the wire between two Frenchmen with
the only prize on offer to anyone else being a bronze - the Gomez group would be going hungry this time! In the end it was Olivier Marceau who came through with another sprint finish to take the last prize on offer, a fitting reward for his brave move on the bike.

Gomez ended the day in seventh, 1:42 back, while Will Clarke was 11th and Al Brownlee 15th. Gavin Noble (IRL) was 27th and Richard Stannard was 32nd. A day of interesting lessons!

British Triathlon&#039;s Performance Programme Director, Heather Williams, said, &quot;Once again our junior performers have really excelled and produced some fantastic results for Corus Great Britain. Kirsty McWilliam thoroughly deserves her silver medal and probably would have taken gold if it wasn&#039;t for the fact that she fell twice on the run in slippery conditions. Jonny Brownlee really stepped up to the mark today and will have learnt a lot from this experience. Both of them will carry forward their performances to the World Championships in Vancouver next month and will be aiming for more success.&quot;



Pos
Senior men
Senior women


1
Frederic Belaubre (FRA) 1:53:03
Vanessa Fernandes (POR) 2:0546


2
Tony Moulai (FRA) 1:53:23
Nadia Cortassa (ITA) 2:06:24


3
Olivier Marceau (SUI) 1:53:54
Lisa Norden (SWE) 2:06:43


Pos
Junior men
Junior women


1
Vincent Luis (FRA) 0:59:04
Emmie Charayron (FRA) 1:04:24


2
Joao Silva (POR) 0:59:04
Kirsty McWilliam (GBR) 1:04:36


3
Jonathan Brownlee (GBR) 0:59:22
Anais Moniz (POR) 1:04:50


]]></description></item><item><title><![CDATA[Brownlee gets Bronze]]></title><link><![CDATA[http://www.tri247.com/article_3340.html]]></link><description><![CDATA[With both Brownlee brothers racing today that needs qualification; in this case it was the younger one, Jonathan, who took the third slot on the podium behind Vincent Luis (FRA) who won in 0:59:04 and Joao Silva (POR). Jeremy Gilmours was ninth and Matthew Sharp 29th.]]></description></item><item><title><![CDATA[Fernandes crowned again]]></title><link><![CDATA[http://www.tri247.com/article_3338.html]]></link><description><![CDATA[A sensible bike leg avoiding the inevitable crashes and then a blistering run leg which put her very comfortably onto the top of the podium ... a pretty typical Vanessa Fernandez performance really! She won in front of her home crowd in 2:05:46 and it was then a question of who would contest the minor medals. Nadia Cortassa (ITA) came out best with Silver and then a sprint finish decided the last medal in favour of Lisa Norden (SWE) with Nicola Spirig being the bridesmaid in fourth. Emma Davis (IRL) was 16th and Kerry Lang was just behind her in 17th. Both Vanessa Raw and Abbie Thorrington were DNFs, Vanessa was another victim on the slippery bike course and we don&#039;t yet know what happened to Abbie.]]></description></item><item><title><![CDATA[McWilliam gets Silver]]></title><link><![CDATA[http://www.tri247.com/article_3337.html]]></link><description><![CDATA[The GB squad has opened its account early in Portugal with Kirsty McWilliam claiming a Silver medal in the European Juniors, 11 seconds behind Emmie Charayron (FRA) who did 1:04:25 for the sprint distance, and ahead of Anais Moniz (POR). Vicky Graves was 29th and both Jodie Stimpson and Rebecca Milnes were DNFs, as a result of crashes late in the bike - apparently it started raining and the roads got a little greasy. McWilliam herself fell twice during the run onthe slippery conditions, she commented; &ldquo;I feel a bit disappointed to be honest because I think I probably would have won had I not fallen over twice; however I have one more year as a junior and having now won a bronze and a silver medal at the European Championships I&rsquo;ll be looking to win gold in Holland next year.&rdquo;

The ITU website ( is streaming the races with video for the seniors and live results all day.]]></description></item><item><title><![CDATA[Dillon brings Megaburn to the UK]]></title><link><![CDATA[http://www.tri247.com/article_3328.html]]></link><description><![CDATA[Michelle Dillon may not have been racing much this year owing to her back problems, but she hasn&#039;t been sitting around idle! She is now part of the team that&#039;s bringing Australia&#039;s sporting nutrition secret, Megaburn, into the UK and is in the process of setting up a distribution network to get it out into sports shops. What follows is their launch press release:

Megaburn&rsquo;s functional food products has been a secret of many an elite athlete chasing an edge on the competition. Their range of products has assisted the likes of Michelle Dillon, Stuart Hayes, Emma Snowsill, Craig Walton, Emma Carney and Clint Robinson in achieving their goals and has become core component in each of their training and nutrition 
regimes.

Stuart Hayes Olympian and professional triathlete believes Megaburn is a cornerstone of his success and keeps him at the top of his field of endeavour. &ldquo;In the world of triathlon, you are presented with a vast array of supplements and products all promising the world. Megaburn is different. It works, I&rsquo;m addicted.&rdquo; he said.

Michelle Dillon, Olympian and professional triathlete understands the body and the need to put into it only the best fuel. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s a serious business, what goes in the mouth can effect performance in a big way. You need to become part chemist, part dietician and full time guard dog. I know when I use Megaburn products I am protected and I am only putting the right nutrients in to the body to maximise performance.&rdquo;

Australian Olympic Gold Medallist swimmer Neil Brooks has lost an amazing 52 kilograms since supplementing his diet with Megaburn products; Neil understands the commitment to succeed at an elite level but now swears by Megaburn not for its sporting benefits but more for the benefits it provides in dealing with a hectic life. &ldquo;At 46 years of age I thought my days of feeling fit and healthy were over, now age is just a number...thanks Megaburn&rdquo;!

Megaburn is an Australian-owned company which has been operating since 1997. Their focus is developing &#039;Functional Foods&#039; that deliver a natural approach to health and well being. Megaburn is one of the only companies that are dedicated to functional foods; these are products that contain &lsquo;bio active&rsquo; food components derived from natural resources such as calcium, folic acid, beneficial bacteria and plant sterols that are considered to assist in good health. Aside from their health benefits, functional foods offer other benefits including taste, packaging and convenience. Megaburn products contain a range of gluten and dairy free items, as well as having beneficial bacteria such as multi strain lactobacillus, which helps with nutrient absorption, increasing the production of vitamins, increases the resistance to disease and helps to prevent the development of colon cancer and candida. It also helps to maintain a normal balance in the lower intestines and kills yeast on contact.

The announcement of Megaburn&rsquo;s availability in Europe has the elite athletic world buzzing, but this unique product range has benefits to all interested in boosting health and wellbeing. For further details on Megaburn visit www.megaburn.co.uk]]></description></item></channel></rss>