Having spent the weekend in the glorious sunshine of Nottingham at the Outlaw Half Triathlon, it would appear that the good weather also extended to North Wales for the popular Pedalcover Slateman Triathlon.
Jack Robertson reports from Llanberis on the two days of racing, the first event in the 2018 SUUNTO Adventure Triathlon Series.
Records Broken as Sun Shines on Warmest Ever Slateman
The eighth edition of the Slateman Triathlon, Llanberis, was a record breaking race, with an eight year high for water temperatures, weather and race times.
With over 1,200 triathletes taking part across the two days the Pedalcover Slateman opened Always Aim High’s 2018 SUUNTO Adventure Triathlon Series, a trio of Adventure Triathlons based in North Wales.
SATURDAY
Slateman Saturday consists of the shorter races of the weekend, with the first day of the multi-day Savage Race and the Sprint Triathlon. New for this year, a Sprint Duathlon was added alongside the Sprint Triathlon which added to the event and delivered both in terms of challenging terrain and competitive racing.
As Sprint races go, the Slateman course is one of the tougher on the calendar. With the swim in the chilly waters of Llyn Padarn and a bike taking in the steep ascent and descent of Pen y Pass, a shin-splittingly savage climb into the forests of Elidir Fach finishes the race. The women’s race saw a tight finish with Rebecca Lodge taking the win by 31 seconds to Ruth Purbrook in a time of 1:19:14 and third going to Hannah Bruce of Manchester Tri.
In the Men’s race the battle for first was fought hard in the forest, with Scott Hill of RAF Triathlon emerging victorious in 1:13:12, followed by Dan Elliot in 1:14:53 and Jon Reilly in third in a time of 1:15:38. This was the first time the podium has been taken by three ‘Savage’ Athletes.
The all new Duathlon saw Stephen Abbott win the men’s race with a time of 01:22:05, while Rhian Roxborough of GOG Tri took first place in the women’s race with a time of 01:23:17. These are two names which are starting to become synonymous with Adventure Duathlon Podiums in North Wales.
SUNDAY
With North Wales waking to another warm and sunny day, the warm waters of Llyn Padarn welcomed over 900 ‘Classic’ Distance athletes to Day 2 of the Pedalcover Slateman.
In the Classic Race, Under-23 Jack Hindle took the best part of four minutes off the course record to finish first in 2:24:45, ahead of Pete Dyson and Beau Smith.
The women’s Classic saw the strong return of Always Aim High Champion, Suzie Richards. She took the win in 2:45:44, knocking seven minutes off the course record.
Thanks @aahevents . Super happy to take win number 4 at Slateman Triathlon, we 😍 @bigbobblehats , great to meet up with @oxygenaddict athletes, @Rastle50 Savage Champ 💥instastalker @KateWinners @RaceForceLtd & @louiseminchin 👏👍👊 pic.twitter.com/JqbTZqalra
— suzie richards (@Suzie_Richards) May 20, 2018
A growing Slateman Savage field saw some of the finest racing to date, with athletes who by the event close, had taken podiums in the sprint and classic races, winning overall. The Savage titles were won by Scott Hill of RAF Triathlon and Ruth Purbrook of Full On Tri.
Big congrat's to @Rastle50 and Scott Hill…. winners of the @aahevents @Pedalcover Slateman Savage Triathlon… 💪💪 #SportPicturesCymru #Triathlon pic.twitter.com/u3ofe69HyL
— Simon Murray (@SIMONrun) May 21, 2018
A spokesperson for Always Aim High, organisers of the Pedalcover Slateman Triathlon, said: “With 1,200 triathletes taking part in fantastic weather, the 2018 Slateman has seen a host of new records set. We look forward to seeing our athletes back for the Snowman in August, and Sandman in September, but for now we look forward to the exciting city centre racing in Cardiff in just five weeks time ”.
“We’d like to extend a massive thank you to everyone of our athletes for joining us in addition to their families and friends. On behalf of everyone we’d like to thank our fabulous marshals who make sure the races flow so smoothly”.
“We’d also like to thank Gwynedd County Council for supporting the race, as well as the residents of Llanberis and the local area, as well as the continual support from our race partners”.
Full Slateman race results by TDL Event Services, and links to race photography courtesy of Sport Pictures Cymru and Mel Parry Event Photography can be found on the Slateman Race Report website HERE.
For more information on Always Aim High’s 2018 & 2019 race calendar, visit www.alwaysaimhighevents.com.
