Whilst elite athletes gathered in Leeds for the UK leg of the World Triathlon Series on Sunday – nearly 250 amateurs from across the East Midlands descended on the Staunton Harold Estate for their first triathlon to be held there, organised by Derby-based HUUB Events.
The event was divided into three main categories. The Sprint consisted of a 600m swim in the lake, 28 bike ride and then 8km run around the estate. The shorter Super Sprint started with a 300m swim, 14km bike ride and 4km run. The junior Aquathlon then saw young people aged eight to 16 complete a 100m open water swim followed by a 1.5 km run.
The winners of the Sprint were Lawrence Fanous (31) from Loughborough who competed in the Rio 2016 triathlon event representing his home country of Jordan. He said: “This was a challenging course but very enjoyable and it was great to see so many triathletes of all ages come together for a great day of sport.”
Fastest female in the Sprint was Kelly Weall (38) from Nottingham. She said: “This was my first triathlon of the season and it was a great honest course. I went wrong on the cycle stage and had to quickly turn around but luckily this did not affect my time too severely.”
The Super Sprint male winner was John Pope (51) from Aston-on-Trent who came out of retirement for his first race in three years. “I was hoping to win my age group so was delighted when I won the overall race.”
Fastest female was Sarah Martin-Smith (39) from Derby who managed a fast time despite having recently recovered from tonsillitis. “I have been feeling dreadful for a couple of weeks which has badly affected my training but just went for it – and it paid off.”
HUUB Events Race Director Claire Duffin explained: “We had fantastic conditions for the first ever Staunton Harold Triathlon and the feedback from competitors and supporters alike is that it has been a great event.
“The field was split between season triathletes and novices and many have also signed up for our next big event – the Jenson Button Trust Triathlon which will return to Markeaton Park in Derby on Sunday July 23.”
Staunton Harold Hall was formerly a hospice run by the Sue Ryder charity and was bought by the Blunt family in 2003. Caroline Large is the daughter of the estate owners John and Jacqueline Blunt and lives at the Georgian hall with her husband and three children.
She said: “It was wonderful to welcome so many new people to Staunton Harold Estate for what has been a very well organised and friendly event. Hosting this triathlon has given people access to parts of the estate that they would not normally have and it was certainly the first time that we have had people swimming in the lake.”
For more information about future events including the Jenson Button Trust Triathlon at on Sunday July 23, please visit www.huubevents.com