Author Archive

Patrick defies the searing heat to prove One Lifer's are made of stern stuff !

Check out Patrick Lally holding up the leaning tower of Pisa !

Patrick deserves a medal for putting on his onelife hoodie in 40 degree temps, just for the photo!

Quietly confident

Nick experiences the 'after carnage' and reminds himself never to volunteer for the first swim leg again...

Sally bringing home the bacon

Fantastic performances all round ! Well done ladies

The birthday boy and head supporter

Where's your team kit Parker & Palmer ???

Love the new pumps........

Richard streaks home

Martin & Tim post run

Gerry gets stuck in to the run

Four teams of four travelled to Nottingham for this prestigious and very popular event which is run in relay format, everyone taking turns to swim 500m, cycle 15km and run 5km all in and around the lake at Holme Pierrepiont. The ladies and mixed teams race in the morning and the open and men’s in the afternoon. The weather was near perfect, bright, warm with a light breeze.

Our Vet 40 ladies, silver medallists last year, were after gold this time but had some very stiff competition especially last years winners from Leicester. First swimmer was Angela Wylie who was again given the task of fighting 200 other swimmers off the start. She yet again handled this well handing over to Maureen Parker who in turn handed to Claire Jackson with Sally Dickinson on the final leg. As Angela left T1 on her bike it could not have been closer with Leicester right along side. Everyone gave there all on the bike staying fractionally ahead of Leicester and Birmingham. Now it came down to the run, who were the best runners? Angela and Maureen ensured they were still in contention as they handed to Claire and Sally, surely no team could have two runners as good, and this proved to be the case as they took over 3 minutes out of the other teams ensuring gold was theirs.

An excellent team performance working very well together.

Before we could catch our breath it was time for the open senior and male veteran teams to race. One Life were fielding three teams, an open team of Alan Copland, Nicola Jameson, Peter Jameson and Brendon Jackson. A Vet 40 team of Martin Bluck, Brian Palmer, Tim Wylie and Richard Parker and a Vet 50 team, Nick Speed,

Gerry Huddlestone, James Dickinson and Barry Jameson. Alan, Martin and Nick were the sacrificial lambs going in the mass swim start. There was a strong international presence such as Dan Brook, Will Clarke and Spencer Smith, this meant even Alan was beaten up in the swim and not allowed his usual clear water. As the last swimmers exited the water there was little time between all the One Life teams. Next onto the bike which is a flat, fast course consisting of three 5 km laps of the lake. We have several strong riders who completed the course in exceptional times, averaging over 28 mph. The three One Life teams remained very close until the Vet 50’s had the misfortune of one of their team doing an extra bike lap which dropped them out of contention. The Vet 40’s also had a close shave when Martin’s tribars came adrift almost sending him into the lake. With a bit of skill and luck he stayed upright and managed to cycle the next lap holding onto the offending bar to try and stop it going into his wheel. (Well done Martin). Out onto the run and the race was now between the Vet 40’s and the open team, with Alan running the first and the final leg for an injured Brendon. It was close for a while but the Vet’s proved the stronger on the day. All the team members did extremely well and they did the club proud.

As team captain of the Vet 40’s I must give a special mention to Martin and Brian who are relatively new to the sport but raced as strong as anyone on the day acquitting themselves very well. It was for me the most enjoyable race of the year. Thanks to everyone, especially our support team of Angela Speed, Sophie, Phoebe, Dominic, Milly Dickinson, Judith Jameson and birthday boy Sean Wylie.

Tim

Team Speed and Team Copland set off on Saturday 25th July for a weekend in Scotland with a bit of Triathlon thrown in.

The weather was glorious on Saturday and we all ended up with sunburn in the glorious surroundings of Strathclyde Country Park near Glasgow. The Copland boys opted to spend the afternoon in the theme park while the Speeds opted for the more sensible option of exploring the park and the venue for the race on Sunday.

After a nice carvery meal and much merriment provided by the kids fuelled by something called ‘chocolate brownie ice cream sensation’ !? we retired to our rooms and settled in for a good rest before the National Ranking event the next day.

The Sunday brought bleary eyes (thanks to our friends from accross the pond playing the ‘hotel corridor shouting and door hammering relay game’ and some more traditional Scottish weather, it was absolutely persisting it down and it looked like that was the plan the weather had in store for us all day long………..

We were joined by Rob West and Richard Parker (eventually and dressed in his sister in law’s kit – don’t ask…) at the race venue which is a good one, very reminiscent of the watersports centre at Nottingham with the two lap swim taking place in the watersports lake, the cycle on closed roads around the lake and the scenic run on footpaths around the lakeside.

Rob and Richard were away in the first wave which looked pretty brutal at the start as everyone made for the bottleneck under the bridge 150m into the swim, both had decent swims in the unusually mild (16 degrees) Scottish loch, on to the bike which was pretty smooth for Rob but Richard nearly managed to wipe out against a barrier whilst looking down trying to get his feet clipped in. Off the bike both were in good shape to do well considering their strong running abilities, Rob actually recorded the fastest run split of the day in 34:12 and Richard the 4th fastest split overall in 35:08.

Rob crossed the finish line in first place in the first wave taking the vet 40 category title in 1:58:17, a full 4min 58sec ahead of the next vet, a performance that also secured him 8th place overall, a fantastic achievement in a National ranking event. Richard picked up 5th place in his age group in 2:13:24 and (by my calculation) has also secured his place at the European championships in Ireland next year – well done Richard !!

The second wave set off just over an hour after the first and luckily the rain had eased a little, Nick and I lined up ready with our tactics in mind after watching the first wave melee, I managed to get amongst the leaders with and eyeballs out first 200m ans settled into a rhythm quickly, Nick also managed to find clear(ish) water and get stuck in to the two lap course.

Nick recorded the second fastest swim in his category and I exited the water 6th overall, a good T1 for us both and we were away on the 6 lap cycle. I had taken it a little too easy in the water and decided that I was probably not in contention for the main prizes so I settled in for a steady bike ride with the intention of putting in a good run split for once while Nick set off like a rocket and recorded the second fastest bike split in his category.

Surprisingly, I came off the bike in first place so the pressure was on somewhat. Nick committed a schoolboy error and lost his racking position in T2 losing around 30 seconds in the process.

The run got underway and my plans for a fast split were under pressure as I felt a twinge in my right calf after about 2k, 500m later and I was walking, big pain in the calf on the uphill section. 2-300m or so later I managed to break into a jog and then a run as the pain subsided a little and at the 5k turnaround I still had a small advantage so back to plan A and a good 2nd lap might just see me through. Nick was having a good run and was delighted to be running ‘pain free’ for once.

I did hold on to my advantage and crossed the line first overall in 1:54:57, a 31 second winning margin, a very satisfying achievement considering that the swim and cycle were performed well within my capability and the slight hiccup on the run. Nick then crossed the line in second place in his age group only 16 seconds behind serial Super Vet winner, Jez Smedley.

All in all it was another great day for the One Life machine, and a special thank you has to go out to Team Copland and Team Speed for their fantastic support and enthusiasm and for giving me a chance to recover slightly as they took the mike before my post race interview !!

We now have an unprecedented SIX qualifiers for the European championships next year. Barry, Nick, Richard, Rob, Tim and I will all be ready to take to the start line in Athalone next summer !!

Just two One Lifers made it to the start line of the Sun City Triathlon today Rob West and me lined up with 132 others on an unexpectedly calm day after the downpours of the previous what seems like months….

Sea conditions were calm and the temperature was rumoured to be 16 degrees (not sure where & when they measured that one !!) but the tide was way out meaning that between the start of the race and the swim exit through to T1 there was about an extra 500m of running !

The start was a lot more orderly than last year, it was marked by flags with a countdown from 60 secs so when the hooter went everyone was focussed and ready to go.

I had a good swim and managed to keep a tight line to the first buoy in the tidal water, after then I never looked back and exited the swim with a big lead. Georgie Rutherford was out of the water in second place after a great swim and off to T2 we went.

I enjoyed the bike leg and managed to take another few seconds off the field, the course wasn’t too taxing with a slight incline on the way out and descent on the way back on each of the three laps.

The bike leg seemed to be over in a flash after racing Olympic Distance for the last few weeks so it was soon time to see how numb the feet were for the run !

The answer was pretty darn numb, it took until 3k or so of the 5k run before I fully had the feeling back !

The run went well and although Rob West took time out of my lead as usual, I had a big enough advantage to hold on for a winning margin of about 2 mins (not seen the full results yet)

Unfortunately Andy Macrea from TRI lead Rob the wrong way on the run course leading to a 2min penalty for them both so my ‘official’ winning margin ended up being over 4mins and costing Andy and Rob a place each.

Rob ended up in 3rd despite crossing the line second after a strong run where he overhauled the lead that Andy had on him after the bike.

There were lots of novices racing and everyone seemed to agree that the course was a good one and it gave us something a bit different with the sea swim.

Thanks need to go to Amanda and the team at Sun City for a great race and special thanks to Team Copland for all managing to get up at 5am and giving me such great support.

Approaching the finish line, it is me, I promise.......

I'm going to be in big trouble for posting this but I like it !!

This is what happens when you force your 11 year old to get up at 5am

Sorry about the lack of race action pics, Lisa was not very quick on the draw with the camera !

Just like being on holiday

Perfect Sea conditions !

TRISTAR NATHAN COPLAND

Another difficult decision, so many worthy athletes, but Nathan impressed us all with his attitude. At swimming he really does have the potential to be very good, he listens and stays in control of his stroke. At the cycling we see a different side to Nathan, his desire to win things like Sumo shows how much his skill and self belief have improved. Nathan may not be our fastest runner but we can all learn from his never give in attitude that he showed at Haltwhistle tri and the club aquathlon training.
Another factor in Nathan winning this award is his willingness to help the coaches, he always helps Marianne set up on Monday nights. Nathan is always good fun without being cheeky which makes him a pleasure to coach. Well done.

TRIATHLETE ROB WEST

One of the clubs top athletes, unfortunately for me is now Vet 40. He is unbeaten in local races and comfortably won the National title. His outstanding running ability is now being backed up by very solid swimming and cycling. He is an example to us all that with good training you can just keep getting better. Well done.

Tim Wylie

Head Coach

…..” When shall we three meet again……….in thunder, lightning or in rain………. when the hurly burly’s done…………. when the battles almost won..” (3 witches from Macbeth)

Our own 3 eager rival competitors met in a mixture of sunshine and rain for their own hurly burly battle at the Hebburn aquathlon contested by over 40 athletes.
First out of the water was Angela Speed followed by Sue Bell and Rose Todhunter separated by seconds. Whatever Angela has in her inhaler really worked as she sped (no pun intended) around the running course to win the Veterans category. Sue and Rose battled hard against each other only metres apart. The greater finishing speed of Sue prevailed as she held off Rose. Sue and Rose finishing as 2nd and 3rd Vets (how many Vets were competing?)
Mike Pinkney finished 7th overall and collected 3rd prize in the open category. Derek Todhunter was 14th overall.
The event was well organised, good fun and only £5 with a free shirt for all and many spot prizes. Well worth the entry fee.
written by Macduff

A message from Lisa Copland

Thanks so much to the team of trusty marshals who set their alarm clocks and reported for duty for the National championships on Sunday.

A round of applause goes to:

Marianne Pughe – dismount/mount manager

Rowan Pughe ‘star’ water and directions marshal

Dylan Pughe – moved around all over the park marshal!

Nathan Copland – Chief energy drink and transition manager

Thomas Copland – lakeside mini marshal

Lisa Copland - Bike in/run in

Sean Wylie – drinks station & finish line manager

Isy Davison – Vehicle management & cycling marshal

Judith Jameson – transition & cycle security manager

Carol Knapton - Run marshal

It was a warm summers morning at Druridge Bay Country Park . Under the direction of Paul Jones, the team pulled on their fabulous luminous waistcoats and headed for their designated posts.

The limited number of marshals pooled their resources and provided the best possible experience for competitors. The club mascot ‘ Lady Fudge Wylie’ also contributed to the proceedings with welcoming licks !

Well done for all your efforts, it could not have happened without you !

Another weekend meant another feast of Triathlon around the country but all eyes were on Druridge Bay and the One Life hosted National Age Group Championships and Tri Festival.

The weather did it’s best to put a dampener on proceedings on Saturday but there were lots of people still keen as mustard to get in the water for the 1500m open water swim event which was won in style by our own Charlie Harris-Pratt with great performances from David Watchorn, Isy Davison et al

A great time was had by all in the water despite the best effort of the rampant weeds to drag people down !!

On then to Sunday and the ‘main event’

The weather was much calmer and drier. The sun even made an appearance later on and stayed for the presentations and most of the afternoon, how very civilised !

There was much debate about the course ahead of the race, was it the right distance ? were the roads too narrow ? do we ride 6 clockwise or 7 anti-clockwise laps ??????

All of these questions answered and the racing got under way with the Ladies taking to the water in the first wave including three One Lifers, Angela Wylie, Sally Dickinson and Lizzie Wraith

Next were the ‘more senior’ men from 50 upwards, Barry Jameson, James Dickinson and Gerry Huddleston were amongst these chaps

The third wave was for the 40-49 year old men containing Tim Wylie, Rob West, Stuart Barr, Richard Parker, Andrew Beniams and Dave Stevens

Finally, in the white caps were the 18-39 year old men with just me from One Life flying the flag

From my point of view the swim went quite well, you’ll have to ask the others how they fared in the weeds but I quite enjoyed it and even picked up a few places in the thickest of the aquatic undergrowth.

Unusually, I exited the water down in 9th place so the quality of the field quickly became evident so it was all hands to the pump on the seven lap bike.

I had a pretty good bike leg on the busy course and managed to count the correct number of laps without outside help from sticky tape or matchsticks and some uncerainty when it came to lap 4 (or was it 5 !?) and made my way up to fourth place overall

On to the run course and I caught a glimpse of Rob on his second lap around 100m ahead so my target was there for half a lap (by which time he’d disappeared off into the distance !!) after a struggle for rhythm on the middle lap I managed to regain concentration and put in a good third and final run lap to remain in 4th overall and achieve my pre race goal of not being lapped by the lightning Phil Graves who was the eventual, very comfortable winner.

A quick run to the results tent confirmed that I had managed to win my category as had Tim, Rob and Barry ! Stuart Barr also made the podium with a third place finish in his age group.

Overall it was a very satisfying weekend for me and I was delighted to be able to share the success with the other One Lifers, next stop Holten and the European Champs………….

Full race results are here: http://www.tri247.com/results_6742.html

Photo’s to follow once I’ve managed to figure out what’s up with the blog uploader !!

Tristar of the month, William Bell.

This month was possibly the hardest decision so far as there were so many youngsters deserving this award but William just stood out the most. His attitude to training over the last few months has changed a lot. He is always keen to race at the running training and has shown great bike skills for his young age, but he has most impressed with his determination at Washington aquathlon and then again at the PLD triathlon. He has shown that you can train and race hard and still have fun. Well done William.

Triathlete of the month, Sue Bell

What can you say about Sue? Like her son she has fun at the training sessions. Always cheeky and good fun to coach. Has a great attitude at races, always setting her personal goal – to beat Rose. A major factor in her getting this award was completing the Swimathon which coming from someone who says they cannot swim is quite some feat. Sue is also doing a lot of hard and often thankless work regarding One Life kit. Well done Sue, we appreciate your hard work.

Tim Wylie
Head Coach

Sunday 14th June saw a wonderfully sunny day at Ellerton Lake near Richmond for the 25th aniversary of the Cleveland Short Course event. Of course it can’t really be called short as it has been beefed up to Olympic distance.

Three One Lifers were competing, Aln Copland, Sam Short and Angela Wylie. There was also a small entourage of spectators made up of Duncan Short, Tim Wylie, Sean Wylie and Fudge.

There was one mass start for the near 200 competitors which caught everyone a little by surprise as there was no countdown so when the hooter sounded there were a few people facing the wrong way !!

It was a two lap swim and luckily the water was clean, mild and calm so Alan managed to open up a 2min 15sec lead with a swim time of 18:56. Angela swam 24:40 and Sam (who need to get herself to a few more club sessions !) 25:44

The bike course was pan flat and the lack of wind meant that some fast times were expected on the 39.7k course. Alan added another couple of minutes to his overall lead by returning a time of 58:55 Sam rode an impressive 1:10:07 and Angela 1:13:05.

The run was always going to be tricky in the increasing heat, the course was mainly off road with lots of puddles, potholes and gravel to negotiate.

Alan managed to hold the advantage he had going into the run and even extend it a little on the first of the two out and back laps finishing with a split of 34:09 to finish in 1:53:02, 5min 58sec ahead of second place overall. Angela had a decent run in 43:45 despite being chastised by the coaching staff for not taking on board enough liquid during the bike leg ! Sam managed a good run split of 44:02, even finding time for a tactical chunder on lap 1.

Full results are available via Tri247 at http://www.tri247.com/results_6989.html