Richard Newey and Tracy Cook are crowned English Champions
15th July 2013Richard Newey, from Surrey, and Tracy Cook, from Dorset, were crowned English Champions at this weekend’s Cowman event, as they won their respective categories on the middle distance course at Sunday’s Triathlon England – National Triathlon Championships event at Emberton Park, Buckinghamshire.
In the men’s event, Richard Newey, 48, secured the 45 – 49 age group Triathlon England National title with a winning time of 4:32:06. Richard, clearly overjoyed by his achievement, said: “It was a very well organised and supported race. It was quite hot, especially on the run, but credit to the organisers and volunteers as there were plenty of water stations available to be able to stay hydrated.”
The overall fastest male was Stephen Harrison who clocked a time of 4:07.54 however Stephen was not eligible to pick up a title as he was not a Triathlon England member.
Tracy Cook, 41, was first past the finishing line for the women in a time of 4:46:18 and was crowned Triathlon England – National Championship in the 40 – 44 age group. A delighted Tracy said: “It was a great race with glorious weather. It did take me a while to get into the bike section, but I put my head down on the small lap of the cycle and really went for it! I am very pleased with the final result."
With the 1,000 places taken up in record time this year, it shows interest in the sport has increased dramatically. Triathlon England have also found that more women in particular are getting involved and 'giving it a tri’ for themselves. In 2012, over 700 triathlons, duathlons and aquathlons took place in England, seeing over 125,000 people competing in races and many of them for the first time.
Jem Lawson, Chair of Triathlon England, added: “It’s great news to see how interest in the sport is continuing to grow and we are excited to say that our 2013 Triathlon England - National Triathlon Championships is already proving very popular. With event sell-outs, it shows these events are growing, and we hope that this in turn will encourage many more to get involved. Our memberships have been increasing steadily and we hope the value we offer will inspire more to get involved.”