Fast racing and lots of fun in store this as Holme Pierrepont, Nottingham, hosts the 2016 Triathlon England Club Relay Championships.
It’s often been referred to as the triathlon’s Glastonbury, and celebrating it’s 25th edition this weekend the Zoot Triathlon Relays, organised by OSB Events, will once again welcome hundreds of triathletes from all over the country for the ultimate weekend of triathlon team competition. Famed as much for its social aspect, with many competitors choosing to utilise the on-site camping and enjoy the ‘après-tri’ with friends and club mates, the event will also provide the opportunity for National Championship medals as host of the Triathlon England Club Relay Championships once again.
The rowing lake of the National Water Sports Centre at Holme Pierrepont, Nottingham, provides a superb, fully closed roads course, which with the natural amphitheatre of the large finish line grandstand provides for a wonderful atmosphere for an event that has become part of British triathlon folklore.
Two days of competition provide a variety of race formats. On Saturday, teams of four compete over the traditional Relays distances off 500m swim, 15km bike and 5km run. Athletes ‘tag’ after each discipline, meaning that you get a short recovery period in between each leg – plus of course 15 transitions from swimmer number one to runner number four, with the very fastest teams hoping to break the three hour mark. Lots of changes mean plenty of action with positions changing constantly through the day.
Saturday racing sees both morning and afternoon competition, with the early start seeing the championship entry for the Male and Female teams, before the afternoon session sees racing for the Triathlon England Mixed Team categories.
After a successful introduction last year, Sunday morning sees fast and furious action over both Super Sprint Relay and Team Time Trial (TTT) format. First up, each team member will complete a mini triathlon of 250m swim, 5km bike and 1.5km run before handing over to their teammate, with four athletes making up a team. The ten fastest teams in each of the four categories (Male / Female / Mixed / Open) will then progress to the TTT afternoon final.
Raced over distance of 500m swim, 10km bike and 3km run, in the TTT final each team will race together, with time taken on the fourth and final person to cross the line. Teams will start off at 60-second intervals with the fastest qualifying team starting last.
The 2015 edition saw an exciting finish as Jackpot Racing finished just 41 seconds clear of Racetime Events. Recent AJ Bell London Triathlon winner David Bishop was part of that victorious Jackpot Racing team, and he is looking forward to returning to race again this year.
“I've raced the Club Relays maybe seven or eight times and I can honestly say, it is probably the most fun weekend of the calendar. The atmosphere is amazing and there is something unique about racing as part of a team. Everything is more relaxed and you really enjoy the competition! The new Relay / TTT format on the Sunday is awesome fun and makes for really exciting and close-knit racing.
“This year our team is perhaps not as strong as last year and I have heard there are a few decent teams lining up to take us on. I genuinely think there will only be a handful of seconds between the top three teams! It is also great to support other friends and athletes racing across the weekend. It's nice to see the whole triathlon community getting behind each other.”
Zoot Triathlon Relays – Triathlon England Club Relay Championships
27th-28th August 2016
Race website: Visit here
Full start lists: Visit here
Schedule:
Saturday 27th August 2016
08:45 – Male and Female (Junior / Senior / Vet 40+ / Vet 50+)
13:45 – Mixed Teams
Sunday 28th August 2016
09:00 – Relay Triathlon qualifier (Male / Female / Mixed / Open)
12:00 – Team Time Trial final
