Hundreds run circles around Cholmondeley Castle yesterday
Sunday, 24th June 2012
Nearly 350 braved the conditions and took part in the third Markel Cholmondeley Castle Triathlon yesterday (Sunday 24th June) as other sporting events were cancelled across the country. Elite triathlete and member of team GBR, Nick Beer, was first through the finishing line in the Olympic distance race. The event set in the stunning castle grounds welcomed elite and first time triathletes, along with 8-15 year old children, building a competitive, fun and vibrant atmosphere for competitors and spectators alike. Jade Phillips (10) travelled from Shropshire to successfully defend her title as the 2011 winner of the 8-10 year old girls category while the Meir brothers from Newcastle stole the show winning the 11-12 (Jake) and 13-15 (Ben) categories.
Relay teams of three took on the ‘Markel Insurance Charity Challenge’, a mid-distance race where competitors raised money for their chosen charities. The winning team, from the East Midlands, completed the race in 1 hour 46 minutes and clinched Markel insurance’s £5,000 prize, which will go to Macmillan Cancer Support. Each team member also received the latest iPad.
All races started with an open water swim in the Deer Park Mere Lake, transitioning into the cycle ride circumnavigating Bickerton Hill, which is the most southern tip of the Peckforton hills. There was one cycle lap for the Sprint and two laps for both the Mid and Olympic distances. Similarly, the run passes through the beautiful estate grounds and has one lap for the Sprint and two laps for the Mid-Distance and Olympic races. Triathletes finished by sprinting down the main lawn to the finish with Cholmondeley Castle as a fitting backdrop. The children’s courses were all within the castle grounds.
Event and castle organisers pulled together to create a safe and scenic course for the competitors in weather that could have seen the event drowned out. Brian Adcock, Race Director, commented: “The competitors taking part today did themselves proud. It was great to see such a fantastic turn out and for it to have generated such an incredible atmosphere. The castle grounds really lend themselves to a triathlon even in these tricky conditions. We are really pleased how the event keeps growing in popularity and look forward to welcoming even more at the event next year.”
The Cholmondeley Castle Triathlon is the second of the five Markel Castle Triathlon Series weekend events to take place this year. Each race offers a high quality, competitive and safe race set in beautiful grounds and truly spectacular surroundings. Very few races in the country offer such a stunning and inspirational race setting, testament to the 5,000 who took part in the 2011 series.
Title sponsor Markel insurance has launched three charity challenges, at three castles, with a £5.000 prize on offer at each castle. If you missed the challenge at Cholmondeley Castle Triathlon then there is still time to enter the Castle Howard Triathlon on Sunday 22nd July. Hugh Maltby, a director at Markel, said: "We are proud to have sponsored the ‘Markel Insurance Challenge’ and to have helped raise money for charity. It was clear that no quarter was given as each team was determined to win the £5,000 prize. Today's event shows the ever growing popularity of triathlon and it was great to see professional athletes racing alongside first timers."
If participants didn’t already have a chosen charity, triathletes were encouraged to raise money for the Markel Castle Triathlon Series national charity ‘Help for Heroes’, and local charity The Wingate Centre.
For full details of the results and winners of the relay teams please visit http://www.castletriathlonseries.co.uk/en/cholmondeley-castle-triathlon-results-19th-june-2011/
