Sixty-four athletes took on the challenge of swimming 400m, cycling 15km and running 6km on routes along Glen Nevis as Nevis Triathlon Club brought the Wee Triathlon back to Fort William on Sunday.
The event was based on a previous version that used to be held in the area giving people the chance to take part in a sprint-distance triathlon.
The club received significant help to stage the event from the community, not least the 30-plus volunteers who gave up their time to be marshals.
Anita MacLean, Events Lead, Nevis Triathlon Club, said: “Our first staging of the Nevis Triathlon Club Wee Tri was a tremendous success, because of the extensive planning and pre-event organisation and the fact the event was based on the committee’s knowledge and experience of similar triathlons.
“The event ran smoothly from registration to the prizegiving ceremony. This was due to the excellent organisation, which included thorough briefings for competitors and enthusiastic volunteer marshals who grabbed every opportunity to support and boost the morale of competitors in what for many was their first step into the world of multi-discipline sport events.”
The aim of the committee was to organise the event so that it was supportive and encouraged participation.
In the lead-up, scheduled sessions were open to club members and those entered into the event to familiarise themselves with the format of transition and the bike course and improve their confidence in the pool.
“Our club aims to give people the change to learn/gain skills no matter their ability and we strive to be an inclusive club helping members achieve their goals at all levels,” added Anita.
Club member Non Williams said: “As someone who has never done a triathlon before, I didn’t know what to expect, but Nevis Tri Club was so supportive and helpful.
“There was a fantastic atmosphere on the day with so many volunteers cheering along the route.”
There was amazing determination from Pamela Hamilton who despite losing a pedal on the bike course and walking back to transition made it to the finish. Pamela then ran back along the course to support Ann-Marie Campbell who had also put in an amazing effort to complete her first triathlon.
While a significant number of people estimated their swim time to be more than 16 minutes for the event, everyone who took part achieved a time under this.
Results
Female: 1 Erin McFadden, Nevis Triathlon Club; 2 Jay Slater, Nevis Triathlon Club; 3 Olivia MacRae, Nevis Triathlon Club.
FV50: 1 Nicola Forster, Nevis Triathlon Club; 2 Benita Hensman-Martin; 3 Cherie Stewart.
Open: 1 James Tedham, Nevis Triathlon Club; 2 Drew Dutton; 3 Alistair Docherty.
OV50: 1 Andrew Stevens; 2 Damian Forster; 3 Stan Whitaker.
Full results at
www.sportident.co.uk/results/SpookTiming/2024/WeeTriathlon/
Nevis Triathlon Club thank the following for their support: Highland Council, Triathlon Scotland, Triathlon Inverness, Nevis Range, Spook, Lochaber Leisure Centre, Lochaber Environmental Group, Fort William Bike Shed, Forestry & Land Scotland, Feis Lochabair, Off Beat Bikes, Black Isle Brewery, Morrisons, Emma MacInnes, Lidl, Lochaber Athletic Club, West Highland Wheelers and Lochaber Sea Cadets.
Nevis Cycles and Off-Beat Bikes donated gift vouchers as category prizes. Both have provided support towards this event and the club since it formed.
A number of organisations donated raffle prizes. Having just completed her first triathlon, club member Máirín-Rua Ní Aodha won a free entry to Nairn Triathlon in June and Alistair Docherty won free entry to any ROC endurance triathlon event in 2024/2025.
Other prizes were provided by Wild Barn Brewery, Off Beat Bikes, Nevis Cycles, The Retreat, Elizabeth Morgan PT, Wolfhouse Gym, Tough Cookie Fitness, Belle Beauty, Lochaber Athletic Club, Fort William Massage Therapy and the Highland Bookshop.
Nevis Triathlon Club meet throughout the week. Details about its sessions can be found at www.nevistriathlonclub.co.uk/.
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