Skipton Triathlon 2019
Friday, April 19th, 2019 | Sport

The triathlon season is here! After a long wait, Skipton finally arrived. Last year I went to Skipton to do my first ever triathlon. This year I was coming as a seasoned veteran. Because I’m old, but also because I spent all of last year racing.
It was April, so it was freezing. As I stripped off in the transition area and headed to the pool, I was biting myself with the cold. Luckily, the pool was a lovely 28 degrees (like bath water) and the rest of the race was fine if a little windy.
I brought it home in just under 90 minutes, comfortably beating last year’s time.
Stage
2019
2018
Diff
Swim
09:44
09:36
+0:08
T1
04:31
05:46
-1:15
Bike
48:54
53:05
-4:11
T2
01:52
1:56
-0:04
Run
24:10
23:40
+0:30
Total
1:29:13
1:34:02
-4:49
My veteran status showed in the swim: I remembered my goggles this time! I completed it in just over nine minutes, which is a fast 400 metres for me. After that, it was overtaking people all the way, which is one of the best bits of being such a slow swimmer.
The bike segment was where I picked up most of my time, but it was a tough ride. It was in a tonne of lower back pain to the point where I almost had to stop and get off. However, I managed to stretch a bit on the bike and bear with it until I could get back to T2 and onto the run.

It was lovely to be racing with Hyde Park Harriers. Having friendly faces to chat to before and after the race made it feel like a real community event and their cheering on was much appreciated. Unfortunately, I missed the group photo as Venla was a bit bored by this point.

The triathlon season is here! After a long wait, Skipton finally arrived. Last year I went to Skipton to do my first ever triathlon. This year I was coming as a seasoned veteran. Because I’m old, but also because I spent all of last year racing.
It was April, so it was freezing. As I stripped off in the transition area and headed to the pool, I was biting myself with the cold. Luckily, the pool was a lovely 28 degrees (like bath water) and the rest of the race was fine if a little windy.
I brought it home in just under 90 minutes, comfortably beating last year’s time.
Stage | 2019 | 2018 | Diff |
---|---|---|---|
Swim | 09:44 | 09:36 | +0:08 |
T1 | 04:31 | 05:46 | -1:15 |
Bike | 48:54 | 53:05 | -4:11 |
T2 | 01:52 | 1:56 | -0:04 |
Run | 24:10 | 23:40 | +0:30 |
Total | 1:29:13 | 1:34:02 | -4:49 |
My veteran status showed in the swim: I remembered my goggles this time! I completed it in just over nine minutes, which is a fast 400 metres for me. After that, it was overtaking people all the way, which is one of the best bits of being such a slow swimmer.
The bike segment was where I picked up most of my time, but it was a tough ride. It was in a tonne of lower back pain to the point where I almost had to stop and get off. However, I managed to stretch a bit on the bike and bear with it until I could get back to T2 and onto the run.
It was lovely to be racing with Hyde Park Harriers. Having friendly faces to chat to before and after the race made it feel like a real community event and their cheering on was much appreciated. Unfortunately, I missed the group photo as Venla was a bit bored by this point.