British Championships Clumber park.

British Championships Clumber Park

On 21st March Clumber Park Nottinghamshire was the venue for the 2015 British agegroup duathlon championships, organised by One Step Beyond events. The Clumber classic was 10k, 40k, 5k and was also a qualifying event for the 2015 World championships and the 2016 European Championships.
I'd entered the event as a warm up/practice/dress rehearsal for the Europeans next month. However, I did register my interest to qualify for the 2016 Europeans, as I thought I could finish top 4 in the agegroup above me on the day... I will be in a new age group in 2016!
The night before the race I had a big meal, I was quite relaxed. I knew the level of competition was going to be high, I was familiar with the potential performance of some of the other women in my agegroup (45-49). Four of them I had never beaten. So, I had nothing to lose, I didn't feel that at this point I  was a contender to win, I had a plan:  run my own race, and try a flying dismount into T2 for the first time in a race situation !

Enjoying myself too much!

Women were the last to go off, loops around cones on a closed road within clumber park. I saw my other half a couple of times during the laps offering good support. However on my last lap he wondered if I was ok as I was a little way down. I looked at my Garmin and was surprised that I had run quite a slow 10k. I was running on 'feel' and didn't worry about it. I had nothing to lose.






T1 went well, I saw one of my fellow competitors still getting her act together, she was off on her bike just before me, after about 1k I over took her, however once she found her (very long) legs she came past me and I thought that would be the last I saw of her.
I had a blistering bike, even though the conditions were very windy, I just got head down and got on with it. The advantage of being in the last wave is that its great to overtake other riders...Two laps., so ok, some of them are on their second time around.  Not long into the 2nd lap I spotted another of my competitors up front,  head down Vikki, catch her! We had a great cat and mouse race for quite a few miles until we turned into the grounds of Clumber towards the finish when I noticed that she was no longer behind me. As I came down towards T2 my partner was really shouting encouragement to me now, fab.  I thought about my flying dismount, 'its a long run to my racking with no shoes on'....But, I had nothing to lose, so I said to myself...'go on, give it a go' ....nailed it! Even the marshal praised me! I said 'It's my first one!' in a very silly girly voice!! Secretly thrilled with myself!

Shoes still on the bike, feeling girly and not so secretly pleased.

 I ran into T2 and there was Alison, who overtook me at the beginning of the bike leg..again she took off just before me, but I quickly caught her as we exited transition, I said 'come on Ali' ...she was sucking on a gel. Just around the corner at the start of the final 5k I saw my partner,...he said 'Vik, you're in the lead' ....What? how can I be? However, I knew he would not give me duff information, so that was it. I now had it to lose and I wasn't going to lose it now. I dug deep and gave everything I had left.

This is my face when I feel both sick and ecstatic.

I discovered later that I had pulled away from both women I had been jostling for position with. I crossed the finish line absolutely spent, feeling sick, but ecstatic. First F45-49, 9th female over all.

It was only when seeing my partner at the finish that I discovered one of my competitors, the reigning British champion, had pulled out of the race during the first 10k.

On the day I just got this one right. The stars were with me and I powered on to win.
Vikki Sivertsen British Champion....don't mind if I do. This was an unexpected dream come true and nobody can take this one away from me.
Prize giving was swift; great, as it was too cold to hang around too long. I got a geat big medal, a trophy, a £20 voucher for TFN, and a case of Erdinger Alkoholfrei ! Bingo.

Team mates Lisa and Rob Hurley from Malvern Tri club also had great races, with Lisa picking up Bronze in her age category..

Happy team mates.

Thank you One Step Beyond events for a great race, thank you to my other half for his fabulous support and encouragement.

Good times.