More than 2,500 athletes descend on one of Yorkshire’s most stunning Castle estates for weekend festival of sport
A recent summer’s weekend sporting festival saw stunning performances from elite athletes including hundreds of inspirational children who were giving triathlon a go. There were also plenty of races who use triathlon to overcome adversity.
Once again, Sports Personality of the Year winner, Bailey Matthews, took part and completed his 15th Castle Triathlon.
Meanwhile, Peter Waddington raced in the Super Sprint Plus following his own recovery from a devastating motorbike accident.
Inspirational Performances from triathlon superheroes
Celebrating his 15th triathlon, ten-year-old Bailey Matthews was welcomed across the Castle Howard Triathlon finish line for the fourth year in a row to wild cheers and support from fellow athletes, supporters and event crew. Bailey, who doesn’t let his cerebral palsy stop him from racing, first competed in a triathlon at Castle Howard in 2015 and has received the Helen Rollason BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award for his valiant efforts.
Bailey Matthews has become a regular at the event and is always able to lift the spirits of other competitors.
In another example of how triathlon has become a truly accessible sport, Saturday’s programme saw California’s Peter Waddington complete the Super Sprint after spending two and a half years on crutches following a devastating motorbike accident in 2002. Peter broke both his tibia and fibula in the accident, losing muscle in his lower leg and experiencing many years of reconstruction and recovery. Even though Peter still feels pain in his lower leg, he completed the Super Sprint in tough conditions, and loved taking part.
Scorching temperatures add to the challenge at Castle Howard Triathlon
Sunday’s racing saw the Castle Howard estate blessed in glorious sunshine in the UK’s ongoing heatwave, with temperatures reaching 28 Celsius on the run route. Despite the heat, the men’s Olympic distance race saw Race Hub’s Tom Davies finish with a 5-minute lead over Matthew Nelson and Lewis Bryon, with an impressive time of 02:07:03, given the hostile race conditions.
Sam Pictor breaks through the finishing ribbon.
On the finish Line, Tom commented: “I was feeling pretty good and the swim was really relaxed, I was also feeling good on the bike so I pushed hard, but the run was just a way of survival today, my legs had gone. The weather was very similar to two weeks ago at Hever Castle when I raced in the Festival of Endurance Gauntlet, it’s really hot and you just have to manage the conditions … which I have done better today and which is reflected in the result; I’m really happy.”
Catherine Jameson
Fresh from her British Middle Distance Championships win at The Festival of Endurance at Hever Castle (July 8), Catherine Jameson, took first place on the podium yet again in the Olympic Distance at Castle Howard Triathlon, with Olivia Matthews and Hannah Munday in second and third place. Jameson commented: “It’s been really good today, I knew what time I ran last year so I focussed on running and cycling at a similar pace. Even though the run is quite hard, its only one lap which I quite like, although it is hard, hilly and off-road – it’s not easy!”
Three pals celebrate as they become race finishers.
In the Gauntlet race, which sees the toughest half-iron athletes take on a 1.9km swim, a 90km undulating cycle through the Howardian Hills and a 21km run through Castle Howard estate Sam Pictor took the top spot with an impressive time of 04:08:10, and also picked up a new set of WheelsciencePerformance race wheels for completing the fastest cycle split of the day.
All race results from the day can be seen here:
https://www.stuweb.co.uk/events/2018/07/21/3255/
Success for Humber Triathletes in Yorkshire Mixed Team Relay Club Championships
Saturday afternoon saw the UK’s finest triathlon clubs compete for the Mixed Team Relay Championship title, with Humber Triathletes storming to victory over Wakefield Triathlon club, continuing their success after winning in the first Mixed Team Relay race at Castle Howard in 2017. Mixed Team Relay is a new race format for triathlon, which will be included in the Olympics at Tokyo in 2020, and sees two male and two female athletes compete in a relay team, with each team member completing a mini triathlon.
The Mixed Team Relay winners celebrated become the first-ever team to win this particular event which was only introduced this year.
Castle Run and Swim Series
The inaugural 10k and half marathon saw hundreds of runners enjoy the off-road run course which has been enjoyed by triathletes for the last nine years. Course records were set with the winning half marathon runner Kyle Greig completing the stunning route in 01:18:41. For the first time ever, swimmers took to the Great Lake, enjoying the scenic open water swim, overlooked by the majestic Castle Howard.
Bystanders who watch competitors swim across the Great Lake are treated to some stunning views.
Fundraisers help to reach £250,000 target for Macmillan Cancer Support
With Castle Triathlon Series raising over £130,000 for Macmillan Cancer Support in the first year of the charity partnership on 2017, over 50 triathletes, runners and swimmers were at the event taking on the challenging course all in aid of fundraising for Macmillan. This year Castle Triathlon Series aims to reach £250,000 for Macmillan, and you can sign up for a charity fundraising place here.
Sign up now to Castle Howard Triathlon, Swim or Run on 20th and 21stJuly 2019 with a 30% discount for a limited period of time (ends midnight on Sunday 29th July 2018).
Please contact Andréa Avena for more information and images:
