Felt are a bike brand well rooted in the triathlon community and their AR range has pioneered the aero road platform. Borrowing heavily from Felt’s DA time trial bikes, the AR4 is a sleek, fast machine that blends aerodynamic advantage with friendlier road bike geometry and versatility, resulting in a great ride for training and racing.

The Felt AR4 is packed with triathlon-friendly technology

THE FRAME

With its wheel-hugging profiles and stunning matte finish, the AR4 looks mean and fast. The bike shares the same design and aero benefits as the rest of the AR range and like the AR5 below it and AR2 above, the frame is made from Felt’s own UHC-Advanced custom carbon that’s developed for superb ride quality. The company’s unique InsideOut process uses internal and external moulds to better compact carbon during construction to create more complex and consistent tubes. The result is the most aggressively aerodynamic-looking aero road bike on the market. Only the pro-level AR1 uses a different lay-up for added stiffness and reduced weight.

The frame won a Red Dot design award in 2010, which is telling of its superbly-crafted lines, expertly-designed geometry and the fact that it’s starting to get a little old in the tooth in some respects. There’s no tapered steerer on the fork for instance – though the long head tube provides excellent rigidity at the front – and the classic 68mm bottom bracket doesn’t quite match up with the wider, stiffer BB30 designs now being slotted into Felt’s newest TT bikes.

Nevertheless, it’s still a beautiful piece of aerodynamic design. The narrow, tall headtube is unimpeded by cabling, which instead slot neatly into the top tube behind the stem. The top tube itself is horizontal to hide from the wind and flared, becoming thinner as it runs from the headtube to meet the seat tube.

The narrow aero fork has a notched profile on the back of the fork crown that lines up with the thin teardrop downtube, which hugs the front wheel for better aerodynamics then sweeps down to meet the bottom bracket. The seat tube is also profiled to accommodate the back wheel and features a scooped interior curve for a close fit to the wheel but with clearance enough for any standard tyre sizes. The thin seatstays aid aerodynamics and a supple ride while the chainstays are strong, chunky numbers and feature a replaceable aluminium gear hanger.

In contrast to some other aero road bikes on the market, the front derailleur cable leaves the frame to travel under the bottom bracket inside an external housing, popping up to meet the mech, while the rear derailleur’s cable runs naked along the outside of the chainstay.

THE KIT

The AR4 comes specced to the nines in Shimano Ultegra – the mechanical levers shifting flawlessly across the front and rear mechs to keep you in control of cog selection at all times. Pushing hard on the big ring or climbing out the saddle, the gearing won’t let you down.

Clearly designed to go fast on the flat, the AR4 features a silky-smooth Ultegra chainset with standard 53x39T chainrings paired with an 11-25T rear cassette for close enough ratios to always find that sweet spot. There’s no compact option available on the chainset though, so if you need friendlier gears, talk to you local Felt dealer or factor the additional cost into the equation. The Ultegra brakes also have decent, reliable stopping power though took a while to bed in.

An in-line gear adjuster – crucial for triathlon, where indexing can be knocked out of alignment in transition – is included for front shifting, but not the rear, which would have been nice for mid-ride tweaks.

The wheel selection is telling of the AR4’s against-the-clock potential. Shimano’s RS30 wheelset offers 30mm aero-profiled rims and solid performance on the flat, but at a shade under 2kg without tyres and tubes, they drag the bike down when the gradients tip up, being neither light nor stiff.

Though the RS30s mean the AR4 is an out-the-box racer for flat courses, we would have preferred the option of a lighter low-profile training set to let the frame shine through and allow the rider choose their own race day set. The wheels are shod in 23c Vittoria Rubino Pro Slick tyres, which are grippy, if not the fastest rollers out there.

The thin aero seatpost is secured into the frame by a smoothly-shaped cowl and topped by a Prologo Zero II saddle that’s comfy enough in an upright position, but a literal pain when hunkering down low. Of course, the saddle is without doubt the most personal selection on a bike, so don’t let this put you off if it’s not suited to your behind.

In another aero nod, the Felt aluminium bars are slightly profiled on the tops but still allow plenty of space for clip-on tri bars. The cockpit is finished by a matching Felt aluminium stem, which varies in length depending on the frame size selected.

THE RIDE

All-day comfort is built in with the AR4, the frame soaking up rough road surfaces well and the relatively short reach creating an instantly-comfortable cockpit setup that suits clip-on tri bars perfectly. The long headtube makes it hard to achieve a super-low position – the tapered spacer only exacerbating this – but for longer triathlon distances, it lets you get on with the business of riding fast and leaves you feeling fresh for the run.

The Shimano RS30 wheels make the AR4 slow off the mark, but once they’re rolling on the flat, the bike holds momentum astonishingly well and is only ravenous for more speed. There was a distinct feeling from the very first ride that all work is going into upping the pace rather than fighting the wind. The faster you go, the faster you’ll want to go and the clearer the aero advantage becomes. We found ourselves gleefully mashing the gears, tucking lower and pushing to a new PB over whatever course we were riding.

Things aren’t so rosy when the rolling roads are swapped for serious climbing country. Though the AR4 climbs well in saddle at slight gradients, the pro-style gearing left us cursing as we quickly ran out of cogs, making us dread steep hills.

While stiffness is good up front – with little out-the-saddle twisting under wrenching arms – the rear end felt a little soft with the stock wheels, losing power through flex when stomping out the saddle up steep gradients.

Swapping the stock wheels for a pair of the utterly inflexible Mavic R-Sys SLRs did much to remedy this, making the AR4 a lively, enthusiastic climber that really showed the quality of the frame and highlighted the benefit of an aero road bike over a TT bike for climbing.

A stiffer wheelset should definitely be on your upgrade wish list, which could make the AR5 a better buy – at £600 cheaper, you could spend the difference on a nice pair of race-day hoops if you don’t mind downgrading to Shimano 105 gearing, plus you get a friendlier 52x36T chainset.

Downhills are much more the AR4’s style. Whether swooping in and out of corners or flying down a long straight, the AR4 is a confidence-inspiring machine. Cornering is smooth, assured and stress free, the bike behaving no matter how hairy the switchbacks get. There was real exhilaration in pushing hard into a corner, hitting the apex perfectly and whisking back up to top speed.

The Felt AR4 has loads going for it – a seriously fast aero frame, quality componentry and comfy triathlon geometry. Only the limited gearing selection and heavy wheels let down the overall package, but for those who can see past this – or already have race-day wheels – it’s a stunning bike for all distances that will garner many envious glances in transition.

PROS

+ Fast and aero
+ Perfect tri setup

CONS

- Sluggish and heavy on climbs
- Limited to hard gears

Triathlon England have teamed up with Swim Smooth Ltd to deliver a series of open water novice sessions this summer. These new training days are designed to give triathletes of all abilities specialist open water swim training from world renowned Swim Smooth Accredited Coaches.

Morgan Williams, National Development Manager for Triathlon England said: “Swim Smooth is fast becoming the gold standard in coaching for the freestyle stroke and open water swimming. They are already the Swim Coaching Consultants to our current coach education programme; therefore it was a natural decision for Triathlon England to choose Swim Smooth to deliver a series of specialist training days across England.”

Triathlon England, through a series of new relationships, are trying to increase participation in the sport as Morgan went on to explain: “We hope working with Swim Smooth will create extra opportunities for members of the public to access high quality coaching and to help them prepare for their next triathlon challenge”

Paul Newsome, the founder and head coach of Swim Smooth Ltd said: “We are incredibly excited to be teaming up with Triathlon England to deliver a series of open water training days this summer and for the next 3 years thereafter! This partnership is a natural extension of the coach education work we’ve been doing with British Triathlon coaching at levels 1, 2 and 3 since 2010, and we’re confident that this will be another very successful relationship for all parties. By offering these training days across England using our own certified Swim Smooth coaches in conjunction with Triathlon England coaches, we can assure a great quality of delivery, which we know all budding triathletes will really benefit from. Here’s to a great 2013 summer season!”

Take up for this new initiative is already proving to be very popular and the provisional nine dates planned across the UK starting in Worcester on 2 June 2013 are expected to expand due to this high demand.

For more information or to book a place please visit:  www.triathlonengland.org/take-part/open-water

Triradar.com is the online home of Triathlon Plus – the best source of triathlon training advice, triathlon gear reviews and triathlon news.

Log your training for free at the TriRadar.com Training Zone.

Have every issue delivered to your digital device by getting Triathlon Plus through Apple Newsstand, Google Play or Zinio. Subscribe to the print edition with massive savings at MyFavouriteMagazines.

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With 2013 marking their transition into long distance racing with remarkable success, both Don and and Clarke have already proved they are a force to be reckoned with, fending off veteran Ironman athletes to finish in podium positions;  Don recently came 3rd in Ironman 70.3 South Africa, whilst Clarke took 2nd place at Ironman 70.3 St. Croix.

Amongst the 20 strong British Pro men’s line up at Ironman 70.3 UK is three time winner Fraser Cartmell, who has the advantage of course knowledge and experience on his side, whilst Tom Lowe’s inaugural entry to the event, will have four time Ironman Champion Chrissie Wellington cheering him on as his secret weapon.

Ahead of the race Tim Don said “I’m really looking forward to the race. Having raced ITU distance since 1994, I’m loving my entry into 70.3 and embracing this all new experience. 70.3 is all about pacing myself over the 4 1/2 hours, listening to my body and not reacting to what other athletes are doing. Exmoor is a beautiful spot – it’s going to be a great race and I’d love to see an all GB podium although I think the course is going to be the toughest competition for me” *

The women’s Pro field also promises an exciting race between reigning Champion Eimear Mullan and Scotland’s Cat Morrison, whose successful return from injury this year has already seen her being crowned Champion at Ironman 70.3 St. Croix. Putting the UK based athletes to the test will be Germany’s Kristin Moeller who won Ironman Lanzarote last weekend along with previous 70.3 UK podium placed Simone Braendli from Switzerland.

The Pro field will form part of the sell out 1700 athletes entered in one of the world’s most iconic triathlon events, being the first 70.3 staged in the world. Now held at Wimbleball on the edge of Exmoor’s National Park it plays host to a truly stunning yet gruelling course.

Starting with a 1.2 mile swim in Wimbleball Lake, the athletes will have to embark on the two lap 56 mile bike course – which entails 52 hills and 1190m of climbing, eased only by the excitement and buzz of the fantastic crowd support. The final half marathon adds to this iconic triathlon event with its 13.1 mile mixed terrain run course, comprising three laps each with its very own leg bursting hill climb.

Kevin Stewart, Managing Director of Ironman UK said, “We are very much looking forward to welcoming all the new and seasoned athletes to this year’s Ironman 70.3 UK. The event filled up in record time – 20 weeks ahead of last year – and has attracted over 50% of first timers to the race, and we hope their experience will play a part towards their journey to completing a full Ironman.”

For further information on Ironman 70.3 UK please visit www.ironmanuk.com

Triradar.com is the online home of Triathlon Plus – the best source of triathlon training advice, triathlon gear reviews and triathlon news.

Log your training for free at the TriRadar.com Training Zone.

Have every issue delivered to your digital device by getting Triathlon Plus through Apple Newsstand, Google Play or Zinio. Subscribe to the print edition with massive savings at MyFavouriteMagazines.

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Alistair and Jonny Brownlee will be taking part in the event this September

World-beating triathlete brothers Alistair and Jonny Brownlee have partnered up with the National Trust to host their first ever triathlon this September in their native Yorkshire at Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal.

Alistair, who famously won gold at the 2012 London Olympics, and Jonny, the current reigning ITU World Champion, are bringing this new triathlon to their home turf of north Yorkshire.

World Champion and Olympic bronze medallist, Jonny Brownlee, said:

“It’s great to be holding our first Brownlee Triathlon at Fountains Abbey.

“As young children, our parents used to take us there for walks to try and wear us out so we have good memories of the place. We want this triathlon to be part of our legacy and to see as many people take part as possible.”

The ‘Brownlee Tri’ will taking place at the World Heritage Site on Saturday 21 September. A super-sprint triathlon, it will start with a 400m swim in Studley Royal lake, a 10km bike ride will take competitors through the medieval deer park before culminating in a 2.5km run. The run goes through Studley Royal water garden and the ruins of Fountains Abbey before finishing on the east green.

Olympic gold medallist Alistair Brownlee added: “The whole area around Fountains Abbey is fantastic to train as triathletes and a perfect fit for us.

“The paths and trails in the abbey’s estate are a lovely setting for a run, with great views of Ripon Cathedral and the Yorkshire Dales. The lanes close to the abbey are some of the best in the country for cycling. We’re very lucky in Yorkshire to have some of the finest countryside around, and Fountains is a great place to see a lot of it.”

Chris Fowler, National Trust General Manager at Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal, said: “This is going to be a unique event, not just for triathletes who will get to run through the iconic ruins, but for spectators too.

We’re thrilled that Alistair and Jonny are combining their love of triathlon with this special place – one of their favourite stop off points when out training.”

Triathlon is the fastest growing Olympic Sport with 31% participation growth per year and 20% of the triathletes completing their first triathlon in 2012.

Alistair and Jonny are hoping to see this continue with more events like the Brownlee Tri. Enthusiasts have already started registering their interest for the inaugural Brownlee Tri to make sure that they are kept up to date with the latest information for the event.

People interested in taking part can register for a place from 10.00 on Tuesday 4 June; places are expected to sell out really quickly.

Chris Fowler continued: “We want our visitors to come and enjoy the outdoors, feel closer to nature and be inspired by wonderful experiences – the Brownlee Triathlon is just a fantastic way to do this.”

For more information about the Brownlee Triathlon, visit www.brownleetriathlon.com and look out for updates through Twitter @Brownleetri or www.facebook.com/brownleetriathlon

Triradar.com is the online home of Triathlon Plus – the best source of triathlon training advice, triathlon gear reviews and triathlon news.

Log your training for free at the TriRadar.com Training Zone.

Have every issue delivered to your digital device by getting Triathlon Plus through Apple Newsstand, Google Play or Zinio. Subscribe to the print edition with massive savings at MyFavouriteMagazines.

Join the conversation on the Triathlon Plus Facebook page, follow us on Twitter @TriathlonPlus.



IMTalk Podcast – Your weekly fix of all things Ironman

IMTALK episode 362 – Gordo Byrn is now available from the IMTalk website.

In this week’s episode:

News: Results for IM Lanzarote and Texas, IM Brazil coming up, Gomez crushes Challenge Half in Barcelona, Terenzo and MBE win Florida 70.3.

This Week’s Discussion: Bevan wants to get to know you guys a whole lot better. He was wondering if you were to get stuck on a desert island what would be the four things that you want to have with you? You can’t take people. Comment here.

Age Grouper of the Week: Carol Murray sent through her husband Dave for this week’s Age Grouper of the Week. While training for the Long Distance European Duathon Championships he got a serious injury. This didn’t stop Dave, he overcame the injury and went on to complete the race. Good luck at the worlds guys.

Interview: We have Gordo from Endurance Corner back on the show this week. He covers bike training so you don’t lose all your speed trying to qualify for Kona every year.

Coaches Corner: John answered a question from Martin Silver Surfer Silvester about taking a month off work to prepare for an IM.

Merrell Barefoot Train Flux Glove Sport
£80
merrell.com/uk

As the name suggests, the Merrell Flux Glove Sports have a snug and immediately comfy fit. The mesh-laden upper is flexy, breathable and holds the foot securely without pinching while the footbed is comfy with or without socks and has a wide enough toebox to allow your pinkies to spread easily.

Out on the road, the zero heel-to-toe drop is immediately apparent, forcing you to run on your forefoot. The 4mm of EVA midsole padding takes only the slightest edge out of the pavement, meaning a flexible sole with great road feel, but a potentially painful proposition for longer runs.

To combat this, we found that we naturally upped our cadence to lessen contact time with the ground – all in-keeping with the barefoot ethos. The Vibram outsole meant great grip – but showed wear quickly – and the arch support was just enough to avoid collapse. Be warned though, adjust to the zero-drop slowly or your calves will be screaming in pain for days.

Emma Kate is made of strong stuff and refused to quit even when she felt bad

YOU DO NOT GET TO QUIT TODAY.

YOU DO NOT GET TO QUIT TODAY.

YOU DO NOT GET TO QUIT TODAY.

Welcome to my mind during mile 1 of the run course at Ironman 70.3 St George in Utah. It’s the 70.3 US Pro Championships. The field is stacked and reads like a Who’s Who of triathlon. I’ve had a dog of a day. My swim start tactics were foolish and my swim painful (think revving your engine to maximum RPM and then stalling). My bike was average at best and now, here we are, on the run course.

I’ve come into T2 with three others and together we occupy positions five through to eight. There’s already significant daylight between us and the leaders so we’re fighting it out for the scraps. As you can probably tell, I’m not in a good headspace. In fact, I haven’t been all day long. I wish I could tell you exactly why, but at this precise moment I simply don’t know. All I know is that I have 13.1 miles of running ahead of me and I really, REALLY want to quit. My legs are heavy, my chest is heaving, absolutely everything is irritating me and I just can’t get my head into gear.

I soon watch the other three girls run away from me. Their fast feet are moving at a cadence I simply can’t get my legs to move at today. This does nothing to alleviate my bad mood and I grumble some more. At this point – probably less than 800 yards from T2 – the evil guy in my ear, the voice telling me to quit, telling me it’s all going to hurt too much, well, I think even he’s starting to get tired. This allows just a moment for a positive thought to pop up and I realise I have a very simple choice to make: race or quit.

I hear my coach, Matt Dixon’s, voice. A few of the lines he said to me in our pre-race phone call start echoing around my brain. “Whatever happens on that run course, Eccles, you stay in the race. Be brave, Eccles.”

Yes, be brave, Eccles.

Last time I looked up “brave” in the dictionary, quitting at mile 0.5 was not the definition. It’s time to grow some cojones.

Realising I’m probably a little low on sugar and that’s not helping my cause, I start gulping down sticky electrolyte drink at the first aid station. I take on a little High5 gel from my gel flask. The sugar kick is instant. That fog is lifting from my brain. A mantra begins to flood it: “YOU DO NOT GET TO QUIT TODAY”.

I begin to focus purely on my run form: fast feet, light arms, strong core. I allow myself to think only positive thoughts – allowing even the slightest trace of negativity into my brain at this pivotal time is going to be disastrous. I look up the road to see those girls who did such a good job of running away from me out of T2 and tell myself they’re all going to blow up. I keep on keeping on.

This is the totally unglamorous part of racing. The part that’s a long, hard, heavy slog. There’s little to prepare you for it – you simply have to bring out your best tools on the day.

If my mind wanders, it doesn’t go far. It’s soon back to that now rhythmical mantra and I’m almost proud of it. It’s getting me places. By mile 5 I’ve reeled in one of those three girls who bolted from me at T2. The other two are now within 20 seconds’ reach. How things change!

Aid station Coke is a lifesaver and continually focusing on form is vital. I’ve been passed by a couple of faster runners but this doesn’t distract me. I stay focused. I stay strong. I’m hurting in every possible way – mentally, physically, emotionally – but I’ve pledged not to give up on this race and I absolutely will not and cannot.

It’s at races like these – the ones that don’t go to plan, the ones where there’s no pay cheque, glory or trophies – where you’re forced to go deep within yourself and take a long, hard look at what you’re made of. You learn a lot. You learn there’s just no quit in you. You realise that you have the tools to fight, and fight hard. And while you may come away empty-handed, you stow something away for a later date that’ll prove simply priceless.

Emma-Kate Lidbury finished 9^th at Ironman 70.3 St George. It wasn’t all bad: the points she earned at this race now put her in the top 10 of the 2013 Ironman 70.3 World Championships rankings.

Emma-Kate Lidbury is a journalist turned professional triathlete with five Ironman 70.3 titles and two top-10 70.3 World Championship finishes to her name. She’s sponsored by Morris Owen Accountants and Virtua. To find out more about her, visit www.eklidbury.co.uk or follow her on Twitter @eklidbury

Triradar.com is the online home of Triathlon Plus – the best source of triathlon training advice, triathlon gear reviews and triathlon news.

Log your training for free at the TriRadar.com Training Zone.

Have every issue delivered to your digital device by getting Triathlon Plus through Apple Newsstand, Google Play or Zinio. Subscribe to the print edition with massive savings at MyFavouriteMagazines.

Join the conversation on the Triathlon Plus Facebook page, follow us on Twitter @TriathlonPlus.



In stifling heat and humidity, Ironman Texas got underway with a non-wetsuit swim that saw Australia’s Brett Carter lead from the water in 49:13 at the head of swift-swimming bunch.

Mathias Hecht of the Czech Republic – third last year – was seventh out of the water, followed by South Africa’s James Cunnama and Germany’s Jan Raphael, while the USA’s Ian Mikelson was another 90 seconds behind.

Once onto the Woodlands-based bike route, it was Hecht who mashed the gears to build a five-minute advantage over Cunnama, who chased hard in second place.

Behind the leaders, Britain’s Paul Amey – 21st in the swim with a deficit of around six minutes – started making inroads and moving up the rankings.

As the day grew ever hotter, Hecht started to fade on the bike, his lead over Cunnama down to less then three minutes by the time he racked his bike.

Raphael and the USA’s Ian Mikelson got out onto the pavement less than a minute behind the South African while Amey posted the day’s fastest bike split – 4:29:07 – to start the marathon in sixth place, four minutes behind the leader.

With Hecht fading badly on his way to a DNF, Cunnama overtook three miles into the run. Amey stormed through the course and had managed to take the lead only three miles later.

Amey pushed his advantage in the heat while Cunnama and Mikelson battled for second place on the course. Amey ran on to the day’s fastest run split – 2:56:18 – to win Ironman Texas in 8:25:06.

Cunnama got the better of Mikelson to secure second in 8:27:35, with the American taking third in 8:30:06.

In the women’s race, Britain’s Rachel Joyce took on her first Ironman since struggling with illness in last year’s world championship.

Leading from the water in 54:02, just ahead of the USA’s Amy Marsh, Joyce rode with the American at the head of the race, distancing the rest of the field as the morning drew on.

40 miles in, Joyce took off to establish an unbeatable lead, her advantage blossoming to over six minutes by T2 thanks to the day’s fastest bike split of 4:42:29.

Second off the bike, Marsh was soon overhauled on the run by fellow Americans Christine Anderson, Kimberley Schwabenbauer and Jennie Hansen, who were running strongly, but well off the pace at 30 minutes behind Joyce.

The Brit coupled her fast bike with the day’s fastest run, completing the marathon in 3:07:27 to cross the line victorious in 8:49:14. Joyce’s third sub-nine-hour performance was also enough to take the course record in Texas, besting Mary Beth Ellis’ 2012 result by over five minutes.

Hansen proved best of the rest, finishing in 9:25:35, the 36-minute time difference underlining Joyce’s class. Schwabenbauer completed the podium in 9:33:01.

The USA’s Ashley Clifford ran up from 11th to fourth, overtaking Anderson who rounded out the top five.

Top 10 Men

PAUL AMEY, GBR 8:25:06
JAMES CUNNAMA, ZAF 8:27:35
IAN MIKELSON, USA 8:30:06
JUSTIN DAERR, USA 8:30:35
SWEN SUNDBERG, DEU 8:37:30
JAN RAPHAEL, DEU 8:42:34
BALAZS CSOKE, HUN 8:44:01
AJ BAUCCO, USA 8:53:37
MIKE SCHIFFERLE, CHE 8:56:06
LATORRE CASTILLO, ANDRES COL 9:02:04

Top 10 Women

RACHEL JOYCE, GBR 8:49:14
JENNIE HANSEN, USA 9:25:35
KIMBERLY SCHWABENBAUER, USA 9:33:01
ASHLEY CLIFFORD, USA 9:36:51
CHRISTINE ANDERSON, USA 9:44:51
AMY MARSH, USA 9:55:49
APRIL GELLATLY, USA 10:01:54
SARAH HANKLA, USA 10:04:41
OLESYA PRYSTAYKO, UKR 10:08:49
JENNIFER LENTZKE, CAN 10:27:58

The men’s swim was led out by Britain’s Stephen Bayliss, who leapt from the water in 47:45, followed closely by Germany’s Faris Al-Sultan, fellow Brit and Triathlon Plus columnist Phil Graves and Spain’s Miquel Blanchart.

The quartet were soon out on one of the toughest bike routes in triathlon and while it was Graves who smashed the course in last year’s event, this time it was the turn of Al-Sultan to do the same.

The 2005 Ironman world champion pulled away from his competitors to build an ever-increasing lead over the 112 sun-drenched and windy miles, returning to transition after 4:53:03 on the road, the day’s fastest bike split by nearly 10 minutes.

Graves, riding conservatively to avoid a repeat DNF in the race, was second to rack his bike, while Blanchart followed a minute later. Kirill Kotsegarov of Estonia was around another seven minutes back.

With time to kill, Al-Sultan ran a strong 2:55:03 marathon to cross the line in 8:42:40, claiming victory and a starting spot at the Ironman World Championship in Hawaii this October.

Graves ran solidly but was passed by Blanchart to drop down to third. The Spaniard took second place in 8:52:08, while Kotsegarov also managed to nip by Graves in the finishing straight to steal the final podium spot in 9:04:09.

The Brit finished fourth in 9:04:17 while Belgium’s Bert Jammaer, seventh onto the run, came home in fifth (9:06:48) after the day’s fastest run of 2:50:52.

The women’s race began furiously fast, with age group athlete Hanneke De Boer of the Netherlands blitzing the 3.8km course in just 54:06. Spain’s Saleta Castro was the first pro to transition with a 54:46 swim.

Britain’s Bella Bayliss, who would later pull out during the run, was second pro out of the water in 57:06, behind a pairing of British age-groupers, Melissa Dowell and Andrea Mason.

Despite coming 10th from the water, six minutes off the pace, Germany’s Kristin Möller, soon stamped her authority on the race, taking the lead with apparent ease on the bike and like Al-Sultan, only continuing to distance her pursuers.

Racking her bike after the day’s fastest split of 5:31:47, Möller began the marathon with 13 minutes in hand over France’s Heleen Bij de Vaate, while Castro was sitting in third around another six minutes back.

The status quo remained during the run, but not content to cruise to victory, Möller put in a storming 2:58:37 marathon, claiming the win in 9:37:34. More than half an hour later Bij de Vaate claimed second in 10:09:31 with Castro taking third in 10:14:27.

Age-grouper De Boer was fourth with Ireland’s Joyce Wolfe rounding out the top five.

Top 10 Men

Faris Al-Sultan, United Arab Emirates 8:42:40
Miquel Blanchart, Spain 8:52:08
Kirill Kotsegarov, Estonia 9:04:09
Philip Graves, United Kingdom 9:04:17
Bert Jammaer, Belgium 9:06:48
Michael Wetzel, Germany 9:19:16
Diepart Xavier, Belgium 9:21:59
Alvaro Velazquez, Spain 9:31:13
Andreas Wolpert, Germany 9:33:27
Stephen Bayliss, United Kingdom 10:00:31

Top 10 Women

Kristin Möller, Germany 9:37:34
Heleen Bij de Vaate, France 10:09:31
Saleta Castro, Spain 10:14:27
Hanneke De boer, The Netherlands 10:28:45
Joyce Wolfe, Ireland 10:31:45
Barbara Schwarz, Switzerland 10:51:28
Zsuzsanna Harsanyi dr., Hungary 10:59:51
Line Foss, Norway 11:05:41
Lydia Sommerfeld, Germany 11:12:12
Claire Shea-Simonds, United Kingdom 11:12:41

Huge crowds and an atmosphere to remember welcome 1000 triathletes to Llanberis

The 2013 Seen2Help Snowdonia Slateman triathlon will live long in the memory of local people – and visitors alike – as Llanberis today (May 19) came out in force to watch what is fast becoming one of Wales’ premier triathlons.

International triathletes graced the proceedings with an intense battle in the men’s full Slateman seeing eventual winner Stephen Skates storming the run leg, triumphing by a little under two minutes from Manchester Tri Club athlete Robert Bridges. Paul Hawkins was third.

In the women’s event Welsh triathlete, and ‘new-mum’ Rhian Roxburgh was a clear winner after dominating the event from the very first swim stroke, winning by a clear five minutes as she crossed the line. Jane Hansom was second and Welsh fell runner Anna Bartlett claimed a brilliant third place just three seconds further back.

Under bright skies and almost windless conditions the triathletes entered the waters of Llyn Padarn in 4 waves, with swimmers battling for clear water as the racing got underway at 9.30am. Following a swim of 1000m, they embarked on a gruelling bike ride of some 51km around the Llanberis Pass and Dyffryn Ogwen, before transiting for a second time in Llanberis and heading off for an 11k trail run in the quarries of Dinorwig and the Parc Padarn undulations.

The Snowdonia Slateman was launched in 2011 and has since been acclaimed as one of the most exciting events on the UK triathlon calendar, hosting 400 entrants in its first year, 700 in year two, and in 2013 selling-out over 1000 places almost 5 months ahead of race day.
2013 has seen Always Aim High Events recruit Seen2Help as their headline sponsor for the Slateman, which today saw the competitors take on the mighty Llyn Padarn for a 1000m lake swim, the Llanberis Pass and Ogwen Valley for a challenging 51km bike leg and the slate quarries overlooking Llanberis for the final 11km trail run. The Slateman ‘sprint’ event also took place with a 400m (swim), 20km (bike) and 6km (run).

Earlier local triathlete and 2012 third-placer Huw Brassington had scored a narrow in the men’s sprint event – held over 400m, 20km and 6km – ahead of Alex Hall and Thomas Garbett. The ladies race was comfortably won by Sarah Rose, over five minutes clear of Natasha Geere and Judith Wall.

Speaking after the race French-based men’s winner Skates was effusive about his success, but also about the course and his enjoyment of the event:

“That was pretty tough. However, I run a fair bit of trails in the south of France and I would say that that was my strongest aspect today as I felt very strong, so I was able to pull away from the guys in the quarries. The organisation was superb and the event was very well put together.”

Speaking about improvements the organiser could make to the event, he added:

“If it ain’t broke, don’t try to fix it!”

Women’s winner Roxburgh is no stranger to the Slateman, having won the inaugural event in 2011:

“Oh, that was hard on the run”, she stated, “I was walking on some of the hills on that leg!” However, having only given birth to a baby daughter some 5 months ago, the event is obviously a favourite for the Evolution Bikes triathlete and she is obviously in good shape.

“Yes, this event is superb. I mean the organisation, the course, the views, the challenging nature of the terrain and even the weather today. What is there not to like, I love the Slateman”, she concluded.

Speaking about the outstanding success of the 2013 event, Always Aim High Events director Tim Lloyd stated:

“We could not have hoped for a better event once this year. The weather was perfect, the crowds of spectators in the finish arena were just phenomenal, and it was topped off with some brilliant racing from all of the triathletes taking part. We really do feel we have a world-class event here which Wales can be proud of.”

Speaking about the logistics and essential partnerships which go to make up this classic trail triathlon, he continued:

“We are extremely grateful to all of those partners and members of the team who help us make it happen. Special thanks go to new headline sponsors Seen2Help, Chain Reaction Cycles, Sport Tours International, Salomon, Kinetica Sports Nutrition, Aquasphere, Jones o Gymru crisps, Amphibia, First Hydro Company, Phil and all of the team at Surflines, 220 Tri Magazine magazine and the Welsh Government. Of course Gwynedd Council were key in helping us make things happen once again this year too – there simply are too many people, brands and organisations for me to thank all personally, but would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone involved in helping us put on this amazing event once again this year.”

Always Aim High Events have also once again secured terrestrial TV coverage for the Slateman in 2013, with a 30-minute highlights package being produced by top UK adventure sports TV company Dream Team Television – whose work includes the 3 Peaks Race, Cardiff Half Marathon and Ironman Wales – and will be aired on Channel 4, on their traditional and highly-popular Saturday morning slot, along with British Eurosport and Sky Sports. Precise transmission dates are to be confirmed and numerous international channels in Europe, north America and Asia will also broadcast the event to a potential audience of millions.

Full Seen2Help Snowdonia Slateman race results are now online at TDL Event Services with race images online via Sport Pictures Cymru and the Always Aim High Events Facebook page over the coming days.

The Seen2Help Snowdonia Slateman 2013 leading positions (full course)

Men
1. Stephen Skates 2:24:20
2. Robert Bridges 2:26:16
3. Paul Hawkins 2:26:39

Women
1. Rhian Roxburgh 2:46:08
2. Jane Hansom 2:51:26
3. Anna Bartlett 2:51:29

The Seen2Help Snowdonia Slateman 2013 leading positions (sprint course)

Men
1. Huw Brassington 1:15:47
2. Alex Hall 1:16:02
3. Thomas Garbett 1:18:23

Women
1. Sarah Rose 1:26:46
2. Natasha Geere 1:31:40
3. Judith Wall 1:33:49

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