Local triathlete Erin Jeffery from Farrington Gurney finished as second woman in the LPSevents Cotswold series standard distance triathlon at Cotswold Water Park near Cirencester last Sunday.
Erin was first place woman in her age group and 10th person overall out of 152 entries. In only her second ever triathlon and her first ever standard distance (same distance as in the Olympics), this was a fantastic result.
Erin, who does her swim training at Vobster Quay, was the first swimmer out of the lake from all competitors in her wave, with an excellent time of 21:18 over 1,500
metres. Choosing not to wear a wetsuit to save time on transition, her transition one from swim to bike was smooth and stress-free on a wet and windy day.
Her second-hand road bike, serviced by Cycology Bike shop of Frome, isn’t as modern, expensive, light or fast as some of the other competitors’ bikes, but she still completed the 40km course in second place with a time of 1:16:26.
Transition two, from bike to run, again went well, leaving Erin to complete the six laps of the 9km run in 40:30. Looking fit, strong and fast all the way around the course, this was a remarkable achievement from the 28 year-old.
Just starting out in this tough sport, Erin now looks forward to lots more training, as well as some open water swims, 10km runs and her next triathlon in the south west, coming soon. Please feel free to follow Erin on Instagram. Any supporters or sponsors are welcome, as Erin seeks financial assistance for a new bike, time trial helmet and entrance fees, in return for a very positive social media presence, as well as training and competition advertising.
Jon Doel