Athletes take on Shropshire triathlon

More then 600 adults and children geared up for a weekend of triathlons at Dearnford Lake in Tilstock Road, Whitchurch.

The sporting event, organised by UK Triathlon, saw people swim, run and cycle in a number of races including Olympic, sprint and fun.

On Saturday, more than 300 children, aged between seven and 16, got involved.

They swam between 25m to 100m in Dearnford Lake, followed by a 1km to a 3km bike race and finally a 500m to 1500m run.

The races were split into age groups and were not competitive.

The next day saw the adults take to the stage when they competed in the Olympic or sprint races, or chose to take part in the fun challenge.

Fundraisers were also out in force and event director Vic Bickerton says there was a sea of athletes wearing Cancer Research UK T-shirts.

Phil Ellison won the Olympic Male title, by completing a 1,500m swim, 40k cycle and 10km run in two hours, three minutes and 36 seconds.

Jessica Harvey picked up the Olympic Female award for her time of two hours, 19 minutes and 59 seconds.

Mr Bickerton said: "This was our fourth year at Dearnford Lake and it was brilliant. We had people from all over the country attend, some had come from as far as London and Sheffield.

"We also had the GB age group triathletes and this meant we had competitors aged from 25 to 75."

He added: "This year was definitely the biggest and most popular one we've held so far."

The aim of the People's Triathlon is to get everyone involved in the sport with distances on offer to suit every ability. People took part individually or with friends as a relay team of three, with many choosing to complete the challenge in aid of charity.

For a full list of the winners visit: http://uktriathlon.co.uk/events/peoples-triathlon/