Video and pictures: Spectators flock to cheer on triathletes in Ellesmere

Around 1,500 spectators turned out to see nearly 400 triathletes at the challenge in Ellesmere on Sunday.

Alan Rowen, race cycle co-ordinator, said: "It has been a brilliant day.

"We've had some excellent competition and so, overall, it was a very good event.

"We have had hundreds of people turn out for the event and whenever I went around to see the race there was a lot of clapping and cheering going on."

Competitors swam 1,500 metres in the Mere, cycled 30 miles via Welshampton, Redbrook, Penley and Overton and then ran five kilometres, starting and finishing in Cremorne Gardens.

Sprint competitors covered half of each distance.

There were around 320 competitors in the main EU qualifying event, with more than 55 taking part in the Sprint. Mr Rowen said that organisers had been helped by both the police and people in the areas the triathletes had travelled through.

He said: "The police have helped us enormously and the people in the nearby villages have all done their bit by moving their cars off the road so that people can travel through. We want to give thanks and appreciation to them.

"By all accounts everything has been good and ran smoothly.

"This year saw our 10,000th competitor – which is quite a landmark.

"It's all been a real community effort."

The Shropshire Triathlon has been taking place since 1992, with tens of thousands of people coming out to watch it over the years.

As well as traders raising money for charity, some of the runners were competing for their favourite cause as well.

Thousands of pounds are expected to be raised across a number of charities, including Save the Children. A charity will also be picked to receive money from the entry fees paid. Previous donations have been made to The Royal British Legion and Midlands Air Ambulance.

The 22nd event doubled as the first of three European Qualifier races across the country.

Competition

The best across the trio of events will get the chance to travel to Kitzbühel in Austria for the 2017 Standard Distance European Championships.

Four people from each age group – across 13 categories between 20 and 80 plus – will have automatically qualified for the competition from Sunday's race alone, while others will be able to earn places across the three races.

The next two races will take place on August 14 in Liverpool, and on August 28 in Worthing.

For more information about the event or about the qualification round of the European Championships, people are asked to visitvisit shropshiretri.info