The Hoxley Cup is awarded for Triathlon Achievement as voted for by the members, so check the list below and email your vote to triathlon@westsuffolkwheelers.org
The Triathlon committee have made nine nominations that highlight some of the amazing achievements/wins that have been posted by our members in the name of club and country, both at home and on international duties.
The nominations (in alphabetical order) are:
- Laura Brown
- Annie Drugan
- Angela Joiner-Handy
- Hannah Mclnroy Naylor
- Pip Moore
- Steven Rue
- Helen Samuel
- Matt Shingleton
- Scott Williams
The Athletes have provided a synopsis of their seasons below.
The vote is open to all members of the West Suffolk Wheelers and all votes by email to triathlon@westsuffolkwheelers.org before the deadline 30th November 2017.
Laura Brown
- Big East Tri half ironman – 1st Female
- Culford sprint – 1st Female
- Fritton Sprint – 1st Female
- Fritton Super Sprint – 1st Female
- Fritton Olympic –2nd Female
- Fritton weekend challenge – 1st Female
- Kimbolton Sprint – 1st Female
- Grafham Olympic – AG position 3 so automatically qualified for Great Britain age group European Championships in Estonia in July 2018.
The three Fritton triathlons were held over one weekend so there was also an award for the overall winner of the weekend for any of the triathletes who had entered all three races. I was 1st female for the weekend challenge.
The Big East Tri and Kimbolton Sprint were both East Region Championship races, so I am the 2017 middle distance region champion and sprint distance Region Champion. Also overall I am the East Region league female champion for 2017.
Annie Drugan
A short season for Annie this year; the first year with a big ‘A’ race to aim for; the European Champs in Kitzbuhel in June 2017. The season kicked of slightly closer to home however, with a standard distance race in St Neots, this just the second time racing at that distance and an age group winner. It was also the first time racing with a river swim!
This was followed by a couple of sprint triathlons – second overall female at both the Newmarket and Culford Sprint triathlons. It is particularly rewarding to get an overall placing; especially when you are getting to the top end of the 45-49 age category!
Then it was on to the big race, the European Champs in Austria, only the third time racing at standard distance. Lots of prep, planning and palpitations! Tenth in age group.
An early end to the season with a last minute decision to try and qualify for the European Champs next year – so off to Yorkshire to race at Castle Howard. Third in age group and qualified for Tartu 2018.
Angela Joiner-Handy
- 5th in Suffolk County Championships
- First Suffolk runner in the National Inter-Counties in March
- 1st V45 in the Suffolk Cross Country league overall
- 5th AG in the European Duathlon Championships in Spain in May
- 12th AG in the European Half Ironman Champs in Denmark in July
- 1st in National Duathlon Championships October and 7th woman overall in Oulton Duathlon
- Represented the East in a tri XC match against Cambridge Uni and the RAF
Hannah Mclnroy Naylor:
- St Neots Sprint – 3rd place
- Monster Racing Sprint – 2nd place
- Big Cow Cowman (70.3) – 1st place and QOM prize
- Vitruvian 70.3 National Championships – 6th in age group with a mechanical on the bike
- Bury St Edmunds 10km – 2nd place
My season started well when I ran a 1:30 half marathon at Great Bentley in February and achieved a PB. Very soon after, however, I became injured and spent February to May not running at all (missing out on the Cambridge Half and Manchester Marathon). I started to slowly run again in May, so booked some last minute races to try and race myself fit. I was not expecting much from them as the run was my best discipline, and I felt I had lost this advantage with my lack of training. I was so grateful to race again that I just wanted to enjoy myself. When I got onto the podium (and won!) it was such a shock, that I had a little cry. Since the triathlon season has finished, I have started run training again to try and run under 1:30 for a half marathon.
Pip Moore
After prolonged injuries in 2015 and 2016, 2017 was looking more optimistic. Whilst not back to full strength, I was able to take part in many more triathlon races.
It started with the Rotterdam World Championship qualifier at Eton Dorney. A good swim and run time couldn’t make up for a disappointing bike leg where I was on my own for most of the new draft legal section – 16th meant I was unlikely to qualify.
After crying into my cornflakes, I dusted myself down and focussed on the next race – Culford Sprint. Improved PB in both time and position, I was pleased with an overall 2nd.
The following weekend was really my A race for the season. National Aquathlon champs, once again in Leeds. Mixed emotions with this one as I improved on last year’s time but 3rd in age group (2nd in 2016).
The club championships at Fritton came next and, once again, I was able to improve from 2016 in the sprint distance finishing 2nd overall.
My form seemed quite good at this point so I took the plunge and entered into my first standard distance race – Rotterdam World Championship qualifier in Arundel. This was tough race but I was extremely pleased with 8th in age group which meant I did actually qualify👍
Kimbolton was next on my list and after the gruelling standard distance the weekend before, this race soon seemed over. 3rd overall with the added bonus of being Triathlon England, Eastern Region Vets Champion 2017.
Mildenhall Sprint was my final race of the season in this country. Once again, I improved on 2016 and, finally, had a win for the season.
Rotterdam was my final race of the season and I was again very proud to be donning the GB colours, competing in only my second Olympic distance, non- drafting race. Unfortunately, leaky googles produced a slow swim time which meant I was playing catch up in the largest (150) age group field. Decent bike and run times allowed me to gain a few places, to finish 36th overall.
Steven Rue
- 3rd 2017 British Duathlon Championships -: Bedford Autodrome, 2:18:54
- 3rd European Standard Duathlon Championship (Soria, Spain) 2:47:22
- 6th World Standard Duathlon Championship (Penticton, Canada) 2:24:56
- 1st English Duathlon Championships -: Oulton Park 2:17:44
This year has been very good for my results, why this happened I am not sure, but it can be traced back to the first time that I wore the team GBR trials suit at the start of the 2014 World Championships at Pontevedra, it may sound corny but it felt good to be competing with all these athletes. Since then I have been fortunate to have qualified for the World & European Championships on a number of occasions. As this year I reached a milestone birthday (65), I tried a little harder running and cycling just that little bit faster.
This year I compete in the Standard distance duathlon distance (10k run, 40k bike, 5k run), qualifying for both the European and World Championships through the British Triathlon qualifying events. Throughout the year I also competed in the British and English Championships along with a number of club events, all in my age group (65-70).
I have been competing in duathlons, representing GBR in both the Euro and World Championships since 2014, with moderate success but this year all the planets aligned. To making this step forward I made more effort with my training, becoming more focused trying to get the most out of the training without increasing the duration, managing to get through the year without too many injuries and increasing my fitness.
As a member of St Edmund Pacers they took care of my running, in order to improve my cycling speed I joined the Wheelers a number of years ago, entering the Wheelers evening time trials which I have been competing in since. This has helped me improve my pacing and therefore my times, along with showing me how far I have to go to, you never stop trying. Which is one of the reasons I compete in these events always thinking that I could have, should have done better and trying to be better the next time.
Helen Samuel
This has been a bit of a season of firsts, and very limited racing due to an injury plagued year! The first planned race of the season ended up being a first ever DNS due to an injury and this really set the tone!
The season started with the ITU World Championship qualifier at Eton Dorney, which was my first ever attempt at draft legal racing. This was the first of the 3 qualifiers and due to it being a well-established race, was a really tough field. After an ok swim, I got myself into a fast pack and we flew round, after all the concern I loved it and ended up with the 3rd fastest bike split in my AG! Out on the run, lack of run training really told, but at least I manged to finish (20th in AG) and could wait to see if I’d done enough to qualify later on.
Next up was the English National Aquathlon Championships in Leeds, which took place as part of the World Series weekend, in typical Yorkshire summer weather, but the race went as well as I could’ve hoped and I placed 9thin the most contested female AG.
Then another first, my first ever Olympic distance triathlon at the ITU World Championship qualifier at Ripon, which was an experience! The swim was at times pulling yourself through balls of weeds, the bike had vicious head/cross winds and the run was 5k too far! I finished 17th in AG which was not going to be enough to qualify and I swore I would never do another standard ever again, then remembered that I’d already entered the ETU qualifier at Grafham, so would have to. This was again a very tough field, the swim and bike were both better than at Ripon, however the lack of running was again evident and after finishing 19th in AG I will not be attempting this distance again until fully fit!
The next race was the Mildenhall Triathlon, however since I’d now qualified for the ITU World Championship in Rotterdam, this was to be yet another first, a DNF, albeit a planned one as I was not about to risk the run, so just the swim and the bike, which were both good, but the race ended for me after T2.
September 2017 saw my last race of the season at the ITU World Championship in Rotterdam, again a draft legal sprint race. There were a lot of concerns from the AG’s with regard to the very technical bike course, particularly if the race was going to be wet. Fortunately race day turned out to be the best of the week weather-wise and after setting up in two separate transitions and cheering on lots of teammates I finally got started at 3.30pm, after what turned out to be a shocking swim, it was out onto the bike, which saw me in a pack with another GB athlete, 2 American’s and a Mexican. The bike was awesome, over in a flash and saw me doing a lot of shouting as we were overtaking other groups. Again my lack of running and injury told on the run, but I ran as well as I could’ve hoped for to finish 38th in my AG in the world and now need to concentrate on rehabbing to not be carrying the issues into next year…
Matt Shingleton
- Suffolk Winter League Cross Country AG champ.
- Hanningfield Standard Distance tri – 2nd overall.
- IronMan Bolton 87th overall. 16th AG, 10:35
- IronMan Tenby 171st overall. 29th AG, 11:23
- Kielder Marathon, 17th overall. 3:12
This year was an IronMan year, and as such very few races for me, and for the foreseeable future, my last tri year.
Scott Williams
- 9th in AG at British duathlon championship
- 10th in AG and second Brit in AG at European duathlon championships in Soria, Spain
- 18th in AG at Outlaw half Nottingham in 4.50.51.
- 3rd place overall at Fritton lake weekend
- 19th in AG at World duathlon championships in Penticton, Canada.
The vote is open to all members of the West Suffolk Wheelers.
All votes by email before the deadline 30th November 2017.