Just before the age of 50 I was diagnosed with hypertension and subsequently put on regular medication to control the condition. I was never comfortable with this situation, especially when I was told I would probably have to take medication for the rest of my life. I therefore decided to do something about it and eventually persuaded my GP to let me try and control the condition through lifestyle change alone.
I offered to do the Salford swim as part of one the NHS Bolton relay teams. This swim was an open water swim in the murky depths of the Manchester Ship Canal at Salford Quays. Whilst I am an OK swimmer I did have some real reservations about being able to swim in cold murky water. I first started to improve my swimming stamina which was about average for a bloke of 45 yrs. I could do about 20 lengths OK but generally started to flag after that.
At first I was very reluctant to take part because I thought everyone involved would be ‘super fit’ athletes! Although I can swim competently I am not very fast and my swimming technique isn’t the best. How wrong I was! Loads of competitors were just like myself, complete novices, taking part for the fun of it (and the chance to get fit, of course!!)
I’m not a natural athlete, I’m not any kind of athlete! Fitness has become important to me later in life at 47, it keeps my weight down and my mental wellbeing positive. So when I heard about the NHS Tri 2012 I did not really consider myself as a competitor. But the more I read and thought about it the more I thought –I could do that! IWith my mind made up I registered then I approached several friends, a swimmer, a cyclist and a runner to see if they would help me to train. They each looked surprised, could barely contain their laughter but agreed.
The team behind the Bolton Triathlon are delighted to announce that entries for this years event are now open. the event will take place on Sunday 7th June at Turton Sports Centre.
We have listened to the feedback from last years race and for this year we:
will relocate the transition area to bring it closer to the improved finishing area
will increase the signage on both the run and bike routes
have changed the date to avoid clashing with the Edgworth trail race
You can enter both the solo and relay events here
Results for yesterday triathlon can be found on the uk results website
We are pleased to announce that the Railway Pub which is adjacent to the sports centre will play host to both competitors and friends and families. The pub will open at 10am and will be offering 10% of food and drinks. In order to take advantage of this offer please show your race number. The Railway has recently undergone a major refurbishment and offers a fantastic range of food and drinks. The presentation will also take place at the Railway once all competitors have finished.
Every event relies on volunteers to run smoothly and safely. Without people willing to give up a couple of hours there would simply be no races to compete in.
The Bolton Fun Tri is no exception, to run the event we need around 30 volunteers in a range of different roles. in particular we are looking for volunteers to:
Work in the pool including
Length counters this is a sitting down role making sure that everyone swims the correct number of lengths. The race starts at 8 am and you will be finished by 10am.
Time keepers. This is also a sitting down role and as the name suggests involves recording the times of swimmers as they exit the pool. You’ll be needed poolside at 7.30am and finished by 10am
Marshalling on the route.
Both the run and bike course need marshals to make sure that our competitors don’t get lost You’ll be needed around 8.30am and finished by around 11.30am.
If you can spare a couple of hours please get in touch either email garriep@gmail.com or text 07595515903.
We think this years run course is a classic! After leaving the transition area competitors will turn left onto Chapletown Road. They will continue on this rather undulating road running on the left hand side pavement. After 2.3km competitors will cross the road by the pillbox and descend into Jumbles Country Park. There is a short technical descent which requires athletes to take care. Once this challenging downhill had been conquered then it’s a beautiful run along side the bank of Jumbles reservoir. This lovely trail turn into the quiet residential Grange Road. Competitors will follow this until they reach Bromley Cross railway station. Marshalls will guide competitors across the tracks leaving only the short sprint to the finishing arch within the school grounds.
Triathlon clubs are the lifeblood of our sport. They are mostly run by volunteers who give up their free time to support and encourage ordinary people to undertake extraordinary achievements.
In recognition of the fantastic work and contribution that these clubs make, one of our event sponsors Peak XV Tri Coaching are offering cash back to local clubs*
For every club member who enters the triathlon during the month of May Peak XV will refund £3 to their club. It’s that simple.
*To qualify the triathlon clubs must appear on the list of Triathlon England affiliated clubs in the North West area.
Enter the race here
We are delighted to announce that entries are now being taken for our triathlon. We are offering a limited number of early bird discounted entry costs for the solo competitors. you can enter here
The team behind the NHS Triathlon are excited to announce big changes for the 2019 race. Whilst we can’t give too much away at this stage, we can tell you that after every race we collect feedback from competitors to inform and improve the race for the following year.
So for 2019 we have taken all the bits that competitors love including the relaxed atmosphere, fantastic friendly volunteers, sociable start time, great finishing area, and a quality medal and will be running the event from a totally new venue with great parking and a single large transition area.
We listened to the feedback regarding both the bike and run routes and we will be returning to the original distances. The swim will remain a pool based 400m, the new 20k bike course will be on quiet country roads with a few hills to keep things interesting. The new 5k run course that we are planning will be partly off road taking in some of the glorious scenery that the area has to offer!
We are working closely with our partners and will be in a position to confirm the date of the event over the next few days and entries will open in November!
These can be found at https://www.nhstriathlon.co.uk/the-event/results/kids-swimrun-results/
Thanks for everyone who made today a great success. Results for the children’s swim run will be posted tomorrow. Provisional results for the other events can be found here.
This year we are delighted to welcome some new sponsors for our event. Please take a few minutes to read about what each company offers on our sponsor page found here
There will be two opportunities to register for the adult events this years as follows:
Friday 5.30pm-7.00pm
Saturday from 12.30pm
Both will take place in the reception area of Horwich Leisure Centre.
In order to make race day a little less hectic we would encourage you to try and register on the Friday evening. If you are a team only one person needs to register the team. On the Friday we will have race crew around to answer any questions that you may have.
Full race day brief will be emailed to everyone early next week including details of start times.
New for the 2018 Horwich Festival of Racing is the inclusion of a children’s Swim Run, supported by Ramsbottom running club.
The swim will take place at Horwich Leisure centre on Saturday June 16th and is open to all children aged between eight and fourteen.
The race features:
Entry forms can be downloaded here
Online entry is available here
