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Graham does it again.

Is there no end to Graham’s talent?

Graham has to be one of the most modest athletes I have ever met. He is not just super quick, but he generally keeps his achievements relatively quiet. He has just let us know that he has been selected to represent his nation once more, but this time at the MBNA Chester Marathon in October 2017.

I was about to say that ‘I don’t know how he does it’ but actually, that is pretty much a lie… it is lots and lots of hard work and dedication.

Graham, you are a top man. Well done sir.

January 2017 Update

We’re well in to the new year.

Things have started to hot up in the club already. Despite the cold temperatures, there is a buzz around the club as people get more involved in their training plan (possibly after realising that 2017 is now no longer next year!)

The Winter training schedule is working really well and the feedback has been great. The Sunday XC sessions with Andy have gained high praise Michelle’s running sessions on Thursday evenings are fab and the Saturday swim sessions are proving to be very popular. The Saturday session is brilliant, worth going to get more water time; something we have been desperately short of over recent years. Make sure you get the most out of the remaining Winter training sessions, it’s not too late to start getting benefit from some extra training in.

This is a great position to be in; we have a dedicated team of coaches and in a few weeks’ time we will be planning the transition to Spring and Summer training. For those of you who are new to the club, this will mean a move away from the likes of Tri-fit and Turbo, to open water swimming, bike rides, brick sessions and sometimes fitness or stretching in the park. It is always a massively positive time of the year, so make the most of it.

In addition to this we will start to see the first events of the year gaining momentum. Why not kick off your Triathlon year with a Duathlon, road or XC, or enter a trail run to challenge yourself but with some added fun. Variety is a good thing. Personally I can’t wait to see the posts of Facebook or emails telling of adventures and races conquered.

And if you want to go out training for a run, swim or bike, whatever it is, then throw it out to the club, you may well find that others will venture out with you, as Andy says, “Why suffer alone”… 2 or 3 hours on a bike will pass far quicker when you are with others.

Whatever your aims are for this year, talk about them, be excited about them, don’t be afraid of talking about what your plans are, you’ll get lots of advice, some will suit you, some wont, but you will undoubtedly get support from others. We say it all the time, ‘this is a great club’, make the most of it.

Don’t forget that we are also planning the following for this year:

Tour of Cambridgeshire Team Chrono – trials to be held in April / May
Bike skills and maintenance
Fritton Tri Festival – ETC will be sending a load of people, and having a BBQ and beers, some will be racing, others marshalling. Come and join in.
Park Runs – Bike to Milton and do the Park Run then bike back… bound to happen at some point
August family swims at Kings on Wednesday evenings (TBC)
Feed Station duty at the Outlaw Holkham Half (TBC)
Support village at the Grafman Half

We’re a very active club, if you think we should consider something, tell us… and don’t forget to do your bit of marshalling, it makes the events happen and is a usually good laugh.

Don’t stand on the edge of the club looking in… Be part of it.

ETC Whitewash in Festive Fun

The Ely Festive 5k, is all about raising funds for the Arthur Rank Hospice Charity.. it’s not competitive… well, maybe just a little bit.

It is Santa Suits, Hats and Reindeer costumes… and competitive triathletes. What a great turn out from the club and what a great set of results. Lots of Personal Bests and lots of placings… 1st and 2nd place males, 1st and 3rd place females and 1st place team. Not forgetting best finishing pose in a reindeer suit. An incredible club with an incredible set of results… you only have to look through the results tables to see how much our members have improved over the season. Well done to all of you.

Here are our results

1	18:31	Ben Morris
2	18:37	Paul Waggitt
6	20:07	Graham Chapman
7	20:11	Adam Gould
15	21:44	Richard Kay
22	22:32	Kevin Chalmers
28	22:45	Lara Edwards
38	23:56	Nadia Baker
47	24:50:00	Ross Bailey
74	26:19:00	Simon Thompson
106	27:36:00	Louise Barker
125	28:18:00	Silvia Ferdin
149	29:17:00	Kate Faulkner
157	29:49:00	Thea Brown
179	30:37:00	Lee-Anne Bower
217	32:05:00	Michelle Chalmers
263	34:02:00	Steve Ross
315	36:03:00	Sam Kay
396	39:25:00	Rebecca Ross

Well done to everyone for great performances and a great turn out… and an especially big thank you to Ben and Ross for organising it.

Full results can be found here

Awards Night 2016

Last night saw the annual ETC Awards Night at the Almonry in Ely. It was a wonderful evening spent with friends, celebrating the accomplishments of fellow members. Not everyone could make it in person and there are some people who need to come forward to collect their awards… Without further ado, here are your award winners for 2016.

Most Improved Swimmer – Female

SAM KAY – Sam has made massive progress over the last 12 months, with strong improvements across the board. Never one to declare how much she has progressed, the decision was clear about this quietly determined young lady.

Most Improved Swimmer – Male

GAVIN ROSS – Another person who has been quietly going about their business at both the Tuesday sessions and Mepal too. A really nice guy and who has made some fantastic gains.

Most Improved Cyclist – Female

LILI BROWN – Once a Tri-Widow, now an award winner herself. Progressing from borrowed bikes to her own bike and clipless pedals… A thoroughly lovely person and very popular.

Most Improved Cyclist – Male

RICHARD KAY – Richard has had an incredible year, and was a contender in a number of categories. A great guy who has made enormous gains.

Most Improved Runner – Female

ANNA BOTTOMLEY – A relatively new face to the club and someone who is always smiling. Great and very noticeable developments in her running since she joined. A fantastic effort.

Most Improved Runner – Male

BEN MORRIS – Someone who seems to just love running, and then running some more. Also very strong on the bike, but his distances and performances have increased over the last 12 months.

Catch of the Year

MIKE VDM – A fun award that was given for helping Sandie out when she found herself unable to unclip her shoes on a recent ride. Mike jumped off his bike, ran past Sandie, dumped his bike in a hedge and caught Sandie and her bike… Top effort, top chap.

Statistician/ Beancounter/ Treasurer of the Year

ROSS BAILEY – Awarded to Ross for his great impact on the club and the understanding of the club finances. This has allowed us to plan for investment back in to the club ensuring that we give back as much as we can to our members.

GB Bursaries Awards

This year saw three members of the club represent ETC in racing for Team GB… What an amazing accomplishment, this is something we feel should be shouted about. Well done to all of you. Amazing efforts.

KYLE ARMSTRONG

MIKE VDM

GRAHAM CHAPMAN

Most Improved Triathlete – Female

THEA BROWN – Thea stood out as having made massive gains over the last year across all three disciplines. Someone who vowed never to be seen on a bike, is now pushing herself on all three elements. Hats off to you Thea, you thoroughly deserve it.

Most Improved Triathlete – Male

CHRIS FULFORD – A very tough decision this year. Not only developed in performance, but a lovely guy whose physique had changed dramatically over the last 6 months. Somehow his achievements seemed to be kept quiet but when someone clocks 10h 48m for a full distance race, you take notice very quickly… A very worthy winner.

Triathlete of the Year – Female

SANDIE JARDINE – A woman who shows incredible resilience, drive, determination and pig-headed stubbornness and completely refuses to quit. What a truly inspiring woman and the first to win back the shield.

Triathlete of the Year – Male

ADAM WELLS – What a year this man has had? Age Group wins in all bar two of his races, he has proven himself to be an incredible athlete and an utterly deserving winner.

Emmerson Cup

GRAHAM CHAPMAN – Not only has Graham had a mass of Age Group wins, again in all bar two of his races, he has also represented GB. In addition to this, Graham was elected to be Team GB Captain, which is just a phenomenal achievement and is something we are all extremely proud of. He is a magnificent ambassador for the club and a very much loved and respected member, we are proud to have him in our midst.

A fantastic evening, celebrating some wonderful winners… I have said it before and I say it again, we have a really great club. Well done everyone, whatever your goals were for 2016! Now go and book 2017!

ETC Positivity Series 4 – Richard Kay

2014/15

Back in the summer of 2014, I hadn’t even heard of the sport of triathlon, so if you had said that two years later I would be taking part in not one, but three middle distance triathlons – I would have laughed at you! My triathlon journey started with Mike VDM sending a report of our company’s team entry into the Monster Feltwell sprint race around via email. It was an immense document and caused the email servers to struggle – so I thought it must be worth the effort to look at it! I found the idea of performing three disciplines straight after each other interesting, and decided to find out what is was all about. I have played Squash since I was 11, and Hockey on and off since 15 and was ready to take on some different sports, so why not three at once!

I turned up at the pool in late October 2014, and was warmly welcomed by Kevin and Lou, and they suggested I joined lane 4, as I hadn’t swum properly since leaving school. I was exhausted after only 4 lengths – so I realised then that I had some way to go in getting my fitness levels up to scratch. Luckily Lou said that I had a good swim technique, so I was glad I wouldn’t have to unlearn anything.

I then realised I had to get road bike, so I popped to Halfords and got an entry level road bike, just in case I didn’t enjoy it… I came along to one of Pete Vasey’s club rides on a cold Saturday morning in early December, and Pete, Doug and I headed off on a 44km cycle around the fens. This led me to realise that only wearing trainers and socks in 4 ⁰C temperatures was not a good idea. I did however get my first experience of drafting on the road back into Sutton from Earith, which was an amazing feeling.

I signed up for the Newmarket sprint triathlon in May 2015, with the target of completing it in 1 hr 15 minutes, which I missed by three seconds. My first Tri was a real eye opener, and I was amazed at not only how much fun it was, but how the crowds of people were all cheering everyone on. The atmosphere of the event was like nothing I have come across in my previous sports, and I realised I was hooked! I signed up for the Ely sprint when I got home and I even managed to convince Sam into joining the club.

I finished my first year with the North Norfolk Triathlon in Wells Next-the-Sea, along with Alan Brown, Andy Wallis and Leigh Marshall. It was a nice hot day, and I realised during the run that I had not timed my efforts correctly and blew up whilst running ~3 km on the sand. In fact, William (my then 3.5 year old son) actually overtook me when he spotted me on the beach… However, I loved the longer distance, and competing with friendly faces, and decided to do more of these the following year.

2016

The theme of my second season started when Mike VDM spotted me in the corridor at work, and mentioned that the entries for the Staffordshire Half Ironman was opening later that morning. I made an impulse decision to sign up, and then realised I had a mountain of training to do. I also realised my Halfords bike would need to be replaced with a faster steed. I attended a number of Sam Hatch’s Saturday morning rides over the winter, and was very grateful to Sam’s regulars – Jon Hunt, Doug Wylie, Ross Bailey and Carl Ward for putting up with my slower pace, and the numerous mechanicals I had on my second-hand TT bike. Thanks also to Kyle Armstrong for sorting it out for me!

Race 1. Monster Mojo.

This race was my first foray into the longer distance race. The swim was warm (a pleasant change from the 9ºC swim at Mepal the week before!), the bike was fast(ish), however the run was a disaster. It was so hot that day (one of the hottest days of the year) and I realised afterwards that I had also fuelled incorrectly on the bike. I had a target time of sub 6 hrs, and only just achieved this thanks to getting cheered on by Ely Tri Club members around both the bike and run course, which really lifted my spirit and was a great help.

Race 2. Ironman Staffordshire 70.3

Taking on board what I learnt from the Monster Mojo, I was far better prepared for this race. The swim was a pleasant surprise – a rolling start after swimmers were self-sorted, which removed that mass start mayhem. The bike and run went well – with the run only 5 mins slower than my half marathon PB. I managed a time of 5 hr 54 minutes, which I was stoked at. Staffordshire was meant to be my last middle distance, but Mike convinced me to enter the Outlaw Holkham half, as it was only 4 weeks after the Staffs event. Knowing that I wouldn’t need to do much more training I decided to sign up.

Race 3. Outlaw Holkham Half

Simply put, this race was awesome – well organised, a stunning setting, and lots of Ely members taking part. The swim in the lake went well, and I finished 11^th in my age group, the bike wasn’t as fast as I had hoped – mainly due to a mechanical which set me back 4 minutes, and I was also holding back energy for the run. The run was brutal – having visited Holkham lots in the past, I knew the route was going to be hilly. However, it felt like the race was always uphill! I came in at 6 hours 4 minutes, which I was happy with. It was great to compete in the first Outlaw Holkham half, have my family cheering me on during the run and great to see ETC members topping a number of age group podiums.

Race 4. Monster Standard Olympic

The final race of the season was in Ely – and I had an extra challenge as I was racing against my family in a relay race (Sam, my Dad and his girlfriend Maire). Calculating possible split times, I reckoned I had to gain significant time (10 mins) prior to the run, as Maire is a far faster runner than me. I set myself a sub 3 hr time and was chuffed that I came in at 2 hours 59 minutes and 52 seconds, and was also 8 minutes in front of Maire.

My second season would never have been so successful if it wasn’t for the help of lots of club members, through tips, hints and encouragement. My fitness level has increased significantly over the years, and my health has improved significantly as well (I have lost nearly three stone). I am really grateful to Mike for pushing me to compete in the long distance triathlons, and even more so to Sam and the kids for putting up with the associated training. Next year will definitely be only the shorter distances – I promise Sam…..

Club Relays 2016

13 teams of 3, everyone mixed in together, near ideal conditions and a healthy dose of competition. What a fantastic day!

It certainly seemed like everyone had a great day, so much cheering and encouragement, it was a great atmosphere and the largest turn out yet.

If I had to choose from the highlights, and there were so many, I think it would have to be the following:

The carefully deliberated over and strategic placement of bikes in ‘transition’
The roar of cheers at the start
The cheers as everyone passed the run lap
Kev’s photo bomb of Amy
James being flatly refused a discussion about another bike 🙂
The 2016 club photo and awards
Graham’s kick at the finish to ensure Andy wasn’t getting past

It was great to see everyone pushing and driving to do their best. Hats off to every single person who raced. It was great and I look forward to next year.

Photos can be found here https://1drv.ms/f/s!AoBdVJVrMbKigZtqm0vm3MfER4lfiA

The team winners were as follows:

Winners: Martin , Amy , Alex

Second: Ross , Laura , Ben

Third: Neil , Anna , Graham

The individual winners were:

Fastest Male: Andy Sole

Fastest Female: Amy Sole

Best trophy collector: Wilfred Sole

Well done to all.

Pete

Club Relays Information – Sunday 18th September 2016

Club Relays

This weekend (Sunday 18^th September) sees the annual Club Relays which are to be held at Blackdyke Trout Fisheries in Feltwell, nr. Thetford. This event really is an important event in the club calendar, why? Simple, it is an end of season get together where everybody, no matter how good or how fast, gets to take part in a fun, super sprint race, in teams with others from the club. Even if you are not racing, you should consider coming along.

We pride ourselves on being a friendly, inclusive and competitive club. In this race, seasoned athletes will compete alongside complete newcomers. This is all about being part of the club, supporting each other, encouraging each other, championing achievements and having a good laugh at the same time.

Inevitably members will be pushing themselves hard on the day, but they will be cheering on their team mates equally as hard!

This year we have 13 teams of 3, which is a fantastic turn out. I hope that we will see many more family and friends coming along on the day to cheers and eat cake.

There will be teas and coffees, bacon butties/ sausage baps etc. and cake on sale and the weather is looking great.

The swim will be approximately 250m in a nice warm lake, looking like wetsuit optional…. The bike lap is a single 10.5km loop and the run is twice round the lake. There will be a briefing beforehand to make sure everyone is clear.

There is unlikely to be carpet this year between transition and the mount line, so wear your shoes. Transition is the grassy area by the car park, the same as it is with the Monster Racing Sprint and there is no racking, just fencing. It is all low key and very informal.

We will be timing it, but the main driver for the day is competitive fun… with fun being the operative word.

Attached is a link to Feltwell. https://goo.gl/maps/c8h1aseZYZn

See you all there.