The Macclesfield Triathlon took place last Sunday (12 August), attracting a field of over 200 triathletes of all levels. With fantastic weather conditions and a great atmosphere the event was hailed a success by competitors and spectators alike, highlighting the ever increasing popularity of the sport.
Based at the Macclesfield Leisure Centre, the event started with a 400m swim in the 8 lane heated indoor pool, followed by a beautiful 24.9 km cycle ride from the Cheshire Plains out into the edge of the Peak District and a 2 lap 7.34 km run along lanes in the Broken Cross area.
The Macclesfield Triathlon is part of the Xtra Mile Events Tri Sprint Series, and with only one event to go things are hotting up on the results table. Currently both winners of the Macclesfield Triathlon are in the lead with their eyes firmly on the series title.
The men’s race was won by Roger Witz Barnes of Manchester Tri Club in 01:11:44, continuing his unbeaten run this season and only narrowly missing out on the course record.
With the fastest swim and bike times Witz Barnes started the run with a 5 minute lead and despite only the 5th fastest run of the day he still finished over 4 minutes clear. Steve Chetcuti from Malta came second in 01:15:47 and triathlete novice Jonny Holt finished in third place in a time of 01:16:10.
Dominique Searle from City of Chester Tri Club took the women’s title with another impressive performance. Finishing 11th overall in a time of 01:20:18 Searle set a new course record, beating the previous one by over 6 minutes. Coming out of the water in third place Searle managed to take back some time on the bike and started the run in 2nd place.
Searle’s running class told as she ran clear with a run 4 minutes faster than the second placed triathlete. Sarah Rose of Manchester Tri Club took second place in 01:25:57, followed by Nic Rowley of Manchester Tri Club in 01:26:42.
Results (provisional):
Sprint Distance: 400m swim, 24.9 km cycle, 7.34 km run
MEN
1) Roger WITZ BARNES, Manchester Triathlon Club, 01:11:44
2) Steve CHETCUTI, B’Kara St. Joseph Malta, 01:15:47
3) Jonny HOLT, 01:16:10
WOMEN
1) Dominique SEARLE, City of Chester Tri Club, 01:20:18
2) Sarah ROSE, Manchester Triathlon Club, 01:25:57
3) Nic ROWLEY, Manchester Triathlon Club, 01:26:42
The full results are available on www.xtramileevents.com/results
