With country estates becoming more and more popular for UK triathlons, it was only a matter of time before multisport reached perhaps the grandest of them all – Chatsworth House in Derbyshire.
Around 500 athletes descended on the spectacular setting last weekend from as far afield as Singapore and the USA, with both standard and sprint-distance races on offer. The day started off with mist, grey clouds and drizzly rain but the skies cleared and the sun thankfully came out as athletes were crossing the finish line.
The swim took place in the river Derwent starting from the beautiful 18th century Paine’s Bridge taking swimmers out and back in front of Chatsworth House. The cycle route went up Baslow Hill to Owler Bar and back, and the race finished with a tough run around the Chatsworth Estate up to the famous Hunting Tower.
The top three men in the standard-distance race crossed the finish line within 10 seconds of each other, with Sam Village taking the lead on the cycle leg and holding on to it to take the winning title in a time of 1:53:21. Runner-up Matt Everest (Loughborough Uni Tri Club) finished in 1:53:24, ahead of Paul Hawkins (Knutsford Triathlon Club) in 1:53:31.
In the women’s field Alison Leavens (Chester Tri Club) was second out of the water but her strong performance on the bike put her in first place and secured the win in a time of 2:18:52. Caroline Higgins (University of Leeds) clocked the fastest swim and fastest run but couldn’t close the gap and finished second in 2:20:34, with Rebecca Brand (Manchester Triathlon Club) claiming third place in 2:23:21.
The sprint race saw a strong female field, with Alice Sharpe of Manchester Triathlon Club crossing the finish line in overall third position and taking the women’s title in a time of 1:16:13. Sharpe clocked the fastest swim time of the whole field (male and female) and also the fastest female run time.
Hannah Shooter (Tri Camp Mallorca Race Team) was the second fastest female and came overall sixth in 1:18:27, whilst Charlotte Wormleighton came third in 1:26:02. The men’s race was won by Gavin Stephens in 1:11:59, ahead of Steve Penney who finished in 1:12:15 and James Garner in 1:16:50.
A special prize was also awarded for the quickest male and female run time from exiting T2 up to the Hunting Tower, with Julian Lings of Team Accelerate claiming the “ASICS King of the Hill” title and Hannah Shooter of Tri Camp Mallorca Race Team “ASICS Queen of The Hill".
Standard Distance: 1000m swim, 39 km cycle, 10 km run
MEN
1) Sam Village, 1:53:21
2) Matt Everest, (Loughborough Uni Tri Club), 1:53:24
3) Paul Hawkins (Knutsford Triathlon Club), 1:53:31
WOMEN
1) Alison Leavens (Chester Tri Club), 2:18:52
2) Caroline Higgins (University of Leeds), 2:20:34
3) Rebecca Brand (Manchester Triathlon Club), 2:23:21
Sprint Distance: 750m swim, 20 km cycle, 5 km run
MEN
1) Gavin Stephens, 1:11:59
2) Steve Penney, 1:12:15
3) James Garner, 1:16:50
WOMEN
1) Alice Sharpe (Manchester Triathlon Club), 1:16:13
2) Hannah Shooter (Tri Camp Mallorca Race Team), 1:18:27
3) Charlotte Wormleighton, 1:26:02
The full results are available here.
(Images: Tim Waterworth Photography)
Were you racing at Chatsworth House last weekend? How did you get on? Let us know in the comments below!