Hunstanton Triathlon a Great Success

King’s Lynn Triathlon Club held their annual Hunstanton event, now in its fifth year, on Sunday, 19th May.

Anyone visiting the seaside town for the day, may have been somewhat surprised by the sight of athletes all attempting to achieve personal bests as they raced around the streets of Hunstanton.

Mainly targeting athletes new to Triathlon, the event attracted over 130 entrants, and involved a 200m pool swim at Hunstanton’s Alive Oasis, a looped 18k cycle around the town centre and 3.5k run along the cliff tops, finishing on the green. Triathlon has moved with the times technologically with racers all chip-timed. Edward Murray won the Male Junior Open, whilst Teigan Moore won the Female Junior title. The Female Open was won by King’s Lynn TC’s Abbie Dickens (54 minutes and 9 seconds) and the Male Open by Chris Searle (49.41). Hunstanton Mayor, Cllr Michael Ruston, was on hand to present the medals. He said, “it takes a colossal effort to organise and participate, so well done to everyone”.

Female Open was won by King’s Lynn TC’s Abbie Dickens (54 minutes and 9 seconds)

Whilst Triathlon is a relatively new Olympic sport compared to more traditional field events such as the discus, shot putt and javelin, it has grown in popularity in recent years, debuting at the Sydney Olympics in 2000. The endurance multi-sport race was developed in Southern California in the 1970’s, although variations of the sport can be traced back to early 20th Century France called quite simply, ‘Les Trois Sport’. More recently, the performances of multi Olympic medallists, Yorkshire brothers Alistair and Jonny Brownlee, in particular, have galvanised the sport in the UK.

Race Director, Chris Playford, said, “it really is a great event in a lovely location. Whilst we do pitch it towards novices, it is also a challenge for the seasoned triathlete and I was pleased with the overall turn out. Thank you to all the team and we look forward to seeing you again next year”. A donation was also made to the RNLI from fundraising on the day.

With a number of races and events planned throughout the year, the club - who celebrated their Decennial year in 2023 - are inviting anyone interested in taking up triathlon or entering next year’s Hunstanton event to visit their website at www.kltri.co.uk . 2025 applications will be accepted from January.

All images credit - Chris Drewery Photography