By Andy Davis

FOLLOWING on from last year’s endeavours at the European Age Group Championships, this October saw M&K Tri Club’s Helen Newton compete at the World Age Group Triathlon Championships in Torremolinos, Malaga.

Joining her on the south coast of Spain were fellow club members and locals to Bude – Zack Davis and Richard ‘Larry’ Newton, who had also qualified for Team GB. All three competed on October 17 and were in the sprint section which consists of a 750-metre swim, 20km bike ride and 5km run.

First up was Larry (45-49 Male) who had to battle the midday sunshine and over 100 others.

It turned into a bit of battle as the washing machine effect of flailing arms and legs was in full flow during the swimming leg.

However Larry is always up for a fight and did well, setting him up nicely for a very solid bike leg where he maintained his pace and position throughout.

The run along the promenade saw him dig deep into his reserves right until the finish to surpass his own pre-race goals as he finished 41st in a time of one hour, 18 minutes and eight seconds.

Helen got underway in the afternoon in the 45-49 age group against a more manageable number of athletes, which meant a calmer start to her sea swim where she steadily navigated her way around the course and into the first transition in the mid-pack.

A smart bike along the tight town course saw her hold her own against those around her as she held place and position nicely.

A push on the run saw Helen successfully chase down those around her as she managed to make good progress and climb the leaderboard to finish strongly in 23rd place with a time of 1:27:26. She was the eighth Brit over the line.

Last up to race was Zack in the 16-19 age category which had some real talent.

A solid swim by Zack’s standards saw him slightly behind where he would have initially liked.

But his persistent hard work in training on his weakest element – cycling – enabled him to be strong and confident on the two-lap drafting bike course.

Thriving on the close quarter racing, he teamed up with a Spanish and duo of Mexican athletes who were willing to share the workload; and as a group they worked efficiently to make up for lost time as they rapidly sped through the bike leg.

The Spaniard dropped early on the run, and although Zack battled to stay with the Mexicans, they were just as rapid on the run as they slowly got away from him.

However his hard work had paid off as he was the second Brit over the finish line and claimed 34th overall in 1:12:53.

A late call up to a mixed relay team enabled Zack to have a bonus race a couple of days later over a shorter distance of a 250-metre swim, 6km bike and 1.5km run.

This meant it was full gas from the changeover as he raced flat out on the third and penultimate leg.

He held his own throughout with a time of 23 minutes and 39 seconds helping the team to eighth.

It has been a very successful 2024 season for M&K Tri Club and the athletes would like to thank coach Jez Latham and Bude Crossfit for all his support and training over the year, which has clearly paid off.

Looking ahead to 2025, kit sponsors are being sought for new racing tri-suits.

Anyone interested can contact Andy Davis via [email protected] or 07729029561.