Mike Armer is one of our 5 proud Viceroys who qualified to compete at the ITU World Championships in Edmonton, Canada – he tells us how he got there

WHAT/WHEN ARE YOU RACING AT THE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS?

Mon 1 Sep – Olympic Distance

Tim Gray will be racing in the World Championships at Edmonton on Monday, 1 of 5 Viceroys to achieve this amazing accolade and 1 of 2 to be competing in the Olympic (Standard) distance.

WHAT/WHEN ARE YOU RACING AT THE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS?

I am competing over the standard or Olympic distance in Edmonton. Race day is Monday 1st September.

HOW DID YOU BECOME A GB ‘AGE GROUPER’?

I was aware of British Triathlon’s age group teams for some time but as a result of the Olympics in 2012, was inspired to do everything I could to qualify for my age group. 2013 was a bit of a wash out but I came into the 2014 season with a much better schedule of races and a determination to give it a really good go. My focus was actually over the middle (half iron) distance at the start of this season but I actually ended up qualifying at Dambuster for a shorter distance event!

HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN INVOLVED WITH / INTERESTED IN TRIATHLON?

I’ve been involved in triathlon since 2009 after stumbling onto it a Blenheim Palace over race weekend. I’d just run the London Marathon and being a keen cyclist and one time, reasonable swimmer, it immediately appealed so when my wife challenged me to enter the event the following year, I jumped in with both feet! I’ve steadily been increasing distances and improving my times since. Largely self-coached, I’ve recently joined Viceroys and have immediately benefitted from the track sessions, running a PB recently at Liverpool.

ANYTHING ELSE?

I’m 45 years old, work for Sony, married to Gill and have a dog called Hamish (important not to get these around the wrong way!)

Mike Essex, the second of 5 Viceroys competing at the ITU World Championships in Edmonton this week, tells us what it takes to compete against the best in the world:

WHAT/WHEN ARE YOU RACING AT THE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS

Sprint, 40-44, Friday 29th August

HOW DID YOU BECOME A GB ‘AGE GROUPER’?

At Christmas 2013 I decided I wanted to go for the GB team at the sprint distance and knew that I only had one shot at it (due to holidays etc) and this was the Rother Valley sprint in June. I started to ramp the training following an Achilles injury Sept – Dec 2013 and by February was able to train fully. I targeted a few sprint tris in April and May and managed to win my AG in 3 of the 4 tris I entered so knew I was on track. By Rother Valley I was in good condition and even though I had a poor swim and thought I had blown it, I had a strong bike and managed to reel a few guys in with an 18:06 5k run before nearly collapsing in the hedge at the finish! After a nervous few weeks wait, I made the team due to a roll down place with a 105% score.

HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN INVOLVED WITH / INTERESTED IN TRIATHLON?

My triathlon background? First one in 2008 and have competed in approx a further 20 or so to date. Despite getting older, my times have improved year on year so am a firm believer that PBs can be taken down with the right mental attitude.

ANYTHING ELSE?

Obviously really pleased that Mr Yeoman is in my AG as if doing well wasn’t hard enough!

Colin Hinsley, Viceroy 1 (of 5) competing at the World Championships at Edmonton, Canada this week

WHAT/WHEN ARE YOU RACING AT THE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS?

Aquathlon and Sprint Triathlon – Wed 27 (Aquathlon) and Fri 29 (Sprint)

HOW DID YOU BECOME A GB ‘AGE GROUPER’?

Naturally, my path to the world champs was tough, agonising, full of sacrifices but ultimately glorious. To be fair, and if the truth were known, it turned out to be a little easier than that – albeit nerve racking and demanding.

My preparation, was good to a point, I had booked all three qualifying races in good time and done a reasonable amount of training. Sadly, and despite being married for 15 years (n.b. the sadly refers to how long I have been married not my triathlon trepidations), I had neglected to get all dates cleared by the long haired General, which meant race 3 was off the cards (trumped by the Book club trip to Puerto Buenos – the cultural capital of??).

Back onto the facts and races….. Race 1 Nottingham Sprint – put in a belting race at Nottingham only to be busted for drafting (which was a fair call ) and then straight into the last chance saloon with only one race to go. Luckily race 2 was my favourite course at Rother Valley, fortunately where the course referees are far more lenient, idle and less observant – so managed to qualify without any infringements.

HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN INVOLVED WITH / INTERESTED IN TRIATHLON?

My triathlon background is one of chance some 6 years ago. My first triathlon was a birthday present, at the time viewed as my worst present of all time and done in a surf wetsuit, hybrid bike and no training. Since then, I have done a lot of swim lessons, got a proper bike, joined a club and become fixated on measuring fitness efforts.

ANYTHING ELSE?

I would encourage everyone to have a go at qualifying to represent their country – it is hard but is a goal that will help to take you forward (whether you qualify or not) – good luck all.

Colin

The Midnight Man is an especially eccentric race even for a triathlon: starting at six in the evening with a full distance option running right through the night and a half distance option finishing (hopefully) sometime before midnight (also a quarter distance option but we’ll disregard that as beneath us).

The whole race is set in a small industrial estate in Dartford in the shadow of the QE2 Bridge: the swim is two or four laps of a small lake, the bike is ten or twenty laps of an “H” shaped loop incorporating several kilometres on one side of a dual carriageway which is closed to traffic and the run is four or eight laps of a course that mostly resembles a dropped piece of string in complexity. All in all a somewhat strange but pleasantly low-key race with a good atmosphere and very little BS. I did the half distance race in 2012 when it was the hottest weekend of the year and had a reasonable race until I crashed and burned halfway around the run. Last year I was signed up for the full but didn’t make it because someone drove a crane onto a concrete lane divider on the M25 and wedged the whole thing: despite leaving Hersham at 2:30 for a 6PM start I was still 25 miles away when the race started, meaning that I got to miss the 5 hours of torrential rain that everyone “enjoyed” that evening. This year I signed for the half distance at rather short notice: having been ill for three months and only starting training again early in July I was getting back into fitness and wanted to see how I was getting on, and what better way to test your fitness than with a half ironman? Continue reading →

Viceroy Tegwynne Goldthorpe tackles the Monster Middle at Ely 17^th August –  ‘A fantastic day and to be highly recommended.’

‘This was my  first triathlon which I set out on  a couple of years ago when I took swimming lessons to learn the front crawl. It was to also prove that being 50 this year wasn’t old and I was probably fitter then at 25. I was very nervous as only 250 entries for the middle distance and most are male and look like Mark- incredibly toned/ athletic. I am extremely proud of myself with 57 minute swim against a stream and one part was like being in a washing machine.

Cycle 3hrs 26 –  an incredibly windy cycle –  it might have been flat but hills would have been preferable to the head wind, quite lonely over the two laps the competition very spread out. The run was a  2hrs 4mins hilly course as it does 5 laps of the town and of course Ely Cathedral is at the top!  So much support on the run, and collecting bands each lap helped a prize in itself. I ran through the finish with the biggest smile,  it was a definitely a day to remember. I would like to Thank the Viceroys for helping me I joined quite recently so I would make sure I went out every week on the cycle rides, I would particularly like to thank Theo for his patience with newbies, always a friendly group  to go out with. I would encourage anyone like me who exercises to keep sane, but is not necessarily a natural to have a go.’

New(ish) Viceroy Chris Williams is an IT contractor based in Walton, ‘but working here, there and everywhere, and training when time permits. 

As a youth I swam for Northumberland and enjoyed cross country running but then discovered girls, beer and cigarettes and spent the next 18 years abusing my body.  A few years ago the imminent arrival of a family spurred me into action and I took up running again completing a number of half marathons (my best being 1hr40 in Brighton). A persistent minor knee injury (self inflicted) stopped me running for a few months and so I bought a bike and discovered a love of cycling which is now my main hobby, and form of transport.  I’ve completed a few sprint Triathlons and after a hiatus of three years I’ve entered another at the end of September.  I harbour a secret desire to complete and IM distance event one day, but I don’t tell anyone that.  With the family getting older, I may even find the time to achieve it one day.’

Welcome to Viceroys Chris.

In a runaway success for the Marketing department of UK Triathlon the seemingly ironically named “Ultimate” and “Ultimate Half” (surely an oxymoron) triathlons took place at the delightfully countrified surroundings of Dearnford Lake, Whitchurch in Shropshire.

Andy Hedges and Ian Talbot both representing the Pink n’ Black Viceroy brigade slipped into the beautifully clear water at an abnormally sociable time of 9am noting with glee that the organisers had taken their floating combine harvester to the recent bloom of underwater flora. This, effectively, carved a path for all the swimmers, reducing the need for sighting so regularly as you knew that a few stray strokes off course and you would be suddenly be surrounded by more weed than at a Bob Marley house party. The other slightly new (to us) twist was the Australian exit (why Australians choose to exit and then re-enter immediately is anybody’s guess) taken on twice as part of the 3 lap, 1900m swim race which gave spectators a good heads up as to how their loved ones were faring in a very well mannered outing. Well mannered that is until the lead swimmer decided to swim right over the top of half the field as he lapped them on his final time around (in a Yeoman-esque 25 minutes !). Hedges exited the water in a Flipper like 39 mins, Talbot in a more shopping trolley like 42 mins.
The bike leg was a fabulous jaunt around 2 counties – yes, we got up into the UK new money county of Cheshire for this part – all on open roads which, in the main were very well maintained and relatively traffic free meaning that the bone jarring memories of Marlow and Henley were banished and the pedal could be well and truly put to the metal.
Fuelled by rice-balls with blueberries and golden syrup (recipe available on request) , Andy posted a 2hr 56 time for the 2 lap, hillier than advertised 90k course. Ian took a more leisurely (ahem) approach clocking a somewhat pedestrian 3 hr 19 amid protests that it also took into account toilet breaks, feed stations (mmm – Jaffa cakes) and family photo opportunities at the half way turnaround point not to mention finding time to note a particularly gory triumvirate of local roadkill on the way (squashed rat, partial fox and sunbathing badger for any avid Countryfilers among you).
It was at the end of the bike leg where the 2 Viceroys days went in vastly opposing directions – Andy entering his strongest leg of the 3 and Ian his weakest; the pair even crossing paths as Andy re-entered the Lake surrounds at the end of his first lap of 2 just as Ian was heading out of it onto the roads. Andy, comfortable on the part road, part grass but pretty flat run course proceeded to meander his way round in 1 hour 50 for the half marathon distance whereas Ian’s wheels had punctured, buckled and his time was more likely to be measured with a calendar than a stopwatch. Minor miracles do happen though and a banana/salted crisp/jelly baby combo gave a little spring to the middle portion of the race where the Talbot shuffle threatened to break into a slow jog, Ultimately resulting in a fairly geological 2 hours 19.

Andy was very pleased to cross the line in 5hrs 30mins 50seconds with no mechanical/food/hydration issues.
Ian was extremely pleased to cross the line just ahead of Rugby World Cup winner Josh Lewsey, in 6 hrs 27 mins, 16 seconds

All in all, a really well organised, well marshalled, mixed ability event – we’d both thoroughly recommend it for anyone fancying a day out oop north next year for a 70.3. Full Iron distance also an option if you’re wanting to go long.

As raced and reported by Ian Talbot