Well that was a wet month! However it didn’t stop our members getting out there for all sorts of training and events with some superb results and medals to take home. As we edge closer to the start of Triathlon Race Season expect things to get even busier!
Coached Running & Swimming
Tuesday evening run sessions were on as usual and this month saw our “Coaches in Training” take a hills session (Jon M) and a tough efforts session (Tricky) as part of their Foundation Coach course. Attendance has again been great and we’re looking to potentially continue the Tuesday run session into the spring and beyond, if there is demand for it. We’ll soon be asking in the WhatsApp group for feedback if members would attend if continued so keep a look out for that.
Our Monday and Wednesday night swims are getting busier which is great to see and this month also saw Jon M and Tricky take sessions for their Foundation Coach courses with great feedback from club coach Charlie B and those attending the sessions. Our coached swimming represents incredible value for money when for just £5/session you get an hours coached session in a privately hired pool, and if you’re a member who’s never tried a session then come along for a free taster and see what you’re missing!
Racing
We’ve had several races this month and a right mix of events they’ve been with Aquathons, Dualthons, Half Marathons, 20 Milers and a Gravel Sportive thrown in for good measure!
Cambridge Half – Ruichao Z (Ray)
Ray has been focusing on training for the London Marathon later in April and started March with a solid performance at Cambridge Half Marathon breezing it in with an impressive 1:35:27.
Chilly Duathlon – Martin C / Tricky
DB Max always put on great events and the Chilly Duathlon at Castle Combe Circuit is no exception, and it’s rightfully called “Chilly”! Consisting of a 5k run, a 21k ride and finishing off with a 3k run this event is a little unusual in that its draft legal, something we rarely get to do as Triathletes. Both Martin C and Tricky had a cracking morning on the race circuit with Tricky coming in at 1:04:21 and Martin in at 1:11:06.
Tewkesbury Aquathon – Multiple Members!
This month saw the 2nd in the Tewkesbury Aquathon series and once again it was well attended and supported by TTG. We had 9 members representing at this event, including a flying visit from Katie W (ex. Club Chair), run on the same course as last time due to the continuing rain! Whilst multiple laps aren’t everyone’s favourite it does mean supporters can shout and cheers non-stop and as usual TTG were out in force.
Another cracking set of results with Ryan G finishing 5th overall (4th Open) and Louise M 10th overall (2nd Female). Full results as follows:
27:06 – Ryan G
30.05 – Louise M
33.02 – Katie W
33.17 – Adey C
36.03 – Gary B
38.16 – Katie T
38.57 – Lee P
43.55 – James B
52.32 – Ruth H
Next event in the series is 14th April and still time to enter here if you fancy it!
Fission 20 – Katie K / Dave H / James B
With a few members racing at various Marathons later in April they took advantage of earning a medal for one of their long runs, by way of the Rouge Runs Fission 20 miler based out of Berkeley Power Station. Essentially a 2 lap course on gently undulating road it’s a great test of how training is going and nail down race hydration and nutrition.
On what was perfect race day weather Katie K finished in 3:50:39 whilst Dave H crossed the line in 3:21:53 and on being asked “Are you injured?” his reply is now legendary “No, I’ve just run 20 miles!” You can enjoy a full in depth Race Report by Dave here.
Continuing his epic training journey, James B smashed out a fist full of PB’s on the first half of the race, but sadly this wasn’t the plan and resulted in a DNF. Never ideal but still some great training.
Cotswold Cross Gravel Sportive – Chris B / Jon M
This year Chris B has entered The ROC Trilogy of triathlons, one of which includes a gravel bike section so it seems only fitting to try out a gravel event and this one being so local it seemed rude not to. Whilst not technically a race, they made sure of that by stopping for a “glass of apple juice” half way before taking a slightly shorter route than the full 75km and rolling across the finish line in just over 6:30 for the 66km covered. Looked like massive fun though, well recommended!
Gloucester Half Marathon & 10K – Yvonne F / Adey C / Katie K / Ruichao Z (Ray) / Jason K
Easter Sunday saw a few members up extra early (thanks to the clocks going forward!) and take part in the Gloucester Half Marathon & 10k. Thankfully the rain kept away and with a twisty course over multiple surfaces (road, cobbles, gravel etc.) everyone hit their targeted times spot on with Jason K completing the 10k in 53:26 whilst Adey C paced it perfectly for sub 2 finishing in 1:58:54 with Katie K coming in at 2:13:10 and Yvonne F finishing strong with a 2:19:48. Meanwhile, with Ray still focusing on the London Marathon, he added a few “detours” on the run to bump the mileage up to just over 17 and finished in 2:27:30.
Training runs / parkrun
As ever there’s been a strong TTG presence at various parkruns locally and around the country enjoying a variety of weather and terrain. These are usually posted in the Members WhatsApp group a day or so before so keep an eye out if you fancy coming along.
After one of the Gloucester North parkrun events we had a social gathering at Bake & Brew around the corner, we love any opportunity for cake! While most of us had only done 5k, Dave H was eagerly replacing calories burnt off on his 19 mile training run, well deserved that’s for sure.
The weekend is also a time for most training/long runs and here are a selection of pics from our members with some remarkably different weather on show!
Cycling
With a ridiculously wet month we’ve still not seen that much outdoor cycling but hopefully as the weather starts to pickup we’ll get some bigger groups out and about. That said, a few people still ventured out here and there and some even got back on the MTB trails.
AGM & Renewals
We had the clubs AGM at the tail end of March with a decent turnout of members making for a great evening. The detailed minutes will soon be sent out to all members but overall the club is looking in great shape with an influx of new members over the winter months. Thanks go out to all our members for helping make the club what it is, and to the committee members for putting the work in to keep moving the club forward.
Join the Committee
We currently have a few vacant roles on the committee and are keen to hear from anyone who might be interested in getting a little more involved. We all do this for the love of the club and its members so don’t be shy, drop Club Chair, Secretary or any of the current committee members a message if you’re interested or even just a bit intrigued… it’s a lot less commitment than you think!
Membership Renewals
As we enter April it’s our yearly membership renewal period, reminders will be emailed out to all but if you’re reading this and want to get it done and out the way then please go to the following link to renew for 2024/25 season:
Senior 2024/25 Season – £40
until 30/04/2025
Club Race
As you are all aware from the numerous Facebook posts and WhatsApp messages, the club race is all set for the 26/05/2024 at Halo Sports Centre in Brockworth. Hannah R has been canvassing members to help with marshalling on the day so if you’ve not been contacted and are free to help, speak up and we will add you to the numbers.
Similarly, if anyone wishes to race in the event, particularly newer members, then please feel free to, however, we respectfully ask you to source a marshal/volunteer to help out on the day where possible.
