THE cold and blustery winds of North Wales, did not deter seven senior members of Bolton Metro Tri club taking part in the last event of the club calender.

The venue was Lake Bala, for an Olympic distance triathlon (15 kilometer swim, 40 km cycle ride and 10 km run.

Wet suits were compulsory for the swim, as the water temperature was only 11 degrees centigrade. Cold water was not the only hazard that day, as the strong wind caused many competitors to drift off course during the swim. Additionally, The first half of the cycle race was into a strong headwind. Of the 557 competitors starting the race, 21 did not complete the event.

First man to home was Mark Russel in an overall time of 2hr 10 min, placing him in 21st position. Second in this category was Andy Stephenson (2hr 19min). Mick Murrey put in a sterling performance and was the first Male Veteran home in a time of 2hr 14min. Followed by Dave Morgan (2hr 22min), Paul Hayes (2hr 29min) and Trevor Mayren (2 hr 31min). Eileen Sharman completed her first race at this distance in a time of 3hr 41min.

Irlam was the venue for the last race of the childrens section of club. This was the Salford childrens triathlon. Melissa Bury and

Nathan Bradwell completed their first race for the club in the Novice event (33 metre swim, 1000 metre cycle and 600 metre run).

Catherine Jones put in a solid performance to take first place in the girls Tristar 1 event (165m swim, 2000m cycle and 1200m run), Ella Carter finished 4th and Hannah Cooper 12th. Peter John Templeton finished 6th in the boys Tristar 1 race. Alex Hodkinson took 3rd place and Ian Cooper finished 6th in the boys Tristar 2 event (swim 200m, cycle 4000m and run 1800m.

Bolton Metro Tri meet every Saturday at 16:00 at Farnworth Baths. All ages and abilities are welcome. Further information available from www.boltonmetrotriclub.com