Turner Completes UK's First Women Only Triathlon
Monday, 26th June 2006
Saturday June 24th 2006 saw over 700 athletes compete in the UK's inaugural TIMEX WomenOnly Triathlon. Amongst the athletes that tackled one of the three distances on offer was BBC Radio 5 Live and TV presenter, Beverley Turner who completed the 400m swim, 10km bike and 5km run in a respectable 59:20, cheered on by her husband and Olympic hero James Cracknell.
A brand new event in the rapidly expanding triathlon calendar, the TIMEX WomenOnly Triathlon is the first of its kind in the UK, held at Dorney Lake, Eton, rowing venue for the 2012 Olympics. The event was launched in response to women wanting to give triathlon a go in a fun and non-intimidating environment.
For Beverley Turner, it was about having a goal to keep her motivated and train towards, and for Cracknell, who has recently completed a number of challenges including his row across the Atlantic and the London Marathon, it was about wanting to cheering his wife on from the sidelines of a venue he is more used to rowing at than supporting.
Beverley was thrilled to take part and commented, "I thoroughly enjoyed the race, its a superb venue and such a lovely course. It was fantastic to see so many women of all levels of ability here today and there was an incredible atmosphere. It's great to finally see womens sporting events taking off and I loved being part of the whole experience together with the support of my family."
Three distances were on offer to cater for all ages and abilities and over 50% of competitors were first timers to the sport. On the success of the day John Lunt, Director of Human Race, the event's organisers, commented "it is great that the event has already proved so popular in its first year and fantastic to see so many women wanting to get into triathlon."
For full race results and information on the TIMEX WomenOnly Triathlon or for details of other Human Race events visit www.humanrace.co.uk
Source: Humanrace
More info: www.humanrace.co.uk