The 6th Wilmslow Triathlon, which took place on Sunday, 13th May, proved yet again its popularity with 520 triathletes registered.
As has been tradition for the last few years the weather conditions were favourable and the event attracted lots of spectators and supporters who witnessed some great performances in the pool and on the road.
The popular sprint distance triathlon around the leafy town of Wilmslow and Cheshire is aimed at novices and experienced athletes alike, seeing beginners as well as GB athletes Paul Davies and Roger Witz Barnes amongst the competitors.
The event started with a 400m swim in the 5-lane, 25m indoor pool at Wilmslow Leisure Centre followed by a picturesque, mainly flat 23.8km cycle ride in the Cheshire countryside through Ashley and Mobberley villages and a 6.2 km run.
Roger Witz Barnes from Manchester Tri Club was the favourite to win and he made it a hat trick of wins after dominating from the start in all disciplines and delivering a fantastic performance in a time of 01:05:41, with leading times across all three disciplines. Club team mate Paul Skipper finished 2nd in 01:10:39, closely followed by Daniel Carr in 01:10:48.
After coming second for the last two years Dominique Searle from Tri UK finally claimed the well deserved women's title in 2012. Coming out of the water as the second fastest she made up time in the cycle, claiming both the fastest cycle and run times in the women's field, securing the win in a time of 01:15:49. Second place was taken by was Kate Ritchie from Manchester Triathlon Club in 01:23:03 followed by Nicola Mapes in 01:23:36.
A new run route meant that both Witz Barnes and Searle claimed inaugural course records.
Simon Hill, race organiser commented: "I'm proud that we have delivered another great race in Wilmslow, blessed with sunshine and ideal weather conditions for this triathlon. A huge thank you to everyone competing and supporting; and to all those involved in making the Wilmslow Triathlon a success, which includes the marshals from England U-19 Lacrosse, Handforth Girl Guides, Poynton Lacrosse Club, 6th Wilmslow Scouts and Alderley Edge Explorer Scouts as well as the BTF Referees and Manchester Medical Services."
The full results are available on Xtra Mile Events website.
