Triathlon Ireland Athletes in Action in Prestwold

Over the 20th -21st of April Triathlon Ireland athletes Darragh Lazenby, Nessa Mangan, Jude Williams, Darragh Reynolds, Ryan Lundy, Luke McCarron, Ralf Bodamer and Jack Kennedy took part in the British Triathlon Performance assessment in Prestwold, UK.

The Performance Assessment Weekend is the first event in the British Triathlon Youth & Junior Super Series. Attendance at this weekend is mandatory for all athletes aiming to compete in the British Triathlon Super Series, which is a key element of the British Triathlon performance pathway. The annual Super Series pits high-performing athletes from across the country against each other in highly competitive races at locations around the UK.

The assessments kicked off on Saturday, 20th, at the University of Nottingham, featuring a 400m swim time-trial for youth athletes and an 800m trial for Junior and Senior athletes. Following this, a combined, timed bike-run event took place on Sunday, 21st, at Prestwold Hall Circuit. Youth athletes completed a 10km bike and 3km run, while juniors and seniors raced over 20km on the bike and a 5km run. The bike-run is a pursuit start based on the athletes swim times from the previous day and is draft legal.This style of racing exposes athletes to a dynamic and exciting format which provides them the opportunity to develop their racing craft as they aspire to compete on the international stage.

In the senior open race, Ralf Bodamer showcased his prowess with an impressive swim time of 8:55 for the 800m short course, securing a top 10 swim time. Luke McCarron also delivered a standout performance, posting the sixth fastest run split in 15:43.

Exposure to racing of this level is a key step within the athlete development pathway and one that will aid the development of the Triathlon Ireland performance pathway. Triathlon Ireland encourages athletes and parents to support the Super series as we believe that it is a great additional series of racing that exposes young developing athletes to new experiences, challenges and an elevated level of competition.

The Super series principles align with Triathlon Ireland’s vision and core values on talent development and coaching practice, which focuses on developing more than just swim, bike and run. We aim to create a psychologically safe environment that fosters personal growth. We want to create independent learners and problem solvers, athletes who are capable of consistently making the right decisions at the right time no matter the level of expectation.

RESULTS

Name	Category	Category position	Overall position
Darragh Lazenby	Youth A	41	75
Nessa Mangan	Youth B	17	39
Jude Williams	Youth B	27	60
Darragh Reynolds	Youth B	34	74
Ryan Lundy	Junior	37

Luke McCarron	Senior Open	8
Ralf Bodamer	Senior Open	18
Jack Kennedy	Senior Open	23

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