Birthday Boy Bags Bronze

Elliot Smales, one of the nouriSH me now sponsored athletes, travelled to Nancy, France to compete in the Nancy Duathlon 2012 World Age Group Championship on the 23^rd September. Incidentally this also coincided with his 18th Birthday. 

Elliot qualified for the event by winning his age group (17 - 19 years old) back in the 10^th March 2012 at the Dambuster duathlon at Rutland water which meant that he would represent Great Britain for the first time in his career. 

The event consisted of a 4 x 2.5km lap run (10 km), 5 x 8 km lap bike (40 km) and a 2 x 2.5km lap run (5 km).

Elliot Smales shows off his Bronze medal.

Elliot’s age group consisted of athletes who had travelled from as far away as New Zealand and South Africa to compete. The wave also consisted of the 25 – 29 year old qualifiers which meant a stiff test in the disciplines.

Elliot settled in on the run and worked hard in the second half of the 10 km run to post a time of 36:22 which meant he was in 3^rd place in his age group. 

A speedy transition meant Elliot was quick on to the wheel of the 2^nd place athlete and his biking strength helped him move up in to 2^nd position and cut the deficit to the age group leader from 2:50 to 14 seconds with a sterling bike split of 1:01:58 which proved to be by quickest time in his age group. 

Elliot ran hard on the 5 km run but his efforts on the bike had taken a toll and he slipped back from 2^nd to 3^rd chasing hard to the line to record a total time of 2:00:01 less than 52 seconds behind the winner and 25 seconds behind second place. 

Elliot’s recovery was soon aided with his NourishMenow drinks that had made the long trip with him and hit the spot straight away. Elliot was extremely pleased with his performance in the event and will be working hard on his running as well as honing his swimming and biking skills ready for next seasons triathlons.

Top-20 For Whitaker In Bouldering World Cup

Here are nouriSH me now, we sponsor all types of athletes, and that includes Katy Whitaker, one of the top British Female Climbers. 

Katy started climbing at an early age and her hard work and determination has paid off with her being called up to the British Bouldering Team. 

Last week Katy took to Munich, Germany for the Bouldering World Cup and here's what she had to say. 

"To be honest I didn’t really have any expectations of where I might come because it was my first competition of the year," said Whittaker.

"Last year I came 16th in two rounds but I still didn’t know if I could match this result. I'd been training really hard for this round and I was psyched to compete."

First up was the qualifiers which suited Katy's climbing style well with more technical sections rather than powerful which ensured Katy would top three out of the first five holds on the first go. Katy went into the semi-finals in 15th place.

"I managed a top 20 qualify in a field of around 50 girls, so I was pleased with the outcome."

Katy Whittaker in action in Munich, Germany in the World Bouldering Cup

"Semi-finals was the next day and I felt so tired, everything felt stiff. I tried to warm up and forget about it but it didn’t really work. I climbed, but not so well in the semis and ended up losing a few places finishing 19th." 

"I couldn’t take any nouriSH me now drinks out with me because I only had hand luggage on the flight and to be honest I think not having one of these after the qualifiers really affected my recovery for the next day."

Next up for Katy Whittaker is the 2012 Bouldering World Championships in Paris, France which gets underway on Wednesday with the qualifying heats. 

Over 500 athletes will descend on the French capital from 60 different countries with up to 15,000 spectators in what is one of the biggest climbing events ever to be organised. You can watch all of the action live here, http://www.ifsc.tv/.

If you're interested in climbing then get yourself down to the Climbing Works, Sheffield where you can sample one of the largest climbing centres in Europe and finish off with a nouriSH me now to help promote your muscle recovery.

Smales Shines In Scotland

Elliott Smales, another of our nouriSH me now sponsored athletes came away from Scotland with his head held high after a respectable 10th place finish in his age group in the British Triathlon Super Series at Strathclyde.

In a field which consisted of many top triathletes including the Australian, Brenden Sexton, who finished 35th in the London 2012 Olympics less than a month ago, the start was fast and frantic as you can expect.

Elliott came home in 26th overall with a time of 58.24 in an event which was altered slightly to a duathlon following water quality problems in the Stratclyde Loch which meant that the event would consist of a 1.3km run, 20km cycle and a 5km run to finish. Elliott was less than eight seconds shy of the time of outright winner, Richie Nicholls.

The 17-year old took a well earned nouriSH me now upon completion of the race which will keep him in top shape ready for his next outing which comes this weekend in the Bala Standard Distance Triathlon in Wales where he'll be looking to improve on his 13th place finish from last year.

Well done Elliott!

Faux Wins Age-Group In Vitoria-Gasteiz Long Distance Triathlon World Championships

Catherine Faux, one of the nouriSH me now sponsored athletes took to Spain for the Long Distance Triathlon World Championships taking the win in her age group. Here's Catherine's account on how the day unfolded. 

_________________________________________________________________

My run up to this race wasn’t ideal. It was highly inconsiderate of one of my best friends to schedule her wedding immediately before the race, but at least it forced me to be more organised than I usually would. I seem to be making a habit of rolling up at weddings with race kit in tow but happily this time didn’t have to travel with my bike (quite incompatible with dresses, but looks pretty cool I like to think).

Arriving in Spain it seemed pleasantly English (grey and drizzly – but perfect for racing) – which always works in my favour (as in South Africa) but doesn’t help to prepare me for the (almost) guaranteed furnace of Kona in October. Saturday was a regimented plan of land-transfer-register-ride-T2-T1-stuff my face in quick succession, which all went very smoothly (thankfully, since there was no real room for error). I rode the bike course for about an hour, a rolling route through small towns, past sunflower fields and over rivers. Not only does a quick leg-spin serve to check both me and Kitty (the bike) have travelled ok and not developed any new clicks or clunks, it stokes up the excitement for the following day, especially discovering the bike route was ideal for me – fast and flat-ish, non-technical, and scenic.

The pro males set off at 8:30, the females at 8:33 and then all the male age groups before we toed the start line as the first females age groupers off at 8:58. This was good for the bike leg (plenty of guys to chick) but bad for the swim (too many guys to get stuck behind). It was encouraging in the swim to spot different coloured hats – my wave had white hats, but you could identify the waves sequentially as you caught them – yellow, blue, red green.

I was told leaving the water in about 1:03 for 4km (which given I always do a bit further is not too bad…) that I was in 5^th position in my wave (all women under 30, though was 2^nd in my age group). Four to overtake. That’s doable, I thought.

It’s always a relief to get on the bike, the start of a long stretch before you have to think too hard about anything. I overtook one woman early on, and the order of the wave start with all the men first meant there were literally hundreds to chase down and gobble up. I find it difficult to identify whether I’m approaching a male or female competitor from behind – tanned, toned triathletes are surprisingly similar looking when legs are shaved and lycra is donned. Body marking on calves helped, as did first names on race numbers, but the women were nowhere to be seen. Respect to them, I thought – they must be pretty nifty on the bike since I certainly wasn’t crawling, judging by the numbers I was passing and the comparatively few who would pass me. It later occurred to me that I had spotted a few women faffing in transition, and perhaps that would explain only finding one on the road.

The miles ticked by pleasantly quickly, 120km done in 3:16, 1^st back to T2. The course was a lap and a half, starting from the lake about 20 miles from the city to T2 which was nestled in the heart of the historic and pretty city centre. Considering how much more I love cycling than running, I always get weirdly excited approaching the end of the bike leg, partly because of my bum wanting to get off a seat and partly for the change of scene, as well as being that much closer to the finish. I am continuing to notice the awesomeness and expertise that has gone into my bike set up – comments from people who know a lot about bikes, as well as the splits it allows me to do. I’m hugely appreciative of the investment and work that has gone into this.

The run was amazingly well supported, and again it is always good being female towards the front of the field since you are a bit of a novelty and inevitably get more cheers. It also helps to smile and acknowledge people. I learnt plenty of new Spanish words; “¡Animo!” (Google translate: “Take heart!/Cheer up!/Keep it up!”) and the support from Brits was brilliant too. The run had four flat laps, each around 7km. I like laps. I was suffering a little bit towards the end of the run, feeling a bit woozy as the weather heated up and the tank gradually depleted. I wasn’t even nearly making the lap splits I hoped for, but gauging my speed by those around me I seemed to be doing ok and eventually ended up with 2^nd quickest run in my age group. Part of each lap was an out-and-back so you can stare down your competition whilst smiling sweetly as if you’re not even slightly tired. It was impossible to guess which lap others were on – no wristbands or markers, and I thought for most of the run that I was plodding in 5^th place (with no idea whether this was overall, female age-groupers or within 25-29, which lead to considerable brain scramble and didn’t particular help or hinder my legs). At this point the greatest motivation is not winning (especially when I don’t think I’m in with a shot) but looking forward to the delicious point of allowing myself to stop, the inflatable finish gantry and the stadium tantalizingly close as you passed it twice on each lap.

After 2 hours and 18 minutes of running it was finally time to peel down the finish chute. Normal drill after the line: finishers’ medal on, timing chip off, copious amounts of water and watermelon in (some of the most enjoyable eating and drinking you’ll ever do), and basking in that lovely I’ve-just-finished feeling (which if I could bottle and ration myself would make me a very happy lady every day). I asked one of the race directors where I came but didn’t really believe him since for the previous 2 hours I’d been convinced I was not even in with a shot of a medal. I later discovered my time of 6:42:17 was quick enough to win my age group (and all the others) and would have pitched me again in the middle of the 18-strong female pro field, nestled between 8^th and 9^th place. Happy with that.

Thank yous to all the usual suspects – my family, friends, NouriSH me now, Huub, Bridgtown Cycles, Judith, Paul. I hope the constant thanks isn’t dulled by its frequency – my gratitude does not wane and I take nothing for granted.

Finally a quote from one of my favourite films, Chariots of Fire, which needs no explanation but that I strive (and fail, but then try again) to live by: “You can praise God by peeling a spud if you peel it to perfection. Don't compromise. Compromise is a language of the devil. Run in God's name and let the world stand back and in wonder.” I will need to remind myself of this when triathlon is required to take a back seat when I finish my current job and return to my degree (it’s definitely tougher to work hard at things which are less fun), but right now I am having the time of my life and will continue to peel my current spud as well as I can.

Cat.