Sunday 4th June, 2023
After qualifying for this event at the Woodhorn Museum Sprint Triathlon last year, it was great to finally board the plane and get to Madrid. Sadly my bike and suitcase didn’t arrive at the same time as I did but got held up in Amsterdam. Was a bit tense there for 24 hours but thankfully reunited with both case and bike in good time to race.
I stayed in the GB Team hotel which was a fabulous experience, and got to meet lots of other Age Group athletes. I also managed a spot of sightseeing as this was my first visit to the city.
Sadly the weather in Madrid, torrential downpours and thunder storms, meant that the water in the lake was not suitable to swim in so the triathlon turned into a duathlon. The run course was somewhat waterlogged and challenging, as was the bike course. Lots of athletes bunched up in transition at one go so lots of hold ups.
All in all it was an interesting experience and I was pleased with my overall performance. I came 8th place in the under 20’s age group category and 3rd GB athlete.
Thankfully the flight home was slightly less stressful. Back into hard training with several triathlons coming up including Age Group Qualifiers at Woodhorn Museum and in Sunderland in July.
