Weymouth, normally an ideallic Dorset seaside town sheltered in a bay at the mouth of the River Wey in the English Channel. Not this weekend though, as Ironman was in town with their annual 70.3 suffer fest. Torrential rain and blustery winds meant the worst conditions in years, forcing the organisers to reduce the swim split from 1800m down to 1150m. Subsequently by the end of the race 500 athletes had regretably pulled out. Freedom Tri's finest athletes were in attendance and were not to be peturbed! In the women's race Suzy Hawkins was 36th in 5:24:45; Michelle Reeves 46th in 5:32:39; Ann Tryssesoone 108th in 6:06:46 with Leigh-Ann Beel 290th in 7:17:21. Over in the the mens's race Simon Jackson came 234th in 5:12:57; Hamish Sabey-Corkingdale 256th in 5:15:57 closely followed by Richard Springall in 277th place with 5:18:12. We congratulate them all for an outstanding day of racing prowess, where grit and determination with the help of freedom wings proved an unshakeable combination.

This year we are proud to mention two members who have entered the 'London Classics Hall of Fame'. Carol Paul & Karen Parnell. Both have competed in 1) The London Marathon 2) The Prudential Ride 100M & 3) The Swim Serpentine 2M. Carol is a veteran of no less than 22 London Marathons with her best time being 3:46:52. Karen has run the race twice with both ladies completing the medal haul in 2018 in less than ideal conditions. Superb effort, we salute them both!!