Triathlon success despite weather

A couple of weeks previously, the inaugural Rye Triathlon suffered a similar fate and Lions triathlon committee chairman David Burstow admitted: “It was extremely disappointing, not just for us but also for the competitors because there seems to be a certain clique of people who want to do a sea swim.”

As a consequence, the third staging of the Bexhill event became a run-bike-run which got under way from the De La Warr Pavilion.

The event was split into two classes - the Sprint distance (1.8km run, 20km cycle and 5km run) and the Standard distance (3.6km, 40km cycle and 10km run).

The winner of the Standard race was Chris Panayiotou, whose time of 1.51.51 saw him finish clear of a pack of competitors from Crystal Palace Tri Club.

The leading female was Susan Fairfax, who came 15th overall, and the fastest local was Alan Bennett, who finished 26th.

Adrian Elliott won the Sprint race in 56.57, Emma Richards took the female prize and David Williams was first local. The triathlon attracted 262 entrants.

The prizes were presented by TV personality and Cooden Beach resident Graham Norton. Despite the cancellation of the sea swim, Burstow said: “Feedback was good.”

See this week’s Bexhill Observer for finishing times and more pictures.