By her own admission, Flora Duffy’s eight place finish in the Olympics was a disappointment even though she did Bermuda proud.

This weekend the Triathlon World Series continues in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada and  Flora will be looking to put all of that behind her as she looks to solidify her top spot in the  World Series points ranking. Jodie Stimpson of the UK and Andrea Hewitt are hot on Flora’s heels for the overall title so Flora will need to refind the form she showed in Stockholm and Montreal, her last two races before Rio, where she took first place. The World Series culminates in Cozumel, Mexico on Saturday September 17th with the World Championships which is also the last race of the World Series. With double points awarded for the World Championship race, on Sunday Flora will be looking to widen the gap on her rivals before Cozumel.

Last year the Edmonton race was run in brutal conditions with low temperatures and driving rain and Flora relished the conditions finishing a close second ( by 9 seconds) to GB’s Vicky Holland , the Rio bronze medalist. Says Flora, “fingers crossed it is cold, rainy and windy this weekend…those conditions suit me better than the other two”.

Also taking to the start line in Edmonton will be Tyler Smith who has spent the last few weeks in Victoria BC with coach Kelly Guest preparing for this final race in the Canadian Junior Elite Series before the Junior Elite World Championships which are also in Cozumel. Tyler will be hoping for a top five finish after his impressive 4th place finish in the Quebec Provincial Championships ( an event that was turned into a duathlon because of adverse water quality conditions).

Erica Hawley has now started at Boulder University but will be making the trip to Edmonton to compete in the Women’s Canadian Junior Elite Series. After a stellar season which has seen her posting a number of top ten finishes in the Series, Erica will be hoping for another solid race ahead of the World Championships in Cozumel. Erica, like Tyler, will be heading to Cozumel for the Junior World Championships.

Flora races this Sunday 4th September at 3PM Bermuda time whilst Tyler and Erica race on Saturday 3rd September with Erica starting at 4PM and Tyler at 6PM Bermuda time.

For more on the Edmonton schedule and to follow our athletes click here

Former Bermuda resident, Lea Osborne, finished 3rd in the 55-64 age group on Sunday, 28th August, in the Uster Sprint Triathlon in Switzerland.

Lea, who has just moved up to this age group posted splits of 15.06 for the 750m swim, 35:26 for the 20km bike and 25:29 for the 5km run for an overall time of 1:19:26.

The course featured a lake swim, flat bike course and a slightly hilly run and was held in perfect conditions.

Lea, who still visits Bermuda frequently and races when here, started the race coming off a family vacation at the La Santa, Lanzarote complex which features a triathlon training centre ; perfect !!

Following on from his first Ironman 70.3 win in the Timberman 70.3, Tyler Butterfield takes to the start line this Sunday 4th September in the Ironman 70.3 World Championships. This year’s championships takes place in Mooloolaba,Australia, one of the world’s iconic and oldest triathlon venues and a home to many professional triathletes during the year.

Tyler is no stranger to the area having gone to school there and also lived and trained there.

These championships have attracted a very strong field. Defending champion Jan Frodeno (GER) has decided not to compete, making two-time winner—and last year’s runner-up—Sebastian Kienle (GER) the favorite to reclaim the title. Other past winners include Australia’s Craig Alexander (who has also won it twice) and New Zealand’s Terenzo Bozzone. Brent McMahon (CAN), Ruedi Wild (SUI), Tim Reed (AUS),  Lionel Sanders (CAN), Andreas Dreitz (GER), Joe Gambles (AUS), Luke McKenzie (AUS) are a few of several names who could make the podium in a competitive men’s race. However, over the past few years so many new up and coming triathletes have been posting fast times and it would be no surprise if others win or make the podium.

Bermuda triathletes Neil Lupsic, Allison Petty Schindel, Phil Mace and Ashley Estwanik have also made the journey to Australia, arriving in Brisbane yesterday, Sunday 28th August, after the long flight from Bermuda and then driving down to the Gold Coast to prepare for the race with their Australian coach. They will arrive in Mooloolaba on Thursday to check out the course before their big race.

To follow Bermuda’s athletes live go here and under “results” go to “athlete tracker”.

For more on the race watch the video below

Sue Edney placed 9th out of 47 today, Sunday 28th August, in the 50-54 age group,  in the Penticton Challenge Triathlon in Penticton, BC,over 3km swim, 120km bike and 30km run. The race doubled as the Canadian Long Course Championships 2016 and as the Canadian age group qualifying event for the 2017 ITU Long Course Championships which will take place on this course. Consequently, most age groups attracted a strong field of both Canadian and US athletes looking to either qualify or on the case of the USA athletes to check out the course for next year.

Joel Mathews placed 22nd out of 45 in the mens 35-39 age group despite losing the whole of his Di2 battery pack that fell off early on the bike. After stopping various times to change gear by hand he was able to get assistance from the on course mechanical van that gave him a spare bike and changed his pedals onto the new bike !!

Mike Neill finished 2nd in his age group and 15th overall.

Jeff Symonds, coached by Jasper Blake, was the overall men’s winner, and there was a large contingent of Human Powered Racing athletes and a number of B78 athletes racing. Sandy Wilson,  Mike’s fiancee who has visited Bermuda, placed 6th in the 40-44 age group

For full results and splits go here.

Kim Naude (formerly McMullen) and Riaan Naude, former Bermuda residents who now live in Vancouver,Canada, had outstanding performances at the Canadian National Duathlon Championships this week in Penticton, BC, Canada.

Kim took 1st place overall amongst the women to be crowned Canadian National Duathlon Champion whilst Riaan placed 9th overall amongst the men.

Kim recorded asplits of 42:08 for the 10km run, 67:47 for the 40km bike and 20:48 for the 5km run with a totla time of 2hrs 12 mins 47 secs. The runs consisted of 4 x 2.5km loops and then 2 x 2.5 km loops on a tough course that included two shortish but steep hills.

Riaan’s splits were 37:16, 64:05 and 18:07 for a total time of 2:01:30 placing him 2nd in the mens 40-44 age group.

The race was part of a week of activities in the Challenge Penticton which will be the site of the 2017 International Triathlon Union’s 2017 Long Course World Championships. The other big race is tomorrow, Sunday 28th August, over the proposed 2017 World Championships course over 3km swim, 120km bike and 30km run. Included in the field are Joel Matthews of the BTA and Human Powered Racing coach Mike Neill ( of Bermuda triathlon camps fame) who will both be racing age group. Mike’s fiancee, Sandy Wilson, who came to Bermuda to coach one of the camps and talk on injury prevention, is also racing. On hand will be Jasper Blake of B78 coaching ( also a coach at the Bermuda camps) who is a bit of a legend in Penticton, the former home of Ironman Canada. Jasper won Ironman Canada here in 2006 with a time of 8 hrs 33 mins on a tough course and was on the podium on several occasions as well as finishing 4th and 5th. Both Jasper and Mike have various athletes racing during the week including almost 30 Human Powered Racing athletes and Jeff Symonds, a two time winner of the Ironman distance course here including in 2015, who starts as the favorite amongst the professional triathletes and who is coached by Jasper.

Kara Hobby of Victoria, BC, who participated in the 2016 Neill / Blake Bermuda Triathlon Camp, finished 3rd in her age group in the Penticton Challenge Aquathlon (swim -run) earlier in the week.

On 14th August 2016 Sarah Ruberry competed in the Key Biscayne Triathlon in Florida, part of a three race series, finishing 1st in the 40-44 age group in 2 hrs 12 mins 59 secs for the 1/2 mile swim, 20 mile bike and 6.2 mile run with splits of 18:08, 59:59 and 51:44.

Meanwhile Tyler Butterfield was not the only Bermuda triathlete competing at the Timberman Ironman 70.3 Triathlon last Sunday. Melissa Logie finished 25th in the 30-34 age group in a time of 5hrs 35 mins 43 secs with splits of 36 min swim –  2hrs 55 mins 55 secs bike and 1hr 57 mins 16 secs run.

Congrats to our age groupers who keep on hammering those overseas races.

THANKS TO IAN PILGRIM AND ALL VOLUNTEERS

BTA Super Sprint Summer Series – 25 August 2016 – Results
Distance: 200m swim/3 laps bike/s laps run

No. Time Name
1 22.45 Team (Brian Desmond/Alex Pilgrim/Nick Pilgrim)
2 25.59 Team (Charlie Pilgrim/Ian Pilgrim/Charlie Pilgrim)
3 26.12 Jamie Pedro
4 26.23 Tim Patterson
5 26.58 Steve O’Reilly
6 26.59 David Souter
7 27.05 Craig Rothwell
8 27.40 Otis Ingham
9 27.41 Matthew Viney
10 27.53 Gabe Wilkinson
11 28.26 Gerhard Boonstra
12 31.28 Sherman Darrell
13 32.07 Keegan Wooley
14 32.29 Lara Rogers
15 33.23 Gary Joel
16 38.20 Kirstie Jones
17 38.48 Judith Howe Tucker
18 39.02 Alshia Lugo
19 40.05 Litanya Smith

other 13.26 Grace and Martine Rothwell 100m Swim/2 laps run

A GREAT TURN OUT. THANKS TO IAN PILGRIM FOR THE RESULTS AND ALL WHO HELPED OUT.

BTA Super Sprint Summer Series – 18 August 2016 – Results
Distances :  200m swim/3 laps bike/2 laps run

No. Time Name
1 26.05 Karen Smith
2 26.25 Jamie Pedro
3 26.57 Ian Port
4 28.05 David Souter
5 28.10 Steve O’Reilly
6 28.26 Sharon Hammond
7 29.21 Tommy Marshall
8 29.22 Ben Edwards
9 29.53 Wayne Dill
10 29.58 Tilly Norman
11 31.13 Jessie Marshall
12 31.49 Caitlin Conyers
13 32.26 Wenda Roberts
14 34.09 Gary Joel
15 36.19 Chuck Sherer
16 37.08 Sherman Darrell
17 38.14 Alison Sherer
18 39.22 Audrey Darrell
19 40.01 Colleen Sherer
20 40.09 Nicky Stovell
21 40.58 Lindsey Sherer
22 41.52 Alshia Lugo
23 46.43 Ethan Sousa
24 47.30 Mel Sousa

19.30 Keegan Wooley No run
28.37 AJ Harkness 100m/2 laps/2K
28.38 Chris Harkness 200m/2 laps/2K
33.17 Harry Andrews 1 lap run

Tyler Butterfield continued his preparations for the Ironman World Championships in Kona,Hawaii in October, with an impressive win on Sunday in the Timberman Ironman 70.3 Triathlon.

Timberman is one of the well established races on the Ironman calendar and as such attracts a number of strong long distances triathletes. 2016 was no exception with the likes of Tim O’Donnell, 3rd at the 2015 Ironman World Championships, on the start line.

It was O’Donnell who led the way on the bike building up a two minute lead but he then suffered a puncture and fell back. Tyler and American Justin Rossi set the pace and put some time between themselves and the chasers. However by transition they were joined by Austrian Michi Weiss who posted the day’s fastest bike split. Tyler however posted the 2nd fastest run split of the day to drop Weiss and Rossi and win comfortably from Weiss and a fast finishing Chris Baird a distant 3rd despite posting the fastest run split by two minutes.

For full results and splits go here

For the Ironman race report go here

As in so many Olympics, in Rio there were many stories of “what might have been”. Favorites who  could not produce the performance on the day that mattered ; a Taekwondo athlete having gold taken from his grasp in the last second, a 4 x 100 team thinking they had won medals and then being disqualified, a 4th place finisher missing out on a medal by thousandths of a second.

But, for many of us, the lasting memory of these Olympics will be how gutted we were that Flora Duffy, despite her best efforts, just did not have the day that she needed on the day that mattered. Flora knew and we knew that Flora had it in her to contend for a medal but it just wasn’t there . Everyone was and is so proud of her but in equal measure we shared her disappointment of what “might have been”.

It all looked promising when the likes of Spirig and Norden, two excellent cyclists, emerged with the lead group of swimmers and a break seemed very possible. Even as Flora entered transition 2 her chances of medalling were still very much alive. In Stockholm just a few weeks earlier, Flora ran over 40 seconds faster than eventual bronze medal winner Vicky Holland and that despite having worked on the bike on her own for 40km before the run which would have taken alot out of her legs. But, when it isn’t in the legs there isn’t anything you can do about it other than to battle through and to her great credit that is exactly what Flora did. 2nd to 4th ran just under 35 minutes in Rio on a flat course, Flora after her astonishing effort on the bike and including slowing down to acknowledge the crowd at the finish, ran 34:28 in Stockholm. Had Flora run hard to the line her time would have been closer to 34:15. In Rio Flora ran 36:15 even though she was able to ride in the pack for large parts of the race. If she had been able to produce that run in Rio, or even a run within a minute of that run, then on the flat Rio course in reasonable temperatures,  the silver medal would have been within her grasp.

I point out all of the above not to rub salt into the wounds but because there will no doubt be those who are unfamiliar with triathlon who may not appreciate just how good Flora is. Every race Flora enters she is a medal contender and that will not change in the next ITU World Series race in Edmonton or at the World Championships in Mexico.

There are also many athletes who can’t handle the pressure of the big occasion and can’t perform because of the pressure and expectations placed on them. Trust me, Flora is not one of them. From her first triathlon training session as a young junior Flora exhibited an amazing pain threshold and a determination to be first across the line that are two of the hallmarks of a true champion that you can try and promote in athletes but which in reality they either have or don’t have.

So what is the silver lining in all of this. Tokyo may be four years away but when Flora steps onto that starting line it will be in the knowledge that she can and I believe will be Bermuda’s next Olympic medalist.

So, book your seat now for Docksiders and put your “Go Flora Go ” TShirt safely in a drawer because you are going to need it.

Get training Flora !!