Newbiggin Celebrates One Year to go to the London 2012 Games
MP Ian Lavery with the fun runners!
Families in South East Northumberland were set the challenge of completing a short distance run along Newbiggin Promenade as part of the London 2012 Open Weekend supported by BP - a series of sporting and cultural events taking place across the UK which will see hundreds of thousands of people participating in events to celebrate the 'One Year to Go' countdown to the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Organised by Blyth Valley Arts & Leisure's Make-a-Move team, 50 young people completed a Fun Run Challenge along Newbiggin Promenade on Saturday 23 July. Each participant was presented with a medal and t-shirt by Ian Lavery MP.
The Couple Challenge Swim organised by Tri Northumberland was also a great success with 50 competitors completing the third swim event organised this year. Competitors were set the challenge of swimming either 1500m or 3000m.
The following day over 100 competitors arrived in town from all corners of the country to take part in 3 triathlons in 1 with the main event being the 'Couple Challenge', a half-iron distance race consisting of a 1.9km swim, 80km bike and an 18km multi lap run held alongside a standard and sprint distance race around the town of Newbiggin finishing on the promenade in front of hundreds of spectators.
With all the races beginning together in a mass swim start on the beach at Newbiggin, competitors entered the water on the day of a big swell, however the large waves didn't stop them from reaching the Couple statue Ebb and Flo on the breakwater in no time at all. One lap for the short races and two for the long distance race, competitors braved a harsh north westerly wind on the multi lap bike course up to Amble and back. Luckily for the hundreds of spectators that gathered along the promenade the sun came out and there were plenty of cheers and support for the now tired triathletes.
The Bay Blast Sprint race was first finished with Steven Wrigglesworth winning the men's race in a time of 01:18:15 and Lisa Tweddle the women's race in 1:30:22.
The Breakwater Standard race was over in just over 2 hours with local Blyth and ex-Whitley Bay footballer and centre half Stephen Locker (2:14:44) and Seonaid Hudson (2:34:33) from Edinburgh taking home first prizes respectively.
With the short races over and done with the half iron distance triathletes were just coming on to the run course. Starting at Church Point they had a grueling run along the promenade to the other end of town and back that included ramps, steep descents and steps to climb that would all take their toll on the legs of those who dared to finish. If that wasn't enough, they had to complete 4 laps before making it home and dry.
In a fantastic time of 3:52:28 John Dennis from Team Milton Keynes was first home to take the overall win by only a couple of minutes. Deborah Stockley from Leeds and Bradford Tri was first female across the line to take the win in the women's race in a time of 4:37:42.
Congratulations to all who took part and many thanks for all the support must go to all the volunteers, Newbiggin Town Council, local residents and everyone else who made the event a roaring success.
With the support of BP, Premier Partner of the Cultural Olympiad and long-standing supporter of arts and culture in the UK, the London 2012 Open Weekend celebrated its fourth year. Open Weekend 2011 follows the success of the past three previous years, in which over 2.4 million people across the UK unleashed their creativity across a series of sporting, art and cultural activities in celebration of the countdown to the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Lee Paris, Sport Inclusion Officer for BVAL said: "it is important that Northumberland feels part of the Olympics, we hope that the London 2012 Open Weekend in Newbiggin has contributed towards this aim. The Triathlon and Swim events held locally have inspired local youngsters and the success of the Fun Run confirms this."
Rebecca McCready, Chair of Newbiggin Town Council, said, "We are delighted to have supported this event. The Triathlon and Olympic events are for everyone, from children to grandparents, whether you want to have a go or cheer from the sidelines. It's a fantastic opportunity for us to showcase the best that Newbiggin by the Sea has to offer, and I would encourage everyone to come along and get involved at future events."
The 2011 Northumberland Triathlon Series will conclude with the Newbiggin Sprint Triathlon on Sunday 11th September, an ETU Qualifier event for the Sprint Triathlon European Championships in Eilat, Israel in 2012. For more information please visit Tri Northumberland website.
