Polly is British Middle Distance Triathlon Champion
Saturday 8th June 2013 saw the 8th edition of the Beaver Triathlon, a 1.9km swim, an extended 80km undulating bike, and 20km hilly run around the scenic, rolling Leicestershire countryside. Nestled within the grounds of the historic and picturesque Belvoir Castle, the event attracted a strong field of female athletes, including 2013 European Middle Distance 25-29 Age Group Bronze Medalist Polly Linskill (maiden name, Veazey-French) and IRONMAN 70.3 Pro Georgie Rutherford. It was clear from the outset that it was going to be a competitive race for the ladies, with a battle for the coveted National Middle Distance Championship podium.
Rutherford was first out of the swim, blasting through the two-lap course and 400m run to transition in an impressive 29:49min. She was closely followed by Polly, who exited the water in 30:54min and Team Milton Keynes/7Hundred’s Jenny Hewitt in 32:22min.
The windy conditions on the rolling bike course meant that it was an especially challenging course, and that competitors were to prepare themselves tactfully for this in order to finish strong. Unfortunately, Rutherford experienced a double puncture on the 9th mile, which lost her the lead and left her on the side of the road. Hewitt had a superb bike, finishing the 50-mile course in an impressive 2:22:04, followed by Team Cherwell’s Kate McNeill who pulled herself up through the field, finishing in 2:24:14.
The Beaver run encompasses four laps of ‘USN Hill’ a challenging ‘out and back’ hilly route. Hewitt held an early lead, but Polly was flying and overtook her as they fly down the 3rd hill descent. Rutherford made up a lot of time and ran well, overtaking Hewitt and closing in on Polly over every mile.
Polly finished first in 4:32:01, followed a minute and a half later by Rutherford in 4:33:31. Hewitt finished strong in 4:34:39 to make up the final ladies podium.
Polly had been battling a bit of plantar fasciitis of the foot, and ironically, the hilly run was the best bit. Polly comes from a fell running background and so was in her element. Instead of getting daunted by the distance, she treated it as four separate hill reps which really worked well for her. Polly is delighted with her result. British Champion.
The top 5 women were: (1st) Polly Linskill (Veazey-French): 4:32:01; (2nd) Georgie Rutherford (Team Ichiban): 4:33:31; (3rd) Jenny Hewitt (Team Milton Keynes/7Hundred): 4:34:39; (4th) Lucy Custance (Clapham Chasers): 4:42:40; and (5th) Kate McNeill (Team Cherwell): 4:51:54
It is interesting that Polly is the only Lady in the top 5 not sponsored as part of a team. Polly is self-coached, and works full-time. To go to the next level, Polly is seeking help with specialized equipment and training and racing expertise. To follow Polly’s progress please visit www.matlock-one.co.uk