New faces and returning competitors up the pace in The Lake triathlon series

A welcoming mix of first-time triathletes and seasoned local racers gathered at Cromhall Quarry last night for Race 2 of The Lake Triathlon Series. Managed in-house by the expert team at The Lake and South West Maritime Academy, the midweek sprint-distance event focuses on community inclusion and personal achievement, offering a supportive environment that saw participants of all abilities shake up the early-season leaderboard.

Under dry, albeit breezy racing conditions, competitors tackled the signature 750m open-water swim in The Lake’s crystal-clear waters, before transitioning onto the rolling 18km bike circuit through the undulating country lanes of Tortworth and Cromhall. The event culminated in a rapid, 5km road run that finished with a dramatic descent into the heart of the quarry basin, where athletes sprinted to the finish line.

In the men’s division, a spectacular performance from series newcomer Matthew Peters saw him commandingly storm onto the top step of the podium, navigating the course to cross the finish line in a stellar time of 1:06:48. He was closely pursued by returning athlete Rob Dixon, who secured an impressive second place overall in 1:08:13, followed by Paul Hilliar, who claimed a well-earned third place finish in 1:09:04.

The women’s division witnessed an absolute masterclass from series newcomer Ellie Hunter. Storming through the field to secure a phenomenal 5th place overall, Hunter clinched the title of first female finisher with a superb time of 1:10:39. She was followed across the line by returning champion Penny Guess, who took second (6th overall) in a brilliant 1:12:08. Guess, who took the crown as the first female finisher in Race 1, faced an even faster and more competitive field this time around, continuing her track record as a top-tier series regular. Abigail Burn rounded out the top three women in 1:13:21.

The true story of the event, however, lay in the data-backed consistency and improvements of the 13 dedicated athletes who returned to challenge themselves after participating in the series opener.

Demonstrating notable physical progression and improved course familiarity, Matt Screen led the time-slashing charge by carving a massive 2 minutes and 25 seconds off his previous benchmark. He was closely joined in the progression spotlight by Kevin Joint, who shaved a fantastic 1 minute and 34 seconds off his initial time, and Dominic Middleton-Frith, who advanced his pacing strategy to trim a clean 90 seconds down to a 1:21:54 finish.

There was also a familiar face out on the course last night, as former staff member Will Angsten Clark returned to The Lake to trial the new in-house triathlon format. He quietly took on the demanding course and put in a solid performance, crossing the line in a superb time of 1:16:09.

“We learned a lot from our debut in-house event last month, and the team worked incredibly hard to implement a few key tweaks for race 2,” said Paul Breen, Outdoor Activities Manager at The Lake and Race Director for the series.

“All in all, the evening ran seamlessly from the first swim stroke to the final runner crossing the line. Seeing the mix of familiar faces returning to push their limits alongside newcomers tackling their very first triathlon is exactly why we brought this series in-house – it’s all about creating an accessible, enjoyable, and rewarding experience for everyone involved.”

With two rounds now officially in the books, the hunt for the ultimate series championship crown is wide open. The dramatic consistency and rapid improvement shown by the returning athletes prove that course familiarity is breeding exceptional speed, setting the stage for an absolute blockbuster showdown when the action returns to The Lake next month for Race 3 on Wednesday, 8th July.