Triathlon: Deva Tri attracts huge field of athletes to Chester

Jun 25 2009 by Alec Doyle, Chester Chronicle

Triathlon: Deva Tri attracts huge field of athletes to Chester

FOUR-HUNDRED athletes turned the River Dee into a giant swimming pool as the Deva Triathlon once more took over the city’s riverside on Sunday.

The Deva Triathlon is a 1,500m swim from The Groves up the Dee to Queen’s Park High School, where competitors swap swimsuits for bikes and ride for 40km through Handbridge into North Wales before returning to the school field to start the 10km run through the Meadows and Grosvenor Park.

Martin Cain of Manchester Tri Club won for the second successive year, finishing just seconds after the two-hour mark.

For host club Chester Tri, Sophia Rees was the second lady home overall in a time of two hours, 22 minutes and 40 seconds. Andy White, a Chester Tri member racing for the Royles club, was the first veteran 45 and fifth overall in a time of 2.06:20.

They were followed by Chester Tri’s Kenny Begley (2.15:12), Peter Brook (2.18:38), Ben Birks (2.19:57), Simon McAllister (2.26:51), Michael Diamond (2.27:00), Julie Webb (2.27:09), Leigh Holland (2.29:25) and Nigel O’Connell (2.31:18). Rachel Arnold was second female vet 45 in 2.44:21.

Race organiser Peter Timson said: “Racing conditions were perfect and helped produce some excellent performances.”