TRIATHLON: THE City of Chester Triathlon Club are pulling out all the stops to make their Deva Triathlon even better this year.
'The Deva Triathlon, which incorporates the Deva Divas Women-Only Sprint Triathlon, has now established itself as an event to be reckoned with in the North West and nationally,' said Andy White of Chester Tri. 'But instead of resting on our laurels, we are working hard to make it bigger and better for 2004. Central to this will be to allow twice as many competitors to take part.'
This means that the Deva Divas event involving a 750m swim down the Dee, a 22.5k bike ride and 5k run around the Meadows and Grosvenor Park will now have an entry limit of 200, and the open event of a 1,500m river swim, 40k bike and 10k run will now take 500 competitors.
'The Deva Divas race last year was expected to attract just a small number of novice triathletes, the accent being on raising money for the breast cancer charity Breakthrough,' Andy added. 'We were stunned by the response as more than 100 of all ranges of ability took part - and every single one of them finished! This was due in no small part to the training and advice we gave them in the lead-up to the race.'
Chester Tri have secured a £4,889 Awards for All Lottery grant towards the funding of training events and equipment, and are organising a series of free Aquathons to draw newcomers into the sport. These consist of a 10-length swim followed by a one-mile run. They are designed to be informal taster sessions done in a non-competitive format and will be held at Northwich Sir John Deane's School on March 21, Great Sankey Leisure Centre, Warrington, on April 10 and Christleton High School, Chester, on April 24.
Andy said: 'The success of this event is due in no small way to the high production values Chester Triathlon
Club have set themselves and a willingness to put in that extra bit of effort. These, and a friendly, supportive atmosphere on the day, makes it an event to remember!' Anyone wishing to find out more about the Deva Triathlon and the Aquathons can visit the Chester Tri website at www.chester-tri.org.uk or call Andy White on 01244 682490.
