Round Up 7th – 27th July 2025
This round up is a real treat with something for all! Many thanks to everyone who has contributed and huge congratulations to everyone who has competed, especially our intrepid trio at Outlaw!
Swim the Lake – Ardingly – Wednesday 9th July 2025
Thanks, as ever, to Clive Harvey for reporting in on this mid-week event which had a great Tuff turn-out!
It was a beautiful warm evening as Tuffs descended on Ardingly reservoir. Water levels were lower than usual reflecting our dry summer. Competitors were advised wetsuits were optional due to the toasty 22 degrees water.
The Aquathlon was first off and whilst we had a sole Tuff out of the 49 finishers it was a case of quality over quantity as Hazel Tuppen stormed around the course, practising what she preaches as a coach finishing as 1st female. This was a great result with the second placed female finishing over a minute behind.
Next to go were swimmers for the 3k; four laps around the lake with an impressive ten Tuffs Mark Walford was our fastest swimmer finishing in just 54.11. Mark Sole was our second Tuff with Clive Harvey just 18 seconds behind. Adam Stringer was in hot pursuit and then Mark Dinsdale. Jodi Barter was our first female home with Clare Worgan just 15 seconds behind. Tiff Orton, Sam Mahe & Elaine Rousseau completed our 3k’ers.
Next, the 1.5k swimmers where we had some electing not to wear a wetsuit using a towfloat instead. Zeina Clare completed the course in 32:45. Katie Goddard was next with Sue Simpson our third swimmer running up the ramp. Dan Fitzgerald, Sheila Bailey, Kate Evans, Christine Griffin completing our seven swimmers.
There was also a 750m course but the Tuffs all elected to swim longer. Upon exiting the water, finishers received an alcohol-free beer and bags of Haribo together with a banana and a medal. Thanks to Colin Simpson and Susan Douglas acting as Tuff cheerleaders.
It was a great event in lovely surroundings with 10% of the field belonging to Tuff Fitty with plenty of camaraderie and banter to round off the evening.
Disappointed to have missed out? Tuff Fitty are delighted to report that Barry Davids has organised a swim in conjunction with Mid Sussex Tri Club at Ardingly; Saturday morning 16th August, to which all our members are invited.
Dorney Lake 10k – Sunday 13th July 2025
Thank you and congratulations to Amy Kidd for sending in this report of a suitably Tuff way for her and Fraser to celebrate their wedding anniversary:
On Sunday 13th July Fraser and I headed to Dorney Lake to run in the 10km event. With my parents reasonably local we stayed with them the night before and we managed a child free run.
It was my first 10km race and with little training leading up it was a case of run and hope for the best! My aim was to hold 5.30 kilometres but with the heat I would have been happy with a sub 60mins.
The first 5km went well, holding 5.25 throughout. I felt comfortable until 6km when the humid conditions started to hit me. The sun made its appearance by 8km but I dug deep to hold the pace. Finishing in 54.36, I surpassed my target.
Fraser finished in 39.47 which was his first time under 40 minutes in 3 years. A successful morning followed by brunch to celebrate our wedding anniversary.
Ripon Sprint Triathlon – Sunday 13th July 2025
Again, many thanks to Christine Griffin for reporting in on her hot but happy race at Ripon.
A day of heat, heart, and hometown charm!
Returning to Ripon for this sprint triathlon felt like a true homecoming. Having been born just five miles from the city, there was something especially meaningful about racing in a place so close to my roots. The event itself was superbly organised – smooth registration, clear signage, and a welcoming atmosphere throughout. A big thank you to the team behind it for making everything run so well.
The one real challenge? The heat! It was intense and relentless, pushing everyone that little bit harder, but also making every moment of perseverance feel all the more rewarding.
What really lifted my spirits though was the support from my family. Having my brother and his girlfriend there, along with my nephew and his wife, cheering me on made a world of difference. Their encouragement gave me the boost I needed, especially during those tough moments.
A highlight that still makes me smile: during the bike leg, I passed a pedestrian and greeted him with a “Good morning.” His response? A classic Yorkshire “How do!” It was such a small moment, but it reminded me why I love racing in places with character and community spirit – I doubt I’ll hear that greeting in many other triathlons!
All in all, Ripon delivered – both as a race and as a personal journey. I’ll remember this one fondly.
Dorney Sprint Triathlon – Sunday 27th July 2025
Next up, Bob Rogers has reported in from an event in Dorney Lake; Eton:-
Last Sunday I completed the Sprint Triathlon at Dorney. I was very pleased with another good swim. This was followed by a fairly speedy four laps cycle during which I was delighted to be spurred on by Trevor Harvey, who was marshaling at the bike mount line. The run was slow but completed. I was also very pleased with both transitions, which are always extremely important to get right. I now have a gap in events so I can hopefully sort out my knees and get back to some decent running!
Outlaw Triathlon – Nottingham – Sunday 27th July 2025
Huge congratulations to Adam Stringer and Mark Sole for completing the Outlaw Full Distance event and to Elaine Rousseau for completing the Aquabike event. Thanks so much to Adam for taking time out of his recovery to send in a report.
I can tell you all that a full distance triathlon is no joke!!!
This was by far the hardest, most draining and physically demanding challenge I have ever taken on. Before I started, I was quietly confident with the swim and the bike, I just knew that the run would be the challenging part, but wow did I underestimate just how much of a challenge it would be. I travelled up to Nottingham on the Friday to give myself plenty of time to relax and ready my kit. On Saturday I registered, dropped off my bike and attended a race briefing which covered all aspects of the race to come. Once that was completed, I headed for an early night as my 4am alarm was waiting. Early Sunday morning I awoke with an excited apprehension as to what was to come. Arriving on site at 5am I went through all my kit one last time. The day started with a mass start, setting off around 500 athletes all at once, I held back and tried to find some space in order to relax and enjoy the swim. It was a long 2.4-mile swim up and down a huge rowing lake which actually felt really good, climbing out the water in a time of 1 hour 20 minutes.
I headed to transition to change out of my wetsuit and into my cycling gear. After a quick snack I headed out onto the 112 mile bike course, this was a 14 mile route out towards the main loop, once on the loop it was 3 continuous loops of 28 miles which were fairly flat. This route went through a several small towns which were filled with dozens of locals cheering and clapping everyone through. This bike course was actually pretty comfortable, I enjoyed the experience and came off the bike feeling quite good considering I had been cycling non-stop for 6 hours 47 minutes.
After another full change I headed out on the marathon with a bottle of Lucozade and a packet of jellybeans in hand. The run course was set up as 4 laps of the large rowing lake where we started the day. The first 10 miles were pretty steady, a mix of running and walking in order to try save some energy. At mile 11 it became clear that my running was slowing down, and it was quicker to walk then to run, so the next 10 miles I took on a fast-paced walk just to get the miles in. Then came the wall……. with only 5 miles left it hit me.
My walk turned into a shuffle, my legs heavy and each step was a struggle, my stomach was in pieces. I couldn’t eat, I felt sick and could only take on small sips of water. But determined to finish, I continued in this state slowing down each mile tackling the distance one step at a time. The final mile was the worst of all, my legs now extremely heavy and painful to walk. The sun had now set, and the lights of the finish line seemed not be getting any closer. I could hear the finish line, I could hear the cheers and applause from spectators as racers ahead of me finished and took on the orange carpet of the Outlaw triathlon. Finally, after a horrendous 7 hours and 41 minutes of running / walking, I arrived at the orange carpet and the last 25 meters under the lights. The finish line was packed with spectators and other competitors that had finished ahead of me. Extremely exhausted, pretty much unable to walk but forcing myself to jog the last 25 meters, I pushed through the pain and took in the environment, crossing the finish line in a draining 16 hours and 12 minutes, I was both mentally and physically drained but a huge sense of pride and achievement got me through. This was never about the time, it was about getting it done and seeing what was possible. I think my finish line photo shows you just how hard the day really was. But I can proudly say I have now completed a full distance Triathlon.
I would like to say a huge thank you and well done to Mark and Elaine who encouraged me both on the course and along the finish line.
Thank you to everyone that supported me and sent me encouragement either before, during and after the event. It means a lot to have such a strong support network.
parkrun Round Up
Saturday 12th July 2025
Bognor Regis parkrun was chosen as event 2 in the annual Tuff Fitty summer run series and 12 Tuffs took on the winding course on a blisteringly hot morning. Olly Sampson was even tempted out to complete his first parkrun in 6 years (!) and he along with 5 other Tuffs ran the course for the first time. Congratulations to Hazel Sheward for being motivated to get a parkrun PB! The other runners were Simon Thistlethwaite, Steve Fryer, Mark Sole, Kate Cooper, Amanda De Ridder, Clive Harvey, Nathan Bilham, Benita Fryer, Chris Evans and Janet Shepherd continuing her comeback from injury. After the run, a sweaty bunch of Tuffs gathered at the nearby café to refuel.
Ed Lay was the sole Tuff representative at Worthing, while a depleted group of Fraser Kidd, Paul Fielder, Emma Hinton and Al Evans ran at Littlehampton. Further afield, Sue Pinky reached her 150th parkrun milestone in Maidstone, Daniel Barnett ran at Horsham and Trevor Harvey was in the Lake District at Fell Foot parkrun in Newby Bridge.
Saturday 19th July 2025
The following Saturday it was the turn of Littlehampton parkrun to be event 3 in the summer run series and there was an impressive turnout of 18 Tuffs. The damp but cooler weather and lack of wind, plus a healthy dose of competition, meant that there were some cracking performances: Fraser Kidd, Mark Sole, Clare Worgan and Paul Fielder all got parkrun PRs, as did Sophie Garbo on her maiden parkrun! I (Kate Cooper) was paced (following chatting to Mark shortly after the start) by Mark Walford to my fastest parkrun in 3 years – thanks, Mark! The other Tuffs were Simon Thistlethwaite, Steve Fryer, Juliette Reader, Emma Hinton, Clive Harvey, Colin Simpson, Benita Fryer, Chris Evans, Christine Griffin, Janet Shepherd, Sue Pinky and Sue Simpson, who along with Chris Evans picked up a volunteering credit.
Unsurprisingly, there were few Tuffs at the other local parkruns: just Nathan Bilham and Amanda De Ridder ran at Bognor. Al Evans was on tour at Royal Tunbridge Wells, while Stuart Harvey was further north at Pavilion Gardens parkrun in Buxton.
Saturday 26th July 2025
On Saturday 26th July Tuff parkrun action was slightly depleted by the cancellation of Worthing parkrun due to an event on the prom. Littlehampton easily had top spot with Fraser Kidd, Gareth Coombes, Steve Fryer, Kev Pearson, Olivia Morey, Amy Kidd, Al Evans, Chris Evans and Sue Pinky all taking part, with Chris Evans also volunteering. Colin Simpson, Clive Harvey, Amanda De Ridder, Tim Kenny, Sue Simpson and Gill Brown all ran at Bognor. Nathan Bilham was at Chichester, Debbie Birch participated at Hogmoor Inclosure parkrun in Hampshire, Paul Fielder tried out East Brighton parkrun and Daniel Barnett ran at Wakehurst.
