Launceston Man Dan Competes At European Middle Distance Triathlon Championships
Dan Kinver from Launceston, was selected to represent Great Britain at the European Triathlon European middle championships on the 10th June in Herning, Denmark. There were some 2000 athletes from 34 different countries.
In order to be eligible to represent GB, as an athlete you have to apply based on your race times in the previous race year at a qualifying event of the same distance. Dan, actually used his time from the half Ironman he did in June 2016.
For those unaware of what this entails, the day starts with a 1.2 mile open water swim, then a 56 mile cycle and then on to the 13.1 mile run.
As an athlete you always hope for no wind, no rain and smooth road surfaces for the best race day experience. This wasn’t looking likely for Dan, as there was 3 days of solid rain leading up to race. Thankfully, race day was sunny and nearly perfect race conditions.
Dan finished with a time of 5 hours and 4 minutes, which would have been a bit quicker if he hadn’t taken an unplanned detour into a field on his bike with 10 miles to go on cycle. This ‘detour’ actually ended up with Dan going over his handlebars and injuring his leg slightly which did hamper his run speed. Still, in true triathlete spirit, he soldiered on!
The run course was unusual, actually, I thought Dan was pulling my leg when he told me had to run trough a library! All I could picture was something out of a Harry Potter film.
One of the great things about Triathlon is the camaraderie between athletes and also those invaluable support crews on re day. Dan said, ” it was brilliant hearing from lots of random people, shouting my name and encouraging me because they could see my name on my trisuit”.
Having helped Dan over the last few years with his incredible journey from someone who didn’t really do much exercise at all, it has been great to watch, coach and compete with him. He should be proud of what he has achieved and the dedication he has put into getting the results he has.
Keep an eye out for more from Dan….he’s not done yet.
Matt
Matt
Owner of Functionally Aware Fitness Personal Training
Voted Cornwall’s Best Fitness Instructor 2016
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