Ollie Turner – Triathlete

Blenheim palace triathlon:
The Bloodwise Blenheim triathlon was the first of two qualification races for the 2018 Commonwealth games. I ventured into the race open-minded, as I knew the level of competition was going to be exceptionally high. My goal… to attain a finish time within 7% of the first place athlete this was the standard set in order to achieve my place in team Jersey. With this in mind, the nerves began to take affect.

The race:
Swim: After observing the start list amongst many famous names one stood out above all, Rio Olympian and professional triathlete Gordon Benson was contending for a top spot I instantly knew I was in for a tough race. The claxon fired, I immediately positioning myself behind a bunch of fast swimmers this tactic paid off as I managed to hold my pace well. I made a conscious effort to stay out of any trouble by holding my position on the far right side of the swim pack. The run to transition one was a steep uphill 200m path, which separated the strong and weak runners massively. This was a key feature in splitting packs for the bike.

Bike: I had a successful swift transition onto the bike, which I’d been practicing for relentlessly, placing me ahead of those I was with on the swim. I was quickly caught by a pack of thirty riders as we flew around the; windy, hilly and technical bike course. My heart racing, legs hurting I managed to restrain myself for the last 3K, as running well was high on my agenda. My transition and dismount were solid which put me mid pack heading out onto the run.

Run: I really struggled on this run as I had exerted a lot of energy on the bike; I dug deep knowing that the key feature was to finish in the highest position as possible. I managed to hold a few position and finish with a reasonably solid time considering the course and the 500m long runs.

Conclusion: Unfortunately I didn’t achieve my commonwealth games criteria only being a few % away from where I should be. Once again none of this would be achievable without the help of my sponsors thank you to Fairway Jersey who provide me travel, accommodation and my running kit. In addition Pedal Power who provide me with all the latest top of the range gear and bikes. TYR sport who provide me with leading swim equipment and suits. Finally SportsHub who continue to branch out my social media channels and provide me with 5* recovery treatment courtesy of Hotel de France.