Rupert Griffiths, Andover Triathlon Club chairman, competed in his first triathlon - ‘The Good Fri Tri novice race’ at Radley College, near Oxford.

The event was, as its name suggests, on Good Friday and run by Try a Tri. This was a great learning race for first timers. Griffiths started the race with a mixture of apprehension and excitement and his 200m pool swim went well.

He was 15th overall after the swim, followed by a slow transition but he soon made up for this on the bike, overtaking everything in sight, including a car, on the 11km ride. Unfortunately, this is where the race fell apart as a marshal mistook him for a sprint racer and waved him on for a second lap. Griffiths, who should have only completed one lap, went on to finish a second. Then followed another slow transition and into the 3km run, which was slower than he expected. Griffiths finished 21st overall but probably should have finished first or second had he only completed the one lap of the bike ride. He enjoyed his morning out, received a well-earned finishers’ medal and a bacon sandwich. A valuable learning experience and all are looking forwards to hearing more from him.

Andover Triathlon Club run a similar event on July 15 at Farleigh School, for more detail visit: www.andovertriathlon.org.uk.