Triathlete Henderson qualifies for world and European championships

Triathlete Lynsey Henderson took part in the British Championships Speedy Beaver sprint triathlon at Belvior Castle in Leicestershire at the weekend. She was up against tough competition in the 25-29 age group as this was a qualifier event for the World Championships 2011 in Beijing and the European Championships 2012 in Israel.

The open water 750m swim had a mass start with all females (15-39yrs) lining up in the third wave. It was a challenging swim for Lynsey with the sheer number of competitors in such a confined space all fighting to get to the front of the pack. There were some heavy challenges being made with swimmers kicking and hitting each other to make headway.

Lynsey had the unnerving experience of a fellow competitor swimming right over the top of her but she used her physical and mental strength to pull ahead. Using her confidence and experience as a swimmer she was out of the water first in her age group and straight into transition which was longer as normal involving a 450m run across a field before jumping on her bike.

The bike was a one loop course, covering 20km. Lynsey started off steady but was passed by two talented cyclists. She managed to hold off a third that she had been battling with throughout the cycle as they tussled for third position. Lynsey completed the cycle in 37 minutes.

Straight into her run Lynsey tried hard to hold onto the third position but the newly designed run route in the castle grounds proved tough going. Lynsey finished her 5km run in 21 minutes with an overall finishing time of 01:15:02.

This result saw her take fourth place in the 25-29 age group and 21st overall in the British female section. Lynsey’s finishing position qualifies her for the World Championships 2011 and European Championships 2012.