Great result for Lynsey in first triathlon of the season

Shetland triathlete Lynsey Henderson started her 2010 season with a great result at the weekend when she travelled to Warwickshire to compete in the Grendon Sprint Triathlon.

This was Lynsey’s first race outside Scotland, putting her up against a field of 700 other competitors.

The 750m swim took part in heats in a lake. Lynsey has been unable to train for this kind of open water swimming as temperatures in Shetland have been too cold. However, any apprehensions she may have had were suitably quashed as she showed her strength and powered through from the middle of the pack to achieve the second fastest time in her age group.

After the swim there was a quick change out of the wetsuit and on to a 23km cycle over an undulating course. Lynsey built on her swim performance to put in a solid bike ride, overtaking a few more competitors and leading her age group. She had to use sheer determination to hold the lead though as her closest age group rival, Emma Pearson of Alnwick, was close behind throughout, finishing the bike with a 43:09 time split, a great improvement since last year.

While dismounting on the bike, disaster struck for Lynsey. A fumble trying to get her bike shoe off cost her vital seconds, allowing Pearson to take the lead and putting her into second place.

The 5km run saw Lynsey work tirelessly to catch Pearson but she couldn’t quite match the pace. However, her grit and determination saw her finish strong to cross the line in second place in her age group (25-29 years) with a total time of 1:19:15.

The result means Lynsey has qualified for the Great Britain age group team, allowing her to travel to Ireland and take part in the European Championships in July. She has been working very hard on training through the winter but still without a proper coach or sponsor, which shows what a prospect she could be in the sport of triathlon.