Hundreds give it their all at Montrose's annual triathlon

Organised by Tri Angus Ltd, it saw 225 people from as far as Reading and Shetland come to Montrose to swim multiple lengths of the pool at Montrose Sports Centre before jumping on their bikes for a loop into the nearby countryside and finishing with a run to the beach and back in strong weekend sun.

From 11am, eight heats of up to 30 swimmers completed their allocated swim lengths of the six-lane pool – with novices doing 16 to cover 400m while more experienced athletes stroked their ways to 30 to cover 750m. To ensure an equal sense of participation, novice and ‘sprint’ starters were staggered so they took part together without any clear hierarchy.

Next, the bike ride challenged novices with one lap of the 12km course which went out to Mains of Dunninald before returning via Usan House and Ferryden, while the ‘Sprint’ competitors pedalled an extra loop to cover 20km.

Finally, all the tiring triathletes slipped on their running shoes for a 5k dash down to the beach and back, dodging showers along the way, before sprinting for the finish line at the sports centre, where prizes were handed out to the top three open and female participants in the novice and sprint categories.

All the way, from the first length in the pool to the final steps of the run, the competitors were cheered on by family, friends and the local community.

The Top 3 in the Female Sprint category were: 1st – Nicole Campbell (25), Fraserburgh, TrYthan, 1:14:51; 2nd – Louise McKenzie (25), Banff, 1:18:47 and 3rd – Iona MacDougall (22), Glasgow, Dundee University Triathlon Club, 1:19:05.

The Open Sprint podium was: 1st – Angus Miller (28), Kelso, Monifieth Triathlon Club, 1:09:30; 2nd – Rob Lawrie (31), Aberdeen, 1:12:55 and 3rd – Mark McIntosh (48), St Andrews, Monifieth Triathlon Club, 1:13:28.

Top finishers in the Female Novices were: 1st – Hannah Simpson (16), Angus, Monifieth Triathlon Club, 1:04:05; 2nd – Sarah McCallum (39), Edinburgh, 1:04:52 and 3rd – Avril Stewart (46), Angus, 1:05:53.

First three Open Novices were: 1st - James Grant (21), Crieff, 50:09; 2nd - Larry Chambers (43), Aberdeenshire, Fleet Feet Triathletes, 58:07 and 3rd – Fergus Alberts (23), Kincardineshire, Monifieth Triathlon Club, 59:07.

As ever, the event, which encouraged fundraising for its official charity partner, Tayside Mountain Rescue, got great support from its many local sponsors. The mountain emergency team kindly provided first aid cover.

Madisons Cafe at the sports centre provided brownies for the volunteers who gave their time to the event, while Sattva Wellness shared their expertise with massages in the Finish Area and post-race stretch sessions in return for donations to Tayside Mountain Rescue. Montrose Triathlon Club helped set things up on the day and Carnoustie Creative supported event communication with a website, marketing materials and emails.

Event vehicles came courtesy of local Ford commercial dealers A.M. Phillip, while new sponsor Power Washer Services helped with event costs including branded merchandise. Prizes included custom-made triathlon bags for the winners in each category made by new sponsor Montrose Bag Company.

Speaking about the event, organiser Maggie Lawrie said: “Thank you to all the competitors, sponsors and volunteers for helping the event reach this milestone and making the 10th Montrose Triathlon such a great success and great fun at the same time.”

To see more photos from the event, go to its Facebook page at @Triangus. For details of future Triangus events, go to its website at triangus.co.uk