TRIATHLON: From the jellyfish of Australia to the mud and hills of Leicestershire!

This weekend saw racing around the globe from Rugby Triathlon Club members again, with Samantha Watkins representing the club down under for the second week in a row. Not content with doing one event, Samantha did two!

She took part in the Moorpanyal 1000m Swim in the Australian sea encountering the local jellyfish on route, luckily no sharks though.

The next day she completed the River Run 5k run in Geelong in 30:41. Samantha is meant to be on holiday in Australia, but three events over two weekends would suggest otherwise. Returning to snow in the UK might limit the number of sea swims she looks to do this weekend however.

Closer to home Laura McCrystal, Alison Morris and Paul Albon completed the Belvoir Challenge in Leicestershire. The race is hosted by a village school PTA drawing in 1,000 runners every year, a great way to raise funds for the school. The race is a spectacular off-road run across the Belvoir Estate with a different course each year. The only consistent parts every year is the amazing welcome the village gives you, the mud and the hills – lots of them! Laura competed in the 15-mile edition finishing in 2:53:44, and Paul and Alison completed the 26-mile edition in 5:12:00 and 6:27:18, respectively.

There was club representation at two cycle events in the sub-zero and bitterly cold conditions on Sunday. Richard Mercer and Sarah Booker completed a very hilly ride across the Cotswolds, taking in six very steep climbs including the notorious Edge and Sunrising Hills at the Rawlinson Bracket Sportive. The 96km ride is a real lung buster with over 1000m of climbing, not for the faint-hearted. Richard and Sarah crossed the line together in 5:08:58.

Judith Harper competed at the Cannock Chase Winter MTB Classic around Cannock Chase. This event was something completely different for Judith and her first mountain bike event - just entering was a very brave decision! Despite crashes and falls (obviously more common place in mountain biking), Judith completed the incredibly tough course in 1:53:54.

More information on Rugby Triathlon Club and how to join the club can be found on our Facebook page.