The Auckland instalment of the 2015 World Triathlon Series saw Britain’s Jessica Learmonth lead the athletes out of the swim for the first time – but it was the USA’s Gwen Jorgensen who romped home for her 10th career victory, followed by fellow American Katie Zaferes. Advertisement Jorgensen emerged from the 1,500m swim with a 40-second deficit behind Learmonth and Spain’s Carolina Routier, but her effort on the early laps of the bike catapulted her into the lead group and she was able to remain there for the entire 40km — giving her the time to push ahead early on the 10km run. Crossing the finish line in 2:09:04 with…

Jonny Brownlee put in a superb race at WTS Auckland earlier today to take his first gold of the 2015 season, visibly delighted with victory as he crossed the line ahead of defending champion Javier Gomez (ESP). Advertisement Brownlee was always in a good position throughout the first Olympic distance race of 2015 (1,500 swim/40km bike/10km run), having been helped through the swim by Leeds-based Slovakian, Richard Varga, and Tom Bishop on the bike. Very happy to win #AucklandWTS today. It is a honest triathlon course. Just like the Yorkshire hill’s! pic.twitter.com/0XwkMWy9B4 — Jonathan Brownlee (@jonny_brownlee) March 29, 2015 He burst out of the second transition and established an immediate…

Mark Buckingham and Emma Pallant won the first senior domestic titles of 2015 yesterday at the British Elite Duathlon Championships at Rockingham Motor Racing Circuit in Northamptonshire. Advertisement It wasn’t all plain sailing though – fierce winds forced the organisers to change the format in the junior women’s and both senior races, cancelling the bike leg and make it a straight 10km run. Buckingham completed the run in a provisional winning time of 31:10mins, finishing ahead of Adam Bowden and David Bishop (times still to be confirmed). “It feels great to win – I’m really happy with how it all went,” said Buckingham afterwards.  “Obviously, we all came here to…

British women ruled Ironman South Africa yesterday, with Jodie Swallow taking top honours and an emotional victory ahead of Lucy Gossage and Susie Cheetham. Advertisement Setting the tone for the rest of the race, Swallow quickly caught up to the back end of the men’s field. She completed the swim with a time of 50:16mins, with Camilla Pedersen (DEN) and Lucie Reed (CZE) following a further two seconds back. >>> Camilla Pedersen’s comeback continues with victory at Challenge Fuerteventura Pedersen stayed within distance of Swallow in the early stages of the bike, while Eva Wutti (AUT) sat comfortably in third position for the majority of the first lap, but was…

Britain’s Ironman legend Chrissie Wellington recently met with cancer survivor Tim Perkin from Cheltenham as part of national charity Willow’s Special Days programme, which gives seriously ill 16-to-40 year olds uplifting and memorable experiences. Advertisement Tim was diagnosed with bowel cancer at the age of 33 and subsequently had life-saving surgery and went through months of chemotherapy. >>> Do you have a Will of Iron? Only six months after finishing his chemotherapy, Tim was racing in the Bath Half Marathon and is now training for the 2015 London Marathon. In February, Chrissie – a 220 regular and four-time world Ironman champion – met with Tim to give him some advice…

What an exciting set of races in Auckland – Jonny Brownlee got his first WTS gold of 2015, and the USA’s Gwen Jorgensen continued her seemingly unbeatable streak with yet another victory, her 10th career win. Advertisement >>> Jonny Brownlee takes outstanding win at WTS Auckland >>> Gwen Jorgensen bags her first WTS Auckland win It was a good weekend of international racing for the Brits, with Jodie Swallow taking an emotional win at Ironman South Africa in memory of her friend Linda Scatollin, and Lucy Gossage and Susie Cheetham also up there on the podium. In the men’s race, David McNamee took an impressive 7th place. Advertisement What did…

Great Britain’s Holly Lawrence put in a superb shift on the bike to go into the run in first place at Ironman 70.3 California last weekend, before being caught out by eventual winner Heather Jackson (USA) and second-placed Heather Wurtele (CAN). Advertisement …well that f**cking HURT!! — Holly Lawrence (@Holly_Lawrence_) March 28, 2015 Jackson and men’s winner Jan Frodeno (GER) used blistering run splits to capture wins, crossing the finish line in 4:14:47 and 3:47:08 respectively. Frodeno, Germany’s 2008 gold medallist, earned his second consecutive win in Oceanside while Heather Jackson earned her second win in three years. >>> Jan Frodeno’s top 10 tips for stepping up to Iron distance One of nearly…

Tired of time-consuming transitions? Want to take part in what could be the UK’s biggest ever gathering of naked people? Then good news! The first Human Race Naked Triathlon will debut on Saturday 4 July for all triathletes aged 18+, involving a 500m swim, a saddle-sore inducing 16k cycle, and a 5k run to finish. Advertisement All of the events will take place at Dorney Lake in Buckinghamshire. If the winner of any event is caught wearing shoes, underwear or clothing or any type they are expected to be ‘stripped’ of their title.  Speaking about the event, triathlon official Richard Burvill said “The rules are quite strict regarding clothing worn,…

Entries are now open for the Lakesman, a new long-distance triathlon set to take place in Cumbria on Sunday 19 June, 2016. Advertisement The event will comprise of a 3.8km swim, 180km cycle and a full marathon at 42km and is expected to be completed in around 9.5 hours by elite athletes or under 17.5 hours by less experienced competitors. It will be hosted in the heart of the Lake District in West Cumbria taking participants through stunning scenery and along the coast. The course will provide competitors with good surfaces and fairly flat terrain on the bike and run legs while the swim will take place in the still…

Great Britain’s Jacqui Slack came home in first place at Xterra Saipan on the weekend as Ben Allen (AUS) won the men’s race for the fourth year running. Advertisement Both athletes led from start to finish in wet conditions that threatened to make the already challenging course all the more difficult.  “[They were] some of the worst conditions I’ve ever raced in. The rain didn’t let up and it made for super slippery conditions,” explained Allen. Men’s race As one of the sport’s best swimmers, it was not surprising to see Allen open a 1min lead over Bradley Weiss (RSA) during the swim. He then went on to record the…