The latter part of the Royal Navy triathlon season has been one of the most successful in the club’s history.

A great turn out saw more than 120 competitors participated in Royal Navy Triathlon championships at HMS Raleigh.

POPT Sean Childs (HMS Raleigh) posted the fastest time of the day to take the men’s open title for the first time, after being runner-up on three previous occasions.

Sgt Mark Goodridge (42 Cdo RM) was runner up, with CPO Eamonn Masson (HMS Trenchant) third and veteran Over-35 champion. Mne Joe Kerrigan took the veteran Over-40 honours. The host establishment won the men’s team event.

PO Vicki Norton (MOD Abbey Wood) made easy work of her sixth title in the ladies open category, and runner-up was Surg Lt Cdr Wendy Scott (RNAS Culdrose), with PO Lindsey Gannon taking third and veteran Over-35 honours. BRNC Dartmouth won the ladies team event.

Lt Len Louw (HMS Raleigh) and S/Lt Penny Armand-Smith (BRNC) won the men’s and ladies novice categories, while Plymouth Command proved to strong for the rest as they took the Inter-Command title.

Five Navy triathletes competed in the Longest Day Ironman at Wolverhampton – a 6am start saw 200 athletes compete against each other in the 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike ride and 26.2 mile run.

The bike leg proved to be really tough, especially during the last 30 miles when the riders were faced with a constant headwind.

Childs crossed the line in 9th, CPO Carl Harwood (RNAS Culdrose) 11th and CPO Jason Sawyer (HMS Heron) 13th, which gave the Royal Navy the club team title, last won by the Senior Service in 1998.

Ten days later, it was the Navy’s turn to host the Inter-Services Standard Distance championships at Sherbourne Castle.

The race comprised a 1,500m swim, 40km cycle ride and 10km run, and for the first time in many a year the Navy were almost at full strength.

Cpl Gary Gerrard (Cdo Logs RM and men’s champion 2000 and 2001) had been hampered by injury for most of the season but still managed to produce a gutsy display to finish runner up in the men’s field and take the veteran Over-40 title in the process. Childs was 7th and Kerrigan 10th.

Norton finished runner up in the ladies field, while the men’s veteran squad dominated the team event to take the title for the second successive year. The men’s elite and ladies team both finished runners up to the Army.

The Half Ironman UK was the biggest mass start race of the year and took place at Sherbourne Castle. This event was a 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile cycle ride and 13.1 mile run, attracting more than 1,500 athletes in one mass start – and the Navy proved their strength in depth with more than seven athletes in the top 100.

The event also incorporated the Inter-Service Long Distance championships, and there was more success for the team when Childs took the individual title.

With Harwood 4th, Lt Stu Dodd (HMS Raleigh) 7th, PO Andy Sleight (HMS Sultan) 8th and Sgt Mike Beaton 10th, the Navy took the team title for the second year in succession.

Other notable performances came from Cpl Phil Sykes (RM Band), who won the Portobello Triathlon in Scotland, and Cdr Al Rich (HMNB Portsmouth), who finished 12th in his 50-55 age group in the World Duathlon Championships.

Further information on Royal Navy Triathlon is available from POPT Sean Childs (HMS Raleigh) on Mil 9375 41393 or 41394.