Blackwater Triathlon Club News Articles

Charity Triathlon 2024

Jack Garwood — Thu, 25 Jul 2024 20:36:39 +0100

The next charity triathlon will be Sunday 8th September 2024

Entry is online here

Sprint Event:	Swim 400m	Bike 21km	Run 6km
Novice Event:	Swim 200m	Bike 12km	Run 3km
Relay Event	Swim 400m	Bike 21km	Run 6km

Entry fees :-
Sprint event £40
Novice event £35
Relay event £45
Inclusive of BTF Race Licence.

The Blackwater Charity triathlon is based at the Blackwater Leisure Centre, a modern and well equipped leisure centre in Maldon Essex. The race is run in aid of charity and all proceeds from the event will be donated to the chosen charity.

The race is run in three formats Novice, Sprint and Relay. The race starts in the 25m indoor pool with a controlled start limiting the number of swimmers in each lane. There is a spacious transition area within the leisure centre grounds, which forms the focus of the race.

The cycle course is 2 laps on mainly rural roads totaling 23km, passing to the south of Maldon, then south towards Cold Norton before turning back North through the village of Mundon and returning to Maldon.

Pool Swim:-
400 metre (200 metre for Novice) pool swim at the leisure centre pool. Start position is based on your declared swim time, with the slowest going first so you will be swimming with people of a similar speed.

Bike Route:-
A two lap road course, totalling 23km (single lap 12km for Novice distance). This is a largely flat course with three gradual climbs on each lap, along mainly rural roads.
Charity Bike Route

Run Route:-
A two lap off road route on paved surfaces with a small section on grass. (Single lap for Novice).
Charity Run Route

Transistion:-
The transition area will be situated to the rear of the leisure centre. Shower and changing facilities will be available at the leisure centre itself.

The pool swim and traffic free run course makes it an ideal race for novices. This is a well-established event with a high demand for places so we are expecting the entry list to fill up quickly. On reaching the entry limit we will keep a waiting list to replace those who have to withdraw.

Start Time will be 7.30am

Rules :-
This event will be held under the rules of the British Triathlon Federation.
Your bicycle must be in a mechanically safe condition.
An approved cycle helmet must be worn on the cycle section. NO HELMET NO RACE.
A BTF approved referee will be present throughout the race.
Each racer is required to have a BTF day licence (this is included in the entry fee) or be a member of the BTF. (A £3 refund on the day if you present a valid BTF Licence)
The BTF day licence is a licence for racing and covers your public liability insurance for the day. NO LICENCE NO RACE.

Full rules can be found at British Triathlon, or by writing to British Triathlon, P.O. Box 25, Loughborough, Leicestershire. LE11 3WX.

There will be trophies for the top three placings male and female in the open sprint event as well as first place male/female in the categories:- Veteran, Novice and Junior.
Race instructions will be sent out one week prior to the event and full results will be published in due course, normally within 24 hours of the race finish.
Racers without internet access can have a copy posted by prior arrangement with the organiser.

Withdrawal Policy :-
Blackwater Triathlon Club acknowledges racers will on occasion need to withdraw an entry through injury or other reason. Blackwater Tri Club will accept written notification of a withdrawal, received by the organiser prior to the closing date. A refund will be made less a £5 administration fee.
After the closing date no refund or substitution will be accepted.

Enter Here :-

https://www.britishtriathlon.org/events/blackwater-charity-triathlon_15546

Facebook Group:-

There are some great tips for a sucessful race on the Blackwater Charity Triathlon Facebook Group

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1010674199026982/

Frequqntly Asked Questions

Do I have to wear a swim hat?

No swim cap required. This is a pool based swim.

I don't have a tri-suit and am planning on wearing a normal swimming costume - I assume that is OK?

Yes this is fine

I am planning to wear the same clothes for the bike and run parts. So should I put the race numbers on the front and back of my T-shirt?

Only one bib number is issued, if you don't have a number belt please pin the number to the front.

At each end of the pool can I turn however I want? I.e. tumble turn or just stopping and turning round?

I have approached the Technical Official, please be cautious when tumble turning with other athletes in your lane.

When I transition from the pool to bike, do we get changed in the pool changing rooms? Do we just leave our towels etc, where we collect our bike?

There will be a small area to change in cubicles if you wish. However you can towel in transition.

Charity Triathlon FAQs

Jack Garwood — Mon, 04 Sep 2023 20:22:27 +0100

Some questions that have been asked:

Do I have to wear a swim hat?

No swim cap required. This is a pool based swim.

I don't have a tri-suit and am planning on wearing a normal swimming costume - I assume that is OK?

Yes this is fine

I am planning to wear the same clothes for the bike and run parts. So should I put the race numbers on the front and back of my T-shirt?

Only one bib number is issued, if you don't have a number belt please pin the number to the front.

At each end of the pool can I turn however I want? I.e. tumble turn or just stopping and turning round?

I have approached the Technical Official, please be cautious when tumble turning with other athletes in your lane.

When I transition from the pool to bike, do we get changed in the pool changing rooms? Do we just leave our towels etc, where we collect our bike?

There will be a small area to change in cubicles if you wish. However you can towel in transition.

Charity Triathlon Help Wanted

Jack Garwood — Thu, 08 Jun 2023 09:22:10 +0100

Evening everyone: Blackwater Charity Triathlon is Sunday 10/09. Entries have been open for a while and will start to pick up over the coming weeks 👌.

I need everyone to get involved over this weekend. Saturday afternoon will see the transition set up behind the Leisure Center on the grass as well as all the road signage placed out on the route (mostly with cable ties).

The event itself has a novice and sprint distance. This will start around 0700hrs Sunday morning but I need people there earlier from 0600hrs to help and assist.

Key roles within the event will be Swim, Bike and Run leads to ensure each discipline runs smoothly throughout the morning. I also need people to manage Transition and ensure its kept running smoothly alongside people at key points around the Leisure Center, bike and run routes.

The leisure centre have provided the entire facility throughout the morning. Afterwards the transition will need to be taken down and packed away. Many hand will make light work of this! 🙂

So please step forwards and let me know what you can commit to?

I also need volunteers to sort out trophies, goodie bags (if we can get some free stuff), race numbers. Basically a lot of organising needs to be done.

Regards
Andy Jopson and Chris Mathlin

Colchester Cycle track

Jack Garwood — Mon, 10 Apr 2023 19:46:53 +0100

Evening all, I hope you have now had your fill of chocolate and hot x buns because the race season is heading at you fast!

To help prepare we have a session booked at the Colchester cycle track this coming Saturday (15/4/23). To start we have an optional transition training half hour starting at around 2.20pm. We will then be on track from 3pm for an hour, followed by 30 minutes of run training.
You can opt in or out of any of them, your choice. The cost is £7 payable through the SPOND app.

For those who haven't been to the track before then it is off the A12 at the Colchester FC junction 28. They are playing away so no clash with footie traffic.
Please do come along, the track is a safe place away from traffic, it is a mile long. The weather could be changeable so clothe up correctly.
Enjoy!

Charity Triathlon 2023

Jack Garwood — Wed, 22 Mar 2023 19:44:22 +0000

The next charity triathlon will be Sunday 10th September 2023

Entry will be online here

Sprint Event:	Swim 400m	Bike 21km	Run 6km
Novice Event:	Swim 200m	Bike 12km	Run 3km
Relay Event	Swim 400m	Bike 21km	Run 6km

Entry fees :-
Sprint event £40
Novice event £30
Relay event £45
Inclusive of BTF Race Licence.

Run Route:-
A two lap off road route on paved surfaces with a small section on grass. (Single lap for Novice).
Charity Run Route

Transistion:-
The transition area will be situated to the rear of the leisure centre. Shower and changing facilities will be available at the leisure centre itself.

Start Time will be 7.30am

Full rules can be found at British Triathlon, or by writing to British Triathlon, P.O. Box 25, Loughborough, Leicestershire. LE11 3WX.

Enter Here :-

www.britishtriathlon.org/events/blackwater-charity-triathlon-2023

Facebook Group:-

There are some great tips for a sucessful race on the Blackwater Charity Triathlon Facebook Group

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1010674199026982/

BWTC 2022 AGM Minutes

Rowena de Belligny — Mon, 12 Dec 2022 11:19:14 +0000

Dear Members,

Please find the minutes for the recent AGM attached and below:

Blackwater Triathlon Club AGM 2022
Minutes prepared by Katy Rehal
Present:
Rowena de Belligny, Kevin Carley, Andy Jopson, Andy Notley, Katy Rehal, Alison Vincent,
Jack Garwood, Chris Mathlin, Dave Parry, Juliette Elderton, Mark Lawes, Zena Faulkner,
Apologies:
Sam Wilkinson Ross, Louise Woods, Joanne Wiltshire, Valerie McGoldrick, Pete Frankland,

Minutes from 2021 AGM were agreed, and approved unanimously

Chairpersons’ Report
This Year focus is on getting momentum, we have had a lot of hard work from too few
people, Thanks for support of current committee, and we hope for more hands after this
AGM.

Adults
 Our club was 8th overall in the East Region standings, despite having VERY few of us
out racing this year
 Great presence at the Maldon Triathlon contributed to this – lots of our new club kit
out there and some fab performances! Tom Ballard on the podium, Tom Anderson,
Andy Notley, Andy Barnard, Jack Garwood
 Tom Ballard won the East region league for the Senior men category
 Stuart Axon qualifying to represent team GB at the European Championships in the
80-84 age group
 Steve Bullman competed in European AG Standard distance Triathlon in Bilbao
 A new qualified coach! Juliette J
 Lots more to add to the longer version of this next week!

Juniors
 Tom Ballard and a small team put on a tri-a-tri event as part of the Ride London fun
during the summer at the prom. Was a great success with All Saints school and
plenty of other first time participants.
 Newly qualified Activator – Ben Watley
 Tristan – a few race podiums, selected for Inter regional triathlon championship
team, inter-regional duathlon team and the regional development squad
 Rafael – bronze in the regional series, inter-regional duathlon team invitation
 Arthur – selected a year earlier than most to join the England Next Generation squad
after four top five finishes in the Super Series.
 Izzy – coaching every week, DofE, podium at the Letchworth aquathlon
 Joe Perry – winning east region series for Junior category
 Overall increasing rebuilding membership levels, good attendance, we might have an
excellent racing team next year!

Membership levels
Slight increase from last year in absolute terms, more active overall than last year!
56 adult members
25 junior members

Looking forward to 2023 – Transition to Spond for club activities, continue to increase membership levels.
Work hard to make the club feel more like a club, safe place to train, culture
transformation etc. Junior meeting, racing together makes the club feel more like a club.
Dominate just a few events to make the club feel more like a club.
Next Year
We’re beginning to transition away from our old-fashioned, clubbuzz website, onto
Spond. If you haven’t already, please get on to Spond!
We’re looking to continue increasing levels of membership for both the adult and junior
sections.
In 2023, we will work hard to make the club feel more like a club: a safe place to train,
ask questions, make friends, get and give support… enjoy ourselves, and enjoy triathlon.
We’d welcome help on this – either any level of expertise or experience in culture
transformation, extra practical hands to make events happen!
The ‘club feeling’ can often come from racing together, and especially racing in the same
kit. We’ll promote a few events in 2023 which we hope can be well attended by club
members as a team, supporting each other… and maybe even getting us higher up in the
club rankings!
We’ll be polling, very soon, for preferences on training and coaching schedules. We’ll
probably not use the track in Braintree anymore – those sessions were generally poorly
attended. We intend to use the prom more for running and transition sessions,
especially when it’s a little lighter in the evenings. Hopefully we can work out a day/time
when we could have a really good turn out for a cycling track session in Colchester. We
need 20 participants to break even.
Intend to use the prom more for specific training sessions & days for better turnout for
Cycling training in Colchester

Treasurer’s Report
We’ve made an operating loss of £1027. Our pool hire costs have increased quite
significantly.
In addition to the day to day running expenses, we had a few one-off expenses,
including:
We trained two new coaches (Rowena level 2 and Juliette level 1) and ensured that
our other coaches (Kevin, Katy, Tracy, Andy Jopson and Val) had all the CPD and
training required to still be sanctioned by BTF and insured.
We invested a small amount in some club swim equipment, which is stored behind
the pool (over there!)
We also held a refresher session for our Open Water lifeguards.
After sorting out the cancellation of the charity triathlon, we ended up with a very
small amount left in the pot from people who did not respond to our
encouragement for a refund, or wished to defer their entry to next year.
After we put on the Ride London tri-a tri event, we were also left with a small
amount in the pot… in addition to a gazebo!
We invested in some new club kit. We have a few items in stock, but we’re also due
some payments from members… so the figures won’t end up looking quite so bad.
We did provide a significant level of subsidy though, so this will end up as an expense
for the club.
The committee propose to make two separate increases to members fees for next
year:

First Annual registration will increase to £15 per year for juniors and £25 for adults.
** note – it is too late in the year to implement this increase using the current
system, so an annual fee increase of at least this amount will be implemented for
2024**

Monthly subs will increase to £18 a month for one swim per week, £23 for two and
£24 for three.
For families with juniors, subs will be £18 for the first child, £30 for two children, £36
for three children and any additional siblings in the same family will be free of
charge.

Fee increases were put to a vote and unanimously passed, with effect in January 1
2023.

Coaches report
Head Coach’s Report – Kevin Carley
Thanks for coming supporting the coached events,
Coaches cover 4 level 2 I level1 who cover triathlon coaching – Val McCormickspecialist
swim & dive coaches,
6 open water (not tidal) Lifeguards.
Cover 52 wks. year swimming, coached or a set, plus lake swimming April to August.
Cycle – Colchester – great session would be good to use more often, especially for
juniors – safe environment – get back there again.
Training events – 13 a year, practice tri 1x/month, Aquathon in winter, good,
sharpens you up, gives you a benchmark. Juniors’ race during the summer, can
practice transition, how to be comfortable in this environment.
Running, Braintree track has not been well supported, unfortunately may not
continue.
Run sessions Tuesday & Thursday before swimming, led by Tom Ballard & Andy
Jopson
Coaches here to be used. Anyone want to train to be a coach?

Election of Officers for 2022/2023 season – positions and nominees
 Chairperson – Rowena de Belligny
 Vice Chair – Katy Rehal
 Treasurer – Zena Faulkner
 Deputy Treasurer – Pete Frankland
 Secretary – Andy Jopson
 Junior Coordinator – Rowena de Belligny/ Louise Howard/ Juliette Elderton

Election for non-officer roles
 Membership Secretary – should liaise closely with Secretary, Treasurer OPEN
 Communications & social media – Jack Garwood & Sam Wilkinson-Ross
 Kit coordinator – Thomas Ballard/ Kate Harpham (Chloe Prime’s mum) junior section
 Welfare Officer – Sarah Watley/ Chris Mathlin
 Run leader – Alison Vincent
 Cycle leader – Andy Notley/Kevin Carley
 Swim leader – Val McGoldrick & Pete Frankland
 Club league manager – TBC
 Charity Triathlon Race Director – Andy Jopson
 Charity Triathlon Deputy Director - Chris Mathlin
 Charity Triathlon Core Team – 4 persons required (Recruiting the marshalls & getting
the promotions etc, agreements) OPEN
 Christmas Party & Presentation evening 2023 organiser - 2 persons – Alison & Katy
Club Policies
- to be reviewed by secretary, amended if necessary & signed off at first meeting of
2023
- BWTC Key Policies - Safeguarding, Anti-doping, Equality, Diversity 2021 -
- Code of Conduct for Club Officers, Coaches and Volunteers-
- Code of Conduct for Members and Supporters-

Website
Jack Garwood has already started to build a website on wordpress.com which we
can look at to play with, vote on paying/paying for domain name etc to be debated
for next meeting.
Will gradually go live as we transition to Spond.
Jack G will attend committee meetings regarding website issues.
Facebook admin – only allowed on FB if members on Spond.

AOB
Chris Mathlin thanked Rowena for all that she does

Meeting adjourned by Rowena de Belligny at 21:05

CHRISTMAS AQUATHLON CANCELLED

Jack Garwood — Sat, 10 Dec 2022 21:12:04 +0000

Unfortunately due to -4C and fog forecast the decision has been made to cancel Christmas Aquathlon.

Club AGM agenda

Jack Garwood — Wed, 23 Nov 2022 10:04:15 +0000

Dear members,
Please see the AGM agenda below.

Some printed copies will be
available at the meeting.

Please let me know if you’d like to join by zoom.

AGM AGENDA

Apologies

Minutes from 2021 AGM

Chairpersons’ Report - RdB

Treasurer’s Report - AV/RdB

Head Coach’s Report - Kevin

Secretary’s Report - RdB?

Junior Coordinator Report - Sarah Watley/ RdB

Election of Officers for 2022/2023 season – positions and
nominees

Chairperson –
Vice Chair –
Treasurer –
Secretary –
Junior Secretary -
Election for non-officer roles

Membership Secretary
Communications & Social media – Jack Garwood?
Kit coordinator – Thomas Ballard?
Welfare Officer – Sarah Watley & Chris Mathlin
Run leader -
Cycle leader –
Swim leader –
Club league manager -
Charity Triathlon Run Director – Andy Jopson
Charity Triathlon Core Team – 4 persons required (Chris Mathlin
+3)
Christmas Party & Presentation evening 2023 organiser - 2 persons

Club Policies

BWTC consitution 2021 -
BWTC membership T&C -

BWTC Key Policies - Safeguarding, Anti-doping, Equality,
Diversity 2021 -
Code of Conduct for Club Officers, Coaches and Volunteers-

Code of Conduct for Members and Supporters-

AOB

December aquathlon dates

Jack Garwood — Mon, 21 Nov 2022 06:36:07 +0000

Sunday 4th we will be holding the December edition of our monthly Training Aquathon - 750m swim and 5k run. If you would like to timekeep then please let me know.
Sunday 11th will be the Christmas fancy dress Aquathon, I wonder if the turkey will reappear?? We will also be running the Junior Christmas Aquathon side by side with the adults. I will probably look after this one.
Sunday 18th will be Val's Christmas swim session - you know these hurts but hey what's a triathlon without pain??
Enjoy

Kevin

Christmas Swim Times

Jack Garwood — Tue, 15 Nov 2022 16:41:30 +0000

Dates for everyone's diary's.

CHRISTMAS SWIM TIMES

Juniors last swim date Thursday 8th December, returning on Thursday 5th January.

Adults as follows;
Tuesday 20th December - As Normal
Thursday 22nd December- As Normal
Sunday 25th December - Centre Closed
Tuesday 27th December - Centre shuts Early SO NO SWIM
Sunday 1st January - Centre Closed
Tuesday 3rd January - As Normal