Lancaster youngsters impress at Salt Ayre aquathlon

Kids aged 8-19 from across the North West competed in the City Of Lancaster Triathlon (COLT) annual aquathlon –part of the Triathlon England North West Series.

Many of the children at the Salt Ayre event, including young COLTs, were first-timers, swimming 50-metres and completing a 600m run, with youths enduring a challenging 500-metre swim followed by an arduous 5k run.

COLTs stormed the youth race with 15-year-olds William Howard and Alice Miller crossing the finish line in first place in the male and female youth category with a time of 18:15.7 and 19:19.5 respectively.

Thomas Dowthwaite, 12, was second over the line in 11:39 minutes in the boys’ Tristar 2 race, with Oliver Miller, 11, crossing the line in 11:40 for third place in the girls’ Tristar 2 event.

Other COLT juniors pulling off superb performances were eight-year-old Ronan Maher; nine-year-olds Niamh Barnsley-Ryan, Zach Earnshaw, Florence Barker, Zara Barker and Anan Tiger Clarke; 10-year-olds Kirsty Maher, Owain Heathcote-Jones, George Wilby, Luke Leadbeatter and Archie Honeysett; 11-year-olds Amelie Earnshaw and Jack Collett; 13-year-old Harry Shaw; 14-year-old Lydia Louise Shenton and 15-year-old Sadie Spencer.

COLT was launched in 2008 and the club has gone from strength to strength – particularly the junior section.

Young athletes from the squad have been selected to represent Great Britain in a string of events – including aquathlon, pentathlon and biathle. Five athletes were crowned champions in the 2015 North West Junior Triathlon England series – which covers Carlisle down to Chester, and the series also saw six teams scooping the top spot in the team relay section.

*Eight junior COLTs travelled to Crystal Palace, London, at the weekend to take on school kids from across the country in the Pentathlon GB British Schools Biathlon Championships.

Proudly representing their schools and their club, the girls competed on Saturday and the boys on Sunday.

Heysham High School student Georgia Hannam took first place for the fourth consecutive year, winning the U19 girls competition.

Another great performance was put in by Emma Whitaker U15 representing Queen Elizabeth School, who took fourth place overall.

Others who pulled off great performances were: Kirsty Maher, of Caton St Pauls ; Larissa Hannam, of Heysham High; Holly Satterly, of Lancaster Grammar School; Jack Collett, of Archbishop Huttons primary school; George Wilby, of Nether Kellett primary school; Anan Tiger Clarke, of Dallas Road primary school.