Trio of third places for the club at the first ever Hardwick Tri   The club gained a trio of third places at the Hardwick Sprint Triathlon last weekend and had one of the best turnouts from the West Midlands.  Mark and Nicola both won small silver plated dishes which will come in useful for peanuts at the club barbecue and AGM! The race was new to the local calendar this season and attracted a very high class field of athletes including some semi-professional triathletes - wow!  The swim took place in the same lake as they normally use for the Bredon race, the bike was flat (but windy) and an out and back with a loop through the local villages and the run was a fast three-lap affair around the lake. Mark Sims was the first one to finish from the club.  He completed the 750 metre open-water swim, 20 km bike and 5km run in 1 hour and 3 minutes.  He was in third place overall, excellent preparation for next month's World age-group championships in Australia. Steve King of Hereford Kayak Club finished in 8th place in 1:04:30 with Colin Kerfoot finishing in 20th place overall and gaining the 3rd veteran spot in 1:08:15.  His 'nemesis' Preston Eckloff was back though - pipping him by one second after having 18-months out of triathlon! Stephen Doddridge was the next club member to finish in 1:10:33 followed by Nicola Goodwin in 1:14:37.  Nicola was the first Hereford woman to finish and gained 3rd place in the women's category, pipping the fourth place finisher by just 2 seconds in a sprint (well faster waddle) finish. Ursula Hankinson (1:18:23) was next in, she is also preparing for next month's World age-group championships.   She was followed by Kathryn King (1:19:06), Gerry West (1:21:51) and Andy Mogg (1:53:54).  Most of us agreed it was a nice race and, with a few tweeks and a few more marshals, could become a favourite on the local calendar.   BACK