PRINCESS BEATRICE ONE OF THOUSANDS OF PARTICIPANTS TO TAKE PART IN NUFFIELD HEALTH ROYAL WINDSOR TRIATHLON

Over 2,500 triathletes of all abilities took part in the Nuffield Health Royal Windsor Triathlon on Sunday 18 June 2017, tackling a swim in the River Thames and a bike course round the streets of Windsor. Celebrating 27 years of the historic event, this year participants in both the Olympic (1,500m swim, 40km cycle, 10km run) and Sprint (750m swim, 20km cycle, 5km run) distances also had the chance to take on a stunning new run course on royal grounds. Starting in front of the legendary Windsor Castle, runners headed into Windsor Great Park and along the spectacular Long Walk with hundreds of spectators lining the route.

With the majority of triathletes registering the day before, Sunday saw participants taking to the water bright and early under sunny skies. Whilst many were racing to try and claim a place on the podium, others were completing their first triathlon or raising vital funds for official charity Macmillan Cancer Support.

Delighting the crowds with her appearance, Princess Beatrice of York joined participants for the final 5km run of the Sprint distance making the final stretch a truly ‘royal’ run route.

There were many other outstanding performances on the day, with Thomas Davis taking the male Olympic title, ahead of Rory Atkins and Brian Glynn, finishing in a time of 1:57:10. World Duathlon Champion Emma Pallant raced to victory in the female Olympic distance in just 2:06:49, followed by Team Dillon colleagues Louise Croxson and Lori Westcott.

The winner of the shorter Sprint distance was talented young Niall Caley in 1:03:13 in the male category, with Sam Wordley and Tom Moffat completing the podium. The female winner was Carol Bridge in 1:07:31, ahead of Abby Settle and Frances Sheehan.

Presented by the lady herself, the Jasmine Flatters Club Championship trophies were awarded to the triathlon clubs with the fastest average time. This year both the male and female trophies went to a dominant Berkshire Tri Squad.

“We were delighted to see so many people turn out for the 27^th Nuffield Health Royal Windsor Triathlon”, says Nick Rusling, CEO of organisers Human Race Events. “It was a fantastic day, and to get the royal seal of approval was even better! I’d like to congratulate everyone who completed the iconic course, and got to finish their day on the stunning Long Walk.”

After completing the course Princess Beatrice of York said “It’s a beautiful place to go for a run, especially on a warm June day. It’s so wonderful when you bring this many people together, especially to put their passions on the line, a phenomenal community of people. I like to do at least a couple of crazy challenges every year, I get to meet so many wonderful people who are doing so many incredible things”.

The Royal Windsor Triathlon will return for 2019 on Sunday 16 June. Entries are now open, for a Royal Entry Window which closes on Monday 25 June at 10am. General entries won’t reopen until Autumn 2018 so to guarantee your place, sign up now.