Happy New Year, Horspath XC, The Dunmore Fund and The Oxford Tri Series 2024

Happy New Year Oxford Tri Family!

I hope that this finds you well and that you have had a great Christmas and New Year with friends and family. A big shout out to those who led our social sessions across the fortnight I certainly had a great time with those who turned up to our New Years Day Social Run despite my best attempts to get them lost.

I’ll keep this relatively short as there are a few key announcements. Many of you will have noticed that our website is slowly taking shape. There has been a huge amount of work so a big shout out to Lee and Liz who have helped with this and some of the content. We are aware that there is still a little bit to do but hope to have it done in the coming weeks.

January is often a time for resolutions and new adventures and traditionally it’s been the month where we as a club have had the most new members joining. So don’t be shy when it comes to sharing our great club whether through social media or perhaps when you’re having that catchup with that work colleague or friend who is looking to take on a new challenge this year. With a revamped trial membership, race series and much much more there is lot’s to be excited about this year.

God Bless

Craig

chair@oxfordtri.co.uk

Horspath XC This weekend + Pub Lunch

For those racing this weekend the organisers have asked us to share the following information with those planning on racing. Also Cicely is rounding up people keen for a pub lunch. Spare clothes are definitely advisable along with a few old towels. Also if you are not racing why not come along and support, I’m sure there’s going to be some cracking photos of people covered in mud, lots of mud…

(Message from event organisers)

It won’t have escaped your attention that Oxfordshire is a little wet right now so a team gathered at Horspath this afternoon. Thanks to John, John, Chris, Richard & Emma for sparing time to review the course conditions.

The course is very wet and muddy, although much improved from December when the SEAA fixture was cancelled. Other organisational adjustments have been made mitigating the risk of cancellation further.

The forecast for the next two days shows very little chance of further rain so there is nothing that would prevent the fixture from going ahead (unless an unexpected storm hits!) on Sunday.

If you are running you will get very wet & muddy
The temperature is forecast to drop close to zero so dress appropriately before, during & after the race
Spectators & volunteers are advised to wear wellies
This will be full-on cross country, so come prepared!

And after running the course today, John Exley offered this advice on spike length… a decent set of 12mm should be just right. 9mm are likely to not make any difference and 15mm will likely be too long and get caught on tree roots.

The Dunmore Fund

Some of you may have already noticed on our website and if you’ve already renewed your membership that there is now a section on our website entitled ‘The Dunmore Fund’. As a committee we have been working on this for a number of weeks are delighted to share it publicly now.

Named in recognition of the late Mike Dunmore, founder of Oxford Tri. The Dunmore Fund will provide funds to support Oxford Tri and/or its individual members with the aim reduce barriers for participation in the sport of triathlon, any of its disciplines (Swim, Bike, Run) or other multi-sport events.

The fund seeks to support applications which align with one or multiple OxfordTri club values. These are to INCLUDE, EMPOWER, TOGETHER.

We are particularly interested in supporting members or initiatives which relate to the following themes as outlined in our 2025 Strategy:

Opportunity
Coaching
Community
Sustainability

Applications with themes outside of this will still be considered but may have a reduced chance of being successful.

The fund will be open for individuals to apply for club-based initiatives or personal support throughout the year. We do have a limited amount of funds and if these are used up the Fund will close until a time where more funding has become available. Applications will be reviewed on a bi-monthly basis by a selection of individuals as appointed by the OxfordTri committee.

The money which makes up this fund has been donated specifically to this fund or attained by the club through fundraising events or applications for funding through external organisations and funds. This fund is ring fenced separately from the wider operational running’s costs of Oxford Tri.

*We are currently finalising the application process*

The Oxford Tri Series 2024

We are delighted to share our finalised list of races for The Oxford Tri Series 2024 (Previously Club Champs). We have copied below the information from the website which outlines the races. Where possible we have highlighted the races that we are in conversation around potential partnerships which will hopefully mean a discount for Oxford Tri members. I have been advised to share that communications around the Windsor Triathlon on the 9^th of June suggest that entries are going to close soon, so please do sign up asap if you are interested.

Our Oxford Tri Series is an amazing way to participate in a number local events throughout the year as part of the Oxford Tri Community. These races have been hand-picked to give members the opportunity to participate or race in a number different distances and local (as best as possible) events. Although we have recently changed the branding the series remains ever popular with our members with upward of 30 members participating at some events.

Whether you are looking to participate in your first multisport event or planning to qualify for the GB Age Group team our series has something for everyone. Although primarily about getting the Oxford Tri community together at events, our series wouldn’t be complete without some internal club-based competition with a winner being announced at our annual dinner for both our men and women.

If you have any questions about the series don’t hesitate to speak to a coach at one of your sessions or email info@oxfordtri.co.uk

How does it work?

When you take part in one of the series races you receive points based on your finishing time. This will be calculated using a system similar to Parkrun where your score will take into consideration your age and gender.

There is no minimum number of races required so you can do 1 race or all of them! Only your 3 best results will be counted toward the overall series with a winner crowned for both the men and the women at our Annual Awards Night.

We are just finalising how the scoring system is calculated however hope to share this in the coming weeks.

Oxford Tri Series 2024:

Discount codes can be found in your members discounts and offers page (We are currently working with event organisers with the aim of getting discounted entries)

1. Chilly Sprint Duathlon (ETU Sprint Qualifier) (Potential Discount)

10th March 24 – Sunday – entries open

Castle Combe ‘Chilly’ Sprint Duathlon – DB Max Sports Timing & Events

2. Radley Sprint Triathlon (Potential Discount)

29th March 24 – Sunday – entries open

Radley Triathlon | 29th March 2024 (trytri.co.uk)

3. Mallory Park Sprint Duathlon (WC Sprint Duathlon Qualifier)

21st April 24

ATW Mallory Park Duathlon (Including World Champs Sprint Qualifier) 2024 – Eventrac

4. Winchester Sprint Triathlon (Potential Discount)

6th May 24

Winchester Triathlon 6th May 2024 (trytri.co.uk)