Hello OxfordTri Family!
Firstly, I wanted to say a big thanks to all those who responded to my call for volunteers for the Oxford Aquathlon we are now just 5 short of our target number which is amazing! Also a reminder that singing up isn’t a 100% just an idea of people whom if around are willing to help out on the 28th of April. I’ll drop the link below again if you think you could be 1 of those 5 then please do sign up.
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1ae-SQmxEIQ3Z42R2K_OuIyTUAxDOcOT-prpwiHFUUYk/edit?pli=1
Anyway, I hope that you have all had a great week. It’s been great to see many of our sessions full. What I would say especially for the swims if you are signed up for two sessions in the week please wait until the day of the session if you would like to sign up for a 3rd. We want to give as many as people as possible the chance to get to a minimum of one swim a week. I hope that this seems reasonable.
If your on the lookout for a session that often has spaces then look no further than our 7:30-9pm Wednesday night coaches swim at Radley. You don’t need to swim for the full 90mins with some members choosing to do 60mins as similar to the rest of our sessions. You can sign up for next weeks session at Radley HERE
I hope you have a great weekend and don’t get too wet
God Bless
Craig
January Member of the Month
We are delighted to announce that Januarys Member of the Month for Oxford Tri is none other than Lee Watson. Lee is almost single handedly responsible for looking after our website and despite numerous website issues over the past couple of months he is always on hand to help any committee members and also any general queries that we have. We are incredibly fortunate to have his IT Skills. Thank You Lee!
Next month we are going to be coming out to you our members for nominations for member of the month so do keep any eye out for when it pops up in our newsletter.
Oxford Aquathlon
We have shared over the past couple of weeks about our Aquathlon that we are partnering with British Triathlon and their “Swim Bike Run” program to run here in Oxford at the Leys Pool and Park.
The Aquathlon will take place on the 28th of April with racing starting at 9am. The format is a 200m Pool Swim and 3km Run. The entry will cost £20 making it an incredibly accessible event to our local community of Oxford and beyond.
We are now at the point where we are really seeking to get the word out. Over the next couple of weeks we will try to get fliers to all of our sessions so please do be thinking if you could possibly put some up at work, your local cafe or perhaps even hand out to a couple of neighbours who might be interested. We also have information about the event on social media the internet so find some links below that you could also share. Also a little shout out to the ladies who are bossing it atm with over 80% of our current sign ups being women!
Event Link – https://www.britishtriathlon.org/events/swim-bike-run-mini-oxford_15357
Facebook Event – https://www.facebook.com/events/
Secretary Vacancy
As you may have picked up on in our newsletter a few weeks ago we have sadly said Goodbye to Zara who has left Oxford for an incredibly exciting opportunity in Norway. This means that we now have a vacancy in our committee team for Secretary. Last week slightly short of time I posted a list of things that Zara has done in her role as secretary. Reading through it later I realise that it seems like quite a lot but both myself and Zara wanted to highlighted that it’s a role that often it’s a role that takes no more than an hour a week.
We are both more than happy to speak to anyone who is interested in possibly supporting the club through this role. You can reach our by emailing info@oxfordtri.co.uk
Cross Country Round 4 – By Kelly
A dry, mild but breezy day welcomed 24 Oxford Tri runners to the top of the Cotswold Hills. They joined 374 others in the starting line-ups. 9 Oxford Tri athletes were competing for the 4th time this season and 2 were joining in for the first time: Hannah Gibbs and Brammert Ottens.
The course was in really good condition. No fields were waterlogged, there was virtually no mud and even the breeze was favourable.
The problem with a perfect cross country course is that there is very little to write about and the only excuse for a poor performance is the list of ailments that are well-rehearsed by all streetwise triathletes.
The course itself totalled 8.25km comprising of:-
- Running around a field … spreading us out prior to reaching the course’s skinny bits.
- Lots of little humps and bumps as we navigated a short, grassland roller-coaster.
- A downhill cobbled track but, without any mud, it was easy-peasy to place your feet.
- Next, a short uphill before a steep descent led to a 50m single-file, goat track.
- Then, a ridiculously steep drop after which there was 1km of grassy, uphill grind.
- As is often the way, we were then made to do it all again.
- The kindly part of the course was a downhill finish – which made it feel like sprinting!
- The stage was set and some fast times could be expected.
- It is therefore a little surprising that only Judy Kelly and Kelly Lehmann improved on their 2023 times …. well done us!
The Oxford Tri, Mud & Glory Honours Board.
(22 athletes have now qualified by completing three races).
The Oxfordshire Cross Country League Positions.
(Ladies are grouped in teams of 3, Gentlemen in teams of 7).
| Oxford Tri Team | League | No: Teams in Division | Oxford Tri Team Position | ||||
| Race 1 | Race 2 | Race 3 | Race 4 | Season to Date | |||
| Ladies A | Division 1 | 10 | 10th | 10th | 9th | 9th | 10th |
| Ladies B | Division 3 | 38 | 17th | 12th | 17th | 15th | 14th |
| Ladies C | Division 3 | 38 | 29th | 21st | 26th | 20th | 21st |
| Gentlemen A | Division 2 | 10 | 6th | 5th | 5th | 3rd | 5th |
| Gentlemen B | Division 3 | 21 | 8th | 12th | 19th | 11th | 10th |
Next up is Henley on 3rd March … let’s make it a grand finale with a big attendance … all 44 of us who have registered to run … a volunteer Marshall would be nice too
Training Calendar
See the official calendar for full info and sign up links.
Monday 12th February: Coached Swim – Leys Pool @ 20:00
Tuesday 13th January: Member Lead Social Run – Headington Hill @ 19:00
Tuesday 13th January: Coached Spin – Oxsrad @ 19:00
Tuesday 13th January: Coached Swim – Thame Pool @ 20:00
Wednesday 14th January: Coached Swim – Radley Pool @ 19:30
Thursday 15th February: Coached Run – Horspath Track @ 19:00
Friday 16th February: Strength and Conditioning Online @ 07:15
Friday 16th February: Coached Swim – Kidlington Pool @ 19:00
Friday 16th February: Coached Spin – Iffley Sports Centre @ 19:00