Club’s triathlon winners at home and in Florida

Jul 2 2009 by George Topp, Lanark & Carluke

A CLYDESDALE triathlete hit the top spot – during a competition in the sweltering Florida heat.

Auchenheath man George Burns (50), decided to fly the club’s – and Scotland’s banner – at a triathlon race held in America.

While fellow members of the Lanark-based Fusion Triathlon Club were racing in Ayrshire, George was setting out to do the same 4000 miles across the Atlantic in St Augustine, Florida.

“I knew I was in for a hot day when the temperature was 85 degrees Fahrenheit as I left at 5.10am in the dark to drive to the east coast at St Augustine for an 8am start,” commented George.

Unlike most open water triathlons in Scotland, George didn’t require a wetsuit and described the swim as a “pleasantly warm sea swim.”

In just over 19 minutes, George exited the water and was soon through the transition area and onto a deceptive flat cycle leg. The 40k cycle course consisted of two loops out and back on two loops on nearly flat roads.

Burns was soon zooming past many of the American triathletes with their state-of-the-art cycles, but almost came to rue this.

He revealed: “The reason I passed a number of people at the start of the ride was obviously because I set off at too hard a pace for the conditions, since the people who I passed with ease at the start, passed me with the same ease in the last quarter of the ride.”

He continued: “Even riding with two water bottles of Gatorade for a 40-kilometre course wasn’t enough in this heat. I nearly came to grief at one point when the concentration went while riding too close to the edge of the road and hit some sand.”

He completed the cycle leg in 1hr 13mins.

In the final 5k run Burns settled in gradually, but the heat by now was sauna-like.

“The only way I could describe the run is, it was like the feeling you get when you just want the run to end even when you set off,” he said.

Despite this – and adapting better than many local participants – Burns passed numerous people going even slower, some even walking.

On the first of two loops, he passed a number of competitors in the Super Veteran category (50+) and, as the finish line came into view, a podium spot beckoned for his superb effort and tenacity.

Burns finished in a time of 2:23:47 which put him first in the Super Veteran Category and 27th overall.

While he was competing in the heat of Florida, his club colleagues settled for the more acceptable weather of Ayrshire.

Five members took part in the event, which consisted of a 750m swim at the mouth of the River Doon, a 20km cycle and finished with a 5km run.

Fusion member Graham Leitch finished first, while behind there was a close battle among club mates. Three of the five locals Darren Stewart (Coalburn), Alan Cardwell (Lanark) and Tony Higgins (Stonebyres) were involved in a terrific tussle, and finished 11th, 13th and 14th positions with barely 35 seconds seperating them.

Further down the field both Paul Hill (Lanark) and Donald McCaffer (Overtown) also had notable results. Paul Hill had his baptism in his first-ever triathlon race was delighted with a highly respectable 24th spot in a time of 1 hour 18mins and 27secs; while Donald McCaffer finished 49th and was runner up in the Vintage Category (+60 age group).

WINNERS ALL: local triathletes are pictured below at Ayr, along with (at rear) Kenny MacLellan, who, when he was unable to get an entry, made the 50+ mile cycle ride from Lanark just to cheer on his colleagues.