Mumbles Centurion
Last weekend was the 2nd annual Mumbles Centurion event. This event takes place over 3 days. First up is a 2km swim in Langland Bay on Friday night. Saturday was the cycle Sportive event, which was a 78km ride around the Gower roads. The event finishes on the Sunday with a brutal 20km run along the Gower coast from Oxwich Bay to Underhill Park.
Competing was our good customer and friend of the shop, Russell Case. Russell has been mountain biking for the last 4 years and fancied a different type of challenge. It all began around 3 months ago when he started serious training for the event. From never ridden a road bike before, and only ever having swam in a pool, he had a massive challenge ahead of him! With determination and dedication, he put a lot of hours into conquering his fear of swimming out to sea. With some highs and lows on the way ,he was feeling more confident going into the event.
Swim
Friday 29th July 7pm, saw him on the start line, nervous but eager to get going. The swim was two laps of a 1km loop, with a run up and around the promenade to finish. Russell powered through the swim and all the training was paying off. From being a non swimmer only 2 months ago, to now completing the 2km swim was an amazing achievement for him. Shop owner, Lewis, also completed the swim in a respectable 7th place.
Bike
Next up was the sportive bike ride around the Gower. The 78km ride seemed to include nearly every hill that the Gower had to offer. However with his mountain bike strength, Russell breezed through the ride, flattening all the hills.
Run
Last up was the 20km trail run along the undulating coast. With a tired body from the last 2 days of racing, Russell was feeling the fatigue. He had to dig deep into his reserves to keep going, but he said the views along the coast distracted him from the pain in his legs.
All in all, a great weekend of swimming, biking and running. Also a massive achievement for Russell, showing that a bit of hard graft pays off in the end. If your interested in doing the event next year, I believe entries are opening soon via the Mumbles Centurium website, here.
For any advice with regards to training and local events, feel free to pop in store for a chat. Alternatively check out Welsh Triathlon website or letsdothis.com for up and coming events