Wales Triathlon 2021 labelled a “Huge Success”

A stunning day in the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park, the field was limited to 500 eager athletes

The 12th of June saw the official return of racing in Wales as the Wales Triathlon took place in Fishguard, Pembrokeshire. Activity Wales Events (the leading multisport event organiser in the UK, and founders of the iconic LCW global series) were chosen by Welsh Government to run the event as one of the official 9 pilots targeting a return to normal event organisation.

A stunning day in the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park, the field was limited to 500 eager athletes (down from the normal 1200), to ensure social distancing guidelines could be met. All international athletes were moved to next year’s event and the world class PTO Professional field was postponed to stop crowds gathering. Athletes started in waves of 2 every 10 seconds as opposed to the normal mass start and racking was limited to 4 per rack, reduced from the standard 7.

AWE have been working tirelessly over the past 8 weeks, with Welsh Government, Pembrokeshire County Council, Public Health Wales and the local health board to ensure the safety of all athletes, staff, volunteers and the local community.

Spectators were discouraged from attending the event, but ultimately, the team at AWE are renowned for putting on a show, and they didn’t disappoint. Two, state of the art “Big Screens” not only directed competitors with key information, they also played pre-recorded messages of support from family and loved ones who would normally be there to support. A crescendo of fireworks started the swim and the now iconic stage was in place alongside the finish line to welcome everyone down the red carpet, accompanied with fire and flames. Whilst the crowds weren’t in attendance there was an element of normality and relief in the air. A sign of things to come… hopefully!

A calm, flat swim, warm temperatures and a subtle breeze added to the excitement and the performances of the strong field. The existing course record was smashed by the men’s winner Benjamin Goodfellow of Fibrax Racing with a time of 4hrs 4 mins. A strong showing from the Team NFT duo of Nathan Ford and John Collier saw them take 2nd and 3rd respectively. The lady’s section was a hotly contested affair with Joanna Callan (Mumbles Sprint 2019 Winner) taking the title in 5hrs 9mins. A true testament to her lockdown training. Bethan Lance from Jinx Sport took 2nd in 5hrs 26mins closely followed Caryl Williams (Bynea CC) in 3rd.

AWE CEO Matthew Evans was in buoyant mood post event and had the following to say,

We are extremely grateful to once again be able to welcome back our amazing athletes after such a long absence. This event is testament to the hard work and input from Welsh Government, Pembrokeshire County Council, PHW, the local health board and our talented team. A huge thanks to the volunteers, local community and businesses that made this event such a memorable success. With the successful vaccine roll out we hope this is a sign of things to come for the events industry here in Wales.

The volunteers and local community played a huge roll in the success of this popular event and we would like to pass on our heartfelt thanks for their involvement. The feedback from athletes has been incredible with many emailing in wishing us to pass on their gratitude.

Whilst the success of The Wales Triathlon is by no means a return to normality and lifted event restrictions here in Wales, it is certainly a step in the right direction. We remain hopeful that the continued vaccination programmes and lower-case rates allow WG to lift event restrictions sooner rather than later.

From everyone at AWE, thank you so much for your continued support. We can’t wait to see you at the next event.