Shephard storms to Clumber Park gold

RICHARD Shephard stormed to gold in the extremely competitive Clumber Park Duathlon last Sunday, writes Victoria Jeffs.

The Stratford Triathlon Club member claimed first place in his age group (35-39), while also claiming overall victory in the ITU Qualifier event.

Shephard said: “The first run felt comfortable and I arrived at T1 with about a 30s lead.

“I suffered a little cramp on the bike and puncture late on, which saw me drop to third by the time we started the second run.

“Fortunately, I was able to catch the two guys ahead by the turn point and could ease up a little to the finish.”

Also taking part from the club was Fern Hordern, who is on a mission to qualify for the Duathlon World Championships.

In her first year of racing at duathlon, Hordern admitted she was “a bit scared” when she saw other competitors’ smart bikes in transition when she turned up with a fairly basic road bike.

Regardless of her equipment, she took a hugely respectable fifth place in her age group, in 2:31:04, another remarkable achievement from the newcomer.

The top four in each age group qualify, so she now has a short wait to find out if anyone else drops out and she gains a place in the roll down.

Distance: Standard: 10k run, 40k bike, 5k run Results: Richard Shephard – run 34:44, T1 1:14, bike 59:30, T2 1:11, run 17:21 – Total 1:53:57 - 1st overall. Fern Hordern – run 45:06, T1 1:55, bike 1:19:22, T2 1:32, run 23:10 – Total 2:31:04 – 5th in her AG 45-49