Ironman 70.3 Bolton

eHub go North and return with plenty of Silverware again!

Having raced at Challenge Wales a few weeks before, and with the British Middle distance race in 2 weeks, Will’s primary goal was to get his slot for New Zealand World championships, which of course he did. On top of that he had a fantastic result. Swimming at the front, a controlled bike leg and with a few mins to chase down on the run, he showed his class taking the overall win by 4.5 minutes in a strong field.

Roman also off the back of a strong Challenge Wales result, performed even better in Bolton, with perfect execution on all 3 disciplines. He had the 4th fastest bike split overall and one of his best runs off the bike, showing he's in great form. On the run it was looking close at the front of his AG, but his biggest rival on the day pulled out injured, resulting in an AG win by 25 minutes!

Leeanne only raced a 70.3 in Portugal one week before, and was not feeling the best before the race. She was close to a DNS, but decided to give it a go and we are all glad she did. All this considered it's amazing how she raced to 2nd in her AG, another appearance on the Ironman 70.3 podium cementing her place as one of the best ladies around for this distance and AG.

Jon is another who is racing only 3 weeks post Challenge Wales, and for a relative newbie that can be particularly hard to get ready to go again. However his enthusiasm and commitment provides him with the platform to race so soon. Another strong swim before riding his new TT bike, he had a minor crash but thankfully the new bike and Jon were fine and he ran strongly, just over the 5 hour mark, which he will no doubt break soon. Finishing 18th out of 163 in AG in only his second 70.3 is an achievement to be proud of.

Steve is on the way back to peak fitness, racing again just 3 weeks after Wales he has recovered well. His swim is still a little off what he is capable of, but 6th AG on the bike and 5th AG on the run are notable improvements. Finishing 11th out of 67 in AG, 8 minutes off the podium is a positive result and there is more to come.

Justin has not had the ideal availability to train in the last 3 weeks with work commitments which meant it was always going to be a tough day out. He battled against the course all day and did not give up. With busy lives you can't always hit the ideal training, but still getting to the finish line and showing grit and determination is an achievement in itself.

Well done team

#ehubfamily #ehubtriteam

The Challenge Championships Samorin

Last weekend the team headed to Samorin, Slovakia for a 70.3 distance race, there were two races taking place, a Championship race where athletes had to have finished near the front of their AG at a previous Challenge event to qualify, and the open race for anyone else.

In the Championship race we had Will, Roman and Mike, and in the Open race we had Matus, Roland, Lukas and Vilo. Coaches expectations and individual targets were high leading into the weekend.

Will is on the chase for a Pro licence so an AG win the minimum target, with the overall win the big goal. He had the second fastest swim of the day, which led to a solo, controlled effort on the super fast bike course before a storming run of 1:13, the fastest of the day meant overall victory for Will, also picking up the fastest transition times of the day award, which, given the winning margin, shows the importance of every aspect of the race. His time of 3:45 is the fastest AG in history on the Samorin course, winning by 2 seconds.

Michael was targeting a top 8 in AG, and a sub 4:05 time. He had a great race and got the very best out of himself on race day, he finished 5th in a PB time 4:01 just 2.5 minutes off a podium spot, and breaking 80 minutes on the run in what is not the fastest run course and hot conditions.

This was Romans return to racing post knee surgery and his expectations were a little lower, he had a strong race finishing 9th in a very competitive AG field with 4:18, the heat and lack of aid stations affecting his run time. The winner posting a 4 hour time at over 50 years old!

The open race started slightly after the Championship race and first across the line was Matus. He is in a block of training targeting a full Ironman race soon, so this half distance race was a good test. A steady swim before his bike strength could be put to use, with one of the fastest splits at 2:01, he backed it up with a strong run to finish under 4 hours, 3:58, winning his AG and was proud to win the fastest Slovak award!

Roland came into the race with a slight achilles injury which prevented him performing his best and didn't quite meet his 4:20 target, however he still produced a fantastic time of 4:24, enough for 2nd in his AG and a PB, with the fastest bike split in his AG by nearly 4 minutes. Only 30 seconds off top spot.

Lukas delivered another strong result, finishing under 5 hours, whilst balancing a busy full time job and looking after 2 young kids. His race highlights were a PB on the swim and a sprint finish to cross the finish line just behind his daughter!

Vilo had to race on a borrowed antique road bike, which meant he was up against it from the start, his swim time was just over 30 minutes, 2nd in AG and had a decent bike split considering the machine he was on. He finished in just over 5 hours, 14th in AG still inside the top half. With a normal race bike a top 10 would easily have been achievable.

The weekend was a great success for the team, some excellent results and good fun. Massive congratulations to all!

eHub Training Camp  - Lanza 2024

Swim 15 Run 50 Bike 500

In March some of the Endurance hub athletes will be heading to Lanzarote for their training camp. There are many benefits to a training camp which we will touch on below, along with tips on how to achieve a successful camp.

The Lanzarote training camp provides a week's break from normal routines, for our athletes it is a chance to get out in the warm weather after many hours training in the cold and dark or stuck on indoor trainers over Winter. With good base fitness built up already, the camp allows us to get some additional volume done.

Lanzarote provides great roads to be able to rack up the miles, and its riding that is the lead focus for Endurance Hub training camps. Riding in the UK just doesn't compare so we aim to make the most of it and spend extra time on the bikes, we take our TT bikes too which allows some specific Triathlon riding in position on smooth road surfaces. Riding is the easiest discipline to have a week of much increased volume, doing this with running or swimming could lead to injuries, where volume increases need to be more gradual. Without work and normal home duties it also allows better recovery which is needed to manage the increased volume and the buffet food provides the extra fuelling that it requires.

Much of winter training is done solo, sothe training camp creates a change in atmosphere. Being with a group bringsa sense of community, support, and lasting friendships with like-minded people. Training with others gives a morale boost, being able to push each other on, share advice and have fun.

Four essential aspects to a productive training camp:

E-Enjoyment, make sure the week is fun as well as productive, it uses valuable annual leave and often time away from family so it needs to be enjoyable.

H-Hydration and Nutrition,the extra training and warm weather means it is essential that these two are addressed throughout the camp along with recovery.

U-Understanding,a chance to spend time with your coach and other experienced athletes, learning tips on technique and training in person.

B-Boost, a boost to volume, intensity and also a morale boost from the change in training environment and group atmosphere.

eHub Tri Team 2024 preview

A new year with plenty of exciting events lined up for eHub athletes. We have already had half marathon PB’s from Jon and Will, who dipped below 1hr 10 minutes! With some more running events planned before multisport racing gets going.

In March a group of the squad will be heading to Lanzarote to put the icing on top of their winter training cake, giving the chance to get some longer outdoor rides on the TT bikes done in the sun, a nice change from a winter of Zwift riding for what will no doubt be a fun and effective weeks training.

Early season races include Huntsman, Ironman 70.3 Venice and Grafman, before the first big race of the year at The Championships Samorin where we have 3 athletes qualified for the Championship and another 5 to race in Open for a Challenge title. In June we have Alex racing our first full distance race of the season at Ironman Hamburg and another big showing at Challenge Wales where we have 9 confirmed entrants so far.

We also have team members racing at Ironman Klagenfurt, Copenhagen and Wales as well as 70.3 Hradec Kralove. Ironman Tallinn in August is another of the big team showings this season with 8 doing the full distance and 2 in for the half the following day.

Across the season we have GB age group representation at the European Duathlon Champs and the World Standard distance champs, as well as entrants in the British Middle distance championships down at Eastbourne.

The last big race of the year will see 6 of us who have confirmed to race at the PTO European open in Ibiza which will no doubt also include the traditional reason of going to Ibiza for a party after the race is done.

So much to look forward to and plenty more races not mentioned, good luck to everyone this season! #ehubtriteam #raceasone

Endurance Hub Tri team 2023

At Endurance hub our athletes race from short course to full distance, duathlon and triathlons and have had lots of success ranging from completing first ironman distance triathlons to representing GB age group teams or qualifying for world championships. 2023 was another successful year, highs as a club included having 7 athletes race at the 70.3 World Championships in Lathi, Finland and finishing 4th in our club category for the Global tri club rankings, which shows the high standard across the whole club.

Here are 3 of our athletes who had a stand out race this season:

Will Grace- Will finished 4th in the 25-29 Age group at 70.3 world championships, 9th overall Age Grouper and the fastest Englishman in Finland. He also broke the 4hr barrier with a 3:56:57!!

Michael Harris- Michael raced his first full distance race at Challenge Roth, consistent training following the eHub way had him ready to not only complete but to smash his first full distance race in just 9hr 5 minutes!!

Katy Mardle- Katy raced wearing team GB age group kit at the World Duathlon Sprint distance championships in Ibiza and finished with a fantastic World Silver medal in her Age group!