Roger's Chinese takeaway leads all the way to Hawaii

Globetrotting triathlete Roger Canham was competing in China at the weekend and a great performance has earned him a trip to Hawaii.
Best of British . . . Roger Canham (left) with Alistair Brownlee in China.Best of British . . . Roger Canham (left) with Alistair Brownlee in China.
Best of British . . . Roger Canham (left) with Alistair Brownlee in China.

The Peterborough Triathlon Club (PACTRAC) veteran took part in the 70.3 Half-Ironman Triathlon in Liuzhou and he won the 50-54 age group to book his place in the Ironman World Championships in Hawaii in October.

Remarkably that was his 10th consecutive year of qualifying for the main event in Hawaii.

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Canham was one of three Brits to enjoy a win in China alongside Mike Hooper in the 55-59 category and 2012 and 2016 Olympic champion Alistair Brownlee in the elites.

Canham went into the run in third place and overtook two athletes, including his main British rival, to take first spot.

The distances were swim 1.2 miles, bike 56 miles and run 13.1 miles and Canham completed the course in 4:41,58 for 53rd place overall. Brownlee won it in 3:45.28.

Canham, who is busy training for the 3,100-mile Race Across America bike adventure in June, said: “Halfway through the swim we were hit by a storm and the waves came crashing in and then early on the bike leg I hit a bump and my nutrition bottle popped out. I had no option but to jam on the anchors, jump off the bike and run back up the road to retrieve it.

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“And then it started raining and the roads became really greasy, bringing down a number of riders.

“So all in all it wasn’t a bad effort. Age group champion and my ticket stamped for Hawaii – BOOM!”

n At the other end of the age scale, young PACTRAC pair Jonathan Oakey and Katie Tasker attended a national performance assessment weekend in Loughborough where they were attempting to get in the top 40 for a place in the Super Series (National League).

Oakey’s event in the Junior age group involved an 800m swim, 12.5-mile bike ride and three-mile run and he just made the cut by finishing 38th in 58:36 out of 85 competitors.

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Tasker tackled the Youth Girls 400m swim, 10k bike ride and 2.5k run and came home 17th in 33:03.

Both now head for the first triathlon in the National Super Series in Llanelli in May.

Other PACTRAC results:

Southwell Triathlon (swim 400m, bike 11 miles, run 3 miles): 21 Darren Kelly 55:06 (Age Group 5th).

Boston Marathon: Mark Bedford 3:27:50.

n Entries close for the PACTRAC Peterborough Duathlon on Monday April 23. The event takes place from Castor on Sunday April 29 and comprises a 4-mile run, 18-mile bike and 2.5 mile run.

There is also a telay option for teams of either 2 or 3.

For further details and to enter visit http://pactrac.co.uk/events/4215/

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