Swindon 1990: My First Olympic Distance Triathlon

TSP2 is about the 1989 season. My first in the sport. My plan for 1990 was to take my Skoda Estelle on tour and follow the Carlsberg (formerly Le Coq Sportif) Grand Prix circuit.

In the winter of 1989 the British Triathlon Association announced a more compact Grand Prix with 5 races over 7 weeks in June and July.

The BTA’s plan was to take advantage of the mid-summer weather and consistently attract more top athletes; as the races would also be used for national team selection for European and World Championships.

But the race series never happened. So I set my sights on improving in my local events and tackling my first Olympic Distance event.

Image: 220 (UK) July 1990

My favourite race back then was the Oxfordshire Triathlon. The pool-swim was in Bicester. But then it was point to point between village halls. Distances were something like 800m/30km/8km.

I won it once. I’m not sure which year. Maybe 1993 or 1994. And picked up the massive, Karate Kid-style trophy. The whole race needs a blog post of its own in the future. I’ll start my research.

So I went to Cotswold Water Park near Cirencester on 27th May 1990 for my longest triathlon so far. For the third year the Swindon Triathlon was the first important open-water race of the UK triathlon season.

The race was organised by Total Promotions, which was a partnership between Trevor Gunning from Total Fitness and 220 Magazine founder John Lillie. They went on to start the 5 event 220 Race Series the following year.

The article from 220 Magazine (below) states that the race was the biggest ever open-water event in the UK with over 600 athletes entered. There were 4 wave starts; which were still quite a novelty at the time.

All the women started in the 07:00 wave followed by age-group waves at 07:20 and 07:40. I was due to start in the elite male wave at 10:30.

The gravel pit water was super-clear and when the women were set-off for the two lap swim, Trevor Gunning followed the race leaders in a boat while shouting race commentary into a megaphone.

New Zealander Jenny Rose held just over a minute lead off the bike but was passed by Sarah Springman about halfway through the run. Carol Billington took 3rd but over six minutes behind the first two.

Images: 220 (UK) July 1990

By 10:30 a big crowd had formed. Mainly made up of athletes who had taken part in the earlier waves. But. It was now really, really hot.

The swim was a true 1500 after complaints about short swims in Grand Prix events the previous two years. I swam comfortably mid-pack until I started to get a bit cold in my short-sleeved Tri-Pro wetsuit.

On the road I was super-excited to be riding amongst my Tri-Athlete Magazine heroes. But 40km gun to tape was still a long way for me at the time. My probably un-ideal aero position gave me a bit of a sore back on the flat course and I slowed down quite a bit in the 2nd half.

I had to jog most of the dusty 3-lap run, while planning my revenge by entering another Olympic Distance event. I eventually did Willen Lake in Milton Keynes at the end of July and had a much better experience.

The men’s top 3 were Richard Hobson, Jon Ashby and Spencer Smith. Fourth was Jack Maitland, who was a bit of a hero of mine as I often read about his fell and mountain running career in Running Magazine.

Images: My brother took these great photos.

Like me, Spencer Smith was 17 and taking part in his first Olympic Distance event. I was also present at his first ever triathlon. The National Junior Championships at Holme Pierrepont in 1989. It was immediately obvious that he had a huge engine and a future in the sport. A month or so after Swindon he became European Youth Champion in Montlucon, France.

The article in 220 Magazine highlights the slick organisation and tight referring. A few swim and bike management snafus by other race organisers during the 1989 season could have seen the end of triathlon in the UK.

Harry Webb is on the cover of 220. He was probably the best veteran in the UK at the time. He became my yard-stick for my improving performances. I was pretty proud the day I first beat him. Maybe in 1992 or 1993.

He also built his own bike frames and set-up a wheelbuilding business aimed at triathletes. There’s an ad below. I might phone for a quote.

Image: 220 (UK) October 1992