HELENSBURGH Amateur Athletics Club members athletes took to the banks of the Clyde last week to compete in the Inverclyde Triathlon.

The race consisted of a half mile swim, 10 mile cycle and 5 km run on a course known to be flat and fast.

Becky Beale, taking a break from her Chicago marathon training, was first in the pool for HAAC, completing her swim in 21 minutes before show a speedy transition onto the bike.

The wind was kind on the way out but made the returning five miles a tough battle.

Finishing the cycle in 31.48 minutes allowed Becky to settle into her strongest discipline, the run. The flat course didn’t pose any problems and Becky quickly found her pace to finish with a sprint in 21 minutes 21 seconds. Her combined times gained Becky in seventh female, a placing she was delighted with.

Barry Queen, a new convert to triathlon was second to swim for HAAC. By self admission Barry is more comfortable on dry land, tolerating the swim opposed to enjoying it but was happy to finish in 18.33 before setting off on the bike.

Recent training paid off on this non-technical, out and back course where Barry was able to pick up the pace and finish in 29.52, putting him in the top third of the field.

The 5km course was unlikely to hold any significant challenges for Barry and he finished with the fifth fastest run time of the day in 17.35 and an overall finish of ninth male vet.

Another newly converted triathlete, Erica Cromar was in the same swim heat as Barry but was out the pool slightly earlier with a time of 17.49, a remarkable achievement given that Erica has only learned to swim in the past two years.

Cycling is also a new discipline to Erica who needn’t have worried as what she lacked in bike handling she more than made up for in fitness as she finished in 35.11. A runner at heart, Erica looked very much at home as she pulled on her trainers to complete her 5km in 26 minutes.

Her combined time of 1 hour 21 minutes rewarded Erica with seventh female vet. The final HAAC competitor in this swim heat was Laura Johnstone. Laura struggled to find her rhythm in the pool, coming out the water in 17.08 before embarking on the cycle.

Making the most of a strong tail wind on the outward leg, Laura was happy to finish the cycle in 33.07 and make a swift transition onto the run. Having only recently come back to speed training Laura would be happy with a time of 22.58 for the run to give her sixth female overall.

The final swim heat hosted Campbell Cromar, in his return to triathlon following a break of 20 years! Two decades out of the sport has not hindered his swimming as he clocked a speedy 13.20 in the pool, giving him the fourth fastest swim of the day. Campbell settled quickly into the cycle and made light work of course to finish with ease in 31.07.

Once in his trainers Campbell looked relaxed as he took on the 5km, putting in a strong finish to clock 23.01 and claim eighth super vet. The performance of the day however lay with Madeline Robinson who was debuting in the sport.

Any sign of nerves Maddie had for her first triathlon were well hidden as she glided to a swim time of 13.54. Having only converted to road cycling in August, Maddie showed that her running fitness transferred easily to the bike and she powered her way to a bike time of 29.45. Known for her speed over 5km, Maddie didn’t hold anything back on the run.

She went out strong, demonstrated consistent pacing and finished with a sprint to claim the ninth fastest run of the day with 18.16. Once combined her disciplines gave an impressive debut time of 1 hour 3 minutes, putting her on the podium in 2nd place for her first outing.