Gritty Racing | Weekend Review 3-4 May

The season has well and truly started, with racing happening around the globe, across the UK, and in Scotland. From beginner participation right through to elite racing, it was a busy two days of events over the weekend.

Ironman 70.3 Venice-Jesolo

Cameron Main followed up his impressive performance in Geelong just a few weeks ago with another standout result at Ironman 70.3 Venice-Jesolo, finishing 2nd. A remarkable achievement — beating many of the sport’s top athletes — this result propels him to 14th in the 70.3 Ironman Pro Series, an exciting sign of momentum building early in the year.

Full results.

Xterra Weston Park

Over in the XTERRA World Cup at Weston Park, Isla Hedley claimed a superb 3rd place, leading out of the swim and backing it up with strong bike and run splits — her best XTERRA result to date. Mia Padmanabhan also delivered a strong performance, finishing 7th in the women’s race.

Rory Strachan put in a gritty effort, and despite a heavy fall during the bike section, still managed to finish 11th after leading out of the swim. He now shifts his focus to 70.3 racing, with Outlaw Nottingham up next. After a solid performance in all three disciplines, Euan Murphy secured 4th place overall, 3rd place Youth B, in the sprint distance open race.

Full results.

BUCS Sprint & Mixed Relay Triathlon

It was a big weekend at the BUCS Sprint in Tavistock, with strong performances across the board — particularly from the University of Stirling squad.

Maisie Aubrey led the way with a brilliant 4th-place finish, showing real consistency throughout. Millie Breese was also right in the mix, finishing 8th despite being sent the wrong way on the run and losing valuable time. Jessica Heeps rounded out Stirling’s women’s team with a solid 17th-place finish.

The women’s team also secured 3rd overall in the team standings.

On the men’s side, Hamish Reilly delivered Loughborough’s top result in 6th, while Stirling packed well with Tom Tyler in 11th, Cameron Kerr in 13th, and Tom Williams finishing 24th — and 1st in the Paratriathlon category.

Overall, it was a strong showing from both Stirling and Loughborough athletes, with plenty of depth and fight across the teams.

Full results.

Lochside Aquathlon

As part of the push to grow multisport racing in the North-East, the second edition of the Lochside Aquathlon took place this past weekend, hosted by Fleet-Feet Triathletes.

With both Super Sprint and Sprint distances on offer, the event once again delivered a friendly and inclusive atmosphere — perfect for first-timers looking to try multisport, and a valuable early-season race for more experienced athletes.

Wick May Mini Triathlon

Another May Mini Triathlon in the bag, as 23 competitors completed the welcoming, beginner-friendly event.

Athletes tackled a 16-length swim, 10K cycle, and 3K run — a perfect introduction to triathlon and a great way to test fitness and transition skills ahead of longer events later in the season.