Jack Grundy | triathlete

Jack Grundy. World Xterra Triathlon Championships. (Off Road)

Island triathlete Jack Grundy put in a stunning performance in scorching temperatures to finish 12th for his age group in the World Xterra Off-Road Triathlon Championships in Hawaii.

After winning the Junior National Off Road (xterra) Triathlon in Tradegar, Wales in July,  Grundy 19 of Freshwater, represented Great Britain in Maui, competing against national champions from around the globe.

Jack Grundy in the Xterra Triathlon World Champs Maui 26/10/2008

The grueling event was staged from Mekena Beach where 550 athletes completed a 1500m swim in the Pacific Ocean followed by a 31 km off road cycle heading towards Haleakala Volcano and then an 11km demanding off road run which included volcanic rocks and soft white sand running.

The spectacular start from the beach saw Grundy move quickly into the water and establish a leading position on the first of the two 750m laps matching the senior professional triathletes.After the first lap Grundy exited the water still in the top 10 as they sprinted a 100m along the soft sand to re enter the ocean for the second lap. The Wight Tri athlete showed his maturity by easing back slightly on lap 2 to sit in with the lead pack and was still 17th in an excellent time of 18min 45sec as he entered transition. C:UsersJackDesktopxterraP1010053.JPG

With a start time of 9am the temperature was soon well over 30C and this plus the demanding hills and volcanic surface made the off road cycle extremely tough with many sections of the course unridable.Punctures plus broken chains were the order of the day but Grundy rode a cautious path to avoid mishaps. Despite taking on many liters of fluid dehydration was inevitable but Grundy returned to transition in 2hr 08min 59sec and although he had lost places was still amongst the top juniors in the race.

At the start of the run the mercury had climbed to a staggering 37C making even spectating very uncomfortable but Grundy stuck to his task as the run headed straight out and upwards towards the volcano before snaking down through ‘Spooky Woods’ where ducking and climbing over trees was required. The course then moved onto the white sandy beach where there was no restbite from the sun before scrambling over volcanic rocks to Mekena Bay and into the spectacular finish at the Maui Prince Hotel. Jack’s time for the 11k run was a very respectable 60min 41sec

Despite falling several times Grundy sprinted passed athletes in the run  to the finish to clock 3hrs 31min 15sec for an overall position of 143rd and 12th Junior (Under 20 years of age ).An outstanding result

This event is one of the toughest in the world which showed that Grundy has the desire and talent to progress in the sport.

Jack was accompanied by coach and masseur Geoff and Karen Watkin and Island Games long jump champion Kim Murray who is studying at Bath University with Jack.

The expensive and long journey would not have been possible without financial help from the IOW Council, Total Fitness of Bath, Sharon Orchard of Ryde and Beco Webdesign and Jack would like to thank these sponsors for making it possible to take part in this event.

Jack Grundy sponsored by Gamson Gray and Total Fitness Bath competed in the West Wight Triathlon at West Wight sports center in Freshwater on the Isle of Wight.

The competition is the largest triathlon event on the island and consists of a 600m pool swim a 35k bike ride along the steep coastal road and a 7.5k run on a bridleway at the side of the Yar estuary. Jacks overall time was 1hr 35m 24s, this gave him a finishing position of first junior and 3rd male overall.

Jack was really pleased with his performance especially as he achieved the fastest swim of the day in 7m 11s.

Result:

1st Junior Male

4th Overall
Weather: Cold, Wet and Misty

Ground: Wet and Muddy

Distance:750m swim, 15k bike and 5k run

The race took place in the Afan Forest in Wales with 44 competitors starting this very challenging offroad event. Jack emerged from the cold llakes in first position and was leading the bike section untill he took a wrong turn in the forest, he managed to get himselfback in the race and finished as the first junior and 4th overall. This was an excellent result and gave Jack his entry to the world championships in Maui in October.

On the 5 January 2008 at Dibden Inclosure, Applemore, Jack competed for Aldershot, Farnham & District Athletics in the Hampshire cross country championships.

The race was an 8k run consisting of 2 laps of a hilly circuit. On the first lap Jack was running wel and in 6th position, but on the second lap he suffered stomach cramps and was unable to run to his full potential and dropped 3 places to finish in a still respectable 9th position in a time of 28.57m

On the 25th November 2007 Jack travelled to the Castle Combe race circuit to compete in the Chilly Duathlon.

This was Jacks first competition since he started training at Bath University under triathlon coach Chris Volley.

The race was a 2mile run a 10mile bike and a 1mile run which he completed in 11.04m, 30.04m, and 6.10m giving an overall time of 47.18m. this time gave jack an overall place of 13th outof the 228 that entered on the day.

Jack was pleased with the performance and said that the recent coaching and training programme had made a big difference to his performance.

Jack Grundy Wight tri triathlete sponsored by Gamson Gray travelled to London on the 05/08/2007 to compete in the Junior Elite London triathlon.This was the first big competition after the double puncture in the Island games.

The London triathlon took place in the docklands area with the swim taking place in one of the docks.

The swim went well and Jack left transition without any problems and was going well on the bike when once again he was forced to retire with a puncture. With no repair kit or tube Jack faced a long walk back to transition when a Russian cyclist who was spectating assisted with his own repair kit and then rode back with Jack to ensure that the repair held out. Looks like he may need to buy some solid tyres.

Jack Grundy Wight tri triathlete sponsored by Wightlink and Gamson Gray travelled to Bournemouth on Wednesday the 11th July to compete in the Bournemouth beach aquathon. The event is a 400m sea swim followed by a 5k run.

The race started with a mass run through the surf to enter the water to swim out to the buoy and back to the beach, Jack left the water in 3rd place in a time of 6.12 min and changed out of his wetsuit for the run.

The 5k run starts with a fairly steep climb and finishes on the beach, Jack completed this in 20.04 min giving an overall time of 26.16 min 1st male junior and 6th out of the 61 athletes who took part.