North Endurance Awards 2019
Most Improved Athlete
Notable Mentions
Chris Whelan – Chris has a great start to the year with a massive 18 minute Marathon PB, finishing Liverpool Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon in a superb 3:20. He backed this up with a great run at Chester marathon showing superb commitment and mentality to make the start line and finish the race whilst managing an injury.
Stephen Bennett – Ste smashed his first middle distance triathlon, taking on Ironman Mallorca 70.3, beating his target goal time. Weeks later, he completed his second middle distance triathlon at Cholmondeley Castle. Ste has also run multiple PBs at a variety of distances, including his first Sub 20 5km.
Keelan McCorriston – We met Keelan while coaching a Go Tri event in April. In his first session It was evident he was a great swimmer. However, in week 2, he came along on a brand new bike which proceeded to try and dismantle itself. He didn’t know how to use the gears, brakes and was trying to clip in for the first time… its was chaos! He’s had series of great results through the year, podiumed in swim events and in his first year of triathlon has ended up earning a AG spot for the ITU Sprint distance champs next year representing Ireland.
Winner - Patrick Breen
Patrick started the year with a 10km PB of 5 minutes, following this up with his first Half Marathon in Liverpool. He then went on to start his triathlon season, taking on Sheephaven Triathlon… which as first middle distance races go, is pretty damn tough with 900m of climbing on the bike leg. A few weeks later he was back at is, completing his second middle distance Tri at Velocity Man. Since then he’s gone on to smash his running PBs across all distances time and time again. His development as an athlete from last year is clearly illustrated when he knocked off a massive 3 minutes of his 2 Mile Time Trial test time. Paddy has got stuck into everything and is moving up the results table at every cross-country race. He has big ambitions for next year with IMUK on the horizon.
Most Memorable Performance
Notable Mentions
Matt Collins – Matt had a busy start to the year. He quietly went about taking on a number of his own challenges whilst supporting others in theirs. He supported a friend in completing the Bob Graham Round and later went on to make a successful return to Triathlon. He also completed the Fred Whitton Challenge, a technical 114 mile cycle sportive in the Lake District which includes a massive 3314m of climbing. Matts also been busy running and has been ever present at sessions, Mystery Park races and XC races with PBs along the way.
Owen Barden – We haven’t seen much of Owen this year as he dedicates a huge amount of time to supporting his kids who are following in his footsteps in becoming outstanding athletes. Owen has crammed in his own training had a great season with a number of solid middle distance results. This culminated in a 13 minute PB at Challenge Roth, finishing in 10:40.
Ian Roche – Ian ran multiple early season Marathons, represented England in 10km national Championships, and after 7 years of trying to get in, took on and completed Challenge Roth in an excellent 13:45. He also threw in a few Ultra Marathons to round off another quiet year!
Winner – Paul Williams
Where to start! Paul had a great year in general with middle distance PBs including another Sub 5 Outlaw Half, and finally broke a sub 19 5km, a long-standing goal. The performance we would like to recognise is that when faced with adversity. At Outlaw Long distance triathlon, after planning for a scorcher of a day, discussing cooling techniques, during the swim, the heavens opened with a biblical downpour. Transition flooded, local roads flooded and as every athlete stepped out of the water, they were told by the organisers the bike was cancelled. They decided the run could go ahead, so after a long wait, Paul took to the start line. As a standalone marathon, the outlaw course is pretty shit, multiple laps with minimal support. Many didn’t start, with the weather still poor and effectively running a race you haven’t prepared for, a standalone marathon being a completely different animal to a triathlon run off the bike. But after waiting around in the freezing cold, Paul got it done and did it in style! He ran a standalone 12 minute marathon PB, finishing 52nd Overall. The performance showed great strength, commitment and mental fortitude.
Triathlete of the Year
Notable Mentions
Dan Dunnington - 20-24 AG National Standard Distance Triathlon Champion – great commitment in training and completing arguably the toughest middle distance triathlon in the world, Tri X Half.
Special Mention
Dean Hanwell - Dean has had another superb season, applying himself professionally all year with maximum commitment to his own goals and new family. He finished an amazing 9th overall at IM Austrian 70.3 earning a spot at the fiercely competitive Ironman 70.3 World Championships in Nice. He finished 135th of 454 in the world!
Winner - Dan Harbidge
There can only be one winner, so lets run through some of these results…
4th Cheshire Sprint
1:20 Half Marathon Debut
5th Overall and AG winner at Chester Deva Standard
2nd Overall at Bala Standard Distance
Podium and AG winner at Salford Sprint Tri
2nd Overall and AG winner at Allerthorpe Olympic Distance
7th Congleton Half Marathon
11th in AG in Turkey 70.3. 56th Overall in a Rapid 4:24 in his first middle distance race
Dan has been an outstanding ambassador for the club, showing superb enthusiasm and commitment throughout the year. He has taken on new distances and challenges and shows unbelievable potential at middle distances. We look forward to chasing him in racing and training in the New Year.
Club Member of the Year
Winner – Paul Clarke
Paul has been at almost every session of the year and is always a welcoming and friendly voice to new runners and members at our sessions. He toughed it out when the group was small, even when he was often out the back. The reward has been Paul has vastly improved through the year, showing endless enthusiasm and ambition. Paul has ran PBs at all distance, run multiple half marathons, and ran his first Sub 22 5km. Paul also took on the challenge of completing Ironman Staffordshire 70.3. As an admittedly weaker swimmer and cyclist, he toughed it out to finish his first middle distance triathlon.
