Derwent Epic Events

Last weekend I headed to the better part of the north; the Lake District to compete in The Epic Events Series, the first one of the three races was held at Derwent water.

I was helping out there on the stand for the day, so got there pretty early and was I glad about that. Such an absolutely stunning day. The sun was out which complimented the lake perfectly. The public from the town came down to watch parts of the races and it was generally a very busy day. There are three swim distances to choose from:
The 500m swim
The Mile swim
and for those feeling adventurous; the 3.8km.

I chose to swim the mile, as its near enough the perfect distance for my type of racing at the moment. For my race the weather was still gorgeous and the water was the nicest I've ever swam in; not too warm or too cold. I was greeted by England Squad athlete Jordan Hull, who was too swimming the same distance to me. My race had just over 377 people so due to the big numbers we split in to three waves. I was fortunate to be given a really lovely pink hat which was easy to spot from afar.

So we set out and I managed to hold on to Jordan for around the first 400-500m before he stepped on the gas and left me. I got out in front straight away and made sure I established a strong lead over the other girls. I was soon to be caught by two other boys, who I managed to draft for a while to then soon be left (again).

I then settled in to quite a nice pace which was probably a bit on the slow side, however with being in no-mans land I couldn't really bring myself to speed up.
Going in to the finish there was a bit of a mix up which unfortunately cost Jordan the race... Due to being where I was in the lake I was the first person to be told to go the right way which didn't change my overall position. I saw Jordan come around the buoy and after telling him I'd have to give him a sprint finish pre-race it was going to actually happen! He easily cruised past me however so not much of a sprint, but a leisurely finish which secured me 4th overall and the first girl across the line which I can't complain with. The course was a lot longer than previous years and managed to take off 2 minutes from my last time so I was quite happy with this.

A big thanks to Blueseventy for their amazing products, especially the wetsuit. Also Summit physio for the great support given to me, it is really appreciated.

Next is England talent camp leading up to Geneva for an ETU junior cup

Leah x

Thumbs up after the race...

By the Summit Physio Stand

In to the finish in my Blueseventy wetsuit