Axmouth’s Tom Bland, a father of three, spent Fathers Day competing in a middle distance triathlon, the Cotswold 113.
The event comprised of a 1.2 mile swim followed by a 56 mile bike ride and finally a 13.1 mile run.
It takes a huge amount of preparation and training to even complete the event, but to excel and gain a podium place takes an excellent athlete.
N1 Tri Club member Bland regularly sets the standard in the club training sessions.
On Fathers Day he did himself and the club proud by coming third in the 30-35 age group and eighth overall out of a field of over 600 competitors.
He completed the swim in 28 minutes 16 seconds, the bike course in two hours 21 minutes and the run in one hour and 27 minutes.
His total time including transitions was four hours 19 minutes.
Bland is not only an excellent athlete, he also finds time to advise others and offer support to those in the club who can only dream of reaching his standards.
The sport of triathlon is booming as is our East Devon Club. The NI Tri Club now has both men and women achieving success and setting standards for others in the sport.
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