MEDAL-winning European athlete Jan Fletcher competed in her first-ever half ironman triathlon at Lakesman Triathlon, at Keswick in the Lake District.
The event incorporated the Police Sport National Championships 2023.
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The inspirational Island police officer’s previous triathlons have been sprint and standard distances, so the half ironman was a longer endurance event for her, incorporating a 1,900m lake swim, 90km bike and 21.1km run to complete the 70.3km distance.
The race, which started at 6am, saw Jan opt to start in the first of two waves of athletes, alongside the faster swimmers, totalling 450 competitors.
The swim, in Derwentwater lake, was a deep water, mass start.
She began in clear water, but given the sheer numbers in the wave, it soon became congested and difficult to get any space to swim in.
Jan’s right hand collided extremely hard with another swimmers foot early on, bending her fingers right back, with a fear she had a fracture, but when she was able to see nothing was visibly out of place, she continued despite being in pain.
She completed the swim in 33mins 35secs, then started on the long run from the lake into transition.
Jan, not having any experience of bike racing at this distance, settled into a comfortable pace on the bike and pushed as hard as she felt she could maintain as she headed out of Keswick, passing Skiddaw, one of England's highest mountains, on a circular route back to Keswick.
Jan completed it in 2.40.01.
The run that followed was a flat, looped course around Keswick.
Jan had no idea what position she was in, and ,again, did not really know how to best pace her run, so pushed as hard a pace as she felt comfortable with to complete the course.
She dug deep and continued to keep picking off people ahead.
Jan crossed the finish line in a half marathon PB time of 1.40.19, to the announcement: ‘Congratulations, you are a Lakesman’.
"There were a few tears of sheer relief and achievement at that point," said Jan, who posted an overall time of 5.01.31 — just over her target of finishing in under 5hrs 30mins.
Jan finished as fourth placed female overall from 194, was third in the 45-49 age group from 35, and was second in the PSUK National Championships.
The result will also likely give her a qualification for the GB age group for the 2024 European Championships at the half ironman distance.
Jan’s next event is at the Island Games in Guernsey, followed a week later with the World Championships sprint triathlon in Hamburg, where she will represent the Team GB age group.
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