Dame Tanni makes a splash

Paralympian legend Dame Tanni Grey-Thompson took on one of the biggest challenges of her career when she featured in her very first triathlon on Saturday.

The 11-times Olympic gold medal winner competed in challenge race around Dorney Rowing Lake on Saturday along with hundreds of women and children.

Dame Tanni was taking part in the third annual TIMEX Women Only Triathlon with more than 1,000 other females also taking up the challenge of a triathlon either as an individual or as part of  a team.

The race managed to raise over £40,000 for the event’s official Charity Breast Cancer Care. 

Tanni was an inspiration to the thousands of competitors and crowds who watched her sheer determination and outstanding athletic ability as she competed in the sprint distance, despite having retired as a competing athlete more than a 12 months ago.

As she was born with spina bifida Tanni has no trunk movement and having had to learn to swim, this was always going to be the toughest of the three disciplines.

“If I can do it, anyone can,” she’d declared before the race and the 400m swim proved to be as hard as she expected.

“That was tough, really tough, I didn’t realise how much the swim would take out of me,” she said afterwards.

Once out of her wetsuit and into her hand crank bike, Tanni embarked on the 20k lap bike course around the lake, again a new discipline for her, before finishing with a 5k run.

She finished in an impressive time of 1hr 46.11secs, in 49th place out of 69 women in her 37-39 age group.

Despite finding the race harder than a marathon, it didn’t seem hard enough to put her off attempting another triathlon.

“The atmosphere was truly amazing; women are so supportive of each other. I would definitely do it again next year,” she said.

The day also hosted the Kids Open Water Triathlon event with more than 350 children aged between eight and 16 leaping into the cool 18 degree water conditions, as they embarked on their first open water racing experience at the 2012 Olympic rowing venue, Dorney Lake.

Distances ranged from a 100m swim for 8-10 years, 200m for 11-12 years and 400m for 13-16 years.

After the swim, the kids took their bikes from transition and headed off on the bike and running course next to the lake, cheered on by thousands of parents and spectators who had come to support our triathletes of the future.

One competitor, who is one to watch for the future, is Eastbourne’s Camilla Freeman, winner of the girls 15-year age group, and sister of Ollie Freeman who is heading to Beijing as part of the 2008 Olympic triathlon squad.

Reflecting on the success of the day, John Lunt, director of Human Race, said: “It is fantastic to see so many people of all ages and ability wanting to get involved.

“We are proud to be able to stage and offer an open water triathlon for our up and coming triathletes and the women only triathlon always provides a very special atmosphere with many women having a go at the sport for the first time.”