SUNDAY'S Stratford Triathlon held at the Stratford Leisure Centre proved to be a successful start to the new season for local triathletes competing in both the sprint and relay race.

The event was the first leg of the 220 Triathlon magazine's 2002 National Race Series and involved a 500m pool swim followed by a 23K bike finishing with a 5K run.

In the relay event one member of each team completes a discipline before passing the wristband to the next team member.

The ladies team event proved to be a successful start for 'Team Michelle', all of whom are members of Evesham Swimming Club.

Michelle Dige produced the fastest female swim leg of the team event completing the 500m in seven minutes and 15 seconds.

She was slightly impeded during the swim as she battled her way through the male sprint competitors who had started some time earlier.

Dige passed the wristband to Michelle Parsons for the bike leg, the cyclist had already competed earlier that morning in the individual event and she was therefore facing her second trip around the course.

She performed well against more established cyclists to produce the third quickest bike leg, in a fastest time than she had recorded earlier in the day.

Team Scunthorpe, though, had managed to gain the overall lead at that stage by just 14 seconds.

Michelle Kimberley got the run leg off to a flying start and soon regained the overall lead. She maintained a phenomenal pace recording a time of 19 minutes and ten seconds for the 5K course. The team's total time coming out at one hour 12 minutes and 29 seconds.

Nearest rivals Team Ketchup also passed Team Scunthorpe on the run leg finishing in a time of one hour 16 minutes and two seconds.

Parsons competed in the individual female sprint event earlier in the day and completed the course in a time of one hour 19 minutes and 56 seconds to finish seventh in her age category.

Husband Phil, representing 5 S Total Training, managed to complete the course in one hour seven minutes and three seconds to finish 30th out of the 963 competitors taking part.

That result placed him ninth in his age category.