A RECORD entry of more than 250 competitors and an open water swim under blue skies at the Top Barn Activ-ity Centre put the 2009 Worcester Triathlon Champion-ships in the top bracket of national multi-event sports.

Perfect race conditions and the highest standard of or-ganisation and logistical support made this year’s event the most successful ever — Top Barn having taken over from Malvern as the ideal venue in 2008.

The championships attrac-ted athletes from as far afield as the south coast, London and Cambridge for an event which combined a sprint tri with a full-length race comprising a 1,500m swim in the lake, a 50k bike ride and 10k run.

Adam Thompson of the Bournemouth-based Primera Tri Club triumphed in the full-distance event in a time of two hours 30 minutes 52 seconds, while Worcester boasted three of the first 13 athletes home.

Johnny Stephens was their highest finisher in a time of 2:40:36 for third place overall although that was good enough for a silver medal behind Thompson in the open age group.

Worcester veteran Mark-Steven Howe (2:58:02) and Richard Gourlay (2:58:09) were 12th and 13th respectively. Worcester’s Rachel Ward was the third female home in 3:17:27, earning her 42nd place overall.

Worcester’s Tom Watts was fourth in the sprint distance in a time of 1:19:51, just over five minutes behind gold medallist Garry Hughes of Tri Team Gloucester (1:14:11). Watts’s clubmates, Chris Styler (12th), Gavin Vickers (23rd), Mark Elliott (28th) and Jim Chalmers (29th), were prominent in a field of 145 finishers for the sprint distance, comprising a 750m swim, 25k bike ride and 5k run.

Among the 77 who finished the full-distance race, was Worcester’s tireless 71-year-old super vet Les Bailey who was 59th overall in 3:31:34.