T100 Sees More Than 6,000 Age Groupers Race in London

Photos: Kevin Mackinnon

All eyes were on London for the pro races at the fourth stop of the T100 Triathlon World Tour on Saturday, but there was a lot more going on than just a couple of elite events. Over Saturday and Sunday, T100 London saw more than 6,000 age groupers compete in a variety of races. Some of the amateur races were before the pro events on Saturday, while the rest took place on Sunday, giving the age groupers in attendance the chance to take in the top-level racing as spectators and fans of the sport.

T100 London offered age groupers four options for individual events. There was a super sprint, a sprint, an Olympic-distance race and the tour’s flagship event, the 100 kilometer (62-mile) triathlon. The sprint and super sprint took place on Saturday, with athletes jumping into the water at the same spot where the pros would dive in just a few hours later. After these races wrapped up, the pro women took to the race course at noon local time, followed by the professional men at 2:45 p.m.

On Sunday, things got started bright and early for the 100-kilometer race athletes, followed by the Olympic triathlon a few hours later. While all of the athletes, both amateur and professional, swam the same course, the bike was different. The pro course was designed with fans in mind, so it took athletes on a quick six-mile loop — one they completed eight times. This made for a fun viewing experience for spectators looking to catch a glimpse of Lucy Charles-Barclay, Hayden Wilde or any of the 38 other top pros racing, but for the athletes themselves it was not the most exciting of courses.

That was not the case for Sunday’s T100 age group race. Not only would there have been massive traffic jams if the course had featured eight laps, but it would not have given athletes all that London has to offer in terms of sightseeing. Instead, age groupers followed a three-lap route, on which they were treated to views of Big Ben, the London Eye and more. The run course was the same that the pros followed, with five 2.2-mile laps before the finish inside London’s Excel convention center.

The event offered athletes a lot when it came to a unique, fun race experience, which is why it attracted so many participants. Athletes from all around the world were at T100 London, but there were also some hometown celebrities who made appearances in the race. The most famous in attendance was chef Gordon Ramsay.

Ramsay was slated to race the Olympic triathlon with a group of family and friends, but a medical procedure left him sidelined. He still showed up to support the race and his team, however, rooting them on while promoting his fundraising efforts for Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children in London. While he was out of the race, his family wasn’t. His wife, Tana, raced her first triathlon, and his daughter Holly’s fiancé, British Olympic swimmer Adam Peaty, competed as well.

All told, T100 London was a massive success. If it wasn’t a fan favorite before this weekend, it soon will be. Race registration for next year isn’t available yet, but anyone interested can sign up to be notified when it opens by clicking here.

Here are some photos from today’s racing:

Olympic swimmer Adam Peaty raced the Olympic-distance triathlon on Sunday.

Greg Welch announcing at the finish line.

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