A hardy group of Monmouth Tri Club members tackled the notorious Tenby Long Course Weekend last week. The biggest multi-sport festival in Europe, the Long Course Weekend welcomes more than 11,000 competitors across a whole weekend, with events in swimming, cycling and running.

The Zone3 Wales Swim offers athletes a 2.4- or 1.2-mile sea swim, while the Uprise Wales Sportive bike ride has challenges of 112, 70, 42 miles, and the Wales Marathon runs of 26.2, 13.1, 6 or 3 miles.

Claire Jackson took on the full distance in each discipline, and despite choppy conditions in the water and tired legs after the mammoth Saturday bike ride, months of hard training paid off beautifully. Claire smashed all three disciplines, acing the 2.4mile swim with a PB of 1 hour 13 minutes, coming in the top 10 of her age group on the 112-mile ride, and taking another PB and third place in her age group in the hilly Ironman Wales marathon route.

Completing the three full distance events earns athletes the coveted Long Course Weekend 4th medal; this achievement has also put Claire in the right space ahead of her entry in the Ironman World Championships in Hawaii this September.

Meanwhile club chairwoman Sharon Neville took on the 2.4-mile swim and 112-mile bike ride alongside Victoria Baker, with Sharon taking the swim in 1 hour 14 minutes, and Victoria in 1 hour, 4 minutes; and both acing the bike in 7 hours, 30 minutes.

The event became a family affair for partners Andrew Hillis and Marina Wright, plus her son Anthony Wright as they took on mixed distances in the swim, bike and run.

Interested in triathlon? Monmouth Tri Club offers weekly swim sessions, regular social rides and a running group; check out your local, friendly club at www.monmouthtri.club