COMMONWEALTH GAMES triathlete Sam Herridge secured an age-group win and was fourth woman overall at the Castle Combe Duathlon. In torrential conditions, the course consisted of a couple of two-mile runs sandwiching a 10-mile bike ride, all undertaken on the famous racetrack.

‘It was my first ever duathlon, so I was quite pleased with the results, especially now that I’ve started running again,’ said Herridge, who has just returned to that discipline after a heel injury.

‘The conditions were really bad though – gale-force winds, rain and cold. It took me about three hours to warm up again after the event.’

Herridge is used to leading out on the swim leg of a triathlon, so the duathlon really was a new experience for her.

‘I ended up chasing a lot of people down on the bike, which really is my strongest triathlon discipline after the swim.

‘Luckily the windy coastal roads of Guernsey during the winter prepared me well for the tough conditions at Castle Combe.’

Herridge managed to complete the first run in 12min. 31sec., the bike leg in 29-53 and the final run in 12-45.

These even splits gave her an overall time of 55-09, just under three minutes behind her training partner and Junior World Triathlon Championship silver medallist, Flora Duffy.

‘I’m really pleased with the way things are going at the moment.

‘The bike is definitely getting stronger, and now that I’m running again, I can really concentrate on improving these two disciplines, while ticking over on the swimming front,’ said the Sarnian.

Herridge is hoping to take part in the Triathlon Continental Cup race in San Remo, Italy, in May, but is dependent on financial support to achieve her dream.

‘I’m really on the lookout for sponsors at the moment as some of the travel costs this year may mean I could miss out on some events unless I can find some support.’

Anyone who may be interested in supporting Herridge in her quest can contact her at s-herridge@hotmail.co.uk or by calling 07760 389675.