Last weekend Jerba was in Torridon doing something just a bit different. The Celtman triathlon
(www.cxtri.com ) is billed as one of the toughest endurance events on the planet. Competitors start off with a 3.5k swim in the icy cold waters of Loch Torridon and then follow that with a stunning but mammoth 200k bike ride. To finish, it’s the small matter of a marathon off road run taking in two munros on the magnificent Beinn Eighe ridge. It’s a huge day out and you need just a wee bit of support! Veteran of the race Sean McFarlane took the Jerba Cromarty to support Fraser Cartmell, arguably Scotland’s most successful every triathlete and now a presenter on Global Triathlon Network (https://www.globaltrinetwork.com/). So all eyes were on their team, and of course the Cromarty!
A great night’s sleep both the day before and in the build up to the race was essential and the Cromarty was perfect. Parking up a stone’s throw from where competitors signed in on race day morning (at 3am!!) was also most welcome.
Fraser led the race from the start, exiting the water more than 3 minutes ahead of anyone else. Sean was able to give him a bucket with warm water boiled up in the van just earlier for his cold feet and that set him up perfectly for the bike leg. Having retired last year from being a full-time professional triathlete, Fraser still held on admirably to his lead for almost seven hours but that mountain run did eventually get the better of him. It was his first time he’d ever been up a mountain though so still mighty impressive! He finished 5 th out of more than 200 starters. Not bad at all and a hugely memorable day for all involved. And the icing on the cake? A wonderfully comfy night’s sleep a few hundred yards from the pub. A brilliant end to the greatest of days.
Watch out for GTN’s short film on Fraser’s race coming out very soon and the BBC’s Adventure Show also filmed the event which is currently on BBC Iplayer.
