Newbury Triathlon winner Callum Hughes enjoys further success at Ironman Wales
Newbury Triathlon winner Callum Hughes enjoyed further success at the weekend, as he finished second in the Ironman Wales event held in Tenby.
A lively atmosphere created by spectators also came with a threat of severe rain, with weather warnings in place and a storm anticipated.
Despite this, Hughes braved the choppy conditions to finish tenth in his age group following the swim section, which totalled 3800m.
Moving onto the bike section, Hughes set his sights on the front of the pack as he hit the Welsh streets, lined with spectators.
“You feel like you are in the Tour de France”, he said.
Following the 112m course, Hughes had gone third fastest on the bike, inching ever closer to securing an overall podium.
“The bike is where I am comfortable, it’s my job”, he said.
“I had a few mechanical issues and lost a bottle of energy drink, but I’ve learned how to deal with these things that are out of our control. It’s a mind game too.”
All that was left between Hughes and the finish line was the small matter of a marathon.
“I was stopped in my tracks as I saw my wife, children and some of my friends who had come to watch. A quick cuddle, and I was off. I felt good”, Hughes said.
Finding himself in second place, just out of touch with the leader, Hughes focussed on securing his position and avoiding mistakes on the cobbled streets.
“When you are fatigued, they become scary.
“You wonder if you’ll slip and the day will be over with an injury.
“I was cold and wet from the storm, so I had to keep motivated.”
As the finish line approached, Hughes began to enjoy the moment.
“I soaked up the last of the cobbled streets, with spectators cheering me in, seeing lots of my friends who travelled from Newbury and Oxford, all the way to Tenby to see the race”, he said.
Hughes would do enough to hold onto his second place finish, just two minutes behind the winner, a remarkable result in what he described as “a massive race, the biggest event I have done in 10 years.”
