Hannah impresses at Blenheim

Three of team Dassi (Mark Buckingham, Charlotte Hanson and Hannah Kitchen) took on the 2015 Leukaemia & Lymphoma Research Blenheim Palace Triathlon. We caught up with Hannah who came 5th in the Women's Senior Elite race.

How was your preparation prior to the event? As well as it could have done, given the winter I've had. Although participating in lots of open water swims earlier in the year, has given me the confidence I needed for the swim.

How did you feel race morning? I heard about the tragic loss of Katie Henderson on my way to the race, which was very shocking and upsetting. However after drying my eyes, I managed to focus on the race ahead.

How did you view your competition? My eyes were on training partner Indie Lee, Emma Pallant and Sophie Coldwell.

What was your race strategy? Quite simply to swim hard and be up in the front pack (if not leading), bike as hard as possible to stay away from the runners, and then try and hold on for dear life on the run!

How was the weather? Chilly, and overcast with damp roads from the previous day but it made for good race conditions.

What was the atmosphere like? Blenheim always has a great atmosphere and it's such a great race venue. It was great to get support from all the age groupers racing, however due to the early start the bulk of the spectators were yet to arrive.

How did the swim go? The swim went like a dream, I started out on the far right and had clear water from the start. Apart from swimming into a camera boat, that didn’t move out of the way. The swim felt good and I was pleased to lead from the start and come out of the water first.

How did you feel getting out of the water? I felt good getting out of the water but the horrible run uphill into transition quickly changed this – it went on forever as I chased the toes of Sophie!

How was transition? I got my wetsuit off super quick, helmet on and bike off the racks. It was quite a bumpy run to the mount line during, which both of my elastic bands fell off and my bike shoes were swinging around wildly. India Lee came past me as I was trying to sort out my shoes before getting on my bike.

How did you find the Dassi?

My 'flying banana' was great to ride. It’s wonderful to be riding a bike that fits me properly and it is so much lighter than my previous bike, I love it!

What did you make of Blenheim Tri as a whole?

I really enjoyed this year at Blenheim. It was a really tough race, so I was pretty glad when it was over but looking back on it I can say I enjoyed it.

Did you get any comments on the Dassi bike/Dassi team?

It was great to have three 'flying bananas' at Blenheim this year (Mark and Charlotte too). They are easy to spot in transition, I just needed to make sure I found the right one. My family and friends watching found it really easy to spot.

What’s next for you?

Next up is the European Aquathlon in Germany at the end of June.

Taken from the Dassi website at dassi.com