THE eighth edition of the Slateman Triathlon in Llanberis was a record-breaking race, with an eight year high for water temperatures, weather and race times.

With over 1,200 triathletes taking part across the two days, the popular Pedalcover Slateman opened the Always Aim High’s 2018 Sunnto Adventure Triathlon Series, a trio of Adventure Triathlon events, which are based in north Wales.

On the Saturday, the Slateman consisted of the shorter races of the weekend, with the first day of the multi-day Savage Race and the Sprint Triathlon. New for this year, a sprint duathlon was added alongside the Sprint, which added to the racing and delivered both in terms of challenging terrain and competitive racing.

As sprint races go, the Slateman course is one of the tougher on the calendar.

It involves the swim in the chilly waters of Llyn Padarn, a cycle ride taking in the steep ascent and descent of Pen y Pass, before a shin-splitting, savage climb into the forests of Elidir Fach finishes the race.

The Women’s race saw a tight finish, with Rebecca Lodge of Wakefield Tri taking the win in a time of 1.19.14 from Ruth Purbrook second in 1.19.43 and Hannah Bruce of Manchester Tri third in 1.24.41.

In the Men’s race the battle for first was fought hard in the forest, with Scott Hill of RAF Triathlon emerging victorious in 1.13.12, followed by Dan Elliot in 1.14.53 and Jon Reilly in 3rd in a time of 1.15.38.

The all new Duathlon saw Stephen Abbott win the men’s race with a time of 01:22:05, while Rhian Roxborough of GOG Tri took first place in the women’s race with a time of 01:23:17. These are two names who are starting to become synonymous with the Adventure Duathlon Podiums held across North Wales.

On the Sunday, with north Wales waking to another warm and sunny day, the warm waters of Llyn Padarn welcomed over 900 ‘Classic’ Distance athletes for day two of the Pedalcover Slateman.

In the Classic race, Under 23s athlete Jack Hindle took the best part of four minutes off the record to finish first in 2.24.45, ahead of Pete Dyson and Beau Smith.

The Women’s Classic saw the strong return of Aim High Champion, Suzie Richards, taking the win in 2.45.44 and knocking seven minutes off the course record.

A growing Slateman Savage field saw some of the finest racing to date, with athletes, by the event close, having taken podiums in the sprint and classic races, for the overall honours. The Savage titles were won by Scott Hill of RAF Triathlon and Ruth Purbrook of Full On Tri.

A spokesperson for Always Aim High, organisers of the Pedalcover Slateman Triathlon, said: “With 1,200 triathletes taking part in fantastic weather, the 2018 Slateman has seen a host of new records.

“We look forward to seeing our athletes back for the Snowman in August, and Sandman in September, but for now we look forward to the exciting city centre racing in Cardiff in just five weeks time.

“We’d like to extend a massive thank you to everyone of our athletes for joining us, in addition to families and friends.

“We’d also like to thank our fabulous marshals, who make sure the races flow so smoothly, and we’d also like to thank Gwynedd County Council for supporting the race. Also thanks to the residents of Llanberis and from the local area, as well as our race partners for their support.”