Hetton British Elite Super Series, 17 Jul 2021

Hetton is the first super series race of the year and my first senior elite race. The format of the race is a super sprint; 350m swim, 7.5k bike and a 2k run, with heats in the morning and finals in the afternoon. There was also a relay after that consisting of a 150m swim, 1.7k bike and a 1k run where each athlete in a team completes all three disciplines before tagging their teammate to start.

It was a very hot day and a wetsuit illegal race which I was pleased about. My first heat went really well… I was nearer the back of the swim but caught a couple of girls in transition and then worked well with Team Catenary teammate Lilly Gibbs on the bike. Then onto the run and I surprised myself to run up to the front pack and finish in 8th place with the fastest run in the heats to make the A final! Now to cool down refuel and get ready to go again in the afternoon.

The A final was fast and I was last out the back of the swim with two other girls. I had a quick transition and got on the bike in front of the other two girls and rode ¾ laps by myself before catching another girl who then sat on my wheel for the last lap. Then onto the run and I managed to make up some more places to finish in 18th place with the 4th fastest run of the day.

The day finished with the relays where I was an honorary team Loughborough member, having been invited to join them by Lilly. It was a hard relay after the previous two races but a fun end to the day. 

I have gained a lot of confidence in both my bike and especially my run legs and really enjoyed racing at Hetton.

Mia Hawkins