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Helen Russell - News |
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2025 |
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Autumn |
 British Top Spots
Helen is back on the top spot after winning both the British Quadrathlon Championships and British Quadrathlon Trophy Series titles.
The British Championship race, which took place in Brigg, Lincolnshire, was a sprint-distance format of 750m river swim, 4km kayak, 18km bike and 5km run and it also doubled up as the third race in the British Series.
The Series rewards consistency over the season, as athletes score points at races, with the points from the best three races to count towards the title. Helen had already scored maximum points with her wins at the European Championships in May and Dearne Valley in June, so a win at Brigg would confirm the title.
The women‘s race was very close. Helen finished the swim leg in second place behind Rose Durrant, who exited the first transition area just 9 seconds ahead. All athletes struggled with the swim due to the amount of weeds in the river, following the hot summer. About 2 miles into the bike leg Helen caught Rose and the riders battled each other with positions swapping until the half way point when Rose pulled away and created a lead going into the kayak leg of 21 seconds. Both athletes had to deal again with the weeds in the river but just after the half way mark Helen overtook Rose, paddling almost two minutes faster. Helen managed to maintain her lead throughout the run leg completing the final disciple just one second quicker than Rose to finish in an overall time of 1 hour, 43 minutes, and 19 seconds. Rose finished in 1 hour, 44 minutes, and 46 seconds and Tora Oetgen took the final podium place in 1.56.56.
 This win means that Helen has won the British Championships six times and has four Series titles. This marks the end of Helen‘s race season which also saw her win the European Middle Distance Quadrathlon Championships. |
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Summer |
 British Quadrathlon Trophy Series Lead
Helen has taken an early lead in the 2025 British Quadrathlon Trophy Race Series after winning the Dearne Valley Quadrathlon in South Yorkshire.
Since taking the European Championship title in May, Helen entered the race as one of the favourites but victory was not a given. The race, set in Manvers Waterfront near Rotherham, covered an 800m lake swim, 15km off-road bike, 4km kayak and 5km run. Helen led out of the swim and managed to build her lead throughout the race, finishing in 1.47.15. Second place went to Tora Oetgen in 1.55.51 and Hermione Ball took the final podium place in 1.56.27.
The win means that Helen is in the lead for the overall Series title, which rewards consistency over the season. With four races in the Series, there is, however, still a long way to go and Helen will hope to extend her lead at the British Championship race in Brigg in September. |
 Bikes and Books
Helen led a successful ‘Bikes and Books‘ ride as part of this year‘s Evesham Festival of Words. The 20-mile social ride, run in conjunction with Cycle Evesham Vale, called in at places in Worcestershire and Gloucestershire connected to local writing. The route passed through Broadway, Stanway and Toddington. Riders not only enjoyed beautiful scenery but also heard about writers such as JM Barrie, JRR Tolkien and William Morris, as well as modern TV series Agatha Raisin and Father Brown and their connections to the places on route. |
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Spring |
 European Quadrathlon Champion
Helen is celebrating after being crowned European Middle Distance Quadrathlon Champion.
The race, which took place in Brigg, Lincolnshire, attracted athletes from countries including Hungary, France, Ireland and the UK, all vying to be crowned European Champion over the middle-distance format of 1500m river swim, 7.8km kayak, 30km bike and 10km run.
Helen exited the swim leg in first place and continued to build her lead throughout the race. She posted the fastest swim, bike and kayak legs of the day and despite losing some time on the run finished first overall woman in a final time of 3 hours 3 minutes and 33 seconds. Behind her the battle was on for the other podium places with Rose Durrant from the UK finishing second in 3.08.13 and Orna O‘Toole from Ireland taking the final podium spot in 3.16.50.
This is the second time Helen has won the European Middle Distance Championships, having previously taken the win in 2023. She also won her age group in the World Middle Distance Championships in 2019 and the World Sprint Championships in 2018.
Photograph credited to Trevor Richard.
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Winter |
Winter training
Helen was fortunate to escape the cold, wet British winter in January for a block of warm-weather training on the Costa Blanca. Her base was the bike-friendly Terralta Apartotel in Benidorm, an ideal spot for cyclists, located close to several Vuelta a España climbs. While cycling was the main focus of her training, Helen also took advantage of the warm sea temperatures for open water swimming and used the Poniente Beach promenade as the perfect route for steady runs. The Terralta is a perfect base for sports enthusiasts as it is located a short walk from the Benidorm sports complex ,which has a 400m run track and off-road trail
/ mountain bike trails as well as an outdoor pool (open in the summer) and football pitches.
https://www.apartamentos-terralta.com/en/ |
 Bikes and Books
Save the Date!
After the success of last year‘s event Helen will again lead the ‘Bikes and Books‘ ride as part of this year‘s Evesham Festival of Words. The 20-mile social ride, run in conjunction with Cycle Evesham Vale, will celebrate a love of cycling and books.
Helen will lead cyclists through Cotswolds‘ villages and riders will learn about the area‘s connections to writers such as JM Barrie, JRR Tolkien and William Morris, as well as modern TV series Agatha Raisin and Father Brown. The ride starts at Evesham Velo Park and finishes at Raphael‘s Restaurant, Evesham.
The ride is suitable for all abilities and for regular or electric bikes. Please ensure your bike is in good working order. There will be a back-marker so no one will be left behind.
This is a free event but please register before the day with
info@eveshamfestivalofwords.org.
Saturday 19th July 2.00pm. Free of charge. Start venue: Evesham Velopark, Cheltenham Road, Evesham, WR11 2LZ
For other festival events:
www.eveshamfestivalofwords.org |
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