A terrific five kilometre run after moderate swim and bike ride took 41-year-old Thomas Doughty of the Sun City Tri club to victory in the Weardale Triathlon at Stanhope, the first time he has contested the event.

Trailing former champion Scott Holmes by just over a minute after the first two legs, ex-RAF man Doughty clocked the fastest time for the 5km run of 16 min 46 sec to beat three-times Weardale champion Holmes by 21 seconds with his total time of 59 min 23 sec. Holmes' run time of 18 min 18 sec was good enough to push Cleveland veteran Roger Godley into third place overall and clinch his third Weardale runners-up spot.

For once, Holmes failed to clock the fastest swim time. His 9 min 38 sec for the 750 metres in the 25-metre Stanhope open air pool was beaten into second place by Stephen Turnbull of Durham Tri club. Turnbull's 9 min 28 sec equals Holmes' Weardale swim record.

Robert Bee of Ryton Tri, fourth overall, set the fastest time for the 20km bike ride to Wolsingham and back of 30 min 22 sec.

Doughty's win also gained him the North East BTA Sprint Triathlon championship for this half Olympic distance competition.

Sun City's Amanda Cantle made it a double for the Sunderland club by winning the Weardale women's trophy in 68 min 58 sec, good enough for an overall 35th placing out of a total of 115 competitors who finished on the day. Helen Wilcox (Tyne Tri) was second woman home in 69-25, with veteran Jo Short third in 72-38.

Conditions were good, a moderate breeze slowing bike times. With competitors setting off at one-minute intervals from 8.30am, the later starters at the top end of the field had to contend with much warmer temperatures as the sun got out.

"I didn't feel I swam very well, and I had problems on the bike ride, but running is my strength and I can always rely on it to pull me through," said Doughty, recent winner of the South Shields to Sunderland pier-to-pier multi-terrain run. Doughty's next target is the Scottish duathlon (run-bike-run) championships later this month, when he hopes to qualify for the European duathlon championships in Swansea at the end of September.

Results

Men: 1. Thomas Doughty (Sun City) 59 min 23 sec., 2. Scott Holmes (TFN) 59-44, 3. Roger Godley (Cleveland Bike Traks) 60-02, 4. Robert Bee (Just racing/Ryton Tri) 60-06, 5. Eddie Cooper (NE31) 61-07. Vets, 40+ yrs., 1. Doughty, 2. Roger Godley, 3. Paul Godley (Cleveland Bike Traks) 62-24 (age group award), 4. Andrew Senior 63-45, 5. Sean Gilmore 64-56. 50+ yrs., 1. Frank Whitelock (Durham Tri) 68-48, 2. Allan Kenny 69-56, 3. Eric Blakie (Ryton Tri) 70-06, 4. Jim Colledge 70-09, 5. David Smart 75-41.

Women: 1. Amanda Cantle (Sun City Tri) 68-58, 2. Helen Wilcox (Tyne Tri) 69-25, 3. Jo Short 71-38, 4. Christine Buckley (NYP Tri) 74-51, 5. Kath Blakey (Cleveland Bike Traks) 75-54. Vets, 40+ yrs., 1. Short, 2. Buckley, 3. Blakey (age group award), 4. Diane Chaney (Ryton Tri) 83-37, 5. Isobel Davison (Ryton Tri) 90-34. 50+ yrs., 1. Sue Richmond (Ryton Tri) 84-56, 2. Erika Enisz (Cleveland Bike Traks) 88-18, 3. Anne Faulder (Ryton Tri) 88-32.