London, UK: Mcfly drummer Harry Judd, singer Tom Grennan, international marathon runner Anya Culling, autistic Guinness World Record Triathlete Sam Holness, influencers Tom Trotter and Theo Baker plus Dr Hussain Al-Zubaidi, a doctor and lifestyle coach, were amongst 4,500 amateur triathletes in the capital this morning taking on the London T100 Triathlon.
In his first ever triathlon, Judd completed the Sprint distance (750m swim, 20km bike, 5km run) in 1 hour 27 minutes.
Speaking after he crossed the finish line in the ExCel Centre, he said: “I had an amazing time, right from the moment I got here. The atmosphere has been incredible, you are surrounded by like-minded people, so the energy has been really good. I loved it.”
Having hot footed it from the Tramlines festival in Sheffield where he was performing last night, the Little Bit of Love singer Grennan took on his second Olympic distance triathlon (1.5km swim, 40km bike, 10km run), after his first at Hever Castle last year which he finished in 3 hours 41 minutes.
Grennan said: “It was all going to plan. I was on for a 2 hour 45 minute Olympic triathlon but unfortunately just didn’t read the bike route as I should and came in too early. So unfortunately, I got disqualified. I still did the run and got the run experience. I’m gutted because I was absolutely flying on the bike and I think that the bike is one of my strongest parts to my game. So, it’s one of those. I’ll learn from it and come back stronger.”
Asked if he’d be interested in taking on one of the T100 triathlons (2km run, 80km swim, 18km run) in Ibiza, Las Vegas or Dubai later in the year, Grennan said: “I would love to do that. It was such a good atmosphere in London.”
International marathon runner Anya Culling completed the Olympic distance. She said: “It was such a good experience. It was my favourite triathlon I have ever done and I think I am going to have do it every year.”
Sam Holness, who holds the Guinness World Record for being the first openly neurodiverse autistic the athlete to complete Kona Ironman, took part in his first T100 event. He finished the 2km swim, 80km bike and 18km run in 4h 25m and also vowed to return.
His dad Antony said: “The T100 has been absolutely amazing, the staff and volunteers are amazing. Despite it being hot, Sam finished the race in a 4h 25mins which is a personal best of course as it’s the first time he has done this race! He will definitely come back next year and smash that PB.”
Theo Baker, also a fitness influencer, said: “It was incredible – I can’t lie! It was amazing. The run was the hardest thing I’ve ever done – I found it so hard. The bike was insane, going through Westminster with all the roads shut and completely to yourself was really cool. I loved the swim – the sunrise was amazing. It was an incredible event.”
Dr Hussain Al-Zubaidi, a doctor and lifestyle coach who completed the Olympic distance, said: “I’m feeling great, it was absolutely epic. To do a course where you get to see the landmarks of London whilst swimming, cycling and running – you can’t beat it!
“I’ve pretty much done every triathlon there is to do here (UK) but I’ve never done the London one so I’m so glad to come down here this year, with perfect weather.”
Fitness influencer Tom Trotter, who took part in the Olympic distance event, said afterwards: “It was my first triathlon and that won’t be the last of me. I have officially got the bug. I am hooked.”
Since 2pm this afternoon, the professional men have been tackling their London T100 Triathlon race with double Olympic champion Alistair Brownlee looking to win on home soil. The full start list is here.
How To Watch On TV
The broadcast for the men’s pro race began at 1345 local time on Sunday 28 July, with the race starting at 1400. You can watch live in the UK on TNT Sports as well as on Discovery+ across Europe and the rest of the world. You can also watch live from anywhere in the world on PTO+ and the T100 YouTube channel as well as the usual range of national and regional broadcasters around the world such as CCTV (China), Sky New Zealand, SpoTV (Asia-Pacific). Sam Long will also be streaming the race live on his YouTube channel.
The London T100 Triathlon is the fourth leg on the new 8-stop T100 Triathlon World Tour, which has already visited Miami, Singapore and San Francisco and will climax in Ibiza (28-29 September) Lake Vegas (19-20 October), Dubai (16-17 November) and then the T100 World Championship (29-30 November). For more details visit: www.T100Triathlon.com
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For Further Information:
Anthony Scammell E: [email protected]
About Professional Triathletes Organisation (PTO)
The PTO is a sports body that is co-owned by its professional athletes, seeking to elevate and grow the sport of triathlon and take it to the next level. The T100 Triathlon World Tour is the new name for the PTO Tour and has been designated by World Triathlon as the ‘official World Championship for long distance triathlon’. It is a season-long schedule of eight T100 races during 2024 that will be competed over 100km (2km swim, 80km bike and 18km run) and will feature the world’s best triathletes going head-to-head in Miami (9 March), Singapore (13-14 April), San Francisco (8-9 June), London (27-28 July), Ibiza (28-29 September), Lake Las Vegas (19-20 October), Dubai (16-17 November) and at the World Championship (29-30 November). There will also be racing opportunities for amateurs at all the events, including the new 100km distance at six stages, including: Singapore, London, Ibiza, Lake Las Vegas, Dubai and at the Grand Final. The global broadcast shows the races live around the world in 195+ territories, courtesy of the PTO’s partnership with Warner Bros. Discovery as well as a range of other international, regional and local broadcasters.
