Former Melksham lifeguard world triathalon glory

A FORMER lifeguard at Melksham Blue Pool is celebrating huge success after finishing in the top ten at the world triathlon championships.

Tracey Hare, who learnt to swim at the Blue Pool and later became a lifeguard there, travelled to Cozumel in Mexico to represent Great Britain in the spirit triathlon for women aged 45 to 49. Despite it being her first time competing in an international race, Tracey put in an excellent performance, finishing ninth out of 60 competitors.

Tracey – who is now a ward sister at Basingstoke Hospital – said, “I did a lot better than I had expected. It was hard to know how I would get on racing against people from right around the world and to come ninth was amazing.

“It was a great experience and as it was the first time that I had qualified to represent Great Britain, it was a really proud day for me. I was just happy to be there because not many people get the chance to represent their country, so to finish in the top ten was a massive bonus.”

Tracey’s sporting background in swimming and her ability in that discipline was clear during the race as she emerged from the water in second place, completing the 750 metre open water course in just 11 minutes and 54 seconds. She completed the 20 kilometre cycling leg in 33:46 and was in touching distance of the leaders going into the 5km run, but the heat meant she was unable to really attack the final discipline, completing it in 25:06 to finish ninth in 1:14:39.

Tracey qualified to represent Great Britain at the world championships by winning an event in May, while her performance in Mexico means that she has already secured her place at next year’s event, which will take place in Holland.