Race Report: Marit Sormus

Event: Castle to Coast 2025
Date: 19th July 2025

– A Long, Wet, Wild Day Out with Friends

When people ask what Castle to Coast is, I usually say, “It’s not a race – it’s a long day out with friends.” And while that’s technically true (it’s more a sportive, than a race), it turns out that a ‘long day out’ can still include torrential rain, cramps, laughter, PBs, and maybe a tiny bit of competitive fire.

This year’s edition kicked off with a rainy morning at Dorney Lake. We were already wet before we even got into the water, but hey – if you’re going to be soaked, might as well swim, right?

The rolling swim start was a nice touch – no washing machine mayhem, just a calm entry when you’re ready. High fives to Paula, Gary, and Jasmin, and then we were off. Al and I swam separately, as per our plan, and both had solid swims. Al came out grinning, having clearly smashed a PB – a great start to the day!

T1 was a soggy affair, but thanks to the genius idea of bin bags for our gear (yes that genius was me, haha) our socks and shoes were actually dry (for about three minutes). As we rolled out, the sky really opened up. I mean biblical rain. At times, I could barely see anything but Al’s wheel in front of me – which, to be fair, was exactly the wheel I was trying to hold onto anyway.

The first feed station was an oasis. Not just for the hot coffee (thank you Nick – hero!) but for the friendly faces – Sheena, Peter, Jasmin, and Nick again – who lifted our spirits in the downpour. A quick caffeine refuel and chat, and we were off again, into what I had conveniently forgotten was a very hilly bike course.

Al, a true machine on two wheels, dropped the hammer more than once. I did my best to cling on, legs burning, lungs questioning my life choices. But we made it – soggy, slightly broken, but still smiling – into T2.

Cue sunshine. Of course.

As we started the run out of Hassocks, the sun decided to show up in full force, just as my quads decided they were done for the day (trying to hold on to Al’s wheel has its consequences I realised). Cramping up on the early climbs, including the beast that is Ditchling Beacon, things got real quiet from my side. Al tried to cheer me up, but I think the silence spoke volumes…

Eventually, something magical (or maybe just caffeine-fuelled desperation) kicked in, and I got my second wind. We ran the downhills, power-walked the climbs, and soaked in the views on the way to Brighton. That is, until… the stairs.

Whoever designed those stairs on the trail clearly had a dark sense of humour. They broke Al. Truly. But we had a deal – finish line, then straight into the sea. And a deal’s a deal.

We stumbled, shuffled, and finally ran into Brighton, both grinning (sort of), medals placed around our necks, and straight into the sea we went. Pure bliss. To everyone’s entertainment we then couldn’t get out of the water, on our hands and knees being thrown around by the waves. Hilarious to watch for sure!

Despite it not being a race, Al and I may have accidentally pushed ourselves harder than planned. Al came in 9th in his age group, and somehow – probably due to him dragging me up those hills on the bike – I ended up 1st in my age group.

They say triathlon is an individual sport but I really don’t think so – without the amazing support from Gary and Paula who were with us from the start, the day would have been a lot longer and transitions a lot less smooth. Massive thank you to both – you made all the difference!  

All in all: a mad, wet, glorious adventure. Would I do it again? Ask me again in a couple of days but knowing me it’s probably a yes 🙂

Race Report: Carl Britton

Event: Velo29 Everest Challenge World record Attempt
Date: 8th June 2025

Everesting is a brutally simple concept to cycle repeat climbs of one hill in a single activity, totaling at least 8,848m of elevation and join an elite group of riders accredited by Hells500 – holders of the Everesting Hall of Fame. The world record for the most riders to complete an Everest in one event was set in Norway with 54 riders.

Everesting World Record - Carl Britton
Everesting World Record – Carl Britton

The Velo29 world record story began in 2023, with 77 riders taking to the start line, however, only 45 riders completed Everest. In 2024 86 riders took to the line but around 18:00 it became apparent that the record would be at least 2 riders short! So close yet so far!

On June 8th 2025, I joined 106 riders to have a go at the record! I was in group 2 that set off at the top of the hill at 5:00. With a temperature of ‘feels like’ -1 and speeds of 75kmph it wasn’t the most relaxing way to start! The bottom arrived very quickly and we saw the turn point, a traffic cone that had to be negotiated in the middle of a very narrow road. Then on to the climb…

The climb chosen for the attempt was Peaslows, it is 1.3km long, starts at 10% gradient, rises to 15% in the middle with an average of 10.6% after it flattens towards the top. Each lap is 2.6km so a Full Everest = 174.2km. With an average speed over the day on the climb of 7kmph this was a tough grind and proved to be the hardest challenge that I have undertaken! Character building springs to mind!

67 repetitions later and with a time of 14:42:39 I made it and officially completed an Everest!

With only a few hours left to the cut off time of 17-hours I didn’t have to wait too long to find out that 59 riders completed Everest so we became the new world record holders!

Everesting World Record - Carl Britton

Race Report: Damian Kandiah

Event: Barcelona Marathon
Date: 16th March 2025

First Race Abroad

Pre-Race
Picture me, a bundle of nerves and carb-loaded dreams, walking into Barcelona’s marathon expo like a kid in a candy store. The city was buzzing, the March air was crisp, I grabbed my bib and resisted buying all the overpriced running swag. I spent the evening meticulously laying out my kit like I was prepping for a moon landing and consuming a mountain of pasta. I visualized running the race, though my brain kept sneaking in images of me tripping over a rogue orange peel. But I was excited to run my first race abroad.

Race Start
Standing in my wave surrounded by thousands of runners, I felt a surge of adrenaline. The sunrise cast a golden glow over the city, and the energy was contagious—cheers, music, and the hum of anticipation. As the gun went off, I settled into my pace, weaving through the pack with focus. The wide, smooth streets and early landmarks fuelled my excitement. The vibes were immaculate, and I was ready to make this marathon my personal dance floor.

The Run
The Barcelona course was a dream—flat, scenic, and lined with enthusiastic crowds. For the first 30K, I was in the zone, hitting my target pace effortlessly. My legs felt springy, my breathing was steady, and I high-fived people along the route, feeding off their energy. The Mediterranean breeze and views kept me uplifted. Then, at 36K, the wall hit me like a rogue piñata. My legs turned to concrete, my brain screamed, “Why are we doing this?!” and I considered flopping onto the curb for a siesta. But I chugged my electrolytes, channelled my inner action hero, and broke the race into bite-sized chunks. The final kilometres were a battle, but the roar of the crowd and the thought of a PB kept me moving forward.

Finish Line
Crossing that finish line was like winning an Oscar, a Grammy, and a free buffet all at once. My watch screamed “PB!” and I threw my hands up like I had just invented running. The 36K struggle made it epic—I’d stared into the abyss and told it to get lost. A volunteer slung a medal around my neck, and I posed for photos like a B-list celebrity. The finish area was buzzing – fountains sparkling, runners crying happy tears, and me, basking in the glory of not dying. My legs were toast, but my soul was doing cartwheels as I waited for my friend to finish.

Post-Race Reflection
Running internationally for the first time was both humbling and inspiring but definitely deepened my love for running. Hitting the wall tested my resilience, but pushing through proved what I’m capable of and the PB was the cherry on top. Not sure when I will next be able to race aboard but 100% keen to do it again and hopefully with more Viceroys!

Race Report: Norman Fontaine-Thompson

Event: First Stride Events Hampton Pool Standard Distance Triathlon
Date: 21st April 2025

In the 9 ½ months since my first ever triathlon, this mid-life crisis journey has been great. Losing over 55kg in weight, improving my running from 9min/k to 6min/k and swimming from 3min/100m to 2:15/100m, it is great to see tangible proof of how far I have come. I know a sports car would have been cheaper but until you can record that drive in Strava…what’s the point?

Anyway… the race. What a wake up this was. Luckily I live not far so the 0515 registration time wasn’t too much trouble, but speaking to people lining up that morning, some had travelled in from Kent that morning. This marked my third triathlon of 2025, second with First Stride Events and first standard distance.

Wearing my new Viceroys hoodie allowed me to stay warm, and colourful, but compared to the March triathlon’s 0 degrees at Hampton Pool the 9 degrees that morning was basically summer. Plus I’m from the North so they were lucky I didn’t crack out the BBQ.

As I finished setting up my transition station the sun was rising so I got a good look at everyone’s bikes, and it was at that point I realised I need a new bike.

The race brief was informative and let us all know of the number of laps needed for standard distance. With the early start time, the build-up of traffic around Hampton Court wasn’t going to be an issue and being a local (as well as doing the previous triathlon in March) I knew the course well.

Being second to last on the pool leg was interesting as it gave me time to watch other people’s technique. I tend to do breaststroke on the swim as front crawl isn’t my strong suit. Completing the 888m in 21 minutes wasn’t too bad for me, then it was onto the first transition. T1 gives us 7 minutes to get changed, warm clothes on etc. ahead of the ride, as down south 9 degrees is classed as “cold”. As I put talc on my feet, it went everywhere including my riding glasses, so I had the lovely image of a winter wonderland for the remainder of the race. I headed out of transition, ran to the mount line and of course dropped my gel which luckily someone was nice enough to run up to me.

The ride is always my strong area and knowing the route meant I knew where to push and where to use the contours to my advantage. Everyone was very pleasant to each other, greeting with a nod, wave or verbally saying “good morning” when passing. Seeing the Viceroy members along the route was nice and being a new member, made me realise there are many people to get to know over the next part of my triathlon journey.

Race Report: Norman Fontaine-Thompson

Getting back to transition, I was greeted by my lovely little family (I am not kidding, my wife barely scrapes 5’) with my two kids shouting “daddy!” in the small moment I was around before leaving them to get a bacon sandwich whilst I did my run. For once I didn’t struggle putting my running shoes on and, unlike my first triathlon attempt, I didn’t fall over into my bike like Bambi on ice. Which in my opinion made me feel like a winner already. Setting off on the run my legs didn’t feel too bad.

I didn’t understand how people on the route knew my name (although I now suspect wearing the pink hoodie at the start may have had something to do with it) but it was nice to hear random people cheer me on. The run route took me down to Hampton Court and on my first lap I ran past the turnaround cone and instead ran around the lamppost that had the sign on but hey-ho, got it right the second time round.

Coming into the finish line, there were my darling daughters cheering me on with my littlest running after me, desperate for a sweaty Daddy cuddle. Getting the medal from the canteen allowed me to sniff the sandwiches, watching people in envy before returning to the transition area to eat my “superfood” bar.

My target for the day was to not be last, which is something I always set for myself. Coming 17th out of 26 was a nice addition to that goal.

It was a great start to standard distance for me, and to set the bar for my year ahead. It would be nice to get to know more VTC members so I can cheer them on too. I wish you all luck in your endeavours and challenges ahead.