BUDDING triathletes enjoyed a graduation to remember at the David Lloyd Centre in Southend.

A whole host of athletes had spent 10 weeks on a beginners’ course carried out by JBR Run and Tri Club.

And their hard work resulted in them all completing a sprint triathlon, much to the delight of their coach Jon Brown.

“It has been fantastic to see the progress all of them have been in a relatively short space of time and it was great to see them all finish the race,” said Brown.

“The very first morning we worked together there were a lot of nervous faces when I gave them a brief overview of what was scheduled for the next 10 weeks but they’ve been brilliant.

“They’ve worked really hard and have now got the results to show for that.”

Sunday’s race saw the triathletes swim 12 lengths in the pool before also completing a 14km bike ride and a 4.2km run.

But they all comfortably completed the course.

“I designed a progressive programme for them which helped them train towards the sprint triathlon distance,” said Brown.

“There was no winner as such as we didn’t want to make it a competitive race.

“It was just about showing the progress all of them had made and it was more of a graduation for them than anything else.

“Half of them who took part were David Lloyd members and we’re very grateful for their support and for them allowing us to use the facilities for the event at the weekend as well.”

Brown himself has competed in many triathlon events and is currently in training for another Ironman.

And his love for the sport resulted in him setting up his own club which has been incredibly well received.

“It’s been great to get so many people on board in a relatively short space of time,” said Brown.

“We’re a close group and there is a great bond between all of the members.

“We enjoy training together and all support each other to help get the best results we possibly can.

“The results we’ve got so far have been great but we want to build on that now.

“We’re a friendly club and anyone is welcome to come along and join in with the training sessions that we organise.”

For more information on the club and forthcoming triathlon courses visit www.jbrtriclub.com.