Roding Valley Tri Club member Claire Bloom celebrated her birthday by taking on the challenge of the Bedford Sprint Triathlon on the weekend.

With a race start time of 7am, the Buckhurst Hill based triathlete arrived in Bedford to an air temperature of only nine degrees.

The event started with a 750m lake swim in Priory Park and the race set off with a rolling time trial start, rather than a mass start due to Covid restrictions.

Bloom exited the water with a time of 14:09 before transitioning onto the bike for a 21.70km ride which she completed in a time of 45:10.

It was then a 5km two-lap run on trail which she finished in 23:43 for an overall time of 1:26:28.

Ilford Recorder: Claire Bloom in action at Bedford TriathlonClaire Bloom in action at Bedford Triathlon (Image: Active Training World)

Bloom finished first in her age category (55-59) and seventh overall in the female section.

She said: “The course was challenging, undulating in places with long descents which didn't feel downhill at all.”