Gyllyngvase Surf Life Saving + Triathlon Club hosted their second relay and junior triathlon on Sunday as part of Henri Lloyd Falmouth Week.

Athletes from across Cornwall and the UK (even some international competitors) turned out for what can only be described as yet another absolutely amazing event.

The relay race was first, starting at 7am. There were 18 teams in total, and each team comprised of 4 members aged 17 and over.

Everyone had to complete the 250m swim off Gyllyngvase Beach, a 5km cycle around Pendennis Castle and a 1.2 km run along the seafront and back to the beach before tagging the next team member.

The race was completed when all 4 competitors had finished the course. Unlike the previous year, the sun was shining and the sea was calm and flat.

There was a big diversity of athletes taking part, from elite racers to first timers, which made the event even more original.

Dave Bartlett, who competes against the very best in the sport, was even racing the entire course 4 times in a row on his own!

Also in attendnace were Zoltan Ballogh, David Greenwood and Cornwall 's own Melissa Reid who all compete internationally in paratriathlon.

Dave Bartlett said on Twitter, “What diverse ages, abilities and categories raced at the Gylly Relay and Kids Triathlon today. A fun and organised success. Massive congrats.”

Relay Results: Male 1st Gyllyngvase Surf Life Saving + Triathlon Club A (Kieran Townsend, Jon Webb, Zoltan Balloch and Matthew Stone) 2nd Mounts Bay Harriers A 3rd Tri Harder Female 1st Gyllyngvase Surf Life Saving + Triathlon Club A (Melissa Reid, Emily Trebilcock, Michelle Walters and Rebecca Walters) 2nd Mounts Bay Harriers A 3rd Newquay Rowing Club

The junior race started at 8.30, and the sun was shining by this point. This drew quite a large crowd to the beach to watch the spectacle.

The race is one of the very few closed road, open water swim junior races in the country. Over 30 children from across the country aged between 12-16 were lined up on the start, many of them ready to take part in their very first triathlon.

The majority of the children were members of host club Gyllyngvase and Penzance based club Mounts Bay Harriers.

The junior race followed the same course as the relay race.

However, the younger age group of 12 years had one lap of the castle with the 13-14 years and 15-16 years racing 2-3 laps respectively.

Once their bikes were racked, the triathletes started a 1.2k run around the Queen Mary Gardens and along the sea front, before turning around and sprinting back to the finish.

Junior Results: Male 12yr 1. Jacob Beetham 2. Ben Norton 3. Sam Watts Female 12yr 1. Faye Ivall Male 13/14 1. James Greenwood 2. Finn Burford 3. David Greenwood Female 13/14 1. Katie Walker 2. Rosie Tonkin 3. Abby Mundell Male 15/16 1. James Trott 2. Orion Page 3. James Carpenter Female 15/16 1. Lowenna Hawkey 2. Georgia Christophers

“What a great spectacle for Falmouth. It truly looked like a world-class transition and the action from the relay teams and the determined looks on the junior faces just proved to me it was all worthwhile,” said Allan Reid, Gyllyngvase Chairman and race director, while Naomi Watts from Newquay Rowing Club said: “Thank you so much for another brilliant team triathlon event.

“We NRC ladies yet again had a whale of a time and cannot believe that we've managed to retain our 3rd place title for a 2nd year in a row.

“Great organisation, lovely t-shirts and glassware to be proud of and a fab set of encouraging marshals along with a good entry price.”

The organisers thanked everyone who helped out with marshaling and water cover on the day - the event wouldn't have been possible without them.

Thanks also went to the local businesses that supported the triathlon: Gylly Beach Café, Falmouh Cycles, Oliver Hughes Physiotherapy, Asda Penryn, Falmouth Town Council and Carrick Leisure.

A final thank you went to Allan Reid, Reggie Christophers and Marc Thomas who made the event possible.

If you are interested in getting involved in triathlon or surf life saving, the club holds several training sessions throughout the week. Visit www.gyllysurf.org.uk for more details.