2024 Race Report
The 13th edition of the Craft Snowman Triathlon & Duathlon, known as the toughest triathlon in the UK, and certainly one of the most spectacular, returned once more to the National Outdoor Centre at Plas y Brenin, Capel Curig.
On Sunday, we welcomed cloudy yet dry and perfect conditions for our Triathletes and Duathletes.
The Legend (70.3) athletes were the first in the water at 7:00 am, greeted by mill pond conditions.
In the Open race, Matthew Dewhurst emerged from the water nearly 6 minutes ahead of his nearest competitor, clocking an impressive swim time of just over 27 minutes. Despite Dewhurst's strong start on the bike, Daniel Speed closed the gap with the fastest bike lap, cutting 4 minutes off Matthew's lead. Duncan Shea Simmonds and Adam Norfolk also recorded faster bike times. Matthew led into the run but was soon overtaken by Adam and Duncan, who put in blistering times of 2:14 and 2:17, respectively. Adam Norfolk secured the win with a time of 5:46:29, Duncan Shea Simmonds took second, and Daniel Speed passed Dewhurst to claim third place.
In the women's race, Claire Shea Simmonds led the swim, finishing a couple of minutes ahead of second-place Naomi Shinkins, with Cathy Atkinson close behind. Claire continued to lead on the bike, but Cathy's fast T1 transition saw her hot on Claire's heels during the 95k bike leg. The bike leg became a battle between Cathy and Naomi, with Cathy arriving at T2 35 seconds ahead. On the run, Cathy led initially but was soon caught by Naomi. Stephanie James made a strong appearance with the fastest run of the day, securing a podium spot. Naomi clinched the win, Cathy took second, and Stephanie finished third.
Next off were the Standard Triathletes at 8 am, with calm water conditions persisting. Chris Holmes was first out of the water with a very strong swim time, followed by William Raiment and Seamus Sheard, each around 30 seconds apart. Sheard came to dominate the bike course, overtaking both Chris and William, with an impressive bike time of 2:03:32 giving him a strong lead into the run. Adam Brown's stellar performance on the run secured him second place. Seamus won the race, followed by Adam, with William rounding out the podium.
In the women's Standard Triathlon, Michelle Holmes led from start to finish, winning in a brilliant time of 4:10:17. The battle for second and third was between Wendy McBride and Kate Davies, with Wendy securing second place in 4:27:03, just 17 seconds ahead of Kate.
Simultaneously, the Standard Duathlon kicked off. Chris Booth won in 3:33:09, followed by Dylan Evans five minutes later, with Mike Paige taking third. Iwona Szmyd claimed first place in the women's race, with Louise Toach securing second.
The last race to start was the Sprint Triathlon at 9 am. Sixteen-year-old Iwan Froley emerged nearly two minutes ahead of last year's winner, Huw Jack Brassington. Iwan's swift 45-second transition and fastest bike split allowed him to maintain his lead, crossing the finish line in an impressive 1:39:21. Huw finished second, and Cai Llewelyn Williams, who held third throughout, completed the podium.
In the women's Sprint Triathlon, last year's winner Anwen Nesham led out of the swim and onto the bike, recording the fastest bike split of the day. However, the run saw significant action, with Victoria Smith, who was over four and a half minutes behind out of T2, overtaking both Amy Edwards and Anwen to claim first place with the fastest run of the day, finishing in 2:06:05. Anwen took second, and Amy completed the podium.
Starting alongside the Sprint Triathletes was the Sprint Duathlon. Carwyn Dafydd, winner of the Slateman Sprint Duathlon earlier this year, took the win, with James Hards and Ian Williams securing second and third, respectively. In the women's race, Kate Mills took first place, followed by Michelle Du Plessis in second, and Mollie Pugmire in third.
Always Aim High Events Director Tim Lloyd shared his thoughts on the weekend's racing: “The Craft Snowman is an outstanding event that continues to improve each year. Being back with our friends at Plas y Brenin was fantastic; it's a breathtaking venue that offers a welcoming atmosphere and a finish line backdrop like no other! It was wonderful to see so many spectators on the hill, cheering on the finishers and soaking in the atmosphere, even braving the rain on Sunday afternoon to ensure every finisher received the recognition they deserve for the incredible accomplishment of completing the Snowman.
“We want to extend a huge thank you to all our athletes, whose talent and sportsmanship bring our events to life. We’re also grateful to Plas y Brenin, the Capel Curig community, and our event sponsors and partners for their unwavering support.
Most importantly, we owe a special thanks to our world-class marshals and volunteers, without whom this race simply wouldn't be possible.”
Selected 2024 Craft Snowman Triathlon & Duathlon Results
Sprint Triathlon Open 👏
🥇Iwan Froley 1:39:21
🥈Huw Jack Brassington 1:46:00
🥉Cai Llewelyn Williams 1:50:10
Sprint Triathlon Female 👏
🥇Victoria Smith 2:06:05
🥈Anwen Nesham 2:11:17
🥉Amy Edwards 2:11:33
Sprint Duathlon Open 👏
🥇Carwyn Dafydd 1:49:43
🥈James Hards 1:53:02
🥉Ian Williams 1:56:11
Sprint Duathlon Female 👏
🥇Kate Mills 2:29:07
🥈Michelle Du Plessis 3:05:53
🥉Mollie Pugmire 3:24:44
Standard Triathlon Open 👏
🥇Seamus Sheard 3:41:14
🥈Adam Brown 3:53:26
🥉William Raiment 4:02:32
Standard Triathlon Female 👏
🥇Michelle Holmes 4:10:17
🥈Wendy McBride 4:27:03
🥉 Kate Davies 4:27:20
Standard Duathlon Open 👏
🥇Chris Booth 3:33:09
🥈Dylan Evans 3:38:39
🥉Mike Page 3:52:23
Standard Duathlon Female 👏
🥇Iwona Szmyd 5:37:47
🥈Louise Toach 6:14:43
Legend Triathlon Open 👏
🥇Adam Norfolk 5:47:29
🥈Duncan Shea- Simmonds 5:49:50
🥉Daniel Speed 6:00:02
Legend Triathlon Female👏
🥇Naomi Shinkins 7:00:56
🥈Cathy Atkinson 7:12:51
🥉Stephanie Jones 7:15:15