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Isle of Wight: Jack Grundy qualified for XTERRA off-road triathlon world championships in Hawaii

WORLD DATE IN HAWAII

Friday, July 4, 2008
Sport/TriathlonTRIATHLETE Jack Grundy has conquered his toughest-ever challenge to qualify for the XTERRA off-road triathlon world championships in Hawaii later this year.
Jack, 18, of Blackbridge Road, Freshwater, qualified for the event after being the first junior competitor to finish the XTERRA qualifying event in Resolven, South Wales.
“It was the hardest event I’ve ever done,” said Jack, who is just finishing his first year at the University of Bath. “It was so much harder than an on-road triathlon, it was all up and down hills.
“But I am really happy to get through. It is the first time I have done anything like this so if I finish in the top ten of the worlds, that would be amazing.”
Jack qualified after swimming 750m in a lake, cycling a 15km mountain bike route and running five kilometres through extreme forest trails. He was fourth overall and first in the 15 to 19 years category.
“The triathlon in Hawaii is going to be double the distance, so I will be doing lots of extra training, focusing on my on-road events until the end of August before I turn my attentions to the off-road,” he said.
“I need about £1,000 to get to the event as well so I am looking for sponsors too.”
Anyone wishing to sponsor Jack can email grundy.jack@gmail.com.