THREE athletes from the district represented Great Britain at the European Duathlon Championships in Spain.

Derek and Rosemary Todhunter, and Ivan Newton, competed in different categories after qualifying for the prestigious event, in Punta Umbria.

In the 60-64 age group, Derek completed his first 5k run in 20m 17s, placing him in the middle of the pack.

The 20k bike leg which followed was a tactical battle, and Derek joined a group of six competitors who were vying for position, and went into the second run together.

In the run, Derek found himself third the group with 80m to go. He overtook the others to finish 19th out of 37 in his age group overall, and was just six minutes off a podium place.

Rosemary and Ivan contested the standard race. Ivan ran his first 10k in 39m 26s, followed by a good bike leg, and a final 5k run of 21m 25s.

He finished 21st out of 39 in the very competitive 50-54 age group, which was a very commendable performance. Rosemary ran 53m 39s in her 10k, which kept her in touch with the rest of the field. The remainder of her race was equally competitive and she earned sixth place.

Derek, a former rugby player, and his wife Rosemary are both members of Allen Valley Striders and One Life Triathlon Club.

They have both qualified and been selected for Great Britain to contest the World Duathlon Championships, due to take place later in the year.

Two times Olympic champion Alistair Brownlee also competed at the event, finishing fourth in the elite sprint contest.