MineSight London’s resident Peruvian, Christian Maskrey, shows no ill-effects from a bruised ankle or last-minute doubts during July’s Virgin Active London Triathlon.
Mintecers are an active bunch. London-based MineSight specialist David Collins reports on an athletic feat somewhat overlooked during a glorious summer for British sport! (Apologies in advance to Mintec’s Australia branch.)
It has been an amazing summer for British sport. Andy Murray became the first British tennis player to win Wimbledon since Fred Perry in 1936. The British and Irish Lions embarrassed the Aussies down under and England’s cricketers romped home to retain the Ashes on home soil, leaving Australia and most of London’s bar staff in disarray.
MineSight specialist, David Collins.
But there was a special achievement overlooked by the media. In July, MineSight specialists William Penn, Sarah Williams and Christian Maskrey set out to complete the Virgin Active London Triathlon. The grueling event comprises a 1.5-km swim followed by a 40-km cycle and a 10-km run.
I am not an expert in triathlon preparation but from what I could tell in the months leading up to the event, training wasn’t exactly going to plan. Sarah regularly commented about injuries she had sustained and William’s diet seemed to consist mainly of diet coke and fried chicken. Andy Milne, who was supposed to be competing, was dispatched to our Perth office so Christian stepped in at the last minute.
William ‘Eye of the Tiger’ Penn nears the finish line.
A week before the event, I interviewed William about his chances of finishing the race.
“I have given up training now,” said William. “I’m just going to go for it on the day and if that’s not good enough then what is?”
Christian, our resident Peruvian, suffered bruising to his ankle a few days before the event, but assured himself that adrenaline would get him through. Sarah kept a low profile, but we could tell she was pumped and raring to go.
Sarah Williams suits up for the 1.5-km swim.
The day of the triathlon came and I’m happy to report that all of the team completed the challenge – a remarkable achievement! Sarah was unlucky to lose a few seconds at the start of the swim.
“I saw a fish,” she explained. “It looked really weird and just freaked me out.”
Christian described the moment William crossed the finish line: “His stride was powerful and animal-like, resembling that of a hungry grizzly bear in pursuit of prey. As he approached the finish line, he leant his torso forward with astronomical strength.”
William tweeted after the event: “Only gone and done it! Finishes all round, go team MineSight!”
Sarah escapes the peleton for a sprint to the finish.
With the help of a generous donation from Mintec, the team raised nearly £950 ($1,486 US) for ActionAid, a charity dedicated to ending extreme poverty in some of the poorest countries in the world.
“They are a fantastic charity which works directly with millions of poor people in Africa, Asia and the Americas,” said Sarah. “They help secure basic rights to healthcare, clean water, food, education and security.”
You can still make a donation by visiting the team’s JustGiving page at https://www.justgiving.com/SarahandAndyTriathlon
