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Wednesday evening marked a major milestone for us at Cromhall Quarry as we hosted the debut race of our highly anticipated 2026 Triathlon Series.
This event represents a significant evolution for The Lake. For the first time, we have organized and executed a triathlon entirely in-house, combining our team’s expertise with the professional safety background of our parent company, South West Maritime Academy. While the quarry has always been a favourite for triathletes, this new series is our way of providing a professional, safe, midweek circuit focused on inclusivity, whether you are a complete novice or a seasoned pro.
The conditions on the night certainly kept things interesting! We saw a blustery but clear start, followed by a substantial downpour just as the swim began. Thankfully, the clouds parted to reveal golden evening sunshine for most of the race, though the rain did make a brief return for some of our later finishers.
We also faced a bit of a pre-race hurdle when a traffic collision occurred on the road used for our cycle route shortly before the start. However, thanks to the quick thinking and efficient communication of our marshals and staff, we were able to inspect the course and ensure a secure environment so the event could proceed safely.
A huge congratulations to our first-place finishers:
By bringing event management in-house, we are able to provide a more seamless, integrated experience for everyone involved. We’ve combined our maritime safety expertise with our passion for open-water sports to create a series that is professionally managed yet deeply rooted in our local community.
“The event was about proving that we could bring this level of coordination entirely under our own roof,” says our Marketing Manager, Carl Hewlett.
“The relationship between our maritime safety expertise and our passion for open-water pursuits has allowed us to create a series that is professionally managed, accessible to all levels and deeply rooted in the local community.”
Ensuring every detail is handled with precision is our Race Director and Outdoor Activities Manager, Paul Breen. Drawing on his experience with Gert Lush Events, Paul helps us maintain the highest standards of competitive racing.
“Our goal was to take the atmosphere of a high-calibre race and pair it with our unique location here at the quarry,” Paul noted. “Seeing that first wave hit the water was the culmination of months of planning.”
Every athlete who joins us receives a high-quality swim cap, with a unique colour assigned to each of the five races – see if you can collect the full set by September! And instead of mass-produced medals, our winners take home custom log slice trophies, engraved to represent the rugged beauty of our quarry and surrounding countryside.
The 2026 Series continues throughout the summer on the following dates:
Points will accumulate across the summer, and we will crown our overall male and female series champions at our final event in September.
Whether you’re looking to tackle the 750m swim, the 18km bike course, or the 5km run, we’d love to see you at the lakeside marquee. For full race results or to register for the next event, head over to thelakeuk.com/the-lake-triathlon-series-2026/.
The Lake transformed into a hub of high-stakes endurance on Wednesday evening, 13 May 2026, marking the successful launch of the 2026 Triathlon Series.
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