CHARD Road Runners were out in a lot smaller numbers this weekend, with only the single representative at the Weymouth Half Triathlon, then at the Swanage Purbeck Marathon.

Taking on the gruelling Half Triathlon was Jim Wagstaff, who had to have his wits about him right from the start as he headed out on the swim off Weymouth beach, as the water was churned up by more than 2000 participants.

Finding space to swim freely was a task in itself, and this initially set Jim back and sapped some of his early energy.

Exiting the 1.2 mile swim in 46 minutes and 15 seconds, it was then off for the 56-mile bike ride around the Dorset lanes and villages, but Jim’s hope for a quick uneventful ride were soon dashed as, just as he was making good headway through the pack, he had a puncture.

With minutes ticking Jim had to push hard to try to gain back some of the places lost, crossing the line into transition in three hours, 19 minutes and 23 seconds.

On tired legs, Jim set out on the 13.1 mile run, pushing hard in the hope of making it into the top half of the field.

With the weather near perfect for the run, Jim did well and crossed the line in a cumulative time of six hours, nine minutes and 23 seconds to finish in a creditable 994th position out of 2453.

The next CRR in action was Paul Masters, who took on the tough Purbeck Marathon.

Heading out from Swanage and taking in some brilliant views along the Jurassic Coast dropping into Kimmeridge, Tyneham’s deserted village and Corfe Castle, Paul soon found steady rhythm and started picking off some places.

In ideal conditions for running, Paul came through the halfway marker in good form and in the top third of the field.

In the face of some harsh climbs ahead, Paul maintained good focus and, with the final mile being downhill, he crossed the line in a time of four hours, 35 minutes and 23 seconds.