Manchester’s waterfront spot MediaCityUK was the backdrop for throngs of wetsuit- and Lycra-clad triathletes at the JLL Property Tri North last week.
While the main event at Dorney Lake in Berkshire celebrated its 10th anniversary on 1 July, this was the second instalment of the northern spin-off, held in association with the Peel Group and Estates Gazette, fielding 900 competitors.
The event comprised nine waves, including individual female and male categories, and a team relay, with a 750m swim, 20km cycle and 5km run to get over the finish line.
Competitors were cheered on by family, friends, colleagues and passers-by, undeterred by persistent rain.
Firms including PwC, CBRE, Arcadis, HOW Planning, Colliers International, Bruntwood and Sanderson Weatherall were represented. The top performers were Jacqui Phillips of Slinky Interiors, who was the first female across the line in 1 hour 10 minutes, and Danny Hope of Hydrock, who won the male category in 1 hour 2 minutes.
The event was held in memory of Tim Bacon, the chairman of Living Ventures and a pioneer of Manchester’s restaurant and bar scene, who died this year. The race course started where the Alchemist bar, another of Bacon’s projects, will open in 2017.
The £25,000 fundraising total was split between the Christie Charity and the Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital, which cared for Bacon and his nephew Jett Bacon, who also died earlier this year, and JLL-nominated charity Starlight Children’s Foundation.
Competitors and colleagues wound down with protein-rich goodies from sponsor USN, massages from Nuffield Health, and food and drink on the green and in the restaurants and bars that lined the course.
