North Devon Triathlon Club trio celebrate success at the Aquathon and Duathlon World Championships

Fran and Daniel Mapp took part in the aquathon and duathlon disciplines respectively. Peggy Crome, 82, also raced in the aquathon.

Peggy joined Ilfracombe Triathlon Club in the 1980s before it morphed into North Devon Triathlon Club. Both Fran and Daniel joined the club this year. 

Daniel, 34, and Fran, 35, have both been active for a long time. Fran was a county level swimmer as a teenager and only returned to the sport in January 2024. She is also an endurance runner having completed two marathons and several other distance running events. 

Daniel is an elite runner and has competed all around the UK. His 5km personal best is a very impressive 14:46. 

Peggy’s sporting journey started at the age of 39 when she quit smoking. She began with gentle jogging and then moved on to try running. She then went on to run many half marathons and full marathons. Once the triathlon arrived in Great Britain in the 80s, she got into it almost straight away. 

Peggy has represented Great Britain 58 times. Out of these events, 37 involved a podium finish and 23 of these were gold. She has also raced several 70.3 Ironman races. She has three Ironman trophies. 

Daniel and Fran found that balancing training, their jobs and looking after their two young children was particularly challenging. Daniel also had a leg injury sustained during his training.

Peggy suffered a piriformis injury during training. Therefore, a lot of her run training was done at Northam Gym on the cross trainer. 

Despite the challenges these athletes faced, they showed up on race day and gave it their absolute all. 

It was very hot and sticky with a gentle breeze giving the runners a little comfort. But in general racing conditions were a challenge. However, the members produced fantastic results. 

Daniel and Fran competed in the 35-39 years category. Daniel was placed sixth and Fran was placed second. 

Peggy came first in the 80-85 years category. Whilst she was the only qualifier for this category, she beat many women’s times in the younger age groups. 

The most memorable moment for Peggy was reaching the finish line to hear the words ‘Peggy Crome, you are a champion in the 80-85 age group’.

 Peggy’s remarkable roll-call includes: European Aquathlon Gold in Coimbra, Portugal, European Triathlon Gold in Vichy, France, World Aquathlon gold in Townsville, Australia (proudly supported by the North Devon Gazette) and World Triathlon gold in Torremolinos, Spain.

Fran’s standout moment was coming second, something she never believed would be achievable at a world championship competition whilst having a three-year-old and a 19-month-old who she is still breastfeeding.  

The club supported these members to help them reach the championships. They supported Fran’s fundraising efforts. The club also organised events throughout the year that supported all athletes in their training. 

Peggy said: “Race day is harvest time for all the training throughout the year – the harder you train the luckier you get!”

Fran said: “Now that we’ve had a chance to reflect back on the experience, I really can’t believe what Dan and I achieved in Spain. I’m so proud of us both and also so incredibly grateful to everyone who has supported us, whether that be donations to help us get there or messages of support before and after the races. 

“The biggest thank-you goes to my phenomenal mum and dad who not only babysit whenever we ask but also travelled out to Spain to support us. We are indebted to them.”