ONE of the first major events since the easing of lockdown restrictions went ahead at the weekend, as athletes took to West Bay for the annual triathlon.

Participants battled through unfavourable weather conditions on Sunday, June 27 as the West Bay Triathlon went ahead and was hailed as a success by organisers.

The races went from West Beach towards Eype, across the west Dorset countryside and back along the coastal path to return to Bridport.

The event was put together by Bridport-based business, Beyond Events, and consisted of three events of varying difficulty.

The super sprint consisted of a 200 metre swim, an 18 km cycle and a three-and-a-half km run, whilst the sprint was a 400 metre swim, 26km cycle and a five-and-a-half km run. The most challenging of the three, the Olympic event, consisted of an 1,500 metre swim, a 47km cycle and an eight km run.

James Stone, operations manager at Beyond Events, said: "It was a really good day, we saw a good turnout and not many were put off by the weather.

"The weather wasn't as good as the day before but it could have been a lot worse. It was a bit windy which created some challenges but overall it was a good day had by all.

“A lot of our participants come and stay when they enter our events, which is fantastic for the local economy. I would suggest at least 50 per cent of participants had never even heard of West Bay before entering and everyone I spoke to over the weekend was saying they would definitely come back for a holiday.

"It’s been a frustrating 15 months or so it’s great to be able to put on a local event as a local company. It’s great to make a start at a comeback, and hopefully everything will clear up soon and we’ll back to normal."

The races operated within the current government guidelines. Paramedics were on site, Lyme Bay Rib Charters were acting as safety co-ordinators and there were 20 plus marshals along the course with first aid kits and means of communication.

The event ran with a capacity of 200 people, so that it could easily comply with Covid restrictions.

Mr Stone added: "Beyond Events is a global company will events all over the world and safety is of paramount importance to us.

"We’ve held 15 events now since the gradual easing of restrictions began. The whole event was held outdoors and in accordance with the current safety guideline.

"Entrant numbers may have looked higher than they were because of the people watching but we don't actually have any control over that. We can’t stop people from watching we can just try to manage it."

The organising team now look forward to next year's event, which they hope can be held free of any restrictions.