WORCESTER Canoe Club’s Helen Russell won her first quadrathlon in Shrewsbury.

The British Quadrathlon Association Trophy race started at the West Midlands Showground in the town.

Competitors did a 500-metre swim, a 4.2-kilometre kayak in the River Severn and a 23km cycle race to Baschurch and back before running 5km in the showground.

Russell, of Evesham, had a great swim and exited the river in first place.

Being a novice quadrathlete, unlike the experienced racers, she had to put on a buoyancy aid in transition which cost her time so she entered her kayak in fourth place.

Despite only starting kayaking in April, just one competitor overtook her on the route.

As a former world champion duathlete, Russell’s strength was on the bike and she caught the other competitors until finally overtaking 2015 British Quadrathlon National Trophy Series winner Jean Ashley at the 4.5-mile mark.

Russell pushed hard to build up a lead and clocked 41 minutes 10 seconds, entering the final transition 1.51 ahead of Kate Burgoyne from Hereford Triathlon Club.

She extended her lead on the run to finish in one hour 37 minutes 37 minutes ahead of Burgoyne in 1.41.41 and Ashley in 1.44.29.

Russell said: “After achieving my goals in duathlon and triathlon, I needed a new challenge this year to motivate me and decided to learn how to kayak in the spring.

“For me, this competition was supposed to be just a test event to learn about quadrathlon and so to take the victory was a wonderful surprise.”

Russell plans to continue to improve her kayaking with Worcester and target the British Quadrathlon Trophy races next season.