Racing began at 9:00am with the Sprint Plus, as athletes took on an 800m open-water swim, 40km bike and 8km run through the Hever Castle estate. With the lake temperature at 17.5°C, competitors faced comfortable conditions for the opening swim before heading out onto the bike and run courses.

In the Open category, Scott Mullin-Henderson delivered a strong performance across all three disciplines to take the overall victory in 2:14.

The Women’s race saw Emily Alonso produce an impressive performance to claim the win in 2:35, completing a strong start to the day’s racing.

At 10:10am, attention turned to the Sprint Triathlon, with 316 participants taking to the course across three waves.

In the Open category, Joshua Clayton Prendergast set the pace to secure the overall victory in 1:12. Thomas White followed in 1:16 to take second, with Albie Howe completing the podium in 1:17.

The Women’s field produced some equally strong racing, with Frankie Newby-Watling taking the win in 1:31. Hayley Silver finished second in 1:34, while Karen Tang claimed third in 1:36.

A special shout-out goes to Team Phoenix, who joined us at Hever Castle to celebrate 10 years of taking on challenges together.

The team tackled the Super Sprint as a group, crossing the finish line hand in hand and making sure no one was left behind. Sarah, Diane, Debbie, Shirley, Paula, Christine, Amanda, Annalisa, Sharon, Elena, Fiona, Leiann and Vanessa, alongside Sophia and Lou who tackled the mile swim. All the ladies showed the true spirit of teamwork and determination.

Founded by women who have experienced breast cancer, Team Phoenix runs a six-month programme supporting women as they train for their first triathlon through coaching, encouragement and team spirit.

We were incredibly proud to have them racing with us.

At 2:30pm, the next generation of triathletes took centre stage as our youngest competitors of the weekend, the 9–10-year-olds, lined up for their race.

The junior event was packed with determination, enthusiasm and plenty of confident racing as young athletes took on the course and proudly made their way to the finish line.

A huge congratulations to every junior who took part. Whether it was their first triathlon or their tenth, completing the course was an achievement to be proud of. Their energy and enthusiasm made for a fantastic afternoon of racing and offered an exciting glimpse of the future of Castle Race Series.

The action continued with the Sunday multisport programme, featuring the Middle Duathlon, Standard Duathlon, Standard Aquabike and Standard Aquathlon.

Across the four events, athletes took on a range of demanding swim, bike and run combinations, tackling the challenging Hever courses in warm conditions and providing plenty of competitive racing throughout the morning.

At approximately 9:30am, the Olympic Distance got underway, bringing another highly competitive race to Hever Castle.

Athletes faced a demanding 1,500m swim, 40km bike and 10.5km run, with the challenging course testing competitors across all three disciplines.

Enthusiastic spectators lined the route, and their cheers created a fantastic atmosphere as athletes pushed towards the finish.

In the Open category, Magnus Friedel of TDM Franken took the overall victory in 2:26, while Ella King Powrie won the Female category in 2:37.

The Olympic Distance was another memorable highlight of a busy second day at Hever Castle.

The next generation of athletes took centre stage as the junior racing continued on Sunday, with more than 170 young competitors taking on the course.

With junior participation continuing to grow, this year’s event saw more young athletes than in previous years, highlighting the enthusiasm and growing interest in triathlon among the next generation.

From the opening wave through to the final finishers, the junior athletes tackled the course with impressive speed, determination and confidence. Their energy and enthusiasm made for a fantastic afternoon of racing and offered an exciting glimpse of the future of Castle Race Series.