That was 2013….

There’s been so much happening at Team JMC in 2013 that it’d be almost impossible to include each team members’ achievements, successes and quite often, monumental efforts. The ‘big thing’ for the most part of the year was the fundraising effort for local charity, MedEquip4Kids – we’d planned to raise £8000 but we more than doubled that total.

In a look back at a year that has seen us not only taking part in sporting events but also directing plays, singing in choirs and carving pumpkins, here are some of the highlights…

January kicked off the year with 4 Team JMC mountain bikers heading up to Inverness for the Strathpuffer 24 hour race. Andrew Burgess and Phil Simcock finishing 3rd in the pairs category with Dave Powell and Jason Miles finishing 3rd and 1st respectively in the solo race.

In February, preparation for the epic 33 Peaks Challenge was gathering pace with the route almost decided and individuals who were planning to take part were training hard. Alex Lawton’s win in the Manchester Cross Country running league was a sign of things to come throughout the remainder of the year. Several members of Team JMC “enjoyed” the almost-legendary event that is Hit the North.

During the spring months, Alex Lawton continued to dominate the domestic triathlon scene and won pretty much every race he entered. Meanwhile, Jonathan Broadley directed a successful play – “Deathtrap” at the Farnworth Little Theatre and we collectively raised over £650 for Comic Relief. The gruelling preparation for the 33 Peaks Challenge continued, not particularly helped by the fact that it was still snowing in the Lake District well into April.

Nick Isherwood ran in the National Road Relay Championships and Jacqui Simcock rode a brilliant race at the Enduro 6 mountain bike race.

The BIG event in May was the 33 Peaks Challenge – the training and planning had been done, the support team were in place and it looked like the weather was going to be kind. The weather was far from kind but undeterred, the team completed the epic walk in under 22 hours and raised £6000!

Throughout the summer it was ‘business as usual’ for Alex as he just couldn’t seem to stop winning triathlons. With wins at the British championships, the English Sprint Triathlon championship and the North West Triathlon championship on top of a silver medal at the European championships, all was looking good for the World Championships in September.

Chris Heys and Nick Isherwood both put in personal best performances in Ironman and half-Ironman triathlons. We had two teams and two soloists taking part at Mountain Mayhem, hosted by Princess Anne. Angela won the Buttermere Open Water swim. Nathan Beckett made the news with a man of the match performance in the FA Vase. Alistair Mackay sang with Brian May. And while all this was going on, the fundraising for MedEquip4Kids carried on until the end of June where the total raised was a beyond-all-expectations £16,000!

The mountain bikes continued to be ridden to podiums left, right and centre – Dave Powell and Jason Miles both reaching the top spots at 10 Under The Ben in Fort William, Jason taking the 24 hour solo win at Twentyfour12 in sunny Devon and later the 24 hour solo win at Relentless24, again in Fort William.

Alex placed an amazing 10th at the Triathlon World Championships. We had a relay team at the Cheshire Sprint Triathlon and a number of brilliant solo efforts in the same race. Three hard-training althetes, Paul Bowie, Steve Green and Mike Wheeler, all took part in the Kielder “Run-Bike-Run” event and somehow managed to avoid being eaten alive by midges. Andrew Burgess and Phil Simcock showed that event-specific training really does pay off when they both recorded personal bests at the 3 Peaks Cyclocross race.

The year was rounded off nicely by a visit from Santa (with presents for all the children, obviously) and an amazing raffle that included an Xbox and a Playstation 4.