Returning to Dorney Lake for Winter Wonderwheels!

Sunday 3rd December saw the Coalition’s triumphant return to Dorney Lake for the Winter Wonderwheels. This is the second event in the Superhero Tri series, and it follows a similar format with participants walking, wheeling, pushing, running or cycling a choice of distances around Dorney Lake. The Coalition had a team of 8 people at the event with 6 of us walking and wheeling 5 kilometres and 2 people cycling 10 kilometres.

In the run up to the event our biggest concern was the weather, we had had some extremely cold days and so we planned many warm layers, hats and scarves, coats, umbrellas etc. As it turned out on the day it was quite warm and our biggest problem was something we couldn’t plan for – an accident on the M25. So, the day started with 4 of our team stuck in traffic and delayed by an hour – not ideal! Fortunately, the rest of the team had arrived in good time and were able to register us and enjoy the hot chocolates on offer. One of the many “sidekicks” who volunteer at the event offered to push Anna for the 5k event so she was able to start on time and the delayed team members arrived in time to cheer her over the finish line! Then it was Anna’s turn to enjoy hot chocolate and Christmas carols whilst the rest of us set off.

Nikki and Jonathan were on the tandem and Steve on the handcycle and they were soon specks in the distance as they cycled away. Katy, Ted, H and Gill set off on foot, chatting and sharing stories and enjoying the wildlife, with geese flying overhead and swans paddling at the edge of the lake. Since the course was laps of the lake it was a great opportunity to encourage your fellow competitors and we were also able to shout loudly enough to cheer on the cyclists at the other side! The sun even peeked out from behind the clouds as we reached the top of the lake. We took a short breather to pick up refreshments from the volunteers and enjoyed a sugary drink to revive our flagging energy levels. The final stretch took us back down the middle of the lake and soon enough we saw Jonathan and Nikki approaching on their second lap which gave us another boost. Then it was time to dig in and get the job done – just a few more minutes of effort and we were being cheered across the line ready for our medals and a group photo.

It was another day of laughter and enjoyment. Coalition members supported each other and showed great resilience to achieve their goals as well as raising money for the Coalition. If you are able to contribute you can sponsor us here: Get More Active – Crowdfunder