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News
 Full commitment and unexpected results from the Beat the Boss Challenge
There was definitely a buzz in the cold and crisp air of the early morning of 15 September 2013. The look on the athletes’ faces showed that there were all sorts of thoughts whizzing through their minds: have I trained enough, will I do OK and why on earth did I ever say yes?
 Being challenged six months ago by Andreas Dohmen to beat him in a triathlon event, the 30 Comstor athletes – novices and experts alike – all paid close attention to the pre-race brief. Starting in wave 1 the swimmers took to the chilly waters, equipped with full wetsuits and bright orange swim hats. At the sound of the air horn they powered away for two laps of crawling, breast stroking or back stroking. Ignoring the weeds Andy Curry (team Wet, Sweat & Blisters) moved into the lead to be the first to reach dry land after 22 minutes, closely followed by Samm Allum (Team CAT-tastic) with another great performance finishing the 1500 meter swim in just over 25 minutes.
 In the transition zone the cyclists were waiting nervously to take over the timing chip that functioned as the relay baton. Immediately after the takeover they jumped onto their bikes to do the two 20 km laps on the wet and slippery roads around the lake. Not everyone was relying on the strength of a team; both Andreas Dohmen and Craig Osborne did the full triathlon individually, leaving them with two hasty costume changes. Experience is what counts here and although well prepared Craig Osborne lost some valuable time getting out of his wet gear and into the cycling gear before hitting the road.
The weather deteriorated and the strong winds created an extra challenge for the cyclists. The first cyclist to return to transition was Tony Nevill (team Triple Trouble) giving his teammate a good head start for the run. Patrick Tarbitt (team Velociraptoros) followed closely. Although the obligatory Foot-down at the crossroads was a topic of discussion, all cyclists made it back safely to the transition zone, without punctures or injuries.
 The 10 km run was split into 6 laps on uneven, muddy terrain; considering these conditions a pair of rubber boots might have been the better choice. Despite the rain the crowd was cheering every runner on, resulting in a few impressive lap times. The fastest Comstor athlete was Rebecca Awde (team JCB) who managed to overtake some other runners, finishing her 10 km run in 39 minutes. Thomas Schoon kept ahead of the others and ran to victory for team Triple Trouble, setting their total triathlon time on 2:40:40.
But that wasn’t the only prize to be won. At the finish line every team could benefit from a time deduction based on the amount of sponsorship money that they had collected over the last months. A quick calculation showed that team CAT-tastic won the fundraising challenge by being allocated a 1hr and 52 minute deduction for an amount of £ 1124 raised for charity. Following the challenge rules Andreas matched the amount raised by the winning team from his own pocket and then Comstor doubled the total. At the end of the event Andreas handed over a cheque for £ 12000 to the Cirencester Opportunity Group, who later commented to be stunned and thrilled with the results. "The money will make a huge difference to us, we will use it to purchase a piece of equipment for all the children to enjoy and to provide a lasting reminder of the commitment, endurance and generosity of spirit of all the Comstor staff.”
 Six months of training, planning and fundraising resulted in a day of intensive emotions, ranging from fear and nervousness to relief and joy. Andreas Dohmen says: “It was a day to remember. Apart from great teamwork and a good atmosphere many people exceeded their own expectations. Some reached their goals by simply making it to the finish line; others even put Personal bests on the clock. People have stopped smoking, lost weight and adopted a healthier lifestyle. On top of that we have a phenomenal fundraising result and for that I would happily be beaten again in a future challenge.”
We would like to thank the event sponsors: StructuredWeb, Event Directions, Charming Rewards and ITFocus telemarketing.
We would also like to thank Steve and Luke from EventLogic, Caroline Charrington and Carol Wager from Event Directions, Scrumptious Catering, Masseuses Jason Redding and Michelle Ravell, Dan Raglar from Arrogant Aerial Imaging and Chris Brake from Imagus Photography.
Event photographs can be found here. As Comstor has already puchased a license athletes should not purchase photographs themselves, but contact beattheboss@comstor.com.
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