Samantha Herridge - elite triathlete, swimmer and now Island Games Cyclist

Sam's website - blog

2011

Island Games Isle of Wight 2011 in pictures

Drilling it on the front to lead out Ann Bowditch to Gold medal

Ann Bowditch, Karina Bowie and Sam

Crit podium - reward for team work
Setting the pace in the road race

Another team medal.

Pictures courtesey Guernsey Velo Club.

Island Games bike from sponsor Phian

Arriving just in time for the 2011 Island Games, Sams new road frame has arrived and it's painted baby pink. How appropriate. Sam won't be able to dye her hair red now as the clash will be shocking ;-).

Sam lands spot in Island Games Cycling Team

A winter's specific work on the bike has been rewarded with selection into the Guernsey Island Games Cycling Road Team. She joins Ann Bowditch and Karina Bowie in teh squad to contest, Road Race, Criterium and Time Trial.

2010

Steyning & Blenheim

MEDIA RELEASE
HERRIDGE GAINS FIRST TRIUMPH IN HER 2010 SEASON

Competing in her first “warm-up” event of the season in Steyning, Sam Herridge managed to test the water with a sprint triathlon, ending up with a resounding female victory and 10th overall in a field of over 150 competitors. With a 400m pool swim, followed by an 18.5Km cycle and a 5Km hilly run, Herridge was never really challenged. She completed the race in an overall time of 56:35.

In cold, wet and blustery conditions, Herridge looked strong, despite having her past year plagued with injury. “This was my first triathlon event for nearly a year. I was out of action for the majority of 2009 owing to chronic Achilles Tendonitis, and have only just really returned into training. Everything felt really smooth and strong – a great confidence booster that everything seems to be going in the right direction and the body is starting to hold up again” said Herridge.

Herridge, supported in the past two years by Vets4Pets and La Grande Mare Hotel, was racing for a new team this year, and is grateful for their support. “I’m racing for the Tom Hills Experience this year, after they approached me in 2009. They’re a really positive group of people, and the loan of a new Kinesis Road Bike for the season has been much appreciated.” Sam had her traditional strong swim, exiting the pool in around 5 minutes and running around the building to the transition zone.

The bike course was undulating, and in the cold, blustery and wet conditions were not without challenge. She produced a solid bike leg, completing the 18.5Km in just over 31 minutes. Completing the second transition, Herridge headed out onto the 5Km run. “Just as I exited onto the run, it suddenly poured down with rain – which wasn’t too much of a problem as I was wet anyway from the swim, but it didn’t help make the run feel any more pleasant!” Completing the 5Km run in a split time of 18.38 Herridge crossed the finish line in a final overall time of 56:35, around two minutes ahead of the second placed female athlete.

The following week saw Herridge travel to Blenheim Palace to race in her first elite race of 2010 – part of the British Triathlon Super Series. It consisted of a 750m lake swim, a 19.8km hilly bike course, and a 5.4km undulating run – and was the same race she had to pull out of the run last year owing to the start of her Achilles problems. “This race was a bit of a mental challenge for me this year – knowing the problems I had last year I just wanted to lay the ghost to rest and enjoy racing again.”

The day started off well, with a non-wetsuit swim announced owing to the warm water conditions. “I felt really strong on the swim, and produced the fastest swim split in the four years that I’ve been participating in Blenheim”. Losing a little time in transition, Herridge headed out onto the bike course, where a chase pack formed to try and ground down the time put in by the two leaders, World Under 23 medallist Jodie Stimpson, and promising junior Abbie Thorrington. “The group worked fairly well together but was too big to be organised and there were a few near misses from unexperienced group riders within the pack – however I still managed a good bike split of 33.59.”

Onto the run, and Herridge managed to maintain her form to come in 13th place overall. “I was a little disappointed with the result, but after chatting to the coach, the main aim was to get into the lead pack on the swim and the main pack on the bike, both of which I managed to do – I just now have to consolidate on the run and try and bring that up to the same standard over the next couple of months.”

Herridge will be competing in the Bananaman Team Time Trial Tri for her new Team on 11 July, and hopes to enter some European races at the back end of the season. “I’m also looking forward to racing in the local races and being back on the local scene again” says the Guernsey born athlete, who re-located back home to Guernsey in April.

Welcome back

As of autumn 2009 I am resuming a coaching role with Sam to help her achieve her ambitions within triathlon. The last few years of her triathlon career has been hampered with injury and consequently we are looking at different approaches to address those problems and fulfil her goals.

Background

Sam Herridge is a stalwart of Channel Island Swimming Scene. Winning her first Senior Channel Island Swimming Championship title aged just 12, she has gone on to compete and medal in seven consecutive Island Games from 1991 until 2003. Successes in Island Games were followed by a National Age Group medals and numerous Southern County and Western County Championship titles. Aged 16 in 1994, Sam was the youngest member selected as part of the five strong Guernsey swim team to compete in the 400m, 800m freestyle and 200m butterfly in the 1994 Commonwealth Games in Victoria, Canada. Here she broke the Island long-course record for the 800m freestyle (9min 14.67secs)- which she still retains along with the Island short-course records for the 400m and 800m freestyle.

After a break from serious competition to undertake her studies Sam, aged 27, decided that a new challenge was needed and looked to the sport of Triathlon for motivation. Competing in her first triathlon in June 2004 she just has not looked back.

I worked with Sam in the build up to the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne where she had a great race and demonstrated should could hold her own with world's elite athletes. This result spurred Sam on to see just where she could get to in the sport. Initially she moved to Kelly College where she was able to combine a teaching role with training with the emerging triathlon squad based there including Flora Duffy. Despite struggling with an on-going injury problem in much of 2007, she achieved some solid results including winning the elite race at Windsor. In 2008 she has been able to put those problems behind her and has raced solidly including her 6th place in the Egirdir European Cup in Turkey.

In 2009 Sam competed in the ITU Premium Cup series and posted some useful results elevating her ITU ranking to 176th, European ranking of 41st and GB ranking of 8th, however chasing these ranking points led to further injury breakdown at the Ferrol ITU Points race. Sam was not to race again in 2009 as a consequence.