Dinosaur Sports Day

Yesterday afternoon it rained.

Of course it did: it was the day of the British Triathlon elite races n Hyde Park and, well, it always seems to rain for that…. Nevertheless it’s an amazing event to watch and the athletes are astounding – well worth the fee (free, now you come to mention it). Given the weather was decidedly “iffy” I took the E-1, coupled with a new-to-me 50-200 Olympus zoom (the older version) which had come from a dealer in Germany and looks as if it hasn’t been used. More fool the original owner…. Stunning lens to complete my weather-resistant trio (11-22, 14-54, 50-200) all of which are available at a comparative song nowadays because the market has moved on to newer things….. I smile to think that I bought all of the above, gear that was good enough for many professionals until only a few years ago, for the price of a half-decent enthusiast camera body only nowadays.

These guys got a rather better view of the start than me – note one of them in the water!

And off they go – start of a thrilling hour

The E-1 is certainly no speed-demon but on continuous AF and shooting it sort of kept up with the action in its own way – reminds me of our decidedly middle-aged dog who isn’t quite as nippy as some of the younger ones on the street. And I’m mightily impressed by the 50-200 which produces some lovely images. I’ve some more non-triathlon samples for another time, but it’s a stunner. Best thing is, because this lot is antiquated and not from one of the two big brands, nobody takes it seriously. Perhaps they should?

A certain Mr Brownlee in the action here – more of him later…

Amazing to see athletes from all over the world – this is Rostyslav Pevtsov representing Azerbaijan

Now where on earth did I put my bike?

Can I return it please? I think I’d rather run

Run faster….

Alistair Brownlee again, a few yards from the finish line and a comfortable distance from his nearest rivals as he sauntered in. Sadly his brother Jonathan was out of the reckoning after problems with his bike

The montage below includes some more images – click and it should take you to a slideshow. All in all, a great afternoon in the barmy London weather!