Rodger the Dodger!

Rodger Wilkins raced to glory in the Keswick Mountain Fest-ival Triathlon in the most dramatic of circumstances.

After a 750m swim, a 37km ride and an energy-sapping 10k run, it came down to a 100-yard sprint to seal victory.

The Blackburn-born athlete caught and overtook Nicky McGee on the run to the line to win in a time of 2 hours 5 minutes 57 seconds - beating McGee by just 10 seconds.

The annual endurance race, which was a part of the five day Keswick Mountain Festival, took in the stunning Lake District surroundings but there was little time for sight seeing for the 350 athletes who took part.

The event, which attracted a big crowd thanks to the warm weather, started with a dip in to the chilly Derwent Water where Wilkins climbed out in seventh place in 13.05. Tri-Lakeland’s Mark Lewis was quickest in the water, finishing in 11.20 before fading in on the bike and run to finish in 95th place overall.

The bike ride, which went over Chesnut Hill, through St John’s Vale and around the lake began to spread out the field and McGee, racing for Blackhawkbikes.com, opened up a 2 and a half minute lead over Wilkins who completed the bike ride in 1 hour 6 minutes 14 seconds.

But Wilkins, who once played semi professional football for Great Harwood and Accrington Stanley, always had faith in his own ability on the run and so it proved.

“Coming from a football background, I always knew the run was my strongest event,” said Wilkins, a founder member of triclan Triathlon Club. “I expected McGee to have a bit of a lead so it was all about not pushing too hard and just trying to eat in to his lead.”

With a mile-and-a-half to go, Wilkins caught a glimpse of the leader and then was on his shoulder with the finishing line looming.

“I wasn’t sure how much he left in the tank so I decided to wait to make my move. It was a gamble but, in the end, it was a gamble that paid off.”

It was a fine finish by Wilkins who completed the 10k run in 45mins 20 secs compared to McGee’s 48.02.

It was his first outing in the festival race - the lure of a stag do in Las Vegas last year proved too much - and it was the best of his five triathlon victories.

“I remember phoning up the lads from Vegas and they said ‘you have got to take part next year, it is a great race’. So I am glad I did because it is definitely my best win, especially when you consider the finish and the big crowd watching.”

Wilkins revealed he had to be just as quick off the mark to get in to the race in the first place as all 350 places were snapped up in less than 24 hours.

“I’ve never known a race to fill up so quickly and that was back in November.

“Luckily, I was on to it pretty quickly and I was fortunate enough to get a place in the race.”

Wilkins progress since taking up triathlons in 2003 is all the more impressive given the fact that he had to take lesson to swim properly.

“Basically, I couldn’t swim which isn’t good when it comes to triathlons,” said Wilkins. “So I had lessons to learn how to breath properly and since then I have become a decent swim-mer.”

Wilkins followed up the victory by qualifying at the first attempt for the World Championships in Hungary later in the year.

The 35-year-old finished an impressive eighth place overall in a field of more than 800 and was second in his age group (35-39) to book a trip to Budapest in September.

“I was delighted with my performance and chuffed that I booked my place at the first attempt,” added Wilkins who was the sixth best Brit in his last World Championship outing in Hawaii in 2005. “Hopefully, I can do even better in Hungary in September.”

Wilkins will also be competing in the European Champion-ships in Ireland next month although an ankle injury picked up in training could hamper his progress.

“Not the best time to pick up an injury. Hopefully I will be fully fit for the Europeans but, if not, I will be ready for the World Championships.”

The sport of triathlon, where the season runs from April to September and events take place most weekends, has grown over the last 25 years which prompted Wilkins to set up his own club.

“I used to be a member of Tri Preston but I was having to travel more than 20 miles just to train.

“But all the time I was getting plenty of interest from people in this area when I told them all about triathlons.

“So I decided to set up a club and it has really taken off and we have 25 members.

“We have some very talented athletes who enjoy taking part in triathlons and that is what it is all about.”

l Anyone interested in finding out more information about the club should log on to www.triclan.co.uk