SIX Herefordshire triathletes will be travelling to Austria to compete in the European Middle Distance Age Group Championships next month.

Hereford Triathlon Club's Elizabeth Davies-Ward, Kylie Mansfield, Simon Norwood and Nicola Goodwin will be swimming 1.9 kilometres, cycling 90 kilometres and running 21 kilometres, a half marathon, in the race in Walchsee on September 4th.

They'll be joined by Mark Lamonby from Croft Ambrey running club and Herefordshire Sportswoman of the Year and RAF triathlete Susan Pugh.

The GB squad is made up of amateur athletes who have qualified by gaining top places in middle distance races across the UK.

Hereford Triathlon Club athletes are also gaining international success and honours across all triathlon distances.

James Richards will be taking part in the world standard distance championships in Mexico on September 11th - he'll be competing in a 1.5km swim, 40km cycle and 10km run - the same distances as the Olympic triathlon course. He has also qualified for the European Championships in Kitzbul next June.

Kirsty Mallindine and Nicola Turvey have both qualified for the European Sprint Distance Championships in Soria, Spain in April. They'll be joined by Eliot Taylor who's taking part in the European Duathlon Championships at the same venue.

Hereford's Kylie Mansfield will be facing a busy 2017 as she's already qualified for the European long distance and middle distance championships, the world long distance championships in Penticton, Canada, and the Challenge Triathlon World Championships in Slovakia.

Many of the triathletes are also assisted by the Halo Sport Foundation which supports talented athletes in their bid to represent their region and country in their chosen sport.