RECORD numbers are expected to take part in this weekend’s Brighton and Hove Sebamed Triathlon.

It will feature a series of races across Sunday, the first of which will begin at 8am at Hove Lawns.

Event organiser John Lunt said: “It’s a fantastic response we’ve had this year.

“We’re expecting nearly double the numbers of participants that we had in 2017.”

He praised the diversity of the event, which has races for children as well as adults.

He said: “Our youngest competitor this year is three years of age and our oldest is Daphne Belt who is 79.

“This is a really great opportunity to inspire children to get active and feel that they are part of the event too.

“This is an incredible age range and proves triathlon’s wide-ranging appeal.”

Daphne Belt, of Littlehampton, will be the race’s oldest competitor at 79, and is looking forward to it despite breaking two bones in her left arm in the run up to the event in a bike accident.

She said: “I have just celebrated my 79th birthday so if I can make a comeback then anybody can.

“I came to triathlon late in life, at the age of 50 in fact, but I still feel the need to compete even now.

“At my first race I was a bit older than most of the other competitors, but it simply made me all the more determined to prove myself.

“By the time I finished that race, I was hooked.”

Another competitor this year will be James Belbin of Hove, who has Type 2 Diabetes.

The disease can be controlled by a change in diet and lifestyle and James hopes to do just that by taking part in triathlons.

He said: “I needed a goal to help me lose weight and get fit, and really commit to beating this disease.

“The more I heard about triathlon the more I thought it would be perfect for me.

“I watched the Sebamed Brighton and Hove Tri last year and thought it looked like great fun.

“I thought, I could do that.”

It is not only competitors in the race who have battled adversity to get involved.

Georgia Carrick, of Brighton, will be volunteering this weekend despite the fact that she is currently going through chemotherapy treatment for breast cancer.

She said: “ I love being involved and cheering others on and seeing people achieve what they’ve been working towards.

“While I’m undergoing chemotherapy for breast cancer, I can’t enter any events for a while, but being able to able to volunteer ensures I can stay involved and still enjoy being part of the event.”