THREE Nottingham women have teamed up to throw down the gauntlet to competitors in the Outlaw Triathlon next month.

Lucy Gossage, Lou Collins and Helen Gorman all compete for the TFN Tri Club and were invited by event sponsors BLOC and CompresSport to take up an entry as a relay team that will rival all-comers in the iron-distance triathlon on August 8 – including the best professional men in the televised event.

While most participants will complete the 3,800m swim, 112-mile bike ride and 26.2-mile marathon run on their own, Nottingham's iron-women will do a stage each and will set a challenge for the men to catch them.

Both Gossage and Collins are experienced long distance triathletes and are set to compete at the World Ironman Championships in Hawaii in October.

Collins, from Beeston, said: "When I heard there was going to be an iron-distance event in Nottingham I couldn't believe it.

"I'm so pleased to have been invited to take part.

" I thought I would miss out on the opportunity because I'm preparing for Hawaii, but being part of the BLOC-CompresSport relay is perfect."

Collins works as a project manager and will complete the marathon run along the River Trent to complete the triathlon. The run will form part of her demanding training regime. Gossage will do the cycle ride and Gorman will start the relay at 6am at Holme Pierrepont with the swim.

Collins did her first Ironman event in Lanzarote in May, shocking the field by finishing second overall against professional athletes.

Gossage, 30, is a cancer doctor and recently achieved a sub-ten hour performance at Ironman Germany, surpassing a benchmark that many men can only dream of. The pair impressed so much that they have attracted support from brands such as BLOC.

Gorman is a former international breaststroke swimmer with Nottingham's Nova Centurion swim squad and has been competing in triathlons and open water swimming since her retirement.

Colin Pickering of BLOC said: "The Outlaw Triathlon will be a great spectacle. When we heard about these fantastic local athletes potentially not taking part because of their Hawaii preparations, we offered them the chance to take part as a relay.

"It will be intriguing to see how well they perform and we're delighted to be supporting them."

There is also the opportunity to take part in a 500m, 1500m or 3000m open water swim at Holme Pierrepont. The event is aimed at novices, including young swimmers from 11 years and upwards.