Sport
19 February, 2024
Triathlon begins for 2024
The Maryborough & District Triathlon Club conducted its first club event for 2024 from the Maryborough Sports and Leisure Centre on Sunday, February 11 with the day producing some excellent results for participants. Course lengths were long...
The Maryborough & District Triathlon Club conducted its first club event for 2024 from the Maryborough Sports and Leisure Centre on Sunday, February 11 with the day producing some excellent results for participants.
Course lengths were long course — 400 m swim, 20 km ride, and four km run, and short course — 200 m swim, four km ride, and one km run.
In the long course it was a two-way battle in the open male categories with two of the club’s young gun triathletes enjoying strong swims to enter the first change in unison to head out on the 20 km cycle loop.
Little separated the two through the ride and run legs as well, as both triathletes surged towards the finish line after the four km run. In the end it was Cooper Mark who produced the fastest time of the day 66:14 to take first place with Will Coutts also excelling to take second place overall (68:36).
After several seasons away from club triathlons, it was Sharon Fraser who also produced an excellent three triathlon discipline performance to win the 50+ female long course category in a time of 82:32. It was evident that Sharon had been training well, and her result was a testament to her commitment.
In the short course, it was an exciting race with some outstanding times on the day.
In the open male category it was young gun triathlete Josh Britten who posted a sub-20min time (19:34), to take line honours, with Adam Lowery also enjoying the course (second place) in a time of 21:09, and Matt Cain finishing in the strong time of 27:41 in third place.
In the open female short course category, it was Kate Cain who also found the course to her liking, finishing in 26:17 to take first place, while Rowena Butler and Ballarat-based triathlete Lyn Martin produced the closest result of the day with only nine seconds separating the two as they crossed the finish line, with Rowena (25:07) and Lyn (25:16) taking out first and second place in the 50+ female category.
The club now looks forward to conducting its junior come-and-try triathlon event on Sunday, March 3, the KIDZ Triathlon from the Maryborough Sports and Leisure Centre and Jack Pascoe Reserve, and invites all budding and interested primary school students to come along and experience the sport of triathlon in a supportive environment.