CANBERRA TRIATHLON

                                            JANUARY 2010

                        CAPITAL PERFORMANCE BY TRIATHLETES

Island triathletes performed well at the opening race of the 2010 season in Canberra last weekend, with four of the squad making the journey. Impressively, all four reported quick times including some personal bests for the distance; Erika Kelly leading the charge, taking six minutes off her previous best!

Kelly and Handy were in an early wave start, the water temperature was quite mild and ensured this was a non-wetsuit swim. Kelly had a solid swim and emerged first and quickly powered into her favoured bike leg. Handy continues to make adjustments to her swim technique which in the long term will see a much improved result, but for now she was working hard to get back on track, riding aggressively. Both got off the bike in good condition and ran well to finish off the first race of the season on an encouraging note; Kelly in a new PB of 2.46.21 and Handy in 2.51.11.

For the men, it was a case of role reversal to start the race! Steve Jackson got out of the water ahead of Andy Trigg, only for Trigg to ride straight on by mid-way through the 40km cycle leg. Certainly his form in the lead-up indicated his improvement and he was getting his just rewards. Jackson held on grimly to limit the damage in the hope his run would bridge the gap. Trigg paid for his bike enthusiasm early but regathered and ran an excellent back-end of the race (2.20.28) but not before Jackson reeled him in (2.13.31). Both however were rewarded with personal best times for the distance and are looking forward to pushing each other along in training, along with John Hunter, and bridging the gap on superstar locals Ryan Palazzi and Jordan Gover!

Next up, Devonport over a much tougher course for the Olympic Distance athletes, Tania Gover will be travelling to Sandringham in Victoria for a sprint distance event, and Michaella Trigg will be racing over the half ironman distance in Geelong, as she builds toward chasing a (another) spot in the famed Hawaii Ironman World Championship.

NOOSA TRIATHLON

November 2009

The 2009 edition of the Noosa Triathlon this year exceeded all expectations when almost 3000 individual triathletes and 1000 teams lined up to compete in this iconic event.  The event which sold out in only 4 days leaving over 1000 disappointed triathletes on a waitlist hoping for cancellations to secure their spot cemented its position as the largest triathlon in the southern hemisphere and this year possibly exceeding the Chicago Triathlon as No. 2 in the world.

As usual our local triathletes made the pilgrimage in numbers to be part of the Multisport Festival and despite the fierce competition and massive field size managed to place 4 individuals and 1 team in top ten age group positions.

After days of perfect weather, the Olympic distance race (1500m swim/40km cycle/10km run) was this year rain affected with several heavy showers causing havoc on the bike leg where high speeds and a technical course through Noosa and Tewantin brought many riders unstuck.  Even eventual race winner, Courtney Atkinson, had the humiliation of losing control on one of Noosa many roundabouts and spending time on the bitumen.

This year saw debut appearances at the Noosa race for club members Cassie and James Carman, Chelsea Walk and Luke and Jake Henry and the highest placed locals were the Henry team with the brothers securing 5th place overall in the “Junior 14-19 Males” team event.  In the individual race the Athey familys’ mixture of hard training and experience on this course saw Steve and Tricia claim fastest male and female local times and top 10 age group places in very quick times of 2:13 and 2:36 respectively, Steve achieving a personal best in all three disciplines as well as the overall time.  Others in top 10 positions included Shona Russell and Janelle Eastwood – 7th and 10th respectively. 

In the elite race Courtney Atkinson, who will be at the inaugural Hamilton Island Triathlon in November, took out the male race for the second year running while a series of late withdrawals due to injury left the female field wide open with youngster Emma Jackson claiming her first Noosa crown.

Results for Whitsunday and Hamilton Island Triathlon Clubs:

Male

Steve Athey              24.33      1.05.09      43.41      2.13.23  

Steve Jackson          25.29      1.12.03      39.17       2.16.49

James Carman         24.33      1.13.54      47.07       2.25.36

Scott Russell           28.31       1.20.34     51.08       2.40.13

Female

Tricia Athey            28.52      1.15.16     52.43         2.36.52

Janelle Eastwood    29.28      1.18.37     51.21         2.39.28

Cassie Carman       27.50      1.22.13     52.42         2.42.46

Chelsea Walk         31.50      1.24.18     50.45         2.46.54

Shona Russell        33.38      1.19.55     56.11         2.49.46

Karon Handy          33.05       1.23.42    53.27         2.50.15

Erika Kelly             30.02       1.22.00    1.01.53      2.53.57                

Denise Squires       39.03       1.33.22    1.09.33      3.21.59  

Teams

Luke/Jake Henry     24.50       1.17.13     44.27        2.26.30  

(Team - Whitsunday)

Paul Squires           25.54       1.33.36   1.00.55       3.00.26

(Team - Airlie Beach Boys)

From very humble beginnings, not unlike the Airlie Beach Triathlon, the Noosa Multisport Festival has grown into a truly massive event which every year brings many millions of dollars into the Noosa community.  It is a testament to the success of a Council and Community which values its athletes and particularly cyclists, providing some of the best on road cycling facilities to be found anywhere in the country.

The related sports of cycling and triathlon are two of the fastest growing pastimes in Australia and Noosa is an example of a Council which has had the foresight to cater for these interest groups and is now reaping the benefits.

                     Courtney Atkinson                   Emma Jackson

Fish D'Vine Airlie Beach Triathlon

30 August 2009

Whitsunday Tri Club members all smiles after another successful year

After 11 years steadily developing into one of Queensland’s best Sprint Distance races, the 2009 Fish D’vine Airlie Beach Triathlon literally went into overdrive this weekend as a record 215 individuals and 16 teams lined up on the beach to take on the picturesque but decidedly challenging course.

This years' field was perhaps the strongest ever assembled as many elite and age group competitors in the ITU World Triathlon Championships on the Gold Coast used this race to hone their preparations, some of them electing to spend the whole two weeks here taking advantage of the area as an excellent training location.

A strong training group from the Victorian Institute of Sport provided many of the young and talented pre-race favourites in the men’s classification with last years returning female winner Rachel Paxton looking very strong, but not unassailable for the women’s title.

Broadwater Avenue carpark was converted into a massive transition area for the estimated million dollars worth of carbon fibre race bikes to be racked awaiting their owners exit from the 750m swim leg.

In a day for the record books all round, swelling the ranks of competitors were a record number of Whitsunday Triathlon Club members, some experienced performers and some taking on the Airlie Beach race for the very first time.

The stage was set and the weather could not have been more perfect as, at 8.00 am, the first wave of swimmers hit the water in front of hundreds of cheering spectators lining the foreshore and lagoon precinct to gain the best vantage spot.

In a snapshot of the diversity of the whole field Victoria’s Jamie Hugget held off Queenslands Anthony Mcsweeny, from New South Wales’ Aaron Royale to take the mens race in a winning time of 53 mins 59 seconds.

In the females, a time of 1:00:19 by last years winner Rachael Paxton from Cotton Tree was good enough to hold off a strong challenge from Victorian Holly Aitken with Kim Jaenke running in third.

With the exceptional strength of the competition in this year’s field and despite many of them posting very substantial PB times, local triathletes found podium spots very hard to come by. There were some notable exceptions however, the highlight undoubtedly being Proserpine’s Luke Henry moving up to the senior race for the first time to take 1st place in the 14 – 15 age category.

The only other local to step onto an individual podium on the day was Shona Russell, returning from the Austrian Ironman to post a time of 1:18:19 giving her third place in the 50 – 59 age group.

Other local success came in the form of the Proserpine Pool Team.  Local high schoolers Brandon Mutch and Scott Lee joined with Mackay’s Cycling Legend, Evan Corry to blow the Male Team Race apart in a time of 59:56 with Mutch’s swim split of 7:26, just 7 seconds off the best swim time of the day recorded by Townsville’s Aaron Hill.

Making up for huge disappointment in the Paton family when Dad Garry broke his arm in a bike fall at last weekend’s final training session, daughter Bethany carried the family flag finishing her first sprint distance triathlon in a time of 1:50.

Fastest local male and female triathlete club times belonged to Steve Jackson and Michaella Trigg, both Hamilton Island members with 1:02 and 1:08 respectively.  

In another milestone for the event, Whitsunday resident Tricia Athey, together with Brisbane triathlete John Searston became the first and only two people to have competed in the Airlie Beach Triathlon for 10 of the 11 years the race has been in existence.

2009 will be remembered as the year the Airlie Beach Triathlon came of age, from its low key inception just 11 years ago this event, hosted entirely by the Whitsunday Triathlon Club with the help of many local sponsors and supporters, such as Fish D’Vine, and the many volunteers, has grown into the biggest Sprint Distance race north of Brisbane generating a significant annual boost to the economy and spreading the reputation of the Whitsundays as a triathlon venue far and wide.

Overall Results:

Female   Rachael Paxton - Cotton Tree (Bne)                       1:00:19

               Holly Aitken - East Kew (Vic Institute of Sport)      1:01:32

               Kym Jaenke - Sinnaman Park (Bne)                     1:01:54

Male       Jamie Huggett - Ballarat -                                        53:59

               Anthony Mcsweeney - Boondall (Bne)                     54:12  

               Aaron Royle - Woollongong NSW                           54:24

Whitsunday Tri Club Members Results:

Steve Jackson                  1:02:06

Andy Trigg                        1:04:05

Steve Athey                      1:04:11

Doug Lawrance                  1:07:57

Christie Leet                      1:08:03

Michaella Trigg                  1:08:43

James Carman                  1:08:55

Fred Fiedler                       1:10:21

Luke Henry                        1:12:59

Gavin Bamford                   1:13:08

Janelle Eastwood               1:13:33

Carl Schmidt                     1:14:29

Ross McNeill                     1:14:45

Heidi Brewster                   1:14:51

Narelle Bamford                 1:15:11

Tricia Athey                       1:15:15

Karon Handy                     1:15:45

Amanda Corneal                1:16:23

Erika Kelly                         1:16:53

Cassie Carman                  1:16:57

Chelsea Walk                    1:18:06

Shona Russell                   1:18:19

Narelle Rodriguez               1:20:52

Debra Childs                      1:21:55

Craig Langevad                  1:22:58

Hayley Henneberry             1:27:17

Bethany Paton                   1:50:28

Other club members, Cliff Brown, Rod Webb and Sonya Khatiwala all competed in teams.