Forbes Triathlon committee member Nick Field has credited the athletes on display at last Sunday’s triathlon, saying their athleticism made for a great spectacle.
A record 150 competitors raced around Lake Forbes during the event, across the three divisions of Olympic, Sprint, Enticer, and Minors. The Olympic division was the main part of the event, and male athlete Nicholas North
took it out in the men’s division.
He ran across the finish line a clear winner by seven minutes, with an overall time of two hours and 36 seconds. He was able to win, individually, the swimming, and came a photo finish second in the cycling, but was beaten in the running by an inspired Robert Woolley, who ran the 10km in just 33 minutes.
Field said North was a very strong athlete in all three disciplines, but it was his 1500m swim in just 19 minutes that got him his win. “He got out to a very, very early lead in the swim and lead all the way. He could have been two to three hundred metres in front at the end of the first leg,” he said.
“He was two minutes ahead. It was a very impressive swim leg for him. But also on the bike, he was second, and second in the run. He’s an outstanding athlete.”
With just a couple of minutes separating most athletes in their finishing times, Field said the standard of racing was second to none. “For some of the locals learning the sport, they were in awe of some of the calibre of the athletes,” he said.
Jessica Richards took out the senior women’s division, finishing at two hours and 16 minutes, including an amazing 40km cycle in one hour and three minutes- beating most of the men. “She beat some of the top blokes on the bike, averaging about 36km/h. It’s amazing,” Field said. Field also thanked all the volunteers on the day, for which the event could not happen without.