What a fantastic day at Killarney we have had for Day 1 of our Couch to Coast – Family Triathlon Weekend.

Today we had the Splash-Dash-Dawdle, the ladies only non-competitive triathlon followed by the junior events which had 5-7’s, 7-9s and 10-12 year old age groups.

The splash dash dawdle event saw 11 youngsters aged 3-8 take part with mums, dads and grandmas in tow for assistance and encouragement. Lots of fun for the little tacklers – with lots already asking when’s the next event!

Our ‘Couch to Coast’ ladies only non competitive triathlon saw 11 ladies and girls take part in the 250m swim, 8km bike and 2km run. A mix of return competitors from last year and those giving it a go for the first time. The sun was out overhead, but the wind was up – and made for a challenging ride for the ladies – who completed a 3 lap bike course followed by a 2 km run. Lots of fun was had by all, in a very fun and supportive environment – and we think we might have a couple hooked on the sport of triathlon now – so we hope to see them come along to some of our training sessions and then onto some of our other events this season.

Both of these events were free to enter with thanks to support from Vic Health and ThisGirlCan campaign as well as Saputo Dairy Australia. Saputo also generously donated some cheese hampers for some lucky ladies who won the spot prizes, so I’m sure they will be enjoying these goodies tonight with a sneaky glass of wine.

Last on the schedule for Saturday was the kids triathlons with 25 kids participating today ranging in age from 5 to 12 years old. Lots of return participants and many having a go for the first time, the challenge was set between a few school buddies. All the kids had a ball – as you’ll see in the photos – with the biggest smiles reserved for the flavoured milks courtesy of Saputo as they crossed the line, a treat for all their hard work! The next kids event will be at Foreshore on the 9th February – so why not bring along a school mate or next door neighbour next time to double the fun.

Congratulations to everyone who took part today – and to all the support crews for cheering all the participants along – it was a fun and vibrant atmosphere at Killarney today.

Keep you eyes peeled very soon for a photo album of the day – both on the website and facebook.

Thanks to Kate Haberfield and Dave McIntyre for their countless hours spent preparing for today, to Pete Varley for running the kids events and to all our volunteers – water safety, marshall’s and BBQ cooks – the snags sure did go down a treat selling out!

We finish the weekend with our open events on Sunday morning, registrations from 8am, racing from 9am with our Come-and-Tri distance and Open events. So pop on out and show your support – our numbers are looking strong and we have a great morning of racing ahead!

Location

Killarney Recreation Reserve