The Killarney Super Tri was run and won on Sunday, in what were some very unusual conditions at Killarney. With very little wind and overcast skies, a thick fog blanketed the course. With the safety of participants, the number one priority, the start time was delayed until close till 10am when visibility improved. A special thank you to Justin, Martin and Bethany from the Warrnambool Surf Life Saving Club for their guidance and support, in helping up to adapt our swim course to keep everyone safe.

It was great to see a total of 54 participants out on course across the three distances on offer, the Super Distance (750m swim, 24km ride, 6.6km run), Sprint Distance (500m swim, 16km ride, 4.4km run) and our non-competitive Short Course Event (250m swim, 8km ride, 2.2km run).
It was a hot competition on course with a cracking pace set at the front of the pack and first out of the water in the men’s was Joel Wallace and Brett Trace who were neck to neck, and Gab Lanman the first out of the water in the ladies. Andy Ryan caught up pace and led the field from the first lap on the Bike with the competition hot on his toes. Gab held onto her lead and dominated the field. It was great to have David Champness back on course at a Tri Club event and he was too strong in the Sprint Distance, while Kate Haberfield and Sara Shields had a real battle on course in the ladies division. All Short course participants ticked off their own goals, all with a smile on their face which was great to see.

Across the line in the Super Distance Andy Ryan was able to hold off a fast-finishing Nathan Monk followed by Brett Trace in third place. Gab Lanman was across the line first in the ladies, followed by Jenny Dowie and Jackie Greed. In the Sprint Distance, Kate Haberfield took the honors followed by Sara Shiells and Laura Phelan. While in the men’s David Champness was too strong for Peter Varley and in third place was James Castley. A special shout out to the ‘Hamilton Duo’ our sole team out on course today.

Moving on from the adults – 25 juniors took to the course in their events – cheered on by family and friends on the sidelines. Lots of smiling faces, and sausages and flavored milks (thanks Saputo) enjoyed as they crossed the line. Each of the juniors building confidence in the water, riding and running. It’s always great to see the juniors develop from the start to end of our season.

The Super Tri was a celebration of the Women and Girls in our club, and I think it was evident by the touches of sparkle and the number of women involved – both on course and in high-vis vests what a fantastic and inclusive club we have. We are thriving by driving gender equity in our sport #EmbraceEquity #IWD. We were thrilled to present a cheque for $555 to Gunditjmara Aboriginal Cooperative to support the important women’s services they provide for our local community.

Thank you to everyone for your patience today with the delayed start, and to the parents and kids who turned up at 11 to have to wait for the adults to be done. I think we were all thankful for the playground at Killarney! A special shout out to those who travelled to take part today – the club really appreciated your efforts to support our club – for some travelling 3+ hours.
Amazing job to Renee Johnson for Race Directing this event for us, and to all the Volunteers who helped with the various tasks thrown their way in the lead in and on the day. The committee is thankful for everyone putting their hands up and chipping in.

Thanks to Bakers Delight Warrnambool CBD for their support of our fundraiser BBQs this season (they really do bake the best bread in town, so pop into see the team in the Target complex), and to our Spot Prize sponsors for today – Salt Skin, @Quick Spin and Snap Fitness. Our season as a whole cant be put on without the support of our Club Sponsors, thanks again to Saputo, Optus, Ultimate Performance & Rehab, Central Storage, McLaren Hunt Financial Group, @Carter Group (Toot Traffic) and WDEA Works.

That wrapped up a fantastic season – we invite you all to join us for our End of Season Presentation Night on Friday 17th March. Please check out the details on our Facebook page and RSVP by 14th March please so we can make sure we order enough supper. The Commitee look forward to seeing you all there to celebrate everyone’s achievements.