Competition is heating up after our first race of the season, the LGM Industries Bunbury City Classic, last weekend! Hot on the heels of the Standard Distance Championships – we have our second State Championships event, the EXSS Sprint Duathlon.
The Duathlon State Championships will be held at Champion Lakes Regatta Centre this Sunday, 24 October 2021. More than 130 athletes will compete across three distances including Long Course (750m swim, 20km bike, 5km run), Bolt Course (400m swim, 12km bike, 2.5km run) and Novice (100m swim, 6km bike, 1km run).
As Perth begins to thaw after a frosty winter, athletes will be put to the test in the warm weather at Champion Lakes. They’ll want to be well rested, hydrated and replenished ahead of what’s sure to be an incredible day of racing.
The Open Male field will be red-hot, with plenty of top local talent in the lineup. Athletes Zeke Tinley (Bunbury Triathlon Club), Matt Burton (Oceanic Triathlon Club), and Kurt Wesley (North Coast Triathlon Club) will be looking to increase their early lead State Series standings. Others vying for top points in the Open field will include Guy Crawford (Fremantle Triathlon Club), James Martin (Bunbury Triathlon Club), Reece Harris (Mandurah Triathlon Club), and Nick Thompson (UWA Triathlon Club).
Dennis Deveraux (Bunbury Triathlon Club) and Nige Young (Perth Triathlon Club) will battle it out for top spot in the para field, with Dennis taking an early lead in the State Series rankings after a great performance at Bunbury.
Reigning Open Female Triathlete of the Year, Felicity Sheedy-Ryan (UWA Triathlon Club) will make her season debut taking on hotshots Aleisha Wesley (North Coast Triathlon Club), Jessica Claxton (Team XTR), Madison Toovey (North Coast Triathlon Club) and Indie Arbuckle (Team XTR). Katherine Ryan (Stadium Triathlon Club) will bring experience to the table, having won Triathlete of the Year for her age group in 2020/21.
The junior field is shaping up to be an interesting competition with reigning 16-19 Male Triathlete of the Year James Kjellgren-Lewis (Fremantle Triathlon Club) competing against club mate and fellow age-group Triathlete of the Year Joshua Neervoort. Abbie Crew (North Coast Triathlon Club) will be contending in the long course, giving Eva Czislowski (Break Your Limits) a run for her money.
The EXSS Sprint Duathlon races will commence at 7:50am on Sunday, 24 October at Champion Lakes Regatta Centre. With something for everyone from the novice to the experienced athlete, it is sure to be a great day of racing!