Near perfect conditions greeted the 1100 strong field of participants at the SunSmart Busselton Festival of Triathlon over the weekend.
Saturday morning was host to the IRONMAN 70.3, a 1.9km swim, 90.1km cycle and 21.1km run with over 900 individuals and 130 teams taking on the challenge.
There was a buzz around the event site on Saturday morning, as the WA community embraced the opportunity to take part in what was the 20th edition of the event in Busselton. The age group athletes made their way to the start line in front of the Goose Café to take on the 1.9km swim.
Alongside the IRONMAN 70.3 event was the Triathlon WA State Long Course Open Championships. This event across the same distance, provided an opportunity for professional and open athletes from Western Australia to be crowned State Open Long Course Champion. Professional Triathlete, Matt Burton (Oceanic Tri Club) and 2020 winner crossed the finish line in first place in a time of 3 hours 49 mins. Young WA talent, Nick Thompson (UWA Tri Club) and Jonney Sammut (UWA Tri Club) claimed their first podiums and showed the future of WA racing looks bright.
In the womens’s field Felicity Sheedy-Ryan took out another State Long Course Championships. The former World Duathlon Champion, said it was a tough day, but a fantastic opportunity to be back racing in WA.
Brett Johnson (Rockingham Tri Club) recorded the fastest time in the Age Group event (for the second year in a row) finishing in 4 hours. Fiona Whelan took out the women’s field in a time of 4:39.
The IRONMAN 70.3 was a qualification event for the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championships in Utah in September.
The 20th edition of the Busselton Festival of Triathlon was not possible without the support of the volunteers. 300 plus dedicated volunteers helped to delver the event for the athletes.
Triathlon WA wish to thank their sponsors and delivery partners for their continued support of the event. The City of Busselton, Heathway and Tourism WA have been major supporters for over 20 years and we look forward to continuing the deliver the Busselton Festival of Triathlon for many years to come.
STATE LONG COURSE CHAMPIONS
| Age Group | Female State Champion | Male State Champion |
|---|---|---|
| 20-24 | Haylee Slater | Aidan Clark |
| Team XTR Triathlon Club | Mandurah Triathlon Club | |
| 25-29 | Elyse Lambert | Ben Stone |
| Mandurah Triathlon Club | Oceanic Triathlon Club | |
| 30-34 | Chantal Ivory | Alex Stuart |
| Break Your Limits Triathlon Academy | Defence Force Triathlon Club (WA) | |
| 35-39 | Alexandra Meek | Brett Johnson |
| UWA Triathlon Club | Rockingham Triathlon Club | |
| 40-44 | Eve O’Hare | Mark Oakshott |
| Team XTR Triathlon Club | ||
| 45-49 | Fiona Hampton | Ryan Baugh |
| North Coast Triathlon Club | Oceanic Triathlon Club | |
| 50-54 | Katherine Ryan | Mathew Jennings |
| Stadium Triathlon Club | Stadium Triathlon Club | |
| 55-59 | Caroline Anderson | Tim Howley |
| Break Your Limits Triathlon Academy | Fremantle Triathlon Club | |
| 60-64 | Robyn Scott | Barry Silverlock |
| North Coast Triathlon Club | North Coast Triathlon Club | |
| 65-69 | Audrey Hull | George Funk |
| EFS Triathlon Club | North Coast Triathlon Club | |
| 70-74 | N/A | Doug Adams |
| Stadium Triathlon Club | ||
| Open | Felicity Sheedy-Ryan | Matt Burton |
| UWA Triathlon Club | Oceanic Triathlon Club | |
| Paratriathlete | N/A | Nige Young |
| Perth Triathlon Club |