Triathlon comes to Courtown.
Courtown Harbour hosted an off-road triathlon in spectacular fashion on Sunday. Athletes from all over Ireland came with a sense of adventure and trepidation to try this new course. The swim was located in the Harbour in near perfect conditions. The bottom of the Burrow road was a natural location for the Transition area as the swimmers exited the water following a 750m swim. The fastest swim of the morning was completed by Donncha O’Siadh in a quick 12 minutes 48 seconds. From here it was straight onto the mountain bikes for a fast and furious 2 lap - 10km bike course. ‘Most competitors agree that they did a better second lap than first as they were more familiar with the course’ said Race Organiser Eoin Ryan. The bike leg was a combination of woodland paths, roads and running through rivers with your bike on your shoulder.
The run could only be described as pure cross country. Once again the athletes had to run through rivers including the main Courtown River that divides the woods. The run was an out and back 5km run which was thoroughly enjoyed by all participants. The finish line was lined with spectators and curious onlookers wondering what these muddy, wet and sweat soaked athletes were doing?!
The competitors expressed their delight and some relief at the end of the race. It was a fantastic spectacle to see some of Irelands top Triathletes taking part in a Triathlon in Co. Wexford. Many of the athletes asked if there will be a follow up to the Off –road race? It seems Courtown Harbour is fast becoming the Triathlon capital of Ireland. The next Triathlon in Courtown will be on the 23rd of August. This is an “Ironman distance” race amongst others. This promises to be a huge spectacle and one not to be missed. For further details on this event see www.eireman.org.
Results Male
Trevor Woods 1hr 13min
Eric Wolfe 1hr 17min
Adam Kelly 1hr 18min
Results Female
Kate Meagher 1hr 43min
Aoife O’Sullivan 1hr 44min
Jackie Hudson 1hr 47min