IT was a great weekend’s racing in Athy for this year’s TriAthy and there were more than 50 members of Naas Tri Club taking part.
There were four events ranging from the Try-Athy for those new to the sport right up to the Double Olympic, which is a great warmup for those seeking to complete at Ironman level this year. The Double Olympic format comprises a 3k swim followed by an 80k bike and finishes with a 20k run. Naas member Marius Olejniczak was once again on the podium as he won his age-group in 4 hrs 18 mins, as well as taking third overall despite developing blisters on both feet during the run. In the Olympic event, 22 members from Naas took part with the club honours going to Richie Byrne, who completed in 2 hrs 23mins.
The weather took a turn for the worse as the Try-Athy began but Niamh Murray and Harry Loughrey persevered and posted very credible results of 22 minutes. The bad weather continued overnight and a damp morning greeted those competing in the sprint distance. With 23 club members competing this was the most competitive race of the weekend and the highest placed in the ladies was Niamh Stein with a 1hr 18mins ahead of Laura Ward in 1hr 22min. In the men’s section Derek McCormack came top of the Naas crew in 1hr 6mins with Graeme Stein only 35 seconds behind.
Athy always marks the real start of the season for Naas Triathlon Club and congratulations to all those who took part. This looks like being a very exciting and enjoyable season with plenty of competition among the age groupers for club honours.