Holiday town ready for Triathlon

The Corromandel holiday town of Whangamata will this weekend be inundated with wetsuits, bikes and running shoes as it hosts the third round of the Contact Energy My Sport Series.

While much attention will focus on the elite ‘sharp’ end of the race as leading competitor’s battle for race and overall series honours, the event is seen as a great opportunity for everyday ‘social’ athletes to burn off some of the excesses from the holiday season over the sprint distance ‘Tri My Sport’ race.

Tri NZ Events and Community Development Officer Richard Sceats stresses the My Sport Series is just as much about the ‘social’ athlete and families as it is the elites.

“It is a fine balance between catering for the elite athletes with a semi-professional series of races and the everyday ‘social’ athlete but we think the Contact Energy My Sport Series has it about right.

“The inclusion of ‘Tri My Sport’ races such as the one at Whangamata this weekend is all about getting average New Zealanders off the couch and onto their bikes to compete in a safe and well structured environment. Triathlon is a sport for all ages, shapes and sizes and brings a great sense of achievement and camaraderie, not to mention the improvement in overall health and fitness through training and competing.”

Whangamata is perhaps the most attractive of all the My Sport races for family involvement. The beach setting appeals for family and spectator support and the Tri My Sport race is one easily achieved by athletes of all abilities from novice competitors to those returning to the sport after years away.

The event will be based from the Whangamata Surf Club with family entertainment and two race distances on offer. The ‘Tri My Sport’ covers a 500m Swim, 16km Bike and 4.5km Run or for those who want some thing longer or want to compete in a team there is the ‘Contact Energy Cup’ which is a 1500m Swim, 40km Cycle and 10km Run.

The elites will include Olympic contender Nicky Samuels who will hope to continue her dominant form from Takapuna where she simply rode and ran away from the field to win comfortably after not taking part in race one in Rotorua.

Contact Energy Cup Series leader Katherine Anton will be looking to bridge that gap however and will be hoping that the less technical and more demanding bike leg in Whangamata will be to her favour.

Others to feature will be Kelly Bruce in her first appearance in the Series, Fleur Bromley (5th overall) and Marina Fowell (7th overall).

The men’s race includes emerging athletes such as Tristan Calwell (1st overall in Contact Energy Cup points), Martin Van Barneveld (2nd overall), Ryan Scissons, Graham O’Grady, Dylan McNeice and Andrew Curtayne in what looms as a close battle but with defending champion Stephen Sheldrake in the field, it may well be a battle for second.

Sheldrake though will be recovering from his efforts at the Port of Tauranga Half Ironman on the weekend and is not sure how ‘sharp’ he will be on Saturday.

“The body is definitely feeling a little beat up after Saturday’s race and I will be doing all I can this week to freshen up. I’m not one for excuses though, I will be on the start line and doing everything I can to defend my title.”

Sheldrake says the course will suit his style of racing.

“The sea swim is followed by a tough bike ride which should give me every chance to put some time on the quicker runners. Tristan (Calwell) will be hard to beat though and could set himself up for the overall series with a good result. It is great to see him and other top athletes competing this early in the series though, it makes defending my title harder but the series all the more exciting.”

Whangamata is on the southeast coast of the Corromandel Peninsula and is famous for its unique combination of beach and rainforest, its amazing beach provides some of the best surfing breaks, yet safest swimming in the country.

Entries are being taken online at www.triathlon.org.nz and will be accepted on the 11th of January at the Whangamata Surf Club Corner Lowe St & Esplanade Drive between 3 and 6pm.

Event Details:

Tri My Sport: 400m Swim; 16km Road Bike; 5.5km Forest Run

Contact Energy Cup: 1500m Swim; 40km Road Bike; 11km Forest Run



Start Times, Saturday 12th January



Tri My Sport: Men - 8.00am, Women – 8.05am

Contact Energy Cup: Men – 8.30am, Women’s – 8.35am, Teams – 8.45am

Prize Giving: 1.00pm


The Tri NZ My Sport Series has in excess of $70,000 in prize money and prizes up for grabs, including the lure of a Suzuki Swift as the major spot prize for anyone who enters in a My Sport or Contact Energy Cup race. There are also prizes on offer at each venue of Asics Shoes, Polar Heart monitors, BBQ’s, Balance product, Orca wetsuits and other cash prizes.


Contact Energy Cup Points (7 race series)



Men

Place
Name

Rotorua
Takapuna
Total

1
Tristan
Calwell
925
1000
1925

2
Martin
van Barneveld
791
925
1716

3
Tony
Dodds
856
856
1712

4
Stephen
Sheldrake
1000
677
1677

5
James
Elvery
626
791
1417

6
Bobby
Douglas
677
536
1213

7
Leon
Drajer
424
363
787

8
James
Upton

732
732

8
Rob
Creasy
732

732

10
Scott
Larsen
496
227
723




Women

Place
Name

Rotorua
Takapuna
Total

1
Katherine
Anton
1000
925
1925

2
Gayle
Clark
677
459
1136

3
Nicky
Samuels

1000
1000

4
Janine
Sax
925

925

5
Carmel
Hanly

856
856

5
Fleur
Bromley
856

856

7
Nicola
McKay

791
791

7
Marina
Fowell
791

791

9
Sonia
Hill
732

732

9
julia
grant

732
732