Daring triathlon and duathlon series opening races
Young and senior athletes descended on Germiston Lake on Sunday morning to take part in the season-opening races of the triathlon and duathlon series hosted by Trinity Sports.
The Trinity Sports triathlon and duathlon series offered athletes of all ages the opportunity to test their skills and stamina on Sunday morning.
Athletes descended on Germiston Lake, braving the early morning winds, to finalise their registration and witness the first race at 7.20am.
The race marked the start of the season and though many were excited, they were quite wary of the lake as the water temperature along the shore was only 15°C.
Participants familiarised themselves with the race routes and distances in the triathlon and the duathlon which comprised of standard and sprint versions.
The event catered to young athletes (between the ages of eight and nine), children (10 and 11 years old), juniors (12 to 19 years old) and seniors (20 years and older).
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The season opener included a para-triathlon and duathlon.
As the only participant, Catherine van Staden completed the para-triathlon (750m swim, 20km bike and 5km run) in two hours, 36 minutes and 13 seconds.
Triathlon (standard) athletes were easy to spot with their brightly coloured swimming caps as they descended to the shore to begin their race comprised of a 1.5km swim, followed by a 40km bike and 10km run.
Grabbing first place was Pieterjan van der Merwe who completed the race in two hours, two minutes and seven seconds.
Three minutes and 49 seconds later, Darryn Whelan reached the finish line, finishing his race in two hours, five minutes and 56 seconds.
Gian-Nicola de Dominicis came in third, in a time of two hours, nine minutes and 32 seconds.
Kirsten Blend peaked in 11th place overall in the triathlon and was the first woman past the finish line in two hours, 35 minutes and 37 seconds.
In the duathlon, Andrew Dixon led competitors in the 10km run, 40km bike and 5km run towards the finish line when he came in first place, completing the race in two hours, 15 minutes and 43 seconds.
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He was followed by Farai Dalu, who completed the race in two hours, 17 minutes and 54 seconds.
In third place was Andre du Toit, pacing through the finish line in two hours, 19 minutes and 23 seconds.
Linden Lifesaving Club and Rapid Rescue were on standby, assisting swimmers out on the lake if their 1.5km swim proved too challenging, while 32Gi assisted in keeping runners hydrated and Troisport handled registrations.
During the lucky draw for competitors, a number of athletes walked away with sponsored products and vouchers to spend on triathlon accessories.
For more race results visit www.trinitysports.co.za or sgistiming.co.za.
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Contact the newsroom by emailing: Melissa Hart (Editor) germistoncitynews@caxton.co.zaor Leigh Hodgson (News Editor) leighh@caxton.co.za or Kgotsofalang Mashilo (journalist) kgotsofalangm@caxton.co.za
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