Results (PDF Download)

Sri Chinmoy Triple-Triathlon, Sunday 10 November 2024, full results by category 2.54 MB

Sri Chinmoy Triple-Triathlon, Sunday 10 November 2024, full results overall 2.15 MB

Sri Chinmoy Triple-Triathlon, Sunday 10 November 2024, fastest splits for each leg, by category 666.52 KB

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THE SOLOS

The solo athletes are the cream of the Triple-Triathlon community. Far fewer in number, their contributions to the heroic ethos and grandeur of the Triple-Tri are the richest and deepest of all. From the sidelines, we can only offer our awed admiration, respect and gratitude for their fathomless sacrifice, mountainous dedication and glowing inspiration.

The only solo finisher to have completed the race previously, Aston Duncan won the Male 50 and Over in 12:36:35, one of the fastest ever finish times in this category. Aston’s victory was all the sweeter and more complete, scaling the Triple-Tri peak afresh after an extremely challenging race experience in 2023 saw his withdrawal on that occasion. Not only did he return, he came back wiser, stronger and faster than ever. Bravo Aston!

The other 3 finishers were all first-time solo entrants; each a unique journey, each a unique personal triumph. Glen Sturesteps executed a perfect race, especially for a first-timer, a clear focus radiating calm and control through each leg of the journey. His outright win in 11:50:03 is one of the best first-time finishing times, and a tremendous reward for many months of preparation, discipline and daring to dream.

Kevin Archbold’s finish of 13:57:32 was a massive effort of guts, courage and willpower, fuelling a tremendous innate athletic capacity. The jubilation of his supporters at the finish line was palpable, matching his sheer relief at the completion of his personal Odyssey.

Karl Hulin was steadfastly cheerful, a steady-burning fuse powering his way through the lakes, up and over the hills and along the straightaways to a finish line of glory and immense satisfaction, in 14:28:14. Each solo athlete was naturally immensely grateful to their helpers and family, without whose support and encouragement, none could ever dream of completing such a monumental task.

TEAMS OF 3

“Stuffed Puffs” are indisputably the best-performed team in Triple-Tri history. Though the team’s membership has undergone a few modifications along with its name, in one form or another, this truly elite clique has never failed to make the podium, and numerous times has taken the top spot outright. And so it proved today, the trio of Ben Buchler, Adrian Sheppard and Dave Osmond claiming not only 1st T3 Open, but also 1st team outright once more with their exceptional outing of 9:38:36. Kudos!

The next 5 teams across the line were all from the more populous T4-9s, then followed 2nd placed T3 Open, “Dobbys Delinquents” (Murray Robertson, Thomas Brazier and Alex Birch) in 10:29:41, with “This Escalated Quickly” (Chris Moore, Andrew Noordhoff and Peter Hepworth) following not far behind in 10:40:14.

“Tri-ceratops” (Patrick Kluth, Steve Fitchett and Ben Crabb) exuded class in easily winning the T3 Open (All over 50) division in 11:07:01, for 15th team outright.

The T3 All-Female division was won by the redoubtable “Force de Femme” (Kate Celese, Sue Moore and Meghan Kenny) in 15:09:45, proving the age-old adage, that “you’ve got to be in it, to win it!”

The ensemble of Veronique Wong Kai, Raymond McAleer and Samuel McNamara, “Well Tri” proved best in the T3 Mixed, winning in 11:28:10 from “Couples Therapy” (Caitlin Chandler and husband Nicholas Gailer swapping legs throughout the day) in 12:04:24, and 3rd placed “Keep it in the family plus 1” (Aimee McLaren, Malachi Ayton and Damien Carter) with 14:22:47. Meanwhile, Triple-Tri stalwarts “Tri IP” (Ross Hamilton, Leanne Haupt and Graham Atkins) took out the T3 Mixed (All Over 50) division in 12:06:01.

TEAMS OF 4-9

This year saw a substantial increase in participation in the Teams of 4-9 – accounting for 57 of the 74 teams involved – which translated into considerably more excitement around the transition areas as the day’s many sagas unfolded in parallel.

The most competitive T9 Open category saw the lead changing several times between the top 3 teams, with “Not All Who Wander are Lost” (Craig Benson, Trent Cooper, Matthew Van Arkel, Lauren Stumpf, Mackenzie Edwardson, Daniel Carson and Jac Pascoe) ultimately prevailing with an impressive 9:43:44, seeing off the many threats of “Triple Threat” (Martin Jewell, James Charlesworth, Ben Seaman, Steven Boyt, Jared Greenville, Alexander Skeffington, Gerard Walsh and Isaac Hogan) who followed a few minutes later in 9:51:50. The other team which held the lead after the 2nd bike leg, Goulburn’s pride “Giant 440 Woodys 4Pete” (Rod Smith, Andy Cartwright, Jaemin Frazer, Andy Dawes, Andrew Oberg, Keeto Muscat, Lori and Rod McWhirter and Stefan Hese) crossed in 3rd with a splendid 10:12:40.

Another Goulburn ensemble, “Buzz Lightyears Over 50s” (Ted Goad, Kerry Baxter, Bretto Storrier, Mark Stutchbury, David Medlock, Rodney Smith, Andrew Dawes and Mel Goad) prevailed in the T9 Open (All Over 50) with 11:15:39; while the T9 (All Over 60) was won by the impressive “Last Men Standing 2024” (Alex Gosman, Peter Igoe-Taylor, Trevor Jacobs, Peter Clarke and Kim Houghton) – who were far from the last men standing – in 13:21:57.

The youthful “4 Tay Tay” (Eliza Lawton, Amelie Burrell, Sanda Halpin, Mia Kluth and Monique Jeacocke) were the fastest among the T9 All Female teams, winning in a slick 10:48:51. Next home was “The Courageous Crew Take 2” (Rebecca Lannin, Katherine Hosking, Lisa Krakowiak, Rosie Hurt, Kate Pennington and Bridie Harders) – whose time was tremendously aided by a super new course record by Katherine Hosking for the 1st mountain bike leg of 1:44:06, a benchmark which had stood for 22 years!

“Spring Chickens” (Susie Kluth, Cristy Henderson, Kaori Ikeda, Cheryl Hutchens and Lucy Hannah), completed the podium placings with 12:03:59, despite having to reconfigure their team on the day, with the enforced absence of a crucial member.

In the T9 Mixed, “Results Racing” (Fredericke Stock, Matthew Shadwell, Doug Rutherford, Michelle Welch, Stephen Alegria, John and Anna McPherson, Robert Joford and David Liddle) finished ahead of the pack and 4th outright, the final team in the rarefied atmosphere of sub-10 hours, with 9:58:05. Next was “Not All Who Wander Are Lost 2” (Marcus Laudenbach, Brendan Hancox, Thien Vuong, Carolyn Mclaren, Calvin Coombs, Jono Windsor, Amber Collins and Lili Mooney) with 10:14:28; while another reconfigured ensemble, “Pent-Up Energy” (Perry Blackmore, Richard Smyth, Fan Xiang, Emily Stacey and Glenn Paterson) claimed the 3rd spot with 10:45:35.

This event cannot happen without the immense self-giving of innumerable volunteers across Canberra, from pre-dawn to post-dark. Our boundless gratitude to each and every helper, supporter, server, volunteer, official, spectator and well-wisher – without you, we wouldn’t be here.

Until next year, friends!

Results (PDF Download)

Sri Chinmoy Triple-Triathlon, Canberra, Sunday 12 November 2023, full results by category 2.45 MB

Sri Chinmoy Triple-Triathlon, Canberra, Sunday 12 November 2023, full results overall 1.99 MB

Sri Chinmoy Triple-Triathlon, Canberra, Sunday 12 November 2023, top 3 splits for each leg, by category 671.47 KB

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THE SOLOS

The Sri Chinmoy Triple-Triathlon began as a concept, an idea to celebrate Canberra’s unique natural environment, inspired by its 3 lakes, and the possibility of joining them via Canberra’s wealth of tracks and trails through its bounty of bushland, forests and parkland. Yet for a concept to become a fully fledged event requires the participation and engagement of athletes; the planning, training, dreaming, scheming and execution of skills, effort, ambition and aspiration, and the transcendence of all manner of inner and outer hurdles, barriers and obstacles to reach the finish line. Athletes are the beating heart of every event; its living breath, aching cries and beaming smiles. Events help form and shape athletes; while some athletes shape the destiny of events.

There is a such a symbiosis between Trevor Fairhurst and the Sri Chinmoy Triple-Triathlon, each with a deep and abiding fondness for the other. Trevor’s humility, kindness, thoroughness and self-discipline are exactly the qualities this event calls for and brings forth; while the complexity, sheer magnitude and many-layered daunting difficulties of the event are clarion calls to Trevor’s impossibility-challenging, dauntless inner dragon-slayer.

Trevor has won the solo Sri Chinmoy Triple-Triathlon a record 5 times, and now stands as the first to win the race outright from the over 50s division (a feat matched a few hours later, by Beth Bowen) – his winning time, 13:27:55.

By 10pm, most of the teams had left. But a small crowd remained, for this moment. Then a light came reflected off the water, the bobbing head torch of a runner in sight of the end. Beth Bowen came under the finish banner. Unable to speak and overcome by the day, she leaned on her thighs - the moment of completion too vivid and present to digest, the finish line too narrow to transition from the race to the victory. It took a moment, but she straightened and accepted her trophy and flowers – first place Solo Female Over 50 … EVER (and 1st place Solo Female outright). This historical moment established a new 50-59 women’s age group record of 16:12:51, and a new standard for all women to aspire to, and beyond. The numbers hold value in what they reflect – our efforts to stretch and open ourselves. Records and numbers change and fall, but experience is permanent. Our strength and capacity finally expressed, we step forward into new potential. Beth’s effort and expenditure is the inspiration behind such challenging events. We give everything we have, only to find and give something more.

Joe Walshe completed his 3rd finish in 3 starts of the Sri Chinmoy Triple-Triathlon since his debut in 2021, and has quickly established himself as an integral member of the Triple-Tri ‘inner circle’, earning just reward for his dedication with 1st place in the Male Under 50 category in 15:02:21.

For anyone to finish in their first attempt at the Triple-Tri solo is a hugely impressive achievement. Newcomer Kurt Michl did just that, finishing exhausted but happy, in 16:01:32 – and almost promising he will be back next year.

A very special mention to Michael Brennan, who despite carrying an injury into the event which would have led most to not event consider starting, led the race from the outset, to establish a new record for the longest time a solo athlete has been in the lead before being overtaken by a team – in this case, on the climb of Mt Stromlo, on leg 5, more than half way into the all-day race. Finding himself nauseous and continually vomiting from the early stages, Michael eventually withdrew after the second triathlon, to spend a night recovering in hospital.

Aston Duncan is another Triple-Tri stalwart who is perfectly suited to this event, and who gives it all his heart and soul each year – but this time, found his body simply not cooperating and reluctantly withdrew after the Lake Tuggeranong swim for his first DNF in 35 years of racing. We know Aston will be back.

TEAMS OF 3

“JT Multisport Black” took the withdrawal of their gun swimmer on the eve of the race in their stride, finding an able replacement in Ash Lawson, to join with biker James Thorp and runner Tom Driscoll, to win the race outright in an impressive 9:35:30 and take out the T3 Mixed category. Tom was fastest outright in each of the 3 run legs, a mighty fine showing given that many runners on other teams were running just the one leg.

2nd team home, the most consistent team in Triple-Tri history, “Stuff the Puffs” simply do not age, taking out the T3 Open category with a more-than-one-hour lead in 10:13:22. Joining Ben Buchler and Adrian Sheppard, runner/biker Dave Osmond has participated in every single edition of the Triple-Tri – now 26 finishes, and every one of them on the podium.

Sam Reinhardt, Christy Henderson and Susie Kluth combined perfectly, mixing their legs between them to claim victory in the T3 All-Female category in 12:06:58, also winning their category by over one hour.

T3 Open All Over 50 is these days often a competitive category, and sure enough, only a few minutes separated the top 2 contenders at the finish. “Tri IP” too the crown on this occasion – Craig Allot, Martin Handley and Ross Hamilton winning with 12:07:09, from “Team 157” (Andy Hogg, James Sullivan and Graham Atkins) coming through the finish in 12:15:17.

Meanwhile, 2nd place in the T3 Open went to the consistent “3 Amigos” (Mark Mallinson, Anthony Butt and Thomas Allen) in 11:24:54; with 3rd going to “Matt and Ant”, the brothers duo of Anthony and Matt Dowle, with 12:34:28.

Podium placings in the T3 All-Female were claimed by “Happy Go Lucky” (Sabrina Moir, Samantha Morley and Genevieve Hofman) in 13:23:44 for the silver medals; with bronze going to “Force de Femme” – Emma Inglis, Sue Moore and Meghan Kenny with 15:34:33.

“Tri hards” – Jacinta Essam, Raymond McAleer and Samuel McNamara – were the 3rd fastest team of 3 and 2nd T3 Mixed in 10:46:36 – with swimmer Jacinta Essam blitzing the female record for the 2nd swim in a new best time of 39:31. 3rd place in the T3 Mixed was claimed in 11:22:31 by “Full Send”, the combination of Nicholas Gailer, Libby Adamson and Caitlin Chandler tilting the Mixed concept with 7 legs completed by female team members.

TEAMS OF 4 – 9

Breaking the magical 10 hour barrier, fastest team of 4-9 and winner of the T9 Open category, “Triple Threat” (James Pattison, James Charlesworth, Tom and Alexander Skeffington, Steven Boyt, Mark Gibson, Adam Kiss, Gerard Walsh and Isaac Hogan), were the 2nd fastest team outright behind “JT Multisport Black” in 9:59:25. The T9 Open certainly proved to be the most closely contested category, with 6 of the top 10 teams coming from this cohort. The gap between 2rd and 3rd was only 20 seconds, with “Not all those who wander are lost” (Louisa and Karl Hulin, Daniel Carson, Mackenzie Edwardson, Matthew Van Arkel, Amber Collins, Ben Cartwright and Jono Windsor) taking the silver medals in 10:14:10, just ahead of the 10:14:30 recorded by “Giant 440 Woodys for Pete” (Rod Smith, Michael Beard, Nathan and Jaemin Frazer, Andrew Dawes, Andrew Oberg, Stefan Hese, Lori and Rod McWhirter), the first of a record 5 Goulburn teams participating this year, most of whom went back with medals.

Another Goulburn-managed ensemble, the “Buzz Lightyears Over 50” (Mark Stutchbury, David Medlock, Bretto Storrier, Gav Moroney, Rodney Smith, Andrew Dawes, Geoffrey McMahon and Ted Goad) claimed the main prize in the T9 Open All Over 50s with 13:48:17. In the T9 All Over 60s, the winning time of 13:48:17 belonged to “Last men standing” (Scott McClymont, Peter Igoe-Taylor, Trevor Jacobs, Alex Gosman and David Clarke), all true veterans of this race.

A record percentage of female participants was reflected in the higher number of all-female teams this year. “Chai Tea Ladies” (Rebecca Lannin, Claire Aubrey, Ruth Patton, Niki Hale and Catherine Horan) didn’t sit around sipping chai all afternoon, as they were focussed on winning the All-Female T9 category in 12:18:16. 2nd place was claimed by “Tri sisters” (Kate Kiely, Monica Dalidowicz, Lesley Steel and Mary Sietsma) in 12:41:42, from 3rd “Goulburn Gals” (Joanne Lainson, Lori McWhirter, Ayla Roberts, Ellie Gundry, Mikaela Rose, Melinda Goad and Danielle Connell) with 13:27:35.

Next team home were “FIT Actually” (Geraldine Cusack, Elizabeth Lowe, Nafrelle Patrick, Lesli Findlay, Helen Jeffs, Sarah Rainbow, Michelle Grech, MaryAnn Simpson and Elna Jennings), who took home the main prize in the All-Female All-Over 50 team awards in 13:31:36.

“Resultz Racing” has always lived up to its name at the Sri Chinmoy Triple-Triathlon , and delivered again today, yielding a 1st place finish in the Mixed T9s through its current members of Michelle Welch, Robert Mudford, David Liddle, Anna McPherson, Michael Reed, Philipp Loesel, Matt Shadwell and John McPherson, placing 6th outright, in 10:16:31. 2nd placed T9 Mixed was “JTM Gold” (Georgie Hicks, Myles Wood, Andrew Walton, Joseph Pascall, Stuart Gordon, Michael Mitchell and Kim Elms) in 10:52:37, ahead of 3rd placed “Adultz Racing” (Dominic Howard, Richard Smyth, Fan Xiang, David Clements, Megan Cahilll, Luke Barrett and Glen Patterson) with 11:08:48.

Results (PDF Download)

Sri Chinmoy Triple-Triathlon, Canberra, Sunday 13 November 2022, full results by category 1.74 MB

Sri Chinmoy Triple-Triathlon, Canberra, Sunday 13 November 2022, full results overall 1.34 MB

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The 25th Sri Chinmoy Triple-Triathlon presented three remarkable records, each of them partly attributable to the weather.

a) – it was the smallest field ever assembled for this epic event;

b) – defying the multiplication of challenges posed by the weather on top of the already fearsome course, this small field achieved by far the highest ratio of finishers to non-finishes in the race’s history; and

c) – the event wrapped up in the fastest recorded time, a mere 16 hours.

On the one hand – knowing the sludgy condition of many of the tracks and trails after many months of sustained high rainfall in and around Canberra, and with high uncertainty surrounding swimming in any of the lakes due to fluctuating bacteria levels, many potential participants weighed the probabilities of a muddy slog-fest and/or weather-affected race day, and simply opted to forgo this year’s event.

On the other hand – the smaller band that assembled at the start line, knowing full well what they were in for (further focussed by the forecast of 100% certainty of heavy downpours, flavoured with speculation of severe storms), were fired with exactly the fortitude and adamantine conviction required to pursue and endure what was always going to be an “interesting” and challenging day out.

For the first time ever, every single solo entrant and every single relay team attended Saturday registration. For the first time ever, under ominous looming clouds, every single solo entrant and every single relay team fronted at the start line. For the first time ever, every single solo entrant, and all but one relay team, finished what turned out to be one of the toughest editions of one of the most gruelling races on the calendar. This race was created for exactly this field. This was a day for the few – the self-selected, brave, strong, determined, formidable and heroic few. And these few emerged, bedraggled yet aglow, as champions triumphant.

The Sri Chinmoy Triple-Triathlon is used to course modifications. The dynamic, constantly changing nature of the urban environment which is this event’s domain – with forests evolving into suburbs and even areas of lake becoming landscaped parkland – ensure there are alterations and deviations every year. Yet never before have we seen all areas of all 3 lakes completely closed to swimming for the 2 weeks prior to the event, requiring the preparations of multiple contingency plans for multiple potential scenarios, only resolving 2 days before the race when 2 of the lakes were opened to swimming, leaving only the Lake Tuggeranong swim in a pool. And never before have we been faced with such extensive and widespread areas morphing into bona fide swampland (yes, the final course was actually the “dry” option!!). With rangers from various areas of Canberra Nature Park updating concerns and requirements daily and almost hourly in the last days, the mountain bike and run courses saw 16 amendments in the final week alone. Despite all the changes, what emerged was not a compromise – we believe it was the best available route, offering all of the challenges, excitement, demand, opportunities and thrills that athletes expect from this famous outing.

THE SOLO ATHLETES

8 athletes might seem like a slim field – yet what this band lacked in numbers, they more than made up for in character and courage, every one (3 of them first-time Triple-Tri soloists) proving their strength, faith and unflappable tenacity over the course of a tumultuous day which seemed more like a lifetime.

Remarkably, 4 soloists finished within an hour of each other. In the over 50s, 5-time Triple-Tri winner and King of the Course, Trevor Fairhurst found new ways to elicit our respect, admiration and amazed awe with his record-breaking 10th solo finish in 13:02:21. Ahead of Trevor was only Matthew Pooley, 1st placed soloist in 12:41:53, literally riding his strengths (his riding) to a mightily impressive, daring and hugely deserved first-time win. Next home was another first-time soloist, crowd favourite Ben Crabb, superbly assisted by his daughters, clocking 13:21:08. Just 4 minutes later, competing for the first time as a freshly-minted over 50, champion Canberra athlete Aston Duncan finished decked in mud and glory in 13:25:21. The duel between Ben and Aston was an engrossing sub-plot within the day’s drama, playing out across the pathways, waterways and sodden ways north and south, morning into afternoon into evening, with both finishing triumphant in so many ways.

Joe Walshe is another local athlete with a loyal and enthusiastic following, finishing with a radiant smile of soul’s satisfaction in 14:11:38, well ahead of his previous best. Kel Rankin from Picton was next in 14:26:24, his third solo finish proving he is a winner under all conditions. Jon Schol is one of the Sri Chinmoy Triple-Triathlon’s greatest supporters and champions, and at 59 years, its most senior finisher, crossing the line in a typically gutsy yet humble 15:52:28. Finally, most appropriately wearing race number 1, from Ballan in Victoria, having previously participated only in a relay team at this event, Martin Phillips won the hearts of all and fired our spirits with his wonderful display of sustained focus and commitment, reaching his goal in 15:58:39.

RELAY TEAMS OF 3

“Stuffed Puffs” are the writers of Triple-Tri folklore, today continuing decades of dazzling dominance with their front-running 9:56:11. The trio of Dave Osmond, Adrian Sheppard and Ben Buchler were half an hour ahead of the following team (of 9) and nearly 1.5 hours in front of the next in their category, “3 Amigos” (Mark Mallinson,, Anthony Butt & Tom Allen) in 11:17:08. “Soli Deo Gloria” (Malcolm Pittendrig, James Oran & Joshua Lear) completed the podium placings for the Open Teams of 3 with 12:00:26.

Several of the best-performing “Teams of 3” were actually Teams of 2! – the indefatigable “Algae and the Toxic Bloomers” (this year comprising the sprightly pairing of Rico Fitch (aged 70) and Simon Claringbold) took home the Open Team All over 60 title in 14:21:18. Another impressive duo, “Maggie & Cate” (Caitlin Chandler and Maggie Welfare) came in just a few minutes later, to win the All-Female Teams of 3 in 14:34:17. And fastest among the Mixed Teams was the delightful and delighted couple of Kael & Louisa Hulin, claiming their victory in 13:07:04.

RELAY TEAMS OF 4-9

The “Giant 440 Woodys – 4 Pete” (Rod Smith, Michael Beard, Nathan and Jaemin Frazer, Andrew Dawes, Andrew Oberg, Lori & Rod McWhirter and Stefan Hese) have established Goulburn as the city in the world housing the 2nd-most Triple-Triathlon trophies (after Canberra), this year extending their remarkable run of podium finishes with another victory in the Open Team of 4-9, in 10:24:50. Goulburn’s trophy share was extended further in the Open Teams (all Over 50) by the “Buzz Lightyears O’50’s” (Kerry Baxter, Mark Stutchbury, Brett Storrier, Rod Smith, Ted & Melinda Goad, Andrew Dawes and Geoffrey McMahon), cruising home in 12:31:16.

Fastest All-Female Team of 4-9 was “No Nuts Just Guts” (Virginia Lindenmeyer, Rachel Dieckman, Prudence Guest, Carol Hartley, Caitlin Flux, Harriet Foster, Cath Spratley & Samantha Shields) in 14:19:45, while the All-Female Team All-Over 50 of “FIT and Fabulous” (Polly Templeton, Alison Purvis, Julie Alexander, Leeane Tennant, Helen Jeffs, Sarah Rainbow, Geraldine Cusack, Elizabeth Lowe & Narelle Patrick) completed the course in admirable time, only slightly missing one of the cut-offs along the way due to the enforced extension of the 1st mountain bike leg caused by the relocation of the 1st swim leg.

10:30:58 was the winning mark for “Resultz Racing” (Seth Gloss, David Medlock, Lisa Krakowiak, Anna & John McPherson, Rob Mudford, Michelle Welch, Matthew Shadwell and David Liddle) in the Mixed Team of 4-9 category; with “Not All Those Who Wander are Lost” (Jono Windsor, Aaron Farlow, Thien Vuong, Josie Gillham, Samantha Morley, Daniel Carson and Ivonne Nathan) taking 2nd in 10:45:46; ahead of 3rd placed “JTM 1” (Talia Chambers, Oscar Starmer, Andrew Walton, Ashleigh Lawson, Jamie Bedford, Bronte Clifford, James Tuggey, Jason Lee and Georgie Hicks) with 10:56:12 (edging out “Justice, prudence, fortitude and temperance” for the bronze medal by a mere 20 seconds).

“DrRMF” (Rose & Martin McGready, Chris Halliwell, Richard Haines, Jeff Grey and Sue Akeroyd) showed fine form to take out the Mixed Team of 4-9 (All Over 50) in 11:01:52. We are immensely proud of all the members of our Triple-Tri family, many of whom we only see once a year, returning from various places, occupations and callings to this special gathering. You may have noticed the “Shoklos” team of recent years gathered under the new monika “DrRFM” this time: we’re honoured to pay our humble tribute to the extraordinary selfless dedication of the team’s lead swimmer, Dr Rose McGready, supporting the wonderful people of Myanmar. Rose’s new foundation is inspiration in action: we wholeheartedly commend her cause.

THE HELPERS

To stage a race of this magnitude under such intense conditions tosses up challenges and hardships not only to the participants and their helpers and supporters, but also to the organisers and volunteers. Not only did every single solo athlete and relay team front up on the day – so did every single volunteer, even to stand in an open field alone under an hours-long deluge! Words cannot convey our debt of gratitude to all who helped ensure this unforgettable race started … continued … continued to continue … and ultimately, finished. In no particular order, our thanks to: the rangers of Canberra Nature Park; staff and officers of the NCA, Stromlo Forest Park and the Public Land Use team; YMCA Sailing Club; Lake Burley Griffin and Lake Tuggeranong Sea Scouts; Steve Hanley; Triathlon ACT Race Referee Peter Simpfendorfer; staff of Lakeside Leisure Centre; our medical support team of Rebekah Stamatis and Matthew Sainsbury; course sweepers Caroline Werner, Gareth Prosser, Kim Houghton, Paul Mahoney, Peter Fogarty and Michael Brennan; volunteer marshal and aid station attendants Nic Bendeli, Petra Lean, Rachel Pell, Judi Barton, Judith Bibo, Wilma Huneke, Suzie Gunning, Margot Tredoux, Greg Gourley and Steve Bingley; the staff of My Rainbow-Dreams café; and Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team members from Canada, Latvia, Czech Republic, Mongolia, Auckland, Sunshine Coast, Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Torquay … and Canberra.

Results (PDF Download)

Sri Chinmoy Triple-Triathlon, Sunday 14 November 2021, full results by category 698.63 KB

Sri Chinmoy Triple-Triathlon, Sunday 14 November 2021, full results overall 680.02 KB

Sri Chinmoy Triple-Triathlon, Sunday 14 November 2021, top 3 placings per leg, by category 661.15 KB

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THE SOLO ATHLETES

Adam Rudgley entered this year’s Sri Chinmoy Triple-Triathlon with the goal to lower the Solo Male course record. Notwithstanding that he had to bike an extra 3km after the last-minute course change to the 1st swim leg; putting aside the horrendous conditions that 25-year veterans of the Triple-Tri described as the worst ever encountered in this race and almost caused the cancellation of several legs if not the whole event; oblivious to his almost-4 hour lead on his nearest rival in the field…

… at the start of the final run leg, Adam would have known that he would need to run a full 6 minutes faster over that challenging 13 km than any solo athlete has ever managed – surely an impossible task – and still he went for it. As the kms clicked by and the goal dissolved in the rain and flew away in the wind, with a body and mind aching from over 10 hours of utter exertion and legs screaming to ease the pace, he pressed on harder, all the way to the line. That he missed his goal by a mere 3 minutes, yet shattered the record for the final run leg (now 1:06:51) in his dauntless quest are mere facts, footnotes to a truly heroic performance of jaw-dropping athletic prowess, unwavering mental strength and fire-pure courage. 10:24:19!

Enjoying a 30-minute head start on the relay teams, solo athletes usually start being passed by teams towards the end of the 1st bike and during the Mt Majura – Mt Ainslie run leg. Unbelievably, Adam was not passed by the fastest team until midway through the Mt Stromlo bike leg, and no-one else caught him until the final run over Red Hill!

We sincerely hope Adam will return to race again when the course is not unduly extended and the weather less hostile. In a lovely coincidence, the holder of the legendary Solo Male record, Rowan Beggs-French (10:21:10 from 2017), was running two of the run legs for the T9 Mixed-winning “Fireflies” team and got to run with Adam for a while during the race. At the finish, Rowan stated his belief that Adam’s effort today would have earned him a sub-10 hour time under ‘normal’ conditions.

Each of the other solo finishers deserves a song in his honour, praising the unique attributes and qualities that enabled him to reach that fabled finish line on what was outwardly a wretched day, yet inwardly a stage of utmost glory. Paul Amidy (14:17:55) and Joseph Walshe (14:54:05) filled out the Solo Male Under 50 podium placings – both utterly exhausted yet rightly supremely satisfied with their efforts.

Trevor Fairhurst has won this race solo more times than any other – 5 times – and now adds the Solo Male 50 and Over title to his peerless Triple-Tri resumé. On paper, Trevor’s time of 14:26:45 doesn’t tell any part of the true story of this monumental achievement. Ross Beatty (15:09:43) – a 5-time finisher of the race – was thrilled to beat his own time from his first Triple-Tri finish, 21 years earlier; while Craig Johnston (15:19:37) finished strongly to notch another superb achievement. Notably, as many over 50 finished, as under 50.

In the battlefield which was today, it was inevitable some would be forced to withdraw from the fray in the course of the day. Each did the right and wise thing when confronted with such an irrevocable STOP sign – and each knows, that the field will be re-set, and the bugle will sound once more in the pre-dawn glow, 12 months hence…

THE TEAMS OF 3

The teams of 3 traditionally see the fastest and fiercest racing of the Sri Chinmoy Triple-Triathlon, with several teams etching legends spanning decades of high-octane competition. Callum McClusky, Conor Sproule and Nuru Somi banded together to bring a new combination and fire a new name into the Triple-Tri firmament – their “T3C Dream Team” living up to their moniker with an outstanding, lead-from-the-front showing of 9:13:48, taking line honours and 1st place in the T3 Open division. Dave Osmond – who famously completed all 60 bike legs of the first 20 Triple-Triathlons – showed his versatility and completed 3 legs without getting on a bike today (2 runs and one swim), leading his revamped “Stuff the Puffs” (with Ben Buchler and Adrian Sheppard) to 2nd in the T3 Open with 10:06:57; ahead of 3rd placed “3 Amigos” (Mark Mallinson, Anthony Butt and Tom Allen) with 11:36:15. “The Margaritas” (Damien McDonald, Martyn Dawson and Piera Kohout) competed in the T3 Open All-Over 50 – though they could have entered the Mixed category with Piera completing all 3 running legs – and took out the main prize with an impressive 13:47:03.

The only All-Female team of 3 happened to be all over 50, and duly won that category: “Too old for new tricks” saw Bron Adams melding with Kerrie Muir and Beth Bowen, displaying a fantastic attitude and example to all throughout the day. Although they were the only team in their category it’s hard to imagine any other ensemble challenging their outstanding finish of 13:14:18.

The Mixed Teams of 3 were led home by “ARA” (Ashleigh Webb, Raymond McAleer and Alexander Carrick) in 11:18:27. 2nd place went to “16s” (Molly Lilley, Josh Kluth and Jacob Miller), in 12:16:55; while 3rd was taken by “S.A.M.” (Stuart Godley, Andy Bodsworth and Marnie Shaw) with 12:22:20.

THE TEAMS OF 4-9

The most competitive racing of today came in the Mixed Teams of 4-9. Losing their runner the day before the race, and switching from T3 to T9 proved no setback for “Fireflies” (Felicity Roantree, Steve Fitchett linking up with newly conscripted runners Paul Cuthbert and Rowan Begs-French), taking the main T9 Mixed prize and 2nd-across-the-line overall in 9:49:52. Next home were the impressive “JTM Team 1” (Jordynne Rauter, Oscar Starmer, Tom Driscoll, Josephine Pepper, Grave Hoitink, Myles Wood, Matthew Millikin, Jarrod Osborne and Andrew Walton) in 10:05:49; ahead of a fine showing from “The 5 appendages” (Perry Blackmore, Claire Aubrey, Travis Ey, Richard Smyth and Emily Stacey) in 10:26:10. A few years ahead on the dial, “GO GOs get some guys” saw our favourite all-female ensemble, the “Go-Go Girls” finally allowed 2 male members into their exclusive club – Elspeth Nichols, David Baussman, Pam Muston, George Kubitzky, Clare Wall, Belinda Robinson and Sue Archer winning the T9 Mixed All Over 60s, and breaking the 14-hour barrier in the process, with a superb 13:59:59!

“Devils” were too hot in the All-Female Teams of 4-9, the collection of Meredith Bone, Olivia Martin, Allie Corripio, Elizabeth Mutton, Emma De Kiefte, Ally Durr and Lauren Yee winning in 12:17:56. The 2nd place award was presented to “30 percent less pay 130 percent more ability” (Becky Rogers, Chantelle Bertoldo, Ainsley Pahljina, Liv Toomey, Ebony Tanzen, Mirella Carr, Hannah Maree, Emma Ferguson and Ellie Barr) – even though the team shows up as “DNC” (did not complete) in the published results, this was because their rider on MTB3, Emma Ferguson stopped to render assistance to another rider who had crashed on the course, actions which the organisers felt did not warrant an official DNQ and deserved the recognition of the 2nd placing the team would certainly otherwise have claimed; while 3rd was claimed by “No Nuts Just Guts” (Virginia Lindenmayer, Sophie Clement, Caitlin Flux, Prudence Guest, Taisa Vieira, Samantha Shields, Catherine Spratley, Carol Hartley and Bridget Quayle) in 14:30:14. The All-Female T4-9 All Over 50 was taken out by “Purple Jelly” (Polly Templeton, Simone Annis, Judy Gebhart, Rosemary Robinson, Elizabeth Lowe, Cat Riley, Geraldine Cusack and Sue Duckett) with 15:48:11.

The Open Teams of 4-9 saw another superb all-round effort from one of the most consistently high performing teams in Triple-Tri history, the Goulburn gang of “Giant 400 Woodys 4Pete” (Rod Smith, Michael Beard, Nathan Frazer, Andrew Dawes, Andrew Oberg, Jaemin Frazer, Lori McWhirter, Rod McWhirter and Stefan Hese) taking out the main prize in 10:31:59. 2nd place went to “Team Keeping It Real” (Janelle Ahern, Josh Wilkinson, Alexander Bowyer, Pete Quinn, Michael Olsen, Steve Roberton, Anthony Ansen and Ben Roberton) in 10:57:19; just edging out 3rd placed “”JTM Team 2” (Alexandra Apse, Jason Flanagan, Jarrod Osbourne, Joseph Pascali, Douglas Wynne, Rob Moore, Steve Croft and Olivia Sutton) with a fine 10:58:26.

In the T4-9 Open All Over 50s, “Cruis’n” (Scott McClymont, Marty McGready, Geoff Hawke, Peter Thorley, John Cartwright, Terry Dixon, Frank Zeller and Jeff Grey) lived up to their name to take the title with an impressive 11:36:40; from their contenders, “Buzz Lightyears O’50s” (Mark Stutchbury, Kerry Baxter, Brett Storrier, Rod Smith, Ted Goad, Andrew Dawes, Geoffrey McMahon and Melinda Goad) clocking in at 12:05:27. “The Ancient Mariners” (Alex Gosman, Peter Igoe-Taylor, Trevor Jacobs, David Clarke and Kim Houghton) showed many a younger team a clean pair of heels in waltzing away with the T4-9 All Over 60s title in 12:55:43.

*************

As an indication of how tough the conditions were: in 25 years, this is the first edition of the race in which no overall record was broken in any team category or division. Special mention though, to Zoe Clarke who ignored the wind and rain to break the record for a female in a team for the final run leg, setting a new best time of 54:25 for “Astral by 3TC”.

We’ve saved particular mention of the weather till last – for while the wind, rain and unrelenting cold (even some sleet) set a dismal stage, it was not allowed to write the script or dictate the plot. While the weather made this an event none of us will forget in a hurry, it could not have the final say on the day. The final say came from within; the final say came from the overwhelming determination, courage and fortitude of all participants, volunteers and supporters to proceed with cheerful willpower in the face of whatever obstacles and setbacks appeared along the way.

Our congratulations to all participants, and gratitude to all the many helpers, volunteers, supporters and well-wishers. Special thanks to Peter Simpfendorfer and Petra Lean from Triathlon ACT; to Rebekah Stamatis and her assistants for medical support; to staff and officers from the ACT Government and NCA; to paddlers from Canberra Canoe Club and on-water support from YMCA Sailing Club; and to members of the Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team from the UK, Mongolia, New Zealand and Australia.

Triple-Triathlon Story Archive

It’s not often you can say for sure that today is a day you’ll remember for the rest of your life – but this certainly was.

I remember reading about the Triple Tri after I moved to Canberra in 2015 and being captivated by the idea. The website puts it simply: “To attempt the entire course solo is one of the toughest single-day sporting challenges imaginable.”, and this is the sort of phrase that sticks in my head and stays there at the back of my mind for years.

Finally, at the start of this year I had dealt with some injuries and raced the sprint triathlon at Husky without issue – and so it seemed like this could be the year. But without any long course experience – my longest triathlon so far was Olympic distance – how do you even start training for something like this?

Fortunately for me, local pro triathlon legend and Triple Tri course record holder Penny Slater was available for coaching!

Six months later, with Ironman 70.3 Cairns under my belt and despite a few close calls falling off the mountain bike in training, I made it to the Triple Tri start line. It was time to put the training to use and enjoy a day touring Canberra on some of the most epic trails around. And when I say a day, I really mean it – because I was out there from dawn to dusk!

The forecast was for cold, wind, and some rain, so I was nervous about the first swim and trying to stay warm getting on the bike – but I needn’t have worried (about this bit at least). After the initial shock of the water and managing to get my breathing under control the lake almost felt warm. A stunning sunrise greeted me at the first transition and I got away onto the bike.

The first bike leg was really fun. The sun came out, the air was calm, and there were lots of people out there.

The plan was to stay calm, enjoy the spin, and under no circumstances push too hard this early on. A big crowd at transition 2 made for a great atmosphere, and seeing my support crew was a big encouragement.

Then I was onto the first run. I knew this would be the first real test, but made it through happily – though my legs were tired by the end and I was keen to get in the lake for a nice relaxing swim!

Swim 2 was where it started to get hard. Not because it was long, or because the wind had picked up and the water was choppy, but because of the cold. Mentally I was prepared to be cold coming out of the first swim, but this time before even reaching the first bridge I could feel my body temperature starting to drop. Fortunately, a friend of mine had offered to kayak with me in this swim and so I was able to take on some nutrition and have some help swimming in a straight line. Eventually I got out and as soon as I took off the wetsuit I started to freeze! I had lots of help from people wrapping me in towels and even their own jackets, but I couldn’t get warm again on the lakeside in the wind – so I headed off on the bike again.

Enter my second problem of the day – my knees. I have had issues before but not much in training for this race, but maybe the cold or just having been on the go for 7 hours by now was making them start to complain. I didn’t manage to warm up on the bike until 20km into the ride coming up the hill to Uriarra road. Then I stayed warm until the top of Mt Stromlo – and froze again when the rain and the wind set in coming down the other side.

When I made it to transition 5 I knew my knees would have issues on the run so I took some painkillers and crossed my fingers!

My knees were sore on the way up Mt Taylor, but they were even worse on the way down. My left knee in particular was quite painful at this point and I knew I still had almost 20km to run before the finish line. I had to take the steps left foot first on the way down the hill to avoid the worst of the pain but I was starting to get tired enough that I couldn’t coordinate my feet properly to manage it. I was cold, the path was exposed, and the rain had started to sting as if it were becoming hail. The course was getting lonely at this stage because most of the teams had passed me by now. This was the low point of the day. But, I knew there was going to be one, and so I made my way down the hill in the hope of some shelter and a chance to warm up. Sure enough, I got onto the bike paths towards lake Tuggeranong and either the painkillers kicked in or I warmed up enough but my knees felt better. I’d made it to swim three, and I knew at that point I could finish the race.

Fortunately swim three was short, and so while I was cold coming out of the water it wasn’t as bad as the second swim and my support crew were waiting with lots of towels and dry clothes. It felt good to be out of the water for the last time! The final mountain bike was muddy and slow – and for the first time in the day I had to walk the bike not because the trail was steep but because I was sinking into it.

At the final transition I finally allowed myself to think about the finish line. More dry clothes, another round of painkillers, and an unexpected but very welcome few sips of tea and I was ready for the last run. At this stage the course was so quiet that all the marshals knew me by name and once I got over Red Hill I knew it wasn’t far to the finish line. I had my only fall of the day when I stepped in some deep mud and my foot came away but my shoe didn’t – but at least it was a soft landing.

Finally, just before 8:30 in the evening, as the last of the light faded, I crossed the finish line.

I had been out there from dawn to dusk, making use of the entire day, and finished in just under 15 hours. But it didn’t feel like that long – I’m sure it felt longer for my support crew! While my body certainly struggled and there were moments when I thought I wouldn’t complete the race, there was no time all day when I wished I was somewhere else. What a privilege to be able to spend the day touring the stunning Canberra trails; to have such an incredible support crew give up their Sunday to follow me around, look after my gear, bring me food and supplies and everything I asked for; to be able to focus on nothing but moving forward.

I started this journey wanting to complete a bucket-list endurance challenge and an iconic Canberra race. I ended it with a new appreciation for the city we live in, the triathlon community, and a grin on my face that I expect won’t fade for a few weeks.

Results (PDF Download)

Sri Chinmoy Triple-Triathlon, Sunday 15 November 2020, full results by category 901 KB

Sri Chinmoy Triple-Triathlon, Sunday 15 November 2020, full results overall 885.04 KB

Sri Chinmoy Triple-Triathlon, Sunday 15 November 2020, top 3 placings each leg, by category 673.75 KB

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Family is everything...

The Sri Chinmoy Triple-Triathlon was conceived as a celebration of the natural beauty and auspicious design of Canberra as the ultimate urban setting for the exploration and fulfilment of a multi-dimensional life, a consummate blend of athletic and aesthetic.

Yet over the years, the Sri Chinmoy Triple-Triathlon has embodied and revealed something much deeper of Canberra: its heart of humanity and soul of community. This heart and soul shine through the interplay of inspiration, aspiration, appreciation, service, sacrifice and mutual self-giving which permeate and unite the Triple-Tri family. The event itself is the stage on which innumerable dramas unfold; the backdrop against which heroic stories are told; the refrain of a song with a thousand varied verses. While the athletes take top billing, the list of credits of all involved is long, rich and enthralling, embracing all strata of Canberra society, all manner of general and specialised roles, all types of characters and personae. Each is unique, each is essential, each is gold.

At awards ceremonies, trophy-winners invariably thank their family, crew, event organisers, course markers and volunteers – and rightly so. At the same time, none of these supporting actors would have any role to play without the athletes themselves. And each of them, if they were to give their own speeches, would have their own lists of those without whose support and inspiration, their own roles could not have been played. Carrying all from within is an irrepressible undercurrent of love, with outbursts of rippling joy – the characteristics of a family, ready at once to cry and smile together, exulting in each others’ victories, suffering in each other’s defeats, forging together something far greater than any and all of us, ever-deeper, intangible and unknowable; an ever-new, ever-transcending destination. Perhaps this is why some Canberra citizens otherwise unconnected with the race, appear each year at random transition points, not just to watch but to feel, absorb, enjoy and be uplifted.

THE SOLOS

The female and male solo winners this year are each formidable athletes with outstanding credentials; each first-timer contenders at the Sri Chinmoy Triple-Triathlon; and each approached the race with lofty goals, outrageous daring, iron wills and huge hearts.

To hear that a solo woman might complete the gruelling Triple-Tri course in 11 hours would have been well-nigh unbelievable. To watch Penny Slater in motion, to realise that she would finish in 11 hours seemed inevitable. Penny is a superb athlete, a focussed competitor and a humble, gracious champion. Racing head-to-head through the first triathlon with another stellar debutant, Monique De Abreu, it became clear early on, that the phenomenal solo women’s record of Julie Quinn – renowned as Queen of the Triple-Tri – would be under threat. With Monique being forced to withdraw after the long Lake Burley Griffin swim (Monique showed enough to give notice that her Triple-Tri day is fast ripening on the tree, and will definitely arrive in the not-too-distant future…), Penny did not bat an eye to continue her unwavering path to glory. Crossing the line in a mind-boggling 11:01:00, Penny scythed almost exactly one hour from a revered course record – smiling – finishing a mere 6 minutes adrift of one of the legends of Triple-Tri lore, Klayten Smith. Only a handful of elite men have dipped under 11 hours in 25 years of this race: in one beautiful, complete and compelling fairy-tale day, Penny Slater has rewritten the record books and reconfigured our understanding of potential, establishing a whole new wing in the Palace of the Possible.

Trent Dawson is another Canberra gentleman-athlete of consistently high achievements, foremost in the realm of Ironman Triathlon. Without any significant competitions in his accustomed field of excellence looming on horizon, and not being one to retreat into hibernation, Trent embraced a new challenge on his very doorstep – the Sri Chinmoy Triple-Triathlon. One significant hurdle would be Trent’s negligible experience on a mountain bike. Purchasing a mountain bike just 2 months before race day, Trent set about pursuing not just the goal of finishing this Herculean journey; he dreamt, visualised and planned exactly what it might take to topple the invincible solo men’s course record. Such courage, conviction and fearlessness in mind, body and heart would power Trent to one of the most impressive solo debuts in all the Triple-Tri annals – a supremely controlled, virtuoso performance yielding a daunting finishing time of 10:46:58. With improved skills on the mountain bike and a few fewer spills, that record may yet be in Trent’s sights…

With numerous other responsibilities this year, including the birth of their second child just 9 weeks ago – and not having raced at all since last year’s Triple-Tri – Klayten Smith entered the event with the least training of any of his Triple-Tri forays. Buoyed by the support of friend-and-rival Michael Brennan (recovering from a recent fracture), Klayten followed his muscle-mind-heart-and-soul memory to fashion a hugely impressive and deeply satisfying 2nd placed 10:55:49. Significantly, Klayten made up 13 minutes on Trent’s lead over the second half of the course. Perhaps if there had been another few legs…?

Though the day had descended into gloom, the scene was brightest, with some of the loudest and longest cheers when Beth Bowen – a few weeks shy of her 50th birthday – realised a long-cherished dream of completing the Sri Chinmoy Triple-Triathlon, in an impressive 15:35:49. The irrepressible grins and flowing tears awaiting her at the finish spoke eloquently of long hours days months of dreaming training sacrifice dedication. The same mixture of elation and pain, agony and ecstasy were writ large across the faces of each of the unique hero-winners of this epic race, each with his and her own deeply personal yet universal story of glory – Ian Rayson, Scott Donaldson, Ironman super-legend and Winner of the Solo Male Over 50 category, John Hill (13:48:58), Anthony Newman, Mark Hanover, Mark Ware, Ken Rankin, Simon Lauer, Trent Craven, Adam Mort and the amazing Paul Amidy, who soldiered on even when there appeared zero fuel in the tank through the pit of the final run course, to bring home the field in 16:07:55.

TEAMS OF 3 (or 2)

Outstanding team performance of the day was presented by “Shoklo’s Nifty Fifty M50 MkII”, with Pete Thorley, Martin McGready and Jeff Grey aiming to dismantle one of the longest-standing records of the Triple-Tri, for Open Team All Over 50 held since 1999 by “Vintage Vets” (Terry Dixon – still racing in Triple-Tri teams today, Alan Anderson & Kent Williams). Mission successful – with a new and very sleek best time of 10:13:33. Special mention also to “I think we can do this” (Alex Gosman, Peter Igor-Taylor & Trevor Jacobs) who – even though entered in the Open Teams Over 50, are actually all over 60 – finished in 13:07:21.

“Stuff the Puffs” have been an established fixture at the Sri Chinmoy Triple-Triathlon for so many years, the origins of their name have slipped into obscurity. It all stemmed from a rivalry with a gun Victorian team in the late ‘90s, with a succession of names inspired by “The Puffy Puffcakes”. With the Victorian team consigned to dusty history tomes, no ensemble has garnered half as many team trophies at this event than “Stuff the Puffs”, represented this year by Ben Buchler, Dave Osmond and Michael Chapman. By the end of the first triathlon, they had established a lead which would only grow as the sun traversed its sky, to take 2020 line honours in 9:11:00. Next team home in the Open Teams of 3 was “DuRT” (Hugh Coppell, Oliver Murray & Tom Bartlett) in 9:53:07, who held another huge lead over 3rd placed “Wait for it, Wait for it, Wait” (Paul Quinn, Etienne Blunstein-Jones & Chris Weenink).

Katie Binstock, Stephanie Way & Lisa Counsell (“2 legs 2 wheels and a wetsuit”) didn’t need any competition in their T3 Female category, to post an impressive 12:44:45 in finishing well clear of most of the men’s and mixed teams.

“JT Multisport White” – Grace Hoitink, James Thorp & Tom Driscoll – carried the torch for the high-performing JT Multisport stable, taking the T3 Mixed category with a classy showing of 10:11:16, from the impressive “Triumvirate” of Emily Stacey, Perry Blackmore & Richard Smyth in 10:33:58, just edging out the fast-finishing “HMAS Friendship” ensemble of Murray Robertson, Jennifer Darmody & Ed De Carvalho with 10:37:18.

TEAMS OF 4-9

“Giant 440 Woodys – 4Pete” and “Aviator’s Beach Club” are two of the most regular and loyal teams at both the Sri Chinmoy Triple-Triathlon and Multi-Sport Classic in Jindabyne each year – and they staged a right royal battle on Sunday, with only about 40 seconds separating them at the finish line. The reliable Goulburn ensemble of Rod Smith, Michael Beard, Nathan Frazer, Andrew Dawes, Andrew Öberg, Jaemin Frazer, Lori & Rod McWhirter and Stefan Hesse held off the fast-finishing aviators (Dave Hayes, James Meadley, Daniel Redman, Pete Hansen, Andy Thomas, Sean Davis & Jordan Kelly) to just edge in under the 10 hour barrier and take the Open Teams of 9 category top award with 9:59:43, with 2nd place clocking 10:00:26. Right up with them throughout the day were another favourite local band: “Sport and Spinal Physio” (Josh Tait, Craig & Zoe Honeybrook, Martin Tait, Simon Davis and Imogen Chambers) claiming the remaining podium placing with 10:17:17.

“Campbell Girls” (Alicia Hetherington, Stephanie Boxall, Alida Cross & Raeleigh Rogers) showed that less can sometimes be more, to win the All-Female T4-9 with only 4 members, in a fine 12:34:59; from YAWILs (Young-Aged Women in Lycra) – comprising Megan Keil, Indira Shinn, Georgina Robinson, Lucy Skeldon, Tenaya King & Kate Boulder in 13:27:23. The aptly-named All Over-50 Female collection of “Tri-ing for unprecedented times” took out their division in the more-than-respectable time of 14:05:53. Congratulations to Polly Templeton, Simone Annis, Narelle Patrick, Leeanne Tennant, Rosemary Robinson, Geraldine Cusack, Elizabeth Lowe & Sarah Rainbow!

The largest category of the race is the T9 Mixed, with an always-varied and colourful array of combinations, attitudes and aptitudes with one constant uniting all – enthusiasm for the task! At the pointy end of the field, “The Tortoise and The Hare” (Wayne, Laura & Shaun Lewis, Hannah Walmsley, Alice Wallett, Brendan Johnston, Emily Ryan and Lily Anderson), were covering all bases and definitely left their tortoise at home as they cruised to victory in an arresting 9:48:30. “Results Racing” (Michelle Welch, James Adams, John & Anna McPherson, Michael Reed, Matthew Shadwell, Rob Mudford & Gavin Jeffries) came in next with 10:14:17; while “Team Keeping It Real” (Janelle Ahern, Josh Wilkinson, Nic Moyle, Pete Quinn, Steve Roberton & Teresa Wynter) took 3rd placing with an exemplary showing of 10:23:23. Special mention to the first ever Mixed Team of 9 All Over 70, “74 and Mixed”, who would have established a new course record for this category, but for an unfortunate fall resulting in a fracture for gun runner Susan Archer, for whom we wish a full and speedy recovery!

THANKS TO ALL

Our gratitude to each and every member of the Triple-Tri family, and to the greater Canberra community who either enjoy, admire and appreciate – or at least tolerate – our incursions into their space each year. In particular, we thank Ron Thompson, Commodore of the YMCA Sailing Club, boat drivers Jim Daly & Jonathan Muller and all their members, who have for many years provided on-water assistance for the Lake Burley Griffin swim leg, and whose clubhouse formed such an ideal locale for the finish of the event; to John Birch and members of the Canberra Canoe Club; to Emma and the Lake Ginninderra Sea Scouts; to staff of so many departments of ACT Government as well as the NCA; Triathlon ACT Acting Director Emily Stacey and technical officials, in particular Petra Lean and Peter Simpfendorfer; To Andrew Öberg for endless tweaks of the course maps and files, and Richard Smyth for refinements of the MTB oourses; to sweepers and marshals Ellie Barrett, Peter Fogarty, Cassandra Spencer, Jan Melton, Aimee Carter, Paul Mahoney, Geoff Barker, Tim Mather, Geoff Breese, Sally Thauvette, Connie Clement, Caroline Werner, Glenn Theakston, Damir Maksan, Joe Andrews, Nic Bendeli, Kerrie Vaughan; to medical support personnel Mike Corrigan, Rebekah Stamatis, Matthew Sainsbury & Simon Whitehead; to the Project Managers and workers of WSP and Complex Co, who made it possible for us to access and ride through the Namarag Construction site at Coppins Crossing on the second bike leg; to Russ Baker for countless years of technical support and whose customised, amazingly detailed results displays we use to this day; to My Rainbow-Dreams café and to members of the Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team from Mongolia, Perth, Brisbane, Sydney and Canberra.

Stay well and stay inspired, family!

Results (PDF Download)

Sri Chinmoy Triple-Triathlon, Sunday 17 November 2019, full results by category 978.21 KB

Sri Chinmoy Triple-Triathlon, Sunday 17 November 2019, full results overall 955.26 KB

Sri Chinmoy Triple-Triathlon, Sunday 17 November 2019, top 3 places for each leg, by category 670.42 KB

Race Photos

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True, the Sri Chinmoy Triple-Triathlon is a race. True, it is an athletic event. True, it is a competition. True, it is superb highlights package of Canberra vistas. True, it is a saga, an ever-unfolding, dawn-to-dusk, city-wide, north-to-south-and-back-to-the-middle, generation-spanning, multi-threaded, infinitely nuanced epic drama-journey-adventure-discovery-tour …

At the awards presentations at the close of proceedings on The Night (of The Day), many athletes narrated and appreciated various facets of their experiences. The soloists all heaped thanks upon their helpers – which we wholeheartedly endorse! Team athletes praised the weather on the day, the course markings, Canberra's unique beauty, the variety and scope of the route, the planning and logistics of the whole event, the food at the finish line buffet (especially the food) … but EVERYONE who took the microphone all spoke from the heart about one universal impression – the incredible support, love and waves of energy and goodwill they felt and received from the volunteers across the whole 150 km route and throughout the entire day from dawn to dusk and beyond.

Their appreciation, admiration and gratitude start with those who manned drinks stations, transition points and road crossings, and beyond to the medical attendants, technical officials, photographers and behind-the-scenes servers from Canberra Canoe Club, YMCA Yacht Club, Lake Ginninderra Sea Scouts, Triathlon ACT, Access Canberra, NCA Events team, City Services, Canberra Events team, the great and good athletes themselves, team mates, rivals and arch competitors – and countless others who together are integral in bringing such a uniquely inspiring and fulfilling event together – a true expression and celebration of the heart of Canberra :-)

Bravo everyone and bravo Canberra!

THE SOLO PERFORMERS

Having raced this event, along with the Sri Chinmoy Multi-Sport Classic in Jindabyne now for several years, Michael Brennan’s curve of progress has been consistently upward and impressive. Having already ascended to the status of winner-champion, Michael rested not on his laurels but sought to ascend to the ever-rarer stratosphere of the conqueror of the self. This year, crewed for by none other than solo course record holder Rowan Beggs-French, Michael’s 10:53:13 bettered his timing from last year by a mere one minute, but with the longer course and running the final leg stricken with stomach issues, his overall performance raised his personal bar even higher. En route to his victory, Michael established new leg records for the both the 1st (Lake Ginninderra – 16:56, a record held since the inaugural Triple-Tri of 1996!) and 3rd (Lake Tuggeranong – 17:15) swims. Everyone who saw or encountered Michael anywhere on the course was inspired and uplifted by his attitude: his cheerful, steadfast determination and tireless self-giving energy and sheer joy of involvement in the entirety and community of the event made us all feel better and happier for being involved.

The winner of the Solo Male 50 and Over category, and 2nd solo outright was the indefatigable Jon Schol in 14:15:05. Jon’s personal journey has been truly remarkable. For one who has faced and stared down an army of setbacks in recent times including injuries, illness and injustice – including most recently being struck by a car while training for this event – which would have sent many into permanent retirement if not a hospital bed or traction – and endured several “non-finishes” at this very race which may have led some lesser souls to question their own suitability for such a punishing endeavour – Jon’s return to the winner’s podium in his over 50s category was a glorious personal and universal triumph. We stand in awe of the sheer dauntless spirit and gigantic sweep of his gutsy effort and achievement.

Next in the Solo Males was a newcomer to this race, Damien Munday, approaching the course and challenges of the day step by step with humility and a quiet, fearless commitment. Any finish in a first-time sortie on this course is an astounding result, and his time of 14:45:50 tells only the surface detail of an ocean of sacrifice and willpower. Respect and admiration from us all, Damien – we look forward to seeing and cheering your return!

Each who came as a soloist to the 5.30AM starting line of the Sri Chinmoy Triple-Triathlon has followed an incredible journey. For some, the lessons of this day were not gift-wrapped amidst exultation at the finish line. Sometimes, the wisest and most difficult choice is knowing when to remove oneself from the fray, to stage a tactical withdrawal in oder to rest, recover, learn from the experience and summon one’s resources for a future foray to the summit. Luke Healy and Peter Ward both came to this moment on their respective journeys and took that courageous step. We eagerly anticipate welcoming them both again and to supporting their next ascent.

THE TEAM PLAYERS – TEAMS OF 3

The gun combo of specialists, swimmer Kevin Chan, biker Jack Brand and runner Matthew Berrington – “Almost Functional” – was superbly functional on the day to command the field in the Open teams of 3, winning by half an hour in an eyebrow-raising 8:49:50. Ever-green Triple-Tri favourites, “Stuff the Puffs” (Ben Buchler, Dave Osmond and Matt Crane) returned for their umpteenth podium finish (why do we take such champions for granted? do they really make it look that easy?) to take second place in 9:18:35; with “What the” (Cory Dimmer, Gary James and Sam Moffitt) easing into 3rd in 9:46:05. “Shoklo’s Nifty Fifty M50” (Dick Haines, Marty McGready and Jeff Grey) were right up there with the leading men’s teams in taking out the Open T3 All Over 50s with their impressive 10:48:20.

Among the T3 All-Females, it was again 3 specialists – swimmer Alexandra Grant, biker Alice Patterson-Robert and runner Sasha Lee (aptly dubbed “Speedy AAS”)– who blazed the trail to win in 10:40:14 from 2nd placed “Triple Treat” (Emily Stacey, Katrina Cousins and Leanne Wilkinson) in 11:32:57; with “Is there wine” (Sam Reinhardt, Kaori Ikeda and Alina McMaster) mixing the disciplines to complete the podium placings with a wholehearted all-round 11:49:37.

“Team PTC” (Corey Bacon, Tristan Fuge and Monique De Abreu) mixed up the disciplines, with Corey completing no fewer than 5 legs, en route to winning the T3 Mixed Teams with a quality 10:11:43; from 2nd placed “McAleer’s Muskateers” (Josie Pepper, Ray McAleer and Dave Hardwicke) just a few minutes in their slipstream in 10:16:17; and “Go Contact Team 2” (Jared Tilley, Rodney Forrest and Andrea Forrest) earning 3rd with their 10:44:55.

THE ENSEMBLE CHARACTERS – TEAMS OF 4-9

New boys on the block “Seventy plus” (Lachlan Lewis, Paul Archer, Hugh Moore, Geoff Llewellyn, Hugh Crawley, Kevin O’Keeffe, Geoff Barker, Des Brown and Robbie Costmeyer – a few of whom are over 80), established a new category of Open T9 All Over 70 and duly created its record time of 15:13:50, arriving during the Awards Presentations to steal the show and plaudits from all comers. Their limelight was short-lived however, for they were followed closely across the line – and up the stairs to the awaiting, adoring throng – by another newbie team establishing another new category – the “Super 70s” (Lindy Dunn, Ann Ingwersen, Sue Archer, Brenda Day, Rae Palmer, Diana Schneider, Carol Taylor and Carol Baird) blazed a trail for T9 Female All Over 70 – and for all women, all athletes of any age and ALL humans susceptible to inspiration and sheer joy – emblazoning 15:25:09 as the high-water mark for future aspirants in this division. If these ladies ever decide to pursue other careers (and why not?), may I recommend music hall or show biz? A fantastic coterie of exuberance and prowess, the team were joined at the hip at every transition, everywhere lifting the spirits of everyone, seemingly lighting up all of Canberra in the process. Congratulations and deep respect to both over 70s teams!

In the younger All-Female Teams categories, veteran stalwarts of many Triple-Tris and Jindabyne Multi-Sport Classics, shyly-named “Go Go Girls - the (B)old and the Beautiful” (Margaret Hadfield, Annie Broadbent, Clare Wall, Helen Douglass, Peggy Douglass, Cathy Montalto, Elspeth Nicholls, Jeannie Douglass and Robyn McClelland) set a new T9 All-Female All Over 60 category record in the most impressive time of 12:38:54; while the 1st-placed T9 All-Female All Over 50s “Fab Fit Fems” (Andrea Teunissen, Sue Duckett, Sarah Rainbow, Leeanne Tennant, Elizabeth Lowe, Rosemary Robinson and Cat Riley) cruised home in 14:29:44. Among the T9 Under 50 All-Female teams, “Tri like a girl” (Emma Willett, Elise Palethorpe, Jessica Watson, Cate Dyer, Nikita Crabb Lauren Yee, Charlie Carroll, Sophie Lhuede and Thea Reinhardt) combined beautifully to win convincingly in 11:46:30; from 2nd placed “Triple Tri Brunettes” (Niki Hale, Clare Aubrey, Leah Hovenden and Kate Pennington) with a fine 12:08:21; not far ahead of 3rd-placed “Togs, Dunlop Volleys and a 10 Speed” (Anne Napier, Lucy Hannah, Cheryl Hutchins, Susie Kluth and Annette Braagaard) with 12:14:24.

For several years now, “Under the Radar” have set a high bar for themselves – and established an Himalayan bleep all over the event radar – as the pre-eminent team to beat at the Sri Chinmoy Triple-Triathlon, invariably assembling a star-studded ensemble oozing speed, experience and class. This year was no different, with the addition of stellar teenage swimmer, Eskandir Gavel contributing all 3 swim legs. Joining “Skinny” and taking the blue-ribbon Open T9 championship as well as line honours yet again in a sizzling 8:24:05, were Matthew McAuliffe, James Minto, Robin Mules, Jasen Higuchi, Craig Benson, and stalwart David Medlock who proved he is not just there as nominal team captain and chief steward, but shaved a few seconds off the old course record for the 3rd bike leg with an astonishing 59:33 along the way – one of the toughest leg records to crack!

Nearly an hour later, “Inward Bound Withdrawal Syndrome” (Jim Trihey, Anthony Newman, Mikey Dimuantes, Julius Feldman, Tim Barnett and Ainslie Pahljina) were outstanding among the remainder of the field with 9:22:11; followed for 3rd by Goulburn’s pride and glory, “Giant 440 Woody’s 4 Pete” (Rod McWhirter, Michael Beard, Nathan Frazer, Andrew Dawes, Andrew Oberg, Jacqui Oberg, Rod Smith and Stefan Hese) in 9:34:23, one of their best returns ever!

“Gary’s Crisis Support Group” (Stewart Wood, Gary Polkingholme, Graeme Lyons and Tracey Josling) were fastest among the Open T9 All Over 50 with an impressive 12:31:42; while “Old Hack Remnants mark III” – Alex Gosman, Peter Igoe-Taylor, Trevor Jacobs and Peter Clarke – renewed their mortgage on the Open T9 All Over 60 category in fine style with 11:51:12 (eclipsing the Over 50s in the process).

“Resultz Racing” have established a formidable presence on the Canberra multi-sport scene in recent times, with another impressive formation of Michelle Welch, James Allen, John McPherson, Anna McPherson, Robert Joford, Matt Shadwell, Paula Curran, Matthew Jackman and David Sitsky taking out the T9 Mixed category in a quality 9:51:52. The blossoming family-inspired, ever-enthusiastic and wholehearted “KAOS”, this year comprising Cassia Cunningham, Rob Allen, Paul Cuthbert, Melissa Clarke, Tom Allen, Elwin Erme, Tara Sutherland and Ella Cuthbert claimed 2nd with 10:14:49; from “The Athlete’s Foot” (Hymne Truter, Kael Hulin, Thien Vuong, Amber Collins and Daniel Carson), impressive with 3rd in 11:00:05 (next year under 11 hours!)

T9 Mixed All Over 60 belonged this year to “Thorns n Roses” – Sue Bowden, David Baussman, David Webster, Petrina Quinn, George Kubitzky, Caroline Campbell, John Kennedy, Graeme Patrick and Rich Baussman – whose 13:49:57 set a new best time for this category which only themselves look likely to challenge in the foreseeable future...

Triple-Triathlon Story Archive

I have looked at the Triple Tri many times over the years and thought I wonder if I could do that? In all honesty, I thought the answer was very much no, or at best, maybe I could do a chunk of it – turns out I was wrong.

About me - I generally carry a semi ok base level of fitness, but really nothing outside of normal. To clarify, I ride to work a few days a week (16k round trip), a couple of shortish runs, some team sports and a couple of sprint tris over the summer. I write this, as I found it a little daunting reading past race reports and making my own assumptions about how much these crazy fast people must train, probably my own assumption but perhaps useful for people considering giving solo a go. Really, I’m just the guy that will give anything a go to see if I can do it

The plan was simply to see how far I could get. From a ‘pass’ mark perspective, I was aiming for 2 of the 3 triathlons and finish with KFC for dinner in Tuggeranong. Seems a lot less scary to break it down into chunks and then see how the day unfolds. Of course, the optimist in me thought perhaps I could do the whole thing and really this is that story. I have a long version of this, which is largely for me and my memories of the race and a shorter version which is hopefully useful for other people considering doing the race solo.

The Short version;

People keep asking me things like was it hard, how did you do it, what was the toughest leg etc, things like that – in a way, it kind of wasn’t hard which probably doesn’t make a lot of sense. Don’t get me wrong it was super tough, body parts ached, hills were horribly steep both up and down and it was a very long day, I guess for me it was about training for a planned pace and sticking with it. In my case it was a lot slower than the winners but it was the pace that got me to the finish in one piece – so figure out your pace, train to that pace and just keep chipping away at the distance

No matter how many hills or elevation metres you cover in training, cover more. If you aren’t sure whether to go left or right in a training session, take the one that goes up the steepest hill. The triple tri hills are mean, even when at the top of a mountain, there are little course deviations to make sure you go to the top of the trig point (just to prove the point I guess).

Your helper is the most important person in your race, really they are working their butt off all day getting everything where it needs to be, dealing with all the stress, worrying about where you are and that they have done everything expected of them etc. Help your support crew understand what you need from them and make it as easy as possible for them to do their thing. For me this was separate swim, bike, run and nutrition tubs with numbered bags for each leg and a heap of notes but no doubt this is different for everyone.

Any transition that involves a swim leg takes longer than you think. Putting a wetsuit on and off of a sweaty tired body isn’t a whole heap of fun and is a lot easier with a couple of people. Looking at my race plan I was pretty much bang on schedule with the exception of the last mtb leg and my transitions into and out of swims. Factor that into your race plan.

It’s a long day and it can be lonely in sections. As a slower soloist, the majority of the field had passed me by the 2nd ride leg. Once the passing dies down, it is largely you, the course and the volunteers (who are great). I was fortunate enough to ride and run with another soloist for the 1st tri but was then largely very much a solo competitor.

Nutrition is obviously important, I have a reasonably good idea of what I can and can’t tolerate. Transitions were pretty much a smorgasbord of different foods, gu’s and sports drinks for me to take on the go. This helped as there were times were the thought of a banana for example was not going to work but there were several other suitable options to choose from.

The bits I found the hardest in no particular order were

Push bike hill; it just stinks no matter how many times you practice on it
the running climb out of Majura to Mt Ainslie which seems to take forever (but you do get to run down Mt Ainslie and then ‘coast’ to transition after that)
Standing up out of the water at Acton Ferry and also climbing up the ladder at Lake Tuggeranong; everything just wants to cramp
The stupid over the fence steps / ladder thing at the back end of the 2nd bike leg. I am so glad no one was around to see my struggle over this
Running down Mt Taylor, its steep to get up and steeper to come down especially on tired legs
The second half of the last bike leg, I don’t even know the name of the hills down South but they felt the toughest on the bike legs.
Going up Red Hill was also tough but you know that the finish line is very much in sight and once you are onto the path on the other side that’s the last of the mountains.

The best bits
- People are so incredibly supportive of solo athletes. So many random people would offer encouragement throughout the day. The volunteers are constantly friendly, helpful and happy all day. I had a number of family and friends support and cheer me throughout the day. All of this was incredible. Despite finishing 4hours or so after the first finisher I received what felt like a hero’s welcome as I finished which was cool
- I had this weird feeling of just knowing I could do it pretty much all day. I didn’t expect this at all. Once I got going, I kind of just got on a roll and kept rolling all day. I’ve never really noticed this before in anything that I have done but it was definitely an ‘in the zone’ kind of feeling
- Coming into transition and seeing your support crew eager to see you, check you are alright and help you to the next one
- All of the little incidental moments that happen during the day, some are funny, some are weird, some are hard and in reality, the biggest majority of them you just forget but they are all a huge part of it.

So that’s the short version, now the longer version for anyone interested.

Training wise, I tend to get bored and lose focus on any training plans over 6 weeks. After deciding to enter, I pretty much had 12 weeks of focussed training with a 2 week overseas holiday in the middle. Training was set up with the simple goal of building volume and endurance initially with cycling and then adding in running volume and also making sure I could still swim. There were a couple of what I would call mega days which involved multiple legs and transitions, the longest being about 8hrs or so. No doubt I could have done a lot more training, longest training weeks looked like 35 – 40km run, 100 km ride, and 4kms of swimming. In reality, there were only a couple of these and the majority were a lot less. Really it was setting into a rhythm that worked with family life and squeezing in what I could around that.

Race Prep

Having not done a multi event like this before, I found it nuts how much gear I had to pack. I decided to change gear pretty much on every leg. Didn’t have to, but wanted to make sure I was comfortable. The intent was never to race for speed, was really just to see how far I could get and to do that I wanted to be as comfortable as possible.

Race Day

Triathlon 1

I hadn’t seen the email advising the bike course change until late Saturday night, “3kms extra for free” or words to that affect – REALLY?. Lake section closures meant we were swimming on the other side of the lake and had to ride a bonus 3kms. Not something to stress over but was pretty sure I was ok without the extra 3km.

The swim was largely uneventful and settled into a good rhythm, had a little bit of trouble finding the last turning buoy but finished slightly quicker than planned time. Bike was set up pretty much on the beach so was out of the water and away nice and quickly.

The 3 bonus kilometres served as a good time to eat some pikelettes and get settled onto the bike. Being a north-sider, I was pretty familiar with this course and had a good idea of where it was hard and less hard. I had covered push bike hill a number of times in training; I have lots of non family friendly names for push bike hill, for me, its an 8 minute slog huffing and puffing, wondering if I will ever get to the top. But what goes up, has to come down and was at Bruce Ridge before I knew it. In my endeavours to maximise speed, I had pumped up my tyres way too much, which really was daft and made a lot of the off road sections harder than it should be. In reality, Im a pretty nervous nelly on a mountain bike and had gone over the handle bars the week before so probably was more self-preservation related rather than tyre pressure. After you get to the top of Lyneham Ridge it’s relatively cruisey into transition. I somehow managed to miss an arrow and rode a little extra picking up a puncture just as I got into T2 (which was magically fixed when I next rode).

A quick bit of food, a kiss for my wife and onto the run, and the profile looks tough (Mental note for next ride transition, if you are wearing knicks over tri shorts for the ride, take them off before you start running). The majority of the first 3kms are pretty steep up hill (Mt Majura) which involved a lot of walking. Legs were feeling ok, maybe a little bitey but still plenty in the tank. I was fortunate enough to have met up with another solo competitor and we ran this leg together. Goal was to average 7min km’s on this leg which pretty much went to plan. Walk up the big hills to save the legs and jog the rest. The summit to Mount Ainslie seemed to take forever and it was starting to warm up, but was good knowing that once we were there it was pretty much downhill to the swim. A ‘nice’ downhill run on the Mt Ainslie path and then the last 5kms or so to the Boathouse for completion of the first tri in 5h20.

Looking back, Im really happy with how this tri went. Tyre pressure and lack of mountain bike skills aside pretty much everything went to plan. Really it was about getting through Tri 1 with enough energy for Tri 2. I probably should have had a bit more electrolyte on the bike but was able to catch that up later in the race.

Tri 2

It is very difficult to put on a wetsuit after moving for 5+ hours. Fortunately my helper group had increased in size so had many hands helping. We somehow managed to get the wetsuit on without my legs locking up and after a quick chat, and drink it was time to swim. This was probably the leg I was least looking forward to, 3.5km of straight swimming – YUCK! My swimming training consisted of maybe 10 swims in total, one being 3kms straight. Theory being that if I could swim 3km without a wettie then 3.5kms would work. The time for this leg was about 10mins faster than I expected and I don’t really know how. Swimming out to the first buoy across the lake seemed to take an inordinate amount of time, and then the next one and the next. My brother was kayaking in front of me (he was the ‘incase I drowned’ guy) – really it was just good to have someone to look at and keep you company to help you finish the distance. I just tried to focus on ticking the arms over and not using my legs (cause they were ready to cramp). Was a good current behind and the wind was helping as well. Got out of the water and started to get changed and then got freezing, couldn’t stop shivering. My poor helpers took turns rubbing my back and arms to warm me up.

Once I was moving, I warmed up pretty quickly. The first 15kms or so are relatively fast across cycle path and fire trails with only the hill at the arboretum to contend with. Was met by my wife on Coppins Crossing Road to top up energy drinks and take some gear before I headed further towards Stromlo. This part is a little draining, it’s not super hard but it’s not easy either and it’s just hot. Once you cross the road into Stromlo it starts to get a bit hillier and then there’s the Stromlo climb itself. There were a number of times I found it made more sense to push the bike up the steep hills rather than burn the legs with so much more still to come. The last 10kms or so around the back of Weston Creek and Cooleman Ridge seemed to take forever but slowly the k’s ticked by and it was time to run again.

Mt Taylor – I honestly didn’t know it was so steep, seemed to go up forever. Coming down felt just as steep and could feel my knees starting to get a little unhappy. As the course levelled out, and it became path, my pace kept improving to pretty much the overall average I expected. Pretty quickly I was back in transition ready to start the last Tri – who would have thought!

Looking back on tri 2, I think I ‘raced’ this one quite conservatively ensuring that I had the energy to get through to the end. That was basically the race plan but suspect there was less time to be taken here (easy to say that now though). I think I felt better finishing the 2nd tri than I did the first which was a really good sign heading into the last tri

Tri 3

So it seems my flippers (arms), in particular my left elbow had had enough of swimming by now. Was doing my best to maintain an easy relaxed stroke but old leftie wasn’t quite pulling his weight leading to a bit of weaving across the lake. Fortunately I had my brother kayaking beside me to try and keep me on course. At the end of this leg you have to climb up a ladder to exit the lake – not fun, but made it out and was rewarded with some Chicken nuggets before the last ride.

Whilst it is the shortest, I think the 3rd bike leg is the hardest, the elevation gain isn’t that much less than the other two and it is ~13km shorter, plus you are knackered from everything else. It starts off pleasant enough with about 6km of bike path but then it’s pretty mean from there on in. A fair bit of hill walking on this one. There were even a couple of down hills I walked as they were pretty steep and didn’t think the extra speed outweighed the risk. This was the only leg outside of transitions that I missed my expected time range. The tunnels at the end under the parkway were super weird to ride / walk through – I’m 170cm and found it tight to go through (and that was walking) but it was cool in hindsight. So onto the last run

Being close to dark, I was allowed my helper / lovely wife to run with me. I probably talked her ear off as had been quiet for such long chunks of the day. Red Hill was steep but we chatted, walked and jogged our way over it. 9 or so km’s in she ditched me to be at the finish with the kids and I had my brother run the last bit with me. It was very much dark from the top of Lady Denman drive to the finish but that didn’t matter. Was able to pick up the pace a little over the last few km’s and was elated to get to the end in one piece

Tri 3 was definitely hard but at the same time you knew that it was the last swim, the last ride, the last 5km etc. I had more pace in my legs after Red Hill than expected and it was cool to know for sure that I would get to the end.

There are heaps of thanks to people when you do a race like this, really it is quite a selfish thing to do and you certainly can’t do it without the support and understanding of your family. I was very fortunate to have plenty of people giving up their time to help me and of course to have an amazing wife that put up with me in the lead up to and during the race. So to all those people, if you have read this far, thank you so so much – I could not have done this without the part you played in helping me (and woo-hoo I did it!).

Results (PDF Download)

21st Sri Chinmoy Triple-Triathlon, Sunday 18 November 2018, full results by category 823.66 KB

21st Sri Chinmoy Triple-Triathlon, Sunday 18 November 2018, full results overall 804.78 KB

21st Sri Chinmoy Triple-Triathlon, Sunday 18 November 2018, top 3 fastest leg times by category 667.15 KB

Race Photos

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There is no more comprehensive tour of Canberra than the Sri Chinmoy Triple-Triathlon. If you complete the whole course, you have seen and experienced a full panoply of views, angles, environs, aspects, perspectives and panoramas of this wonderful living space that is at once capital city and natural playground. If you are fortunate to be graced with a day such as shone for the 21st staging of this epic event, you will have the journey of a lifetime.

Michael Brennan loves the Triple-Tri and doesn’t mind letting people know: his infectious enthusiasm for this race has helped buoy participation and excitement in recent times. After two years where some superb athletes have covered the course even faster than he has, it was a thrill for all involved with the event to witness Michael win the race solo – and fittingly, in a world-class Personal Best of 10:54:24. Michael tackled the first swim as though his life depended on it, leading out of the water by 6 minutes, and never looked back. Physical excellence seems a secondary outcome for this athlete to whom the joy of complete self-offering to the course and the race transcends all personal ambition.

Aston Duncan had hardly ridden a mountain bike prior to this race, and to take second place in 12:34:17 was testimony to both extraordinary fitness and a deep and tremendous willpower. Due to the small field, most of the solo competitors hardly saw each other in the course of the day, relying on their own inner momentum as well as the company of the occasional team. Next home came Craig Johnstone, extremely happy to conquer the course in 13:48:14; followed by Kevin Miller in fading light but bright victory of 15:18:34. Jon Schol didn’t have everything his own way in this long day, and was both tenacious and humble in overcoming all obstacles to take out the Solo Male 50 and Over category in 15:36:02.

Melissa Clarke is another first-time Triple-Tri-er, learning the hard way just how challenging this journey can be. Over the years, many have toed the starting line yet not completed the course. Despite hitting numerous obstinate “walls” after 10 hours, Melissa battled her way to a wonderfully satisfying finish in 15:38:11, bringing tremendous inspiration to all who were fortunate to see her arrive home.

A last-minute change of venue for the first swim in Lake Ginninderra meant the course for this leg was a little shorter than advertised: while this was compensated by the ensuing bike leg being a few kilometres longer, it unfortunately meant that the “record” times swum for this leg could not be officially recognised.

The Triple-Tri is a coming together of spirit and community. During the second mountain bike leg, a group of competitors encountered a member of the public who had an unfortunate fall from the mountain bike. Surrendering the times and chances of their respective teams, four contestants spent 50 minutes helping the injured rider until an ambulance could reach the scene. Our gratitude, admiration and respect to those who put aside their own interests to help another in need: your spontaneous kindness, concern, sacrifice and generosity inspired a wave of goodwill and compassion across the entire field: your example shines as bright as any winner ever could.

Outstanding team performance of the day again went to the elite combination of “On The Radar” (Jarrod Lee, Matt McAuliffe, Martin Dent, Emma Gillingham, Warren Wood, Aaron Farlow, Rob Allen & Craig Benson), whose overall time of 8:17:22 was a full one hour ahead of the next fastest team on the day, and only 3 minutes shy of the record for an Open Team of 4-9 held by “The Team With No Name” from 2004 – though if the first swim had not had to be moved and hence the first bike course had been the “correct” distance, perhaps this long-held record might have been toppled today…

In the course of the day, “On The Radar” also amazingly claimed 4 leg course records. Paul Crake used to hold the records for all 3 run legs, and though Martin Dent has in recent years eclipsed Paul’s times for the 2nd and 3rd run legs, Paul’s incredible 1:12 for the run over Mts Majura and Ainslie had stood since 2000 … until today when Martin Dent blitzed this challenging 18km in a phenomenal 1:11:11. Martin then tagged Emma Gillingham who likewise put paid to a long standing record in the Lake Burley Griffin swim with her new stratospheric mark of 42:08. Jarrod Lee was denied a record in the first swim due to the short course; however his awesome performance of 13:37 in Lake Tuggeranong left spectators gasping. He then tagged his rider, Rob Allen, who took off with such fire and inspiration that the One-Hour barrier for the 3rd bike leg was finally shattered; Rob’s sensational ride of 59:53 has taken this leg into another dimension.

Two overall course records were claimed among the older teams divisions by the “Old Hack Remnants Mark II” (Alex Gosman, Peter Igor-Taylor, Peter Clarke, Trevor Jacobs and Nathan Carroll) whose 11:15:00 beat their own record from last year for the Open Team of 4-9 (All Over 60). The other record to fall was in the Mixed Team of 4-9 (All Over 50), with “Not Over The Hill Yet” (Jill Pettifer, Martin McGready, Terry Withers, Richard Haines and Jeff Grey) who turned in a wonderful display to set a superb new best time of 10:18:29.

Custom-made Triple-Tri ensemble “Stuff The Puffs” (Ben Buchler, Dave Osmond & Matthew Crane) took major honours in the competitive Open Teams of 3 in 9:18:43; with the classy “One of Each, Thanks” (Mark Hareb, Richard Smyth & Peter Wilson) coming next in 9:43:05; and “Krusty’s Crew” (Russell Crockford, Andrew Bryant & Jason Martin) rounding out the podium placings with 10:04:49.

In the All-Female Teams of 3, “Chai Tea Girls” (Niki Hale, Claire Aubrey & Sherston Sheridan) took line honours with an impressive 11:47:22. Special mention to 2nd place “Triple Treat” (Sally Parker, Leanne Wilkinson and Katrina Cousins), whose rider was one of those who rendered assistance to the injured rider in MTB2. 3rd place was taken by “Los Tres Chivitos” (Simone Howland, Alina McMaster & Rachel Venn) who raced with great enthusiasm to record 13:28:21.

The Mixed Teams of 3 was won convincingly in a most impressive 9:38:51 by “Svendborg” (Jacqui & Ben Allen, with Murray Smith), a combination in which each member completed one swim, one ride and one run – a staggered triathlon each. “Wild Chaos” (Carla & Simon Wolnizer, with Lachlan Oakes) came in 2nd in 10:43:02; from “Both Ends” (Paura Birks, Troy Reddick & Jason McCrae) with 10:44:55.

In the wake of “On The Radar”, the race in the Open Teams of 4-9 was for second place, the prize taken at the end of the day in 9:39:27 by the venerable “Aviator’s Beach Club” (Dave Hayes, James Meadley, Daniel Redman, Pete Hansen, Andy Thomas, Sean Davis & Jordan Kelly) [editor’s note: the term “venerable” is used in this context in reference not to age, but to nobility]; followed by the evergreen Goulburn gathering of “Giant 440 Woody’s 4 Pete” (Rod Smith, Rodney McWhirter, Jaemin Fazer, Andrew Dawes, Andrew & Jacueline Oberg, Lori McWhirter, Michael Beard & Stefan Hese) in a spirited 9:48:27. Not content to just race with their younger compatriots (how are the residents of Goulburn called – Goulburnians??), some of the more venerable [editor’s note: here the term is used to refer to age] members doubled up to form an All-Over 50s Open Team, “The Buzz Lightyears” (Angus Taylor, Kerry Baxter, Mark Stutchbury, Rodney McWhirter, Andrew Dawes & Rodney Smith) which impressively took out their category in 11:02:29.

The All-Female Teams of 4-9 was won by “Triple Distilled” (Gabrielle Ho, Jessica Bolton, Isabella Comfort, Michelle Welch, Hayley Achurch, Rosa Bishop, Aine Buckley, Emma Johnson & Keira Doherty) in a sold showing of 12:30:02; just ahead of the 4-person 2nd placed “3 Souths and a North” (Sue Bowden, Sam Rampant, Keri Vaughan & Keri Muir) with 12:41:20; and “Ladies Who Tri 2.0” (Aoife Farmer, Lisa Counsell, Mal Karunaarachchi, Lauren Hendricks & Stephanie Way) rounding out the podium placings in 12:59:33. The All-Female Teams of 4-9 (All Over 50) went to “Fabulous Fifty-something Female FIT Team” (Narelle Patrick, Miche Hodgetts, Sarah Rainbow, Petrina Quinn, Rosemary Robinson, Geraldine Cusack, Nerida Clarke, Belinda Robinson & Robyn McClelland) in 14:42:17; though they crossed the line only after the fabulous finish of the first of the All-Female Teams of 4-9 (All Over 60) of “Tri again W60s” (Margaret Hadfield, Jean Douglass, Sue Archer, Clare Wall, Peggy Douglass, Kathy Sims, Judith Norris, Connie Clement and Carol Baird) who blazed to glory in 14:01:58.

“JT Multisport” (Grace & Ellie Hoitink, Chris Mutton, Wayne Corlis, Joseph Pascall, James Thorpe, Myles Wood, Angela Ballerini & Yoann Colin) took out the Mixed Teams of 4-9 in a slick 9:31:02; after a close day of racing with the lead swapping numerous times with eventual 2nd placed “Magpie Magnets” (Luke Kay, Michelle Cooper, Jen Davis, Matt Georgeson & Natalie Wood) in 9:38:26. 3rd placing was taken by “Team Driscoll” (Rachael McAllister, Blake Nielson, Tom Driscoll, Georgia Holtsbaum & Lauryn Brown) in 10:33:18.

Heartfelt thank yous to all involved in staging this epic adventure: to Sports Medicine Australia for providing medical assistance throughout the long day; to Gai Webster and Triathlon ACT for technical support and advice; to Richard Smyth and Andrew Oberg for helping re-design the 1st and 3rd MTB courses; to the YMCA Sailing Club, Canberra Canoe Club and Nic Bendeli for on-water assistance; to Paul Mahoney and his friend Gavin for sweeping all 3 run legs; and to volunteer helpers from the Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team from Auckland, Taupo, Perth, Brisbane, Torquay, Melbourne and Canberra as well as guests from Russia, Mongolia and Korea.

Results (PDF Download)

Sri Chinmoy Triple-Triathlon, 19 November 2017, full results by category 969.17 KB

Sri Chinmoy Triple-Triathlon, 19 November 2017, full results overall 949.37 KB

Sri Chinmoy Triple-Triathlon, 19 November 2017, top 3 split times for each leg, by category 657.79 KB

Race Photos

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The Sri Chinmoy Triple-Triathlon is its own universe.

In this universe, all the planets aligned and the gods saw fit to party for the 20th staging of its grand Cosmic Play.

All the inner and outer conditions were auspicious, the numbers and omens propitious: the training and expectation had peaked; a week of rain cleared the lakes of bacteria, greened the views, gladdened the cheering bird-chorus and softened the ground to the perfect tackiness for fast racing; the pre-race hail storm had exhausted its fury, leaving a stage of calm and readiness; the highest-ever quality field gathered; the sun shone with the optimum degree of brilliance; the wind blew always towards the finish line.

THE SOLOISTS

The 20-strong field of soloists included 8 previous winners of either the outright or over-50 categories, male and female, along with another 8 highly-credentialed endurance athletes making their Triple-Tri debuts. This field wasn’t just star-studded, it was a supernova soup! At the dawn start, anticipation was high, nerves alive, senses alert, hearts thumping, minds and bodies fully focused on the momentous adventure ahead.

The early legs – first swim, Black Mountain ride and the long run over Mts Majura and Ainslie – are about settling into a rhythm, finding a groove and embracing the racing state. The middle legs – the long Burley Griffin swim, grinding Stromlo ride and hot slog over Mt Taylor – are the heart of the contest, to be endured as best as possible to set the stage for the final legs – a dip in Lake Tuggeranong, Wanniassa and Isaacs Ridges ride and final run over Red Hill – which can be a painful battle for survival or supercharged surge for glory … or both.

This is the first time in its history that the entire solo field – and it was the largest field ever – has finished this gruelling race; testimony to the superb preparation, depth of courage, determination, character and commitment of this elite band of champions. The top 12 solo finishers came in under 13 hours, and 17 under 14 hours, which far surpasses anything previously achieved on this stage.

Julie Quinn and husband David Baldwin have a long and intimate association with Triple-Tri Universe. Both have participated in teams since the early years and David has the highest number of solo finishes – 9 in all. They have missed the last few editions with a busy schedule of international rogaining, yet both felt drawn to the starting line for the 20th, with expectations high that David might give the course record a decent shake in the Solo Male Over 50 category.

The standard of the Solo Male Over 50 category has risen dramatically with the course record falling by large chunks 3 times in the last 4 years. David Baldwin, racing in this category for the first time, grasped the challenge wholeheartedly, not only lowering the record once again but taking it under the formidable 12 hour barrier to cross the line in 11:56:04. In an inspired run home, he just missed his own record for the final run course for solo athletes set back in 2005 (of 1:09:08), by a mere 12 seconds.

Julie’s own overall course record had been broken in 2013 by an amazing race from Queenslander Shannon Proffit in a breathtaking 12:02:59. That year, despite attaining her best time ever, was the only one of her 7 Triple-Tri starts Julie didn’t win. This year was Julie’s first time back at the Triple-Tri since that day. Poised, calm and graceful as ever, she was focused, composed and clearly enjoying her work as the day progressed and the legs folded one into the next. The record was not within sight: her only goal, to offer her all. Nevertheless, a new record time for the 2nd bike leg of 2:01:56 was setting up her race nicely. By the end of the Lake Tuggeranong swim, Julie was only 2 minutes behind husband David; after the last bike she was only one minute behind. Was this what stirred David into such a spirited final run? Whatever the case, emerging from the tunnel at the Hartigan St transition, Julie was one minute behind course record schedule. She would have to blow away her own daunting course record for the final run leg just to be in the picture – and then some. When the going gets tough, champions stand up. Throwing caution to the wind, she went for it. The small gathering at the finish line, still exuberant from David’s finish minutes earlier, were elated as Julie sprinted home to reclaim her crown as Queen of the Sri Chinmoy Triple-Triathlon, taking 3 minutes off her own best leg time (new leg record of 1:27:41) to achieve the incomprehensible. The new record glows at 12:00:09.

There has been a 13 year gap since Alina McMaster’s back-to-back victories in her only previous solo appearances at the Sri Chinmoy Triple-Triathlon in 2003 and 2004. With an event of this magnitude, there will always be uncertainty leading into the race no matter what one has achieved previously or how much training one has done. Alina aimed to finish, yet like several others on the day, found herself carried by the spirit of an extraordinary occasion which swept her to an astonishing 13:28:21, just 7 minutes outside her 2004 winning time, flooding with joy and inspiration not only her immediate family but her huge extended family of friends and supporters. Kudos and immense respect to a class athlete of immense heart!

In 2002, Canberra legend Jason Chalker was at the height of his athletic prowess and an international career of professional off-road triathlon racing. A giant of the local off-road scene, Jason’s crowning achievement (in our eyes) was his monumental solo effort at the 2002 Sri Chinmoy Triple-Triathlon, a seismic event of such magnitude that when the dust settled an unscalable mountain remained, bearing the numbers 10:25:03. While some have perhaps dared to dream of reaching that pinnacle, most have just admired this massive peak in silent awe.

Rowan Beggs-French first tackled the Triple-Tri solo in 2011 – and won in 11:56. After a stint living in Darwin, he next attempted the race in 2015 – and won, taking half an hour off his PB in an astonishing 11:26. This year would be his 3rd expedition into that unknown world of personal challenge and discovery which is the vast hinterland of Triple-Tri Territory, and he would be facing his strongest competition by far. Rowan started well: despite giving minutes away in the water, ideal conditions favoured his strong suit, the mountain bike legs. Jason Chalker’s record was a distant peak obscured for the moment by much closer mountains in the form of a host of elite athletes all vying for today’s title.

By the second swim, Rowan knew he was going too fast. He wasn’t following his race-plan script. Was it was adrenalin, fear of the looming competition or inspiration? His mind was telling him: you are going to blow up. He couldn’t obey. He was going too fast – and loving it. He blew away the course records for the next two bike legs – 1:42:20 his new time for MTB2 and 1:15:31 for MTB3. Amazing. This brought him into the final transition with victory assured. All the surrounding mountains had been transcended. Only one remained, now clear and looming. He was still going too fast. He was still feeling fantastic. He would soon feel even better … The impossible summit was visible. Just one solid run of 13 km was all that was needed. Crossing the line with arms upraised in sheer ecstatic relief and unbelieving triumph, Rowan had achieved the impossible. He had blissfully stared down Time. It stood for 15 years: now the unmovable mountain had moved. Another has risen higher in its place, inscribed thus – 10:21:10.

The closest anyone had ever come to the great Jason Chalker’s record was Klayten Smith’s victory last year in 10:39. Klayten is a 2-time Triple-Tri champion drawn inexorably to the start line this year, despite an injury-afflicted year. The powers of persuasion backed by overwhelming enthusiasm of his friend and Canberra resident Michael Brennan, proved irresistible. Klayten and Michael would be close to each other throughout the morning, running together on Mt Majura and Mt Ainslie, until Klayten drew gradually ahead. Their placings would swap again in the final run however, with Michael – who only does these events to “keep fit” in skiing’s off-season – claiming his 2nd consecutive 2nd placing in 11:26:42 ahead of Klayten’s 3rd in 11:28:23. Both performances would have won this race most other years.

Tom Brazier made his mark as a quality runner, winning the inaugural Sri Chinmoy Canberra Trail Ultra (100km) in 2013. Adding mountain biking and some swimming to his training palette, he’s now proven he is capable of anything. Tom’s 4th placing of 11:32:00 is one of the most impressive Triple-Tri debuts ever, powered by his top class running and supported with excellent mountain biking. If he starts taking swimming seriously, Tom will be very much in the frame for a future Triple-Tri win.

Hopefully many of the soloists will offer their own stories, so we will limit ourselves here to listing, and applauding each of their times:

Coming in 5th place in a superb 11:39:47, came 3-times Ironman Dale McCormack. Rounding out the sub-12 hour finishers was multiple-winner Trevor Fairhurst, thrilled to achieve his best result for some years. Paul Ledbrook completed his first ever Sri Chinmoy Triple-Triathlon in the top 7 placings, clocking an excellent 12:09:45.

Adrian Sheppard has participated for years in numerous Triple-Tris, mostly as a competitive mountain biker. Completing the race solo has been his dream all along and this year he has done it in style: another fine debut finish in 12:14:57. Sydneysider and Ironman Blake Nielsen had participated once in a Triple-Tri team and that was enough to persuade him also to go solo: another impressive first-up effort of 12:21:32. Brian Black is another Sydneysider and Ironman and another Triple-Tri debutant: his finish in 12:51:31 a huge achievement.

In 11th place, Craig Johnston’s 13:15:54 almost exactly replicated his first finishing time from last year – we hope Craig will become a Triple-Tri regular. Over 50s 2nd place, Ross Beatty, just keeps getting better and finished emphatically in 13:16:58. Local Canberran Andrew Dankers finished his first attempt in an impressive 13:23:34. Kel Rankin from Picton was another to complete on his first attempt, finishing strongly before the sun went down in 13:36:18. Andrew Renwick, a crowd favourite, returned for his 4th Triple-Tri and 4th finish in 14:54:12; closely followed by former 50 and Over winner from Wagga, Geoff Breese in 14:57:51; while Joshua Smith was the final of 8 first-timers all of whom finished, in 15:18:27.

TEAMS OF 3

“Teams of 3” is for the purists and the elite. Despite all efforts to assemble “Gun” teams of 4 to 9 members over the years, the overall course record for teams has almost always been held by a team of 3 – and so it remains.

The fastest out of all the Mixed Teams of 3 was “Shoklo’s Nifty Fifty”, racing in the T3 Mixed All Over 50s. Former solo finisher Martin McGready partnered with super-swimmer Rose McGready and super-runner Jeff Grey to obliterate the course record for the category by over one hour, setting an amazing new record of 10:26:35 – this one is likely to stand for many years to come.

The T3 Open category was again won (in 9:15:03) by the Triple-Tri’s most famous team, “Stuff the Puffs”. Despite their irreverent name, this is a serious combination which has changed over the years but has always included Dave Osmond riding all the bike legs. Indeed, Dave was presented with a special award this year for the extraordinary achievement of having ridden all 60 mountain bike legs in all 20 editions of the Sri Chinmoy Triple-Triathlon – and all at a highly competitive level (Dave still holds the course record for MTB1). His companions this time around were James Johnston in the water and Matthew Crane in running shoes.

“One of Each, Thanks” brought together a slick combo of Duncan Adams, Richard Smyth and Andy Isbister to take 2nd in 10:05:28; while Russell Rockford, Andrew Bryant and Jason Martin combined for 3rd place under the banner of “Crusty’s Crew”.

The only All-Female team of 3 this year were “Triple Treat” – Rosie Williams, Katrina Cousins and Leanne Wilkinson teaming up for an admirable showing of 11:52:05.

“Jo Joe Tom Time” was actually sans Tom but they kept the name (“Jo Joe Steve Time” doesn’t have the same ring to it), and just as well – Joe Howland, Steve Hanley and Jo Brischetto took out the Mixed Teams of 3 in 10:37:13. 2nd place in 10:44:59 was “32 Flavours sans Steve” (because Steve had defected to the winning team), of Katie Binstock, Seb Dunne and Peter Preston; while 3rd was taken by “CIA” (Anna Gurnhill, Christo Norman and Iain Johnstone) in 11:29:38.

TEAMS OF 4-9

Standout performance in the Teams of 4-9 came from “Hack Remnants” who smashed the course record for the Open Teams of 4-9 All Over 60. Comprising Alex Gosman, Trevor Jacobs, Peter Clarke, Steven Meredith and Nathan Carroll, the vastly experienced quintet turned back the clock in more ways than one to stage an exhibition of Triple-Tri team brilliance with their consummate 11:18:25.

The tightest competition is often in the Open Teams of 4-9. The all-conquering “Under The Radar” of previous years evolved from a Mixed ensemble to a formidable Open Team of 4-9, this year acknowledging their status as very much “On The Radar”. Fielding Jarrod Lee, Matt McAuliffe, Reuben Caley, David Allen, Jay Vine – who equalled Dylan Cooper’s record of 1:22:32 for the 2nd mountain bike leg – Jasen Higuchi, Emma Gillingham, Dave Medlock and Craig Benson, the team was unstoppable. Their only real competition was with the organising crew who scrambled to get transitions set up in advance of their lightning advance – in the case of the transition from swim to bike at the end of the Lake Tuggeranong swim, “On The Radar” were victorious! Their winning time of 8:21:08 was one of the fastest ever recorded and over half an hour ahead of another superb combination of “Massage One ACT” in 2nd place with 8:52:58, comprising Conor Sproule, Dylan Cooper, Trent Dawson, Corey Bacon, Michelle Cooper, Scott Imhoff, Wayne Corlis, Ed Hall and Nuru Somi (who blitzed the final run leg in 49:05). 3rd place in this category was taken by the stalwart Goulburn set-up of “Giant 440 Woodies #4 Pete”, featuring Rodney Smith, Rodney McWhirter, Jaemin Frazer, Andrew Dawes, Andrew Oberg, Kerry Baxter, Lori McWhirter, Michael Beard and Stefan Hese.

“The Buzz Lightyears” also hailed from Goulburn, recruiting Terry Withers, Kerry Baxter, Craig Johnson, Mark Stutchbury, Rodney Smith and Andrew Dawes to take out the Open Teams of 4-9 All Over 50. People have been members of two different teams in the past. Yet Kerry Baxter, Andrew Dawes and Rodney Smith created history today by all three of them representing two teams, where both their teams won podium positions in two different categories.

“Ladies Who Tri” brought together Lauren Hendricks, Elizabeth Mutton, Aoife Connors, Aoife Farmer (that’s right – two Aoifes in the same team!), Justine Kennedy, Lee Steel, Rosie Staude, Nicole Bruce and Thea Chesterfield to take out the All-Female Teams of 4-9 in 12:11:58.

Yet they were not the only All-Female team – just the only one under 50! “Three Squared FIT” came to the starting line with Rosemary and Belinda Robinson, Robyn McLelland, Andrea Teunissen, Elizabeth Lowe, Geraldine Cusack, Leanne Tennant, Maryann Simpson and Julie Delandro – all over 50 and out to conquer the course which they duly did, in 14:21:46. “One Foot Out of the Grave” took this age thing even further, boasting an All-Female Team of 4-9 All Over 60 (with two of them over 70!), to win their unique category in 14:54:53. A mighty congratulations and deep bow to Nerida Clarke, Rae Palmer, Carol Baird, Brenda Day, Connie Clement, Cathie Sims, Margaret Hadfield, Ann Ingwersen and Cathy Montalto!!

One of the youngest teams in the field, yet already Triple-Tri veterans, “KAOS” shone in taking out the main prize in the Mixed Teams of 4-9 in a superlative time of 10:15:36. Cassia and Saul Cunningham, Corey and Ryan Smith, Ella, Zoe and Paul Cuthbert, along with Adrienne Nicotra were awesome. a perilously close 2nd place was claimed by “Herding Cats” in 10:17:41, a team with probably more combined Triple-Tri finishes than any other with Iain Addinell, Rod Higgins, Vanessa Haverd, Rachel Meyer, Simon Tilley, Allison Campbell, Mark French, Julia Graczyk and John Fleming. The podium was completed by “Resultz Racing” – Anna Reynhout, James Allen, John McPherson, Siobhan Palmer, Kieran Denny, Matt Shadwell, Eva Ellmer, Andrew Reed and Rob Mulfird breasting the tape in 11:08:21.

The unofficial “Best Team Name” award this year goes to “Triple Tripass”. Honourable mention to “Wacky Waving Inflatable Flailing Arm Tube People” – for no succinct reason.

Heartfelt congratulations and thanks to all who participated either solo, in a team or as a helper, friend or supporter on this thrilling day.

Our sincere gratitude for your tireless service to Gai Webster, Technical Official from Triathlon ACT; Craig Johns also from Triathlon ACT; to John Birch and his team from Canberra Canoe Club; to Chris Ablett and Jonathan Muller of YMCA Sailing Club; to Emma of Lake Ginninderra Sea Scouts; to Connie Chan of Hammer Nutrition; to Mike Corrigan, Pat Siciliano and Cathy Pine of Sports Medicine ACT; to volunteer course marshals Nic Bendeli, Geoff Barker, Beverley Jende, Paul Mahoney, Kent Forster, Carinna Tong, Sue and Norm Brennan; to the course sweepers Jean Douglass, Tim Burns, Paul Cuthbert, Peter Lockey and Richelle Turner; to the staff of My Rainbow-Dreams vegetarian cafe; and to members of the Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team of Mongolia, Auckland, Brisbane, Melbourne, Torquay and Canberra.

See you next year for the 21st!

Triple-Triathlon Story Archive

I love living in Canberra. There are not many places in Australia that I have been that offer more to people who enjoy the outdoors and endurance sport. The facilities, surrounding green space and calibre of athletic community here means you are never short of opportunities or motivation to explore somewhere new and train hard.

The Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team in 1995 created a multisport event showing off the spectacular landscape of Canberra, and pushing the limits of endurance in a single day event. Each year since then (with the exception of 2 years due to weather) the Triple-Triathlon has tested athletes either solo or in teams to swim 6.2 km, ride 100 km and run 45 km in an enduro triathlon format taking in the lakes, mountains, and meadows that envelop our bush capital.

It is not your typical triathlon! It is not a race where you can sit on your pre-determined power output on the bike and then sit back into your marathon pace running. On the bike you will be doing gate vaults in the bush, and pushing your bike up crazy steep loose fire roads, then soaking in a view before an awesome descent. On the runs you will be running along trails mainly used by kangaroos and wombats, scrambling up Canberra’s biggest peaks, and dropping through beautiful single track. It is a race that forces you to go off feel and immerse yourself in the amazing trails. Which is why I love it so much.

I first raced this event as part of a team in 2008 with my now wife Amy and friend Scott. I was racing standard distance triathlon but was mainly training on trails and the event really appealed. We had a ball and the next year raced again. In 2011 I decided to push my limits and go solo for the first time. After a great day I finished first solo in just under twelve hours. After moving around Australia as an Air Force Pilot, I was itching to do it again in 2015 when as a family we moved back to Canberra. I had another great experience winning and setting a half hour PB.

My 2017 has been pretty up and down with injury but about September I started getting excited to aim for this event as it was the twentieth anniversary of the race and the field was looking bigger and deeper than it ever had been. My build for the race involved a lot of strength work in the gym along with hills riding and running. I am a full time dad and luckily my daughter loves going for adventures on the back of my bike or in the chariot!

Having done the race previously is a huge advantage – the stress of not knowing what to expect has passed and you have nutted out the logistics to make it run as smooth as possible. Over the last couple of weeks the training wound down but visualisation of the course and how I would feel throughout ramped up. The week of the race I was full of nerves, not knowing how the day would come together given my preparation, and nervous about the competition I would face with 8 previous winners of the event lining up with me.

Race morning was early! A 5:30 race start meant getting the family up at 4 to get ready for the day. Amy and my friend Marty were my support crew for the day along with my three and half year old daughter Imogen. Arriving at the shores of Lake Ginninderra to the west of Canberra the weather was beautifully mild, around 15 degrees, and there was this calm enthusiasm and anticipation from the 22 other solo competitors and their helpers (the 70 odd teams started half an hour later).

In the soft dawn light after a moment's silence we dove into the first 1.5 km swim of the event. My plan was to try and jump on the feet of Michael Brennan, but after about 50m he left me behind and I settled into my own rhythm. It pays not to blow up in the first swim of an 11-hour race!

The first transition went smoothly and I was happy to be on the mountain bike, where my plan was to push a solid pace and see if anyone went with me. I met up with Michael about 5 km into this leg and we rode together for the next 8 km, through some fast flowing fire roads, which were perfectly grippy from the rain of the past week. Then we reached the first of the big hills – affectionately known as ‘push bike hill’ on the side of Black Mountain. The 800m rocky Fire Trail sits between 25 and 35 per cent gradient for its length and is the first of many opportunities to get off your bike and push.

After a short stint walking at the steepest pinch I got riding again to put some distance between Michael and me. The rest of the first ride went well, some more punchy climbs and flowing descents and a great single track section through Bruce Ridge which led us towards the transition to the first run of the day starting at the base of Mt Majura. The atmosphere in transition was awesome, many of the teams were eagerly waiting for their riders to come in with the warm morning sun and barely any wind. I sat down for a moment to get my socks, runners, and hydration pack on before taking off for the 250m climb of Majura.

After setting a quick pace for the first ride I eased into a more relaxed rhythm running, following the rocky single track that weaved up the western side of Majura. It’s a special track especially in the early morning sun as you get glimpses of the city and Brindabella Mountains glowing in the distance. After reaching the summit the next section was a rollercoaster descent through the single track in the Majura Pines mountain bike park. Traversing the ridgeline between Majura and Ainslie I checked in with the body, which was feeling great. More importantly my mind was really calm, I was taking the chance to soak in the surroundings and not over thinking what I needed to do or concerning myself with pace.

The expansive view of Mt Ainslie is iconic, and against the blue sky and having 2 of the 3 biggest hills of the running course out of the way was an awesome moment! Coming off the mountain and onto the flat bike path leading to the next swim my calves were starting to tighten up, but luckily I had a 3.5 km swim ahead to get off my feet and let the legs recover.

Getting into a wetsuit mid race is an experience! I bought a sleeveless wetsuit in order to expedite this process. After having half a bottle of my Infinit electrolyte drink and the 3 of us working as a team I was in the wetsuit and off on the next swim. That feeling of being off my feet and just rolling the arms over was sublime. I had a gentle tail wind, which meant the chop was giving me a slight push. I pulled alongside a jetty mid swim to get some more calories in – the best part of an hour mid-race swimming means it’s really easy to hunger flat going into the next ride (a lesson learnt from previous years!).

After a quick bite of sushi and some beetroot juice in the next transition it was off for the longest ride of the day – around 38 km of flowing fire roads to the southwest of the city. It turns out I exited the swim at the perfect time as friend and veteran of the Triple-Tri, Dave Osmond came past me about a kilometre in as part of a team. I was feeling great at this point so jumped on his wheel and spent the next 10 km riding and chatting with him. This ride is where the day can start to get pretty warm – as it is predominantly open and it's late morning or early afternoon at this point of the race. Despite only having a top of 25, I was feeling the heat. The climb up Mt Stromlo went well, just slow and steady, before another fun descent along some weaving fire roads.

Another friend, Michelle Cooper, came flying past about 5 km from the end on her way to taking the bike course record. Again surging to stay with her was a great boost both to my speed and mind as things were starting to tire. Staying close to her for the rest of the ride I came into the crunch point of the race tired but feeling strong.

A quick reapplication of sunscreen, body glide and some no dose and I was off onto the 11 km run which has you summit Mt Taylor, a short and sharp peak in Canberra’s south. In the heat of the day it will definitely let you know if you have gone too hard early in the race. As soon as I hit the 25 per cent fire road climb I was down to a walk. But that was hurting my quads too much so I started walking backwards, and then discovered shuffling backwards felt great. The 1 km of climbing felt like an eternity but after reaching the top the view of the Brindabella Mountains and knowledge that the rest of the run is downhill was a huge boost to morale.

Nearing the end of the run my legs were shattered, but mentally I was still calm, happy and very much looking forward to the last 1.2 km swim. The swim was slow as I really focused on recovering, cooling down and preparing mentally to push through to the finish. Getting onto the bike for the final time with a solid dose of caffeine I tucked in for the coming 10km of flat bike path into a head wind. Klayten Smith the winner from 2016 was about 20 minutes behind in second place at this point so I focused on opening that gap so that we wouldn’t be running together at the end.

The short steep hills on this leg passed quickly and before I knew it I was approaching my last transition through the infamous storm water pipes of Hindmarsh Drive. Being 6’5” and having raced for over 9 hours already, riding a bike through a drainpipe for about 80 metres is somewhat of a challenge. I got into the tunnel just ahead of one of the team riders and completely messed it up! I tried to slide down and lie on my top tube as I had done in practice but instead just lay on top of my seat and had my back wedged against the tunnel roof, paying my blood sacrifice to the race.

After some frantic stuffing around I exited the tunnel, had some more water, caffeine and a bottle of Infinit and took off on my last run. I settled into a rhythm through the climb over Red Hill, enjoying the final view of the city. The legs were in pretty good shape compared to previous years, and I focused my mind on keeping my running form as light and smooth as possible. The smiles of the teams as they come past and words of encouragement from the helpers at aid stations are one of the things that make this event so special.

Coming onto the bike path and past the second last of these aid stations I glanced at my watch to see what the time was. I saw that it was 3:18 and I had 7 km to run, which meant that if I was able to hold my current pace of just over 5 min per km that I could surpass the solo course record set by off-road legend Jason Chalker in 2002.

The remaining distance was gently undulating and shaded along the south side of Lake Burley Griffin. There was plenty to lose myself in and appreciate as the final kilometres ticked down. Rounding the corner to the finish the joy of having completed this course quicker than anyone had in its 20 year history was overwhelmingly emotional. A week later it is still sinking in: I like many others thought that record would never be broken. Overall it was an awesome day.

Endurance sport is such an amazing experience – the emotional highs and lows, the hundreds of small decisions we make leading into and during a race, the weather, the mechanicals, the other unforeseen challenges we have to adapt to make it truly special when it does all come together in our favour.

If you are looking for a different challenge, atmosphere and experience this race will provide it. I love the diversity that exists within the sport of triathlon, and this race truly is one of those hidden gems. I am already getting excited to toe the line and see what the day brings next November!

Triple-Triathlon Story Archive

"I'm not a quitter" I told my wife, during a conversation earlier in the week. It's easy to say, hard to do and even harder to hold consistently as a principle. "I'm not a quitter, so I'm going to need your help on this one".

This year was the 20th edition of the Sri Chinmoy Triple Triathlon, a scenic route around Canberra involving 6.2k of swimming, 96k of mountain biking and 43k of trail running. It is an event I have competed in during 2007, 2009 & 2011. This year, the push was on to field the largest solo field possible for the anniversary event. I knew it would attract the best. How could I turn down the opportunity to toe the start line with triple-tri greats like David Baldwin, Julie Quinn, Rowan Beggs-French, Trevor Fairhurst, Klayten Smith and Alina McMaster? So myself and a few mates agreed, it was April. Plenty of time to prepare...

In 2011 I trained upwards of 25hrs a week and achieved a 2nd place finish just 15 minutes behind Rowan. This year with a few exceptions, my training was limited to my daily commute. I was under no illusion that I was honing my competitive edge nor that I'd be rubbing shoulders on the podium. So then why? Why take on an event so physically and mentally taxing you know your whole self will be pushed to the limit? Why take on an event that will bring the hurt, perhaps like it has not been brought before? Why take on an event that has the capacity to chew you up, spit you out and leave you lying on the side of some trail, somewhere? Maybe by the end of this story you'll know. Maybe you'll just have to sign yourself up next year. to find out... I hear the 21st anniversary is going to be pretty special.

The Lead Up

Two young boys to juggle, full time work, a daily cycle commute, 5 pool sessions (total) and 3 short "swim/bike/run" days is the training summary. An ear and sinus infection 48hrs out and a visit to the GP for antibiotics on Saturday morning capped off my less than ideal preparation. The fact that my mates were unable to race solo as well was another hit to the psyche. As a result the last minute go decision, frantic packing and 3.5hrs drive left me somewhere other than the zen-like state which would help me through race day.

Race Day

Thanks to the enduring support of my wife Julie, I got to the start line and donned the swimming wetsuit for the second time in 6 years. I then contemplated the day ahead with a group of like-minded people in the frigid waters of Lake Ginenderra. Where would I rather be? Nowhere.

Leg 1 – 1.5km Swim Time: 0:31:18

The start was called and off we went. A large lead group formed and wow, they could swim. I'd love to say I held on and cruised through 1.5k of easy swimming, though it is not the case. My limited swim training shone through from the get-go and I struggled through half and hour of mild discomfort. Not a good omen for the remaining 4.7 kilometers in the water.

Leg 2 – 36km Mountain Bike Time: 2:58:43

Most of my preparation for this event involved commuting to work and as such I was very glad to be out of the water and onto the bike. Julie executed a flawless transition and soon I was peddling lakeside knowing that my icy bones would warm up in the hills around Black Mountain. 'Push Bike Hill' lived up to it's name. A steep, stony ascent towards Telstra Tower. Switch off the mind, point the bike upwards and keep on trucking. I reached the summit and bombing down the other side was in order. I was warm, riding well and picking off solo competitors one by one… Them BAM! my pedals locked up with a horrible metal crunching sound. Not ideal.

A brief visual inspection clearly showed that my rear derailleur and chain were mangled with no hope of recovery. Bugga! Time to call the cavalry... Though I have no phone... Bugga! Luckily the next solo competitor, Josh, did. A call to Julie, a hike out to the road and the expectation that if I can find another bike before the next leg I race unranked.

Julie had other ideas. An early morning call to a mate Hov and next thing I know I'm back in the game, albeit an hour behind the rest of the solo field.

I coursed through the final 18 kms and into TA.

Leg 3 – 18k Run Time: 1:56:43

Stoked to be back in the race I swapped bike for trail shoes and headed off up Mt Majura, then up Hackett Hill, then up Mt Ainslie with a few more ups in between.

Finally a long down took me past the War Memorial and to Lake Burley Griffen and the run along the foreshore into TA. By this stage I'm feeling pretty good, 1 tri down, longest run done and as I enter TA another solo is leaving! It’s all about to change.

Leg 4 – 3.5km Swim Time: 1:29:56

The first swim leg hurt me a little and safe to say I was really looking forward to being on the other side of this expanse of water.

I could wax lyrical for hours about the discomfort I endured throughout this swim. About how my legs cramped from the start and how I was fairly certain I was going to drown at some stage during the last kilometre. Or, I could describe the lovey first aid officer who met me coming out of the water, saw my blue face and hands then stated "You'd better come with me mate. You dont look so good." To which I responded “Thanks mate, I don't feel so good, but Ive been here before and just need to get on my bike to warm up."

It was ugly, I'm glad it's done, we shall never speak of it again.

Leg 5 – 36km Mountain Bike Time: 2:24:02

I headed out for the second bike leg, suffering though knowing there would be plenty of hills just around the corner to warm me up. Soon the rhythm settled in. Pedal the flats, bomb the downs and get off and push anything over a few degrees off horizontal. It was so great to see Andrew Graham (Graz) out along this leg as the sun was baking, most of this leg is exposed, so when the breeze dropped away it was brutal. Soon enough though I wound my way down to TA.

Leg 6 – 12km Run Time: 1:26:49

Mt Taylor. A sufferfest. Every time.

Out of TA, up and up and up. A small respite down the backside then into the oven. Fire trail and bike paths through the backstreets of Canberra. Towards the end of this leg I was really coming unstuck. The body had had enough. I made it into TA and this is how it went.

Graz: "Mate, you dont look so good."
Me: "I feel like death. I just need to lie down for a few minutes."
Julie: "That's no good. Now get your wetsuit on and get in the water.”
Me: "Just two minutes."
Julie: "You've already been here two minutes. Get off the chair, get your wetsuit on and get in the water."

So I did.

While this may seem harsh, the primary role of a support person is to keep you moving. Often this involves making decisions that are in the best interest of the racer. Julie has seen me suffer plenty, she knows my limits and more importantly, my capabilities. I'm forever grateful to have her on my side.

Leg 7 – 1.2km Swim Time: 0:39:43

The water was blessedly cool and while it was not exactly pleasurable I was stoked to be on my way for the third triathlon. The leg finishes with a short climb up a ladder out of the water. You can imagine my limited appreciation for the ingenuity of such a device at this stage of the game.

Two to go.

Leg 8 – 24km Mountain Bike Time: 1:58:27

The final bike leg is the shortest of the three and Julie was right. I felt much better for my leisurely splash and I was elated to be still moving forward given the day so far.

Shortest doesn’t mean easiest and the ever present steepness plus the cumulative stress on my weary bones certainly made for a challenging ride. Luckily the day was cooling, the sun getting lower in the sky. The light that had been so harsh a couple of hours ago turned magic, filtering through the trees. Smashing down the final single-track and through the storm-water pipe I emerged into the final TA. Just one challenge left and this day would be done.

Leg 9 – 13km Run Time: 1:28:31

One leg to go and I could hardly believe it. 36 hrs earlier I was at the GP, questioning if I would even get to the start line. Now just one more mountain to climb.

Up I went. Near to the top Sean, Kim, Hugo and Oscar came out to see me. It was wonderful to see their smiling faces and hear their cheers. "This is the last mountain Andrew. Almost home!"

Down I went, then through the flatland towards Lake Burley Griffen and the finish line. The sun was going down and the sky turned a delicious shade of red. It was amazing. After 14 hours I was on the final stretch, there was no one around and I was truly grateful for my place in this very moment of time. There was nowhere I would rather be. My mind was a fire with wonder and awe. Strava tells me that at this point I was running between 6:30 and 7:00 minutes per kilometre. Not that flash, though truth be told while my head was clear my body certainly didn't feel that flash either.

2.5km out from the finish I see Sean's clan once again.
Sean: "Mate, there is another solo just 50 seconds in front of you!"
Me: "But I've got nothing left..."
Sean: "I know you've got something... "

My body wept as I forced it to move, doing the math in my head. "50 seconds over 2.5km...." I had no idea, nor the capacity to figure this out. Faster, that's all there is. Faster.

So that's what I did. Go faster. 4:30, 4:45 maybe. Whatever it was it hurt like hell. But I caught the guy and the team runner in front too. I didn't slow until the finish and Julie's waiting arms.

I crossed the finish line in 14:54:12, almost 3hrs longer than my 2nd place finish in 2011. I was ecstatic. The cards had been stacked against me, yet my strength and the support of Julie, Graz, my friends who came to cheer me on and the Sri Chinmoy community got me through another Triple Triathlon.

The end of a Journey

My day was only made possible through the support of my family and friends and I am so very grateful to the following people: My wife Julie, my support crew in life, I hope I give as good as I get. Graz, your support for both Julie and I across the day was phenomenal. Thank you for giving up your time to join me in Canberra. My Mum, Dad, brother and sister in law, thank you for looking after our boys all weekend. They had a great time hanging out. Prachar and the Sri Chinmoy team, thanks for another year of an awesome event. Josh, for stopping and lending my your phone. Dan Hovenden for dragging yourself out of bed and lending me your new steed. Lastly, thank you to all my fellow solo competitors. Events like this only exist when people are willing to take them on. Huge congratulations to Rowan Beggs-French, David Baldwin and Julie Quinn. Amazing athletes who each broke their category's respective course record. What an achievement!

So there you have it, another race, another story. Perseverance and pain. Elation and endurance. A story I write for myself to help me understand my journey of discovery. A story perhaps, that I’ll share with my children as I watch them overcome challenges of their own. Take from it what you will and perhaps one day we will toe a start-line together.

Results (PDF Download)

Sri Chinmoy Triple-Triathlon, 6 November 2016, full results by category 818.23 KB

Sri Chinmoy Triple-Triathlon, 6 November 2016, full results overall 807.61 KB

Race Photos

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Late course changes have become almost customary with the Sri Chinmoy Triple-Triathlon. Such is the nature of this event: an off-road adventure held within an urban domain, subject to constant growth and change, with swims in 3 lakes susceptible of invasion at a moment’s notice by algae or bacteria.

On this occasion, the 1st and 2nd swim courses needed to be modified, affecting in turn the adjacent mountain bike and run legs. Hence, while overall records set this year are recognised as official, performances in the 1st and 2nd swim legs and 1st mountain bike leg do not qualify for leg course records.

The Triple-Tri is several races within a race, with Solo athletes on the go from dawn to dusk, while Relay Teams of 3 members or larger ensembles of 4 - 9, battle it out in sometimes dramatic and intense duels spanning the length and breadth of Canberra from morning till dusk.

SOLO ATHLETES

Every athlete who even dreams of completing the Sri Chinmoy Triple-Triathlon solo, is a brave soul indeed. Those who complete the journey are champions in every sense.

Laura Marshall proved that the last shall indeed be first. In conquering the Triple-Triathlon course for the second time, Laura achieved the rare feat of coming simultaneously both first and last, transcending the rest of the field uniquely in two ways: her time of 16:40:11 represented the longest time on the course of any athlete, while also being the first solo female across the line. Congratulations to Laura for her resilience, courage and strength of mind, a real inspiration to all who witnessed her finish.

The Over-50s Male division has seen a remarkable plunge in times, with the record being well and truly broken twice in two years. This year it was Daryn James who brought the mark down to a scintillating 12:19:18 with a well-controlled, focussed and beautifully executed race, which brought him 4th place outright amongst all solo athletes.

Klayten Smith returned this year for his second immersion in Triple-Tri world. Having taken 1st place already in his only previous outing, Klayten’s goal was to significantly lower his time. Embracing the course with its multiple and varied challenges and rewards, Klayten raced with heart and soul, his 10:39:36 the second fastest time in the event’s history, after only Jason Chalker’s legendary 2002 performance.

An accomplished cross-country skier, Michael Brennan only does two multi-sport races each year: the Sri Chinmoy Multi-Sport Classic in Jindabyne, and the Triple-Tri. For someone who regards himself as “not really a runner, or a mountain biker – or a swimmer”, Michael races for the challenge and enjoyment, relying on superb fitness and attitude. His 2nd place time of 11:37:16 would have won this race in many a year.

Trevor Fairhurst has had multiple distractions since his winning streak in the 2000s, including fatherhood and a series of injuries. With an uncertain preparation involving minimal running and a lack of long-distance work, Trevor approached the race with no assurance of even completing the course. His 12:11:29 has to rank of one of his finest performances, a real triumph of spirit over circumstance.

Peter Preston’s 12:38:58, Craig Johnston’s 13:13:05, Jon Schol’s 13:46:50 (Male Over 50) and first-timer Joel Murcia’s 14:00:36 were all outstanding returns on a day which boasted more than its fair share of heroes.

TEAMS OF 3

The name ”Stuff the Puffs” was born out of a rivalry with another Canberra team, “The Puffy Puffcakes”, who were a formidable force at the Triple-Tri in the late 1990s. The puffcakes are now a crumbling memory, yet the team they inspired has become the most successful outfit in Triple-Tri history. Newby puff-stuffers James Johnston (swimmer) and Matthew Crane (runner) joined with anchor Dave Osmond (mountain bike) to sweep all before them in a commanding display of 8:47:01 to take out the competitive T3 Open category – and 2nd place outright including all T9 teams.

Indeed after the winning team, the next 4 across the line were all Teams of 3. 2nd place T3 Open was the “3Ple Team” of Andre Carvalho, Ben Buchler and Perry Blackmore in a fine 9:33:29. The combination of Duncan Adams, Richard Smyth and Doug Richards – “One of Each, thanks” – took 3rd in this category in 10:50:26.

Like Dave Osmond’s “Stuff the Puffs”, Steve Hanley’s “32 Flavours” has incarnated with various personnel over the years, with Katie Binstock and Seb Dunne forming a winning combination with Steve this year to take the main prize in the T3 Mixed category in 9:52:51. “Meat and Two Vegs” combo of Chaitanya Shettigara, Michale Lyas and Daniel Oehm were 2nd in 9:58:08; and “Swim ride run sweat then beer” (Erin Thompson, James Lukassen and Stephanie Auston) proved that a team with only one male can be more than competitive to take 3rd place in 10:36:36.

TEAMS of 4-9

A new and formidable combination of Kylie Message, Kate Vandenberg, Elizabeth Humphries, Kym Somi, Alex Orme, Aimee Davenport, Elise Burriss and Alice Bates teamed up to form “Team Loser Shoes” and break a 17-year-old record to take the All-Female Teams of 4-9 category in a sensational 10:16:16. Hopefully this team will stay together and become the new benchmark for this division.

“Aqua Terra” were 2nd placed T9 Female in an impressive 11:37:22, comprising Pauline English, Sue Buckle, Jessica Robson, Leanne Wilkinson, Jo Allison and Carolyn Haupt. 3rd placing went to “Not Enough Lisas” (Lisa Moore, Danielle Winslow, Michelle Dorey, Lisa Keeling, Catherine Fullford, Lisa Charles and Jo O’Dwyer) in 12:33:39.

The stars of the awards presentation were undoubtedly the two “over age” all-female teams. “Three Squared FIT” took out the T9 Female All Over 50 in 14:23:03, comprising Julianne Quaine, Elizabeth Lowe, Sarah Rainbow, Krissa O’Neil, Belinda Robinson, Geraldine Cusack, Trish Phillips, Maryann Simpson and Rosemary Robinson. Normally these astonishingly fit ladies would have stolen all the limelight, yet “The Young Ones” of Lindy Dunn, Connie Clement, Sue Archer, Margaret Hadfield, Toni Bolschelar, Maria O’Reilly, Nerida Clarke and Ann Ingwerson almost caught them, in an amazing time of 14:47:23 – for a team of ALL OVER 60 FEMALES!

“Under the Radar” are under the radar no more. Last year they assembled a team of all-stars and stormed the course record for T9 Mixed. This year they lowered the mark for this category yet again to 8:13:51, the second-fastest time ever recorded in this race. With Emma Gillingham leading the way in all the swim legs, the team was completed with Matt McAuliffe, Craig Benson, Jay Vine, Marty Dent, David Medlock and Jasen Higuchi. Marty Dent added the course record for the 2nd run (leg 6) of 37:43 to his record for the 3rd run (leg 9) which he set last year. We can only assume he will have a go at the 1st run (leg 3) next year?

“Cold Water” proved hot on the day, with an ensemble of Triple-Tri veterans Stuart Godley, Rod Higgins, Stu Doyle, Rachel Meyer, Simon Tilley, Louise Sharp, Mark French and Julia Graczyk taking out 2nd in this category in 10:04:29; from “The Buzz Lightyears” of Goulburn bringing together Emily-Mae Strickland, Kurt Warn, Terry Withers, Elke O’Rourke, Kerry Baxter, Steve Boyt, Niamh O’Rourke, Mark Stutchbury and Olivia Stutchbury in 10:22:15.

The T9 Open category saw triumph in 10:07:46 for one of the Sri Chinmoy Triple-Triathlon’s most loyal and consistent teams. Also from Goulburn, “Giant 440 Woody’s – 4Pete” race to honour the spirit and memory of former team captain Peter Oberg, one of the Triple-Tri’s most ardent supporters. Now headed up by Pete’s brother Andrew, the team was completed this year by Rodney Smith, Rodney McWhirter, Michael Pickford, Andrew Dawes, Lori McWhirter, Michael Beard and Stefan Hese.

Ahead of the “Giants” for much of the day in a topsy-turvy race which proved to be the closest of any of the categories, another Triple-Tri stalwart team of “Aviator’s Beach Club” took out 2nd place in this category in 10:09:49. Captained by swimmer Dave Hayes, James Meadley, Sean Davis, Pete Hansen, Andy Thomas, Richard Palmer and Kate Chipperfield completed the team. 3rd place was taken by “Tri Squared Friends” of Rory Sullivan, Anthony Newman, Jack Chenoweth, Grace Zhang, Jack Allison, Brad Valette, Kevin Chan, Oliver Lee and Alexandra Grant came home in 10:50:52.

*************

Gratitude to all whose tireless and selfless service helped make this such a successful and memorable outing. The sports trainers of Sports Medicine Australia, members of the Canberra Canoe Club and YMCA Yacht Club, Race Referee Fiona McWhinnie, staff of Access Canberra, the NCA, Triathlon ACT, Canberra Girls Grammar School, National Arboretum Canberra and Stromlo Forest Park and the many volunteer helpers on the day including Adele Yin, Ben Lees & Michaela Watts, Duy Nguyen, Sue Brennan, Carinna Tong, Gopi Ganesasundaram, Terry Dixon, Geoff Barker, Erin Smith, Mike Edmondson, Tim Burns, Mike Matthews, Jane Hiatt, Jackie Leuthi, Beverley Jende, Jane Gordon, and to members of the Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team from Serbia, France, the UK, Auckland, Brisbane, Melbourne and Canberra.

We look forward to your company next year for an historic occasion: the 20th edition of the Sri Chinmoy Triple-Triathlon, to be staged in and around Canberra on Sunday the 19th of November 2017.

Results (PDF Download)

Sri Chinmoy Triple-Triathlon, 15 November 2015, full results by category 913.68 KB

Sri Chinmoy Triple-Triathlon, 15 November 2015, full results overall 898.61 KB

Sri Chinmoy Triple-Triathlon, 15 November 2015, 3 fastest splits for each leg 658.8 KB

Race Photos

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Triple-Tri Race Report

The Sri Chinmoy Triple-Triathlon is a portrait of life: a journey; an adventure; a story; a commitment; a passion; a quest. It is pursued alone and in concert with friends and colleagues. It demands discipline, faith, love, even devotion. It offers exquisite joy and abysmal despair; engages our body, vital energy, emotional, mental and spiritual powers in their full array. It doesn’t teach us about life – it is life.

The 18th Sri Chinmoy Triple-Triathlon was staged in and around Canberra on Sunday the 15th of November 2015. Effectively, this was a postponement of the 2014 event, which had been cancelled by the ACT Government the day before it was due to be held, due to the high possibility of a Total Fire Ban forcing the closure of Canberra Nature Park to all events. That day it had been 39 degrees with strong scorching winds – today was 22 degrees with a light breeze and soothing cloud cover. For those who waited patiently a full year and more for this race, the day itself was sumptuous reward.

COURSE RECORDS

The day was just asking for records, and our athletes didn’t disappoint.

Due to the amended courses used for the 1st and 3rd swims, the times set for these courses have not been recognised as official records. However, the overall course records are recognised, as the 1st and 3rd mountain bike legs were both longer this year, due to the changes in the swim legs.

Among the solo athletes, the record for the Male Over 50s now belongs to the astonishingly cheerful Geoff Breese from Wagga Wagga, who is smiling broadly in every photo taken of him over the entire course. Geoff returned 13:06:53 for his first attempt at the distance, and only raced solo because he couldn’t persuade enough friends to join him to make up a team!

Rose McGready, Amanda Nott and Elizabeth Bennett teamed up as the “Nifty Fifties” and proved themselves nifty indeed, taking out the T3 All-Female All Over 50 record with an outstanding 13:06:54.

A decade ahead, “The Tearaways” proved the darlings of the Awards Ceremony by setting a high mark for the T9 All-Female All Over 60 with 13:47:58 – comprising Lindy Dunn, Kay Pendlebury, Carol Baird, Brenda Day, Rae Palmer, Cathy Montalto, Ann Ingwersen and Liz Thompson. These ladies set about the course with unbounded enthusiasm, indomitable determination and engaging grace – always a winning combination!

At the pointy end of the field, “Under the Radar” raced very much above the radar the whole day, almost becoming the first ever Mixed Team to take line honours, only missing that distinction by 51 seconds to the all-star “Onya / PTC” outfit (of whom more later). In any case, “Under the Radar” – under the tutelage of Triple-Tri aficionado Peter Klein – established a slick new time for T9 Mixed of 8:28:17, a fine effort for the ensemble of Emma Gillingham, Matt McAuliffe, Craig Benson, David Medlock, Jasen Higuchi, Isabella Marinelli, Jason Klein and Martin Dent.

Although Rad Leovic had previously fielded Open Teams all over 50 and even all over 70, this was the first time a team of All Over 60 had participated – “Rad’s Rattlers” duly set a new course record for this category of 14:15:47. Mighty congratulations to John Kennedy, Geoff Barker, Peter Clarke, Geoff Llewellyn, Hugh Crawley, Mick Saunders, David Baussmann, Chris Lang and Jim White, whose average age is 69!

Special mention and accolades for Emma Gillingham (19:17 in Swim 1) and Isabella Marinelli (15:18 in Swim 3) – both of whom would have had course records had the traditional courses for these legs been in use …

THE FINEST LEG

The stand-out single leg performance of the day was a master-class in speed and form presented by the phenomenal Martin Dent, whose 44:45 for the final 13km run leg over Red Hill, eclipsed the old best time over this leg by a full 4 minutes and 15 seconds! Had the leg been another 2 km, his team might just have pulled off the ultimate prize …

THE SOLOISTS

Rowan Beggs-French has won this event previously in 2011, when he was training heavily and supposedly in his prime. Now a father with less time on his hands, he nevertheless led from the literal word “Go!” and never looked back, powering home over the last triathlon to win in an outstanding 11:26:02, eclipsing his previous winning time by half an hour. Rowan is a true champion in every respect, showering his appreciation and gratitude on all his fellow competitors, officials and helpers and positively radiating at the finish line.

Every solo finisher deserves acclaim, for to even dream of completing this truly gruelling event is a significant life accomplishment. Warren Evans took 2nd in 12:07:49; Cameron Darragh not far behind and completing the podium placings with 12:13:15. Multiple-time team entrant, Tim Shillington finished his first solo attempt in fine style to come in under the 13 hour mark in 12:58:42. Wes Fraser cruised home in 13:16:05; and Paul Jeffery gutsed it out to finish bravely in the dark in 16:04:01.

Sharing the Male Over 50s with winner Geoff Breese, were return entrant Marty McGready, who obliterated painful memories of a technical DQ at this race a few years back, in the best way possible, scaling his personal Mt Everest of the Triple-Tri in a complete, controlled and compelling performance of 13:27:32. Ross Beatty came back from the disappointment of last year’s cancelled event, when he was trained, primed and ready to fire, to finish gloriously and with a smile, in 14:00:13.

A notable absence this year were the Solo Females – we look forward to ladies lining the shore of Lake Ginninderra in 2016 …

THE TEAMS OF 3

Competition in the Teams of 3 was slightly overshadowed this year by the ding-dong battle in the T9s at the front of the field, yet some truly top-class performances were returned by “HMAS Friendship” (Murray Robertson, Edmund Hall and Tom Brazier), winning the T3 Open in 9:08:51 from “Stuff the Puffs” (John Fleming, Dave Osmond and Matthew Crane) in 9:18:10. Salutations to the amazing Dave Osmond, who has now completed every single one of the 54 bike legs staged in the history of this race!

“Floored Logic” (Grant Prowse, Mathew Nott and Peter Haggar) took out the T3 Open All Over 50 in 11:40:55; while “Nifty Fifty” T3 All-Female All Over 50’s record is mentioned above.

“Tropical Tango” (Cid Mateo, Cristy Henderson and Steve Fitchett) were solid winners of the T3 Mixed in 10:21:04 from “Meat and 2 Veg” (Chaitanya Oehmigar, Michael Lyas and Daniel Oehm) in 10:43:28.

THE TEAMS OF 4-9

Although racing in different categories, the race between “Onya / PTC” (Callum McClusky, Brad Morton, Robbie Skillman, Nuru Somi, Bob Mathieson, Adam Ridgley and Griffin Layton-Scheld) and “Under the Radar” (listed above) proved edge-of-the-seat stuff throughout the day. It was a sight to behold their two runners flying up Mt Taylor as though they were running on flat ground, shoulder to shoulder. At the end of the 3rd swim in the pool at Tuggeranong, only 2 seconds separated them. ”Onya / PTC” took the glory of line honours – along with victory in the prestigious T9 Open category – in 8:27:26.

Second in this category saw a transcendent effort from one of our favourite teams, Goulburn outfit “Giant 440 Woody’s #4Pete” – racing this year for the first time since long-time team stalwart Peter Oberg passed away. Their finishing time of 9:47:33 would surely have made Pete mighty proud of his team …

The “Old Hacks” (Alex Gosman, Graeme Allbon, Simon Claringbold, Mike McGurgan, Peter James, Terry Dixon and Peter Klein) took away the T9 Open All Over 50 prize with 10:04:00; while “Rad’s Rattlers” are listed above among the course records section for this efforts in the T9 Open All Over 60.

“PTC Ladies” (sisters Eilliee, Suzie and Grace Hoitink, accompanied by Jennifer Davis, Angela Ballerini, Kym Ireland and Natalie Wood) were convincing winners of the T9 All-Female division with a fine 10:43:07. The now-famous “Tearaways” are mentioned above for their stellar return in the T9 All-Female All Over 60, and “Under the Radar” are also credited above for their win – and course record – in the T9 Mixed division.

A photo album from around the course is now published. The 2016 Sri Chinmoy Triple-Triathlon is scheduled to be staged in and around Canberra on Sunday the 20th of November.

Triple-Triathlon Story Archive

"Las Triple Triathlon"

So our brave and gallant team of three boys had a cracking day of racing at the Sri Chinmoy Triple Tri in Canberra.

What the hell is the Triple Tri? It is a 9-leg beast of a race that demands the utmost respect!

It is three off-road triathlons back to back, in various distance (think about it as a big relay). It makes a loop around Canberra, hitting every lake, every mountain and nearly every bike path. We start in the pond-like Lake Ginnindera and end up at Yarrumlumla at the Sailing Club. It adds up to around 6km of swimming, 100km of mountain bike riding and 45km of running.

It is a beautiful, brutal race.

You can have 9 people doing it, with one taking each leg, or you can do it solo or anywhere in between. We decided to do it as a team of three. A triathlon relay. Team HMAS Friendship.

The line-up was as follows:

Tommy Brazier: The gun runner, Tom has honed his skills doing 100km races and was worried that this one would be too short. We gave him the first two runs to destroy himself, so he could relax and let poor old Murray do the last one.

Ed Hall: Big E was an unknown quantity because he had made the smart decision to ditch mountain biking for the world of road cycling, but we had faith that he would get the job done. He would do all the bike legs, a very solid day out.

And of course, there was me. I had hesitantly volunteered to do all of the swimming legs, as well as the last run! My cycling crash three weeks before had left me with a less then ideal preparation but I thought I could gut through the swims without letting anyone down.

We spent the night before the race gorging on pesto pasta and sweet potato, talking smack and working out logistics for the big day on Sunday.

We knew that there was another team of 3 who would give us some serious competition throughout the day. They were seasoned veterans of the race and were very strong athletes. I was more worried about them then Tom and Ed, because I knew their swimmer was better then me. We would soon see by how much.

I was staying away from the boys in the house of Tom's mum, who had kindly given me a bed. The day began at 5am, as I prepared for the first 1.5km swim that would start us off.

So it was that I found myself in the scummy Lake Ginnindera at 6am, watching duck poo drifting past me and trying not to think ahead to the 3.5km swim that awaited me later in the day.

I did my usual, excitable sprint at the start and found myself leading the field, not the smartest beginning to a 9hour plus day of racing.

I dropped into a pack of 4 swimmers and while I slowly slid off the back of them, I was within 40 seconds of the leader, giving Ed a good crack at our rivals.

When not competing or eating, the day is taken up by driving to the next checkpoint to hand over for the next leg. So Tom and I made our way up to Antill St, below Mt Majura, where Tom would begin his first and longest run at just under 20km.

Ed came screaming into the transition, just behind our rivals, having taken a wrong turn on the course (it happens).

Tom then proceeded to annihilate the entire field on the Ainslie/Majura run and posted the fastest split of the day (a hugely impressive effort considering that the majority of racers were only doing one leg, or one run).

This gave me a couple of minutes lead over our competition for the start of the 3.5km monster swim in Lake Burley G.

We started behind King's Bridge and swam down the middle of the lake, under Comm Bridge and into Acton Ferry Terminal.

It is a long, hard slog of a swim. As soon as your arm enters the water you lose sight of it in the murky, dirty depths. Visibility was at a range of about 5 to 10cm.

Luckily we had a little bit of a tailwind, so I cruised down the lake. When I occasionally flipped over to do some backstroke I could see the orange cap of our competition, slowly but surely gaining on me (he would take 2 and a half minutes off me in this swim). I could also see my kayaking escort, who I would say hello to every time I did backstroke. He said nothing back. It was a long swim.

With about 400m to go I was over-run by my rival but, tactical genius that I am, I cut across and sat on his feet for as long as I could.

So halfway through the race we were neck and neck and we knew it would be very tight. (there were two teams of 9 in front of us, with some pro-triathletes and Martin Dent, enough said).

Big E gave us a little lead for his second ride and then Tom, being the backbone of the team, proceeded to put another 3 minutes into them, running up and over Mt Taylor into Tuggeranong.

I was looking forward to finishing my swimming with the last leg looming but that was short lived because it was now in a 25m pool (due to the water quality of Lake Tuggers). It would be a lot of tumble turns with a run in the middle as you had to get out and run to the end of the pool to start again (3 x 400m loops of the pool, ducking in and out of each lane).

Luckily, I am nearly 2m tall, so because I could push off the wall each time so I only swam about 15m a lap. Perfect.

The pool temp was about 30degrees, so I was feeling pretty drained at the end, but we had our 2 and a half minute lead still intact and only 2 legs to go.

And so this is where things got tactical. I was feeling fresh (relatively fresh, after 6km of swimming) so I would do the final, 13km run over Red Hill. Tom had smashed himself knowing he only had to do 2 runs, so we put our plan into action.

So it would come down to the final leg. Did I feel better after 6km of swimming than their runner who had done nearly 30km of tough trails?

Ed came in with that crucial 2 and a half minute gap and I took off, up and over Red Hill!

I felt amazing, and my splits started at 5:00 per km as I climbed over Red Hill and got down to around 3:40 in the first couple of flat km's, but that's when the day caught up to me and I started to fall to pieces.

I began to cramp in both arms. Arms! WTF, who cramps in their arms when they are running. And my toes.

I had to rein it back a little, otherwise I would have been in real trouble. This wasn't helped when our rival teams swimmer and cyclist started waiting for both of us at certain points along the course and providing splits and updates.

Finally, after 9 hours and 8 minutes of racing (something like that), we finished.

The tactic had worked, as I put over 6 minutes into their poor, tired runner.

We won our division, and come third overall. Beating teams with up to 9 members in them.

It really is a fantastic race. It is lonely too, because we were out in front the whole day, we rarely saw any other teams because the field gets strung out by hours.

Triple-Triathlon Story Archive

View Steve Hanley's photos and report of his day out participating as a team of 2 with Millie Brent in 2015, at his blog.

Triple-Triathlon Story Archive

Race Report – 2015 Sri Chinmoy Triple Triathlon

The Sri Chinmoy triple triathlon first captivated my imagination in 2009 when my now wife Amy and I first entered it as a team with our friend Scott. It showed me trails and views I never knew existed in Canberra despite having lived here for 4 years at that point. The atmosphere, the people, the course, everything about this ultimate challenge was amazing and left me wanting to do it again.

Coming into 2015 I had now done the event 3 times as a team, and in 2011 had my first attempt at the race solo. I had the race I had dreamed of and with the support of Ian, Dave and Marty not only finished the race but was the first solo in a time of 11:56:23. Since that race I had been itching for the opportunity to do it again – in 2013 I was living in Darwin and could not make it down, and in 2014 the race was cancelled due to the risk of bushfires.

Life had also changed heaps since 2011, I was a dad now and my time to train was really limited. So coming into this years race I had a real mix of excitement at the opportunity to compete again, but lots of questions as to how the race would go. I really wanted to prove to myself that the result I had in 2011 wasn’t a one off and that I could maybe go quicker 4 years on despite my compressed training time.

Training wise I had really good consistency, just the volume was lower than what I would consider ideal. I focused on getting lots of hill work in as there aren’t too many flat sections. Due to time and having a good base already in swimming I didn’t get in the pool that much in the lead up (max twice a week), but aimed to do heaps of body weight upper body strength work. My longest run in the build up was 32 km. About 3 months before the race I did a fundraiser everesting Mt Ainslie on my bike, I think I tapered for the coming 3 months following 200 km and 8890 m climbing!

Coming to the week before the race I focused on being as prepared as possible – planning out with my support team my entire race. Every detail, how many calories when, from what source, different plans for hydration dependant on the weather, gear options and points to meet me and boost my morale. Nutrition is such a critical part of endurance sport, and my plan centred around using predominantly liquid nutrition – from Infinit Nutrition Australia which simplified things massively. Together with the team at Infinit I had come up with my electrolyte drink of choice which is high in carbs, and electrolytes, as I am a big guy and sweat heavily. In addition to this I made some vegan raw food bars which would allow me to chew something during the 12 hour race!

Race morning as always was super early, up at 4 to get a good breakfast of oats, soy milk, apple, banana and chia seeds and do a last minute check of everything. Driving out to the start with my support team of Amy my wife, Daina my sister in law and friend John I was the usual mix of nerves and excitement. I love that feeling – it means you really care about what you are about to do. It was meant to be- the perfect day weather wise – mid twenties and not much wind. I took plenty of care before the start to use sudocreme to prevent any chaffing making the day really uncomfortable, a bottle of infinit and a shot of beetroot to make sure I was as fuelled up as possible.

Then it was time to race! It was rather fresh in the water with the other solo competitors at the start, including friend and training buddy Wes Fraser who was doing it solo for his first time. Once we began, I got into a good rhythm in the first swim, and was ahead out of the water into the first transition. The first transition was a little chaotic! I sat in the deck chair whilst Amy and John ripped my wetsuit off and put my gloves, socks and shoes on.

I took off on the bike, just trying to keep things under wraps and not get excited too early. It was fresh on the first ride, but I wore a wind vest along with arm warmers, which was perfect. I really enjoy the first ride, the section around Aranda, Black Mountain and Bruce, still, peaceful and great views as the sun rises and the air is still crisp. I came into the next transition feeling good, and excited for the first run. This transition was super smooth, and in no time was off up Mount Majura. It was so cool the buzz in transition as all the teams were waiting for their riders to come in, the sun was warm and the encouragement was a massive boost.

I knew at some point on this run I would be overtaken by the first team runners, and was hoping this would be towards the top of Mt Majura, a bit later than last time I raced. But as I was about halfway up Craig Benson came screaming past. I tried to just focus on my race, and not get down because I thought I was going slower than last time (I wasn’t racing with a watch, just going off feel). The section through the single track in Majura Pines is always such a highlight. The soft light through the trees and smell of pine needles a really nice juxtaposition with the more rugged Australian bush which most the course highlights.

Heading into the main climb of Mt Ainslie I was feeling slightly more fatigued than I was hoping but this was nicely balanced by the boost I got from the team runners coming past at regular intervals. Up top my team were there cheering me on which was really cool, and I happily got into the descent knowing the hard work was over for a while. I was really happy with my shoe choice for this race – a set of Altra Instinct’s, super comfortable with heaps of cushioning for the descents and bike path sections of the course.

Coming into the next transition I was pretty warm and looking forward to getting into the lake for a cool off and change of pace. I decided against a wetsuit, as the hassle of getting into a wet one for this leg definitely outweighed the efficiency gains I would get from it. The first 1 km of the swim was pure bliss, really good rhythm, really nice cool down. But the cool down unfortunately continued and I got really cold by the end of it. This combined with having consumed 0 calories in the 55 minute swim meant I was stumbling out of the water and onto my bike. Will definitely eat something in the middle of this swim next time, and investigate maybe a speed suit or something to keep just a bit warmer.

The next ride I got back into a good groove after the first 5 km on bike path. It was really cool, going across the arboretum and out through Coppins crossing I was trying to stay with Cristy Henderson as she came past. I was a bit quicker on the flats (aero bars on a mountain bike work on this course!) but she put plenty into me on the climbs. The problem was, because I had been cold and hungry getting out from the swim I then didn’t stick to my plan on this leg, and consumed double the calories I had planned to.

Getting off the bike and starting to run up Taylor I was not in the happiest place, I felt like I was going to throw up, was heavy and tired in the heat. I took my only walk of the race up the super steep fire road, walking backwards for a bit, sideways for a bit, just trying to take the load off different muscles. It was feeling like a really long day when I reached the top of Mt Taylor. Fortunately I realised that I had overeaten so just had water on this leg, and by the time I got to Tuggeranong pool for the final swim my stomach had come good. I knew I would have lost a heap of time on that run and that second place was uncomfortably close.

It was a pool swim due to the closure of Lake Tuggeranong due to algae. Jumping in was such a relief to be off my feet, however the pool was boiling hot! It was good actually having the pool swim though because it allowed me to see Warren who was in second place, which was a good jolt.

This combined with my stomach being back to normal meant I hit the final bike leg with the most energy I had all day. The 2 no dose (first caffeine of the day) also helped that. I felt great, and stuck with a couple of team riders that came past me heading up to Wanniasa Trig and loved the flowing fire road of Isaac’s ridge in the mid afternoon heat. The tunnel to finish the ride is never fun when you are 6’5” and its really disorienting when you are fatigued from having raced for over 10 hours already.

I burst out of the tunnel and was ready to hit the last run hard(ish). Another smooth transition with not much time sitting down and then I was off up Red Hill, the last climbing of the day. Coming down and onto the bike path in Curtin I felt much better than 2011, I think because my stomach had forced me to hold back more than I otherwise would have on the second run. It really was a stunning spring afternoon, and coming past Lady Denman Dr my crew let me know for the first time that I was on track to do about 11:30:00. The final 5 km I pushed, going along my favourite section of the lake bike path and with massive relief and ecstasy arrived at the finish line in 11:26:02 a full 30 minutes quicker than my last attempt.

A huge thanks to my support team for their logistical juggling, to all the volunteers and the Sri Chinmoy Marathon team in organising such an amazing event, to Infinit nutrition for making an awesome custom product that takes the guess work out, and to Onyabike Canberra for Bike support.

To race this event surrounded by such wonderful friends and endurance athletes is such a privilege. While the race didn’t go perfectly, I couldn’t have been happier at the end of it. I learnt lots, I experienced lots, and just had great fun which lets be honest is the reason we do this stuff. I can’t wait for the next opportunity to race this, and I hope that I am able to learn, experience and enjoy just as much.

For other race reports or information on my training and racing please visit www.rowanbeggsfrench.com

Triple-Triathlon Story Archive

Triple Triathlon Race Report 2015 - by Warren Evans

The training build up to this race was similar to my build up in 2014, which went nicely to plan until thwarted by the 2014 race cancellation due to closure of the national parks because of hot temperatures and windy weather. This event is special. It’s an off-road triple triathlon, that’s point- to-point, taking athletes through the multitude of lakes and trails of Canberra.

This 2015 event saw perfect conditions, warming up to mid-20s with some cloud covering in the middle section of the day. I felt this year I was going to be able to race, as compared to my 2012 effort which was a survival to the line with a lack of proper training in the preceding months due to heavy workloads and injury.

Swim 1 – 1.5k

5:30am start for us 8 foolhardy solo athletes, with a small crowd of family and friends to wish us off into the murky lake Ginninderra in the breaking light. I struggled to see the buoys in the distance for this first swim, and ended up trying to follow feet instead, until I realised some had no idea where they were going either – and there weren’t many feet to follow!

Bike1–35k

First transition – my wife, Sarah Anne was ready with everything i needed for the first mountain bike leg, plus gilet and arm warmers as temp was still in single figures at this point in the day. I jumped onto the bike, and remembered how one has to be super attentive to look out for white arrows sprayed on the road / cycle path / trails to go the right way. I overtook a few people in front on the fireroads, determined to hold onto that comfortable / uncomfortable effort level. I missed one of the painted arrows and lost about a minute heading in the wrong direction in the forest. This wouldn’t be the last time! ‘Push bike hill’ lived up to its name – 10mins up super steep rocky trail that was difficult to walk up in cycle shoes. The trail climbed Black Mountain upto the base of Telstra tower, then we headed back down. Sarah Anne popped up on the trail on the way down and shouted that I was 5mins behind the lead solo in second place – wow, what a great surprise! Towards the end of the bike, I was passed by some gun bikers from the teams doing the event, and tried to jump onto their wheels for a draft but wasn’t able to hang on for long enough without going into the red zone. Sarah Anne met me at the transition zone with runners and running backpack holding water and gels.

Run1–20k

Time to start the first and longest the run of the day. Out of T2 and straight up the first climb and then up to the highest point on the course, Mt Ainslie. Sarah Anne appeared at the top here, cheering me on as I touched the trig point and then headed across to Mt Taylor via some swoopy berm-filled downhill mountain bike trails – wish we could’ve ridden these instead of run them! Halfway through this run I looked at my watch and saw 3hrs36mins, and thought ah, if this was Xterra I’ll be finishing very shortly, but here I haven’t even finished the first triathlon! Felt fairly strong coming down Anzac Parade, past the multiple military memorials and then alongside Burley Griffin lake towards the leg I was dreading the most...

Swim 2 – 3.5k

The water was warmer than in previous years, but brown and visibility so poor you couldn’t see your hand in front of your face. The first km I really struggled. The collar on my wetsuit rubbed, I felt super-restricted around my shoulders, and it was as though I’d forgotten how to swim – pulling through super early, lifting my head, etc, etc. Eventually I settled into a rhythm. I tried to keep a decent cadence, but it ended up being fairly low tick rate. My shoulders really ached, and I wasn’t able to relax them – perhaps the ride / run had made them tense/my wetsuit wasn’t pulled up enough over my sweat drenched skin in transition? Either way it felt like slow going. You swim the length of the lake and cross to the other side, under the large concrete bridge, there’s a water stop on a jetty around half way, so I took a quick stop for a drink of water, then continued doggedly, under the second big bridge and back to the other side of the lake. Then cramp in the right leg struck, so it locked out and dragged rather as I continued to pull myself forward as much as I could. Again, seeing where to go was abit of a challenge as the buoys are rather small, so had to breast stroke at every one to get my bearings and work out where to head next. Eventually found myself on the beach the other side – it felt slower than it was, and definitely was a mental challenge. Time gap to first place is stretching out now to 12mins.

Bike2–40k

The longest swim of the day is followed by the longest bike of the day. I headed off on the bike paths that crisscross Canberra to start, and then hit the trails. The race takes in ALL of Canberras hills and this leg had the pleasure of the long slog of a granny ring climb up Mt Stromlo. I was conscious of keeping the regular food intake going, as well as the fluids and salt tabs (every transition Sarah Anne would feed me salt tabs as the temps climbed). I managed to jump onto the

wheel of a passing biker from one of the teams and had a fantastic draft for 10mins on flat fire roads. I never got to thank him actually, as he was able to get across a road ahead of me before the traffic came through and we got split up. I headed down into the transition area, which is no more than an area of grass by a bike path, stacked with people, either waiting to tag team or looking for their solo racer. The heat was climbing at this point just in time for the next run.

Run2–12k

This run is the shortest, but one of the toughest. Mentally, thing just start to feel hard at this point in the race. You don’t get much time to spin the legs out before you’re climbing straight up to the top of Mt Taylor, touching the trig point briefly, before bombing down the quad-busting steep path the other side. I can’t remember much of the remainder of this run except that I felt much better than I had the previous time when I had to walk backwards up the hill due to shot legs and stomach cramps! This run ends along some thankful shaded and flatter cycle paths all the way to Tuggeranong and the start of the final ‘triathlon’ of the day!

Swim 3 – 1.2k

Lake Tuggeranong was closed to swimming which, quite frankly, was a relief to me as last time this swim took me 37mins, and climbing out the metal ladder at the end with cramping legs was not fun! This time we were in the overheated water of Tuggeranong Leisure Centre for 1200m worth of laps. I was hoping this would be cruise, and a big push off each 25m length would save my aching shoulders. Unfortunately each push off made my right leg cramp so there was little value in doing this! Up and down the lane, under the lane rope for 8 lanes, get out walk to the start and repeat 3 times. The team swimmers were slamming around in the water, for some this is the only leg they do so they give it everything with little regard for anyone else, my yellow soloers cap meant nothing as they splashed and thundered past. My lazy cadence meant I was swiftly passed by someone in a yellow swimcap indicating another solo athlete which was devastating! He eyeballed me as he came past, checking out the competition. I then realised he was in first place and was doing laps in front of me, so wasn’t the 3rd place athlete overtaking me after all – phew!

Bike3–24k

24km sounds short, but was this bike is very tough, with 2 big climbs, and a chunky 5mins+ of bike pushing due to rock-laden steepness. At this stage I was struggling to get myself into the comfortable / uncomfortable edge, as didn’t have the energy to get myself to that place, despite diligent eating & drinking. I ended up missing a turning so got lost with a couple of other guys to the tune of 7-8mins and using up more energy having to climb back up hills. Frustrating, and started to make me panic a little as I knew 3rd place had started in the pool as I was leaving, even with a 25min time gap I didn’t know if he had more in the tank than me after this long racing. I tried to calm myself and focus on my own effort. When I didn’t trust my tired self not to crash on a not particularly technical downhill, I walked it, giving up more valuable time. The final 100m of this leg is through a tight storm drain tunnel – scooted myself along sitting on the top tube with my helmet scraping on the top of the tunnel, focussing on the light and noise of people at the final transition area at the end. Lovely to come out into daylight and hear the cheers for the person in 2nd place solo category – me!! Sarah Anne was again super-organised and diligent – quick turnaround and out onto the final run.

Run3–13k

Up onto the trails and final set of hills to finish us off, then down to the relative flat concrete cycle paths for 6k to the finish. I looked at my watch as hit the cycle path – 11:28 on the clock, 6k to go, possible to go under 12hrs if 5min/k pace is held. I was ticking over at 5:20, and could just hit 5:10, but taking it down to 5min/k and holding it was beyond my energy levels. I was struggling to keep gels steady in my stomach too by this stage. Tried to relax and just keep moving forward. There were a few slopes encountered in the last couple of kms which made me smile, as I remember in 2012 these were the ‘hills’ that I was unable to run up in the darkness despite Sarah Anne, would run out from the finish line to find me, encouraging me on to the end! I managed to push on and cross the line in 12:07, feeling very satisfied with my effort and the result .

I definitely felt I was able to race this event this year, even if swims 2 & 3 were slower than wanted, and the final bike / run was not as racy as I wanted them to be. Massive thank you first and foremost to the lovely Sarah Anne who kept me moving swiftly through all transitions and gave me all the support and encouragement I needed. Thank you to Prachar and the team at Sri Chinmoy for another great event, creating a relaxed, friendly atmosphere and a fantastic spread of food post- race. And thank you to my fellow adversaries out on course, and all of you who sent messages of support, whether via text, email or FB – it really makes a difference. Now, where’s that cake??

The 17th Sri Chinmoy Triathlon Festival was staged in and around Canberra on Sunday 24 November 2013. Full results, both overall and by category follow:

Sri Chinmoy Triple-Triathlon, 24 November 2013, full results by category>>

Sri Chinmoy Triple-Triathlon, 24 November 2013, full results overall>>

Sri Chinmoy Triple-Triathlon, 24 November 2013, top 3 placings in each leg, by category>>

Race Photos

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Rarely if ever have conditions aligned as perfectly: recent rains had rendered Canberra's tracks and trails soft and fast, the surroundings an ever-refreshing green; the day dawned still and a little overcast, Nature herself a chorus of encouragement for all who bent their wills, minds and bodies into the formidable quest which is Canberra's Sri Chinmoy Triple-Triathlon.

Though only two women completed the course solo this year, their two monumental performances combined to present a breathtaking race for the ages. Julie Quinn is the acknowledged "Queen of the Triple-Tri." This year she broke her own overall course record with her 12:15:59, and set no fewer than 4 new leg course records en route â€“ for all 3 run courses as well as the 2nd bike. Yet somehow she did not win. Unheralded, a new face had appeared at the start, Shannon Proffit from Queensland. Emerging from Lake Ginninderra 2 and a half minutes ahead of the next (male) swimmer, we wondered whether exuberance had got the better of her and she had simply started too fast. Julie was 6 and a half minutes behind, after only one leg â€¦ Julie duly regained 5 of those minutes on the 1st bike, and by the end of the 1st run had taken her customary lead position. The next swim though, would effectively decide the race. Shannon swam an incredible 51:11 â€“ a full 17 minutes faster than Julie and a time bettered by only 2 female team swimmers. Indomitable, Julie pegged back time on each of the succeeding bike and run legs, but a further 8 minute deficit in the final swim proved too high a mountain for even Julie to climb, leaving Shannon Proffit the new Women's Champion and Course Record holder in an amazing 12:02:59, one of the most striking and dominant debut Triple-Tri performances ever. We salute and applaud these two shining athletes for staging a truly inspiring and uplifting race.

In the men's solo race, Travis Wayth from Porepunkah, Victoria returned from the disappointment of losing his way and valuable time on the first bike leg in 2012, to state his credentials in the most emphatic way by winning the race in a superb 11:26:49. Still only in 3rd place half way through the day, Travis paced his race perfectly, saving his best legs for the back half where the going is traditionally the toughest.

In second came Canberra's Seb Dunne in 11:46:44; a consistent and cheerful performer throughout the day who collected a new course record for solo riders in the (slightly shorter now that Dairy Farmers Hill has been removed from the course) 2nd bike leg, of 1:49:51. A slowing pace on the final run leg might have made Seb vulnerable to a famously fast-finishing David Baldwin, whose 11:48:16 ranks as his second best time ever in 8 Triple-Tri finishes (the most by any solo competitor).

In 4th place was first-time triathlete and birthday boy Steven Hanley, who seemingly cruised through the course without a worry in the world; his 13:21:16 a wonderful return for a first solo attempt (Steve has previously participated in highly-placed teams for many years).

The 50+ solo category saw 8-times Ironman Adam Mort from Mudgee post a wonderful finish of 14:31:52. Adam was a train all day, single-mindedly pushing to the goal which he reached with perhaps the broadest smile of all. Special mention also to Martin McGready whose time of 13:37:10 was a lion-hearted effort, the culmination of 3 years' focus. Unfortunately an inadvertent technical breach by some over-enthusiastic supporters meant Martin's time could not be formally recognised, though in the annals of the Triple-Tri, he stands an esteemed finisher. We hope Martin will honour the Triple-Tri by returning with his dauntless spirit to race again.

There is often a battle royal between the fastest Team of 3 and the fastest Team of 9 and this year provided one of the most fascinating such duels in years. In the red corner, representing the Teams of 3, "Stuff the Puffs" are proven performers â€“ veteran Triple-Tri stalwarts John Fleming, Dave Osmond and Rob Walter who everyone knew would post fast individual splits and a very competitive overall time. In the blue corner, a surprise team had emerged when Peter Klein â€“ who had been trying to assemble a crack Over 50s combo â€“ and Luke Grattan â€“ whose aim had been his usual flawless super-elite team of all-stars â€“ both came up short. Peter and Luke then surprisingly combined their efforts and presented with a refreshing mix of younger guns (Oliver Bourne swam the fastest times of anyone for the 1st and 2nd swims, Brad Morton the fastest ride for the 1st bike and Craig Benson was just 2 seconds from the best time for the 1st run) and some older, wiser heads in Simon Claringbold, Peter Zygadlo, Luke Grattan and Peter Klein. The result was a riveting contest in which "Under the Radar" shot to a 14-minute lead after the 2nd swim, only to watch their lead slowly be whittled away â€¦ yet in the end "Under the Radar" prevailed in 8:45:28, just 4 minutes ahead of "Stuff the Puffs" in 8:49:33.

Second T3 Open was "The Kudos Junkies" (Kane Orr, Trevor Jacobs and Nick Horspool) in 9:52:22; from "Hell Racing Team" (Guy Jones, Chris Helliwell and Gary Rolfe) in 10:15:54. All Over 50s T3 Open of "Pushing the Envelope" (William Wilson, Guy Manera and Wayne Twist) travelled from Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane respectively to join forces in Canberra for their category win in 13:14:20. The irrepressible duo "Smart and even smarter" (Eugene Irvin and Michael Benson â€“ who said of his team mate: "What Smart lacks in ability, he makes up for in incompetence") took out the 60+ T3 Opens with 14:30:42.

Alexandra Debeljako, Scott Chancellor and Murray Robertson formed a winning combination "Tri Friends Club" in the T3 Mixed category with 10:03:27; from "Joint xosize" (Andrea Coleman, Jeff Gough and Jeff Grey) in 10:24:00; and "Beezoid Tough Kids" (Marish Beesley, James Kidd and Jono Beasley) in 11:14:34. Not too far behind them were the "Bullfrogs" (Petrina Quinn, Phil Fogarty and Peter Fogarty), whose 11:42:56 took out the Mixed T3 All Over 50s and set a new course record in the process!

In the deepest and most competitive category of T9 Open, behind the stellar "Under the Radar" came popular Triple-Tri regulars from Goulburn and Wolongong, the "Giant 440 Woody's" (Rod Smith, Rodney McWhirter, Peter Oberg, Andrew Dawes, Andrew Oberg, Jaemin Frazer, Lori McWhirter, Michael Beard and Stefan Hesse) in 9:35:27; from another Triple-Tri evergreen, the "Aviators Beach Club" (Dave Hayes, Sean Davis, Andy Thomas, Richard Palmer, Shelby Friedman, Damon Bennett and Jason Hart) in 10:13:15. Though his team didn't place in this category, Dylan Cooper blitzed a long-standing record for the 2nd bike leg by 7 minutes, setting a new benchmark of 1:22:32 for this demanding course.

In the T9 All-Female Teams, first home were "Skywhale" (which was missing in action on the day) â€“ Sally Parker, Danielle Winslow, Kristen Connell, Lisa Moore, Vicki Sweeney, Judi Barton, Stacey Rippon and Felicity Ryan) taking top spot in 11:53:50. Next were "Rad's Roses" (Krissa O'Neil, Bec Thorpe, Pam Muston, Alison Hale, Bianca Mauch, Diana Schneider, Samantha Bradley and Kate Forrester) in 12:09:07; and "The Hybrids" in 12:39:48 (Claire Howell, Janecke Wille, Sharon Marsden, Adrienne Nicotra, Michelle Inglis, Shoko Okada, Fiona Fraser, Tara Sutherland and Jose ten Have).

A stand-out performance came from "The Tearaways" â€“ the only All Over 60 T9 Female team of Pam Munday, Rae Palmer, Carol Baird, Brenda Day, Toni Bolschelar, Maryann Busteed, Nerida Clarke, Ann Ingwersen and Cathy Montalto, who missed only one cut-off in the whole day, and that by barely one minute. Organisers will review the cut-off times for all legs in the light of "The Tearaways" wonderful contribution to the 2013 race.

"Powered by Powells" (Jennifer Bardsley, Simon Edwards, Simon Fairweather, Iain Addinell, Rod Higgins, Adam Leane, Fiona Mavris and Allison Campbell) powered their way to 1st place in the T9 Mixed in an impressive 9:30:35; from "Shaun is optimistic" (Caitlin McCluskey, Charlotte Peterson, Patrick Jackson, Jacqueline Sale, Mark Van Der Ploeg, Dario Mavec, Bronwyn Thomson, Shaun Archer and Natalie Archer), whose 10:56:23 featured a stellar final run leg from Natalie Archer â€“ the 3rd fastest time for the leg on the day and a new female course record. 3rd in this category were "We Just Want to Finish As Well" (Charles Higgins, David Cooper, Gregory Miller, Jeremy Mickle, Will Witheridge, Anna Engwerda-Smith, Marie Taylor, Cathryn Geiger and Brendan Hatton) in 11:06:42. "Rad's Ravers" (Peter Dunn, John-Paul de Sousa, Carol Harding, Lindy Dunn, Caroline Campbell, John Kennedy, Hugh Crawley and Ray Bramwell) were the second of Rad Leovic's teams to grace the podium, this time taking out the T9 Mixed All Over 50s in 12:57:19 â€“ a new course record for their category.

Sincere thanks to all volunteers who helped on the day, in particular members from the Gungahlin and other SES Units who manned all the road crossings; to Fiona Mcwhinnie from Triathlon Australia who served the demanding role of Technical Delegate; to Hammer Nutrition for supplying their excellent products to all aid stations; Canberra Canoe Club and YMCA Sailing Club for support on the swim legs; Sports Medicine AUstralia for medical support throughout the event; officers of the National Capital Authority, ACT Government's City Services, Canberra Nature Park without whose support and cooperation this massive event could not happen, year after year.

Full results (both overall and by category) are published, along with several photos albums from various legs of the course.