THE shores of the Shoalhaven River were a hive of activity on Saturday, with the running of the ninth Raine and Horne Nowra Triathlon Festival.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Participants came from near and far to compete in events that appealed to beginners through to the more experienced.
Among the more experienced was Erowal Bay’s Matt Lewis, who recently earned his professional triathlon license.
Lewis, who is preparing to compete among an internationally star studded field in Huskisson in February, dominated the standard distance race on home turf, winning by a convincing six minutes and 56 seconds.
“I am really pleased with how my training is tracking towards Husky in February,” Lewis said.
“I have been working really hard in the pool and it’s great to see some of my hard work paying off, to come away with the win at home”.
After last year’s third placing to rival professional Sam Douglas, Lewis came out of the water with vengeance, entering transition one minute and 10 seconds ahead of James Martin of Caringbah.
Despite a valiant effort, Martin was no match for the Lewis, who showed that he is worthy of the newly earned professional license.
Lewis pulled away on the bike by six minutes and 17 seconds before Martin had one last shake in the standard distance race pulling the lead in by one minute 40 seconds on the 10km run.
Balgowlah’s Jessica Henderson took line honours in the women’s standard distance in fantastic form finishing in a time of 2.24.28, just 13 seconds ahead of second placed Julie Howle of Baulkham Hills.
The pair battled it out over the standard distance race, a 1.5km swim in the Shoalhaven River, a 40km ride through Terrara, and a 10km run back along the shores of the Shoalhaven River and across the iconic Nowra Bridge.
Very little separated the two throughout the race, however it was a slightly stronger bike leg by Henderson that saw the 24-year-old atop of the podium.
The next event on the South Coast and the year’s biggest triathlon is just around the corner, with the Shimano Husky Triathlon Festival on February 22-24.
This is a weekend full of active events, including a swim, fun runs, and triathlons for kids and adults – where more than 6000 participants are expected to compete across the three days.
For entry and information go to www.eliteenergy.com.au/husky-long-course-triathlon-festival
Related content: Competitors splash and dash at the Nowra Triathlon
