LAST WEEKEND SAW soaring numbers take part in the annual Letterkenny Tri a Tri hosted by 247 Triathlon club at the very popular Aura Leisure Centre.
From the crack of dawn a flurry of the hard working volunteers were putting the final touches to the race course and competitors from the four corners of the country were rolling into a welcoming 247 Tri-Club registration.
With nervous competitors making final adjustments in warm ups, it signalled that the moment has finally arrived: ‘This is it my first ever triathlon’.
All those hours of training and rehearsing have all come down to this, you could feel the energy it was palatable, courageous and contagious.
Under the careful supervised by Karl Vekins and Conor Eannetta of Triathlon Ireland the 10.30am hooter sounded, and they were off. In what was a still calm swimming pool was now a wash of colourful tri-suits.
A total of 200 meters was the tri a tri distance before leaving the pool to take on the 13km bike course.
The adrenaline was flowing making the pace frantic from the 50 competing competitors.
[adrotate group=”12″]Support from family and friends on the day was just amazing for the newbies to the sport and the cheers of pride were surly welcoming as the entered transition for the final time changing from cycling to running for the final 3k to the finish line, which is not an easy task.
First in and winner was 247 club member Philip Browne followed by Liam Wilson and third was Joseph Stunks both representing northwest triathlon club.
First in for the ladies and impressively 4th over all was a young letterkenny junior Shauna McFadden followed by fellow junior member Emma Tinney.
[adrotate group=”38″]Next up was the turn of the more experienced as 85 triathletes taking on the super sprint course.
With a quality field, it wasn’t long until the strong athletes established themselves at the head of the field seeing Derry triathlete Sean McLaughlin winning from local Fergus Callaghan. Following in third was local native Ronan Dorrian.
