SUNDAY AFTERNOON SAW close to 200 triathletes take part in the Middle Distance National Championships, which were held in Groomsport, Co. Down.
The race distance was a challenging 1.9km swim, 90km bike followed by a half marathon and attracted some of the most talented and experienced long distance athletes the country has to offer.
For the men, UK based Matt Molloy, a seasoned international Ironman competitor for Ireland, opened up a considerable gap during the swim exiting the water in 24:25. His nearest rival was some three minutes back and made no inroads into Molloy’s lead during the 90km bike.
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Rory Maguire, Peter Savage and Ian Farrell used their strong biking to make their way towards the sharp end of the field, but no one could close the gap on Molloy, who posted the fastest split of the day averaging close to 36kph throughout.
Molloy exited the second transition with an eight minute lead and looked a dead cert for the victory.
Maguire had different ideas however and quickly started to reel in the leader, eventually overhauling Molloy in the final kilometres. He set a blistering 1hr 23min half marathon split over difficult terrain to finish in a time of 4:28:12.
For Molloy, the wheels came off during the run but he couldn’t be too disappointed with his second place finish, while Peter Savage’s 1hr 27min half marathon was enough to guarantee third spot.
Surprise
For the ladies, the Sprint National Champion, Katie Cooke, and Olympic National Champion, Aoife Lynch, were expected to battle it out for the overall win however Jen Duffy who missed much of the season due to injury exited the water just 45 seconds down on the prerace favourites.
Duffy had a strong bike leg putting three minutes into Lynch over the 90 kilometres. She then set about extending that even further and posted a 1hr 33min 19sec half marathon to win in a time of 4:45:25.
Duffy’s victory further shows the strength in depth of women’s triathlon racing with a different winner in each of the National Championship races.
Lynch was second in a time of 4:51:57 while Cooke was just two minutes back in third.
Meanwhile, elite Irish triathlete, Bryan Keane, was racing alongside F1 star Jenson Button at the Jenson Button Trust Triathlon, which took place in Luton Estate in Bedfordshire over the weekend.
Many triathlon fans will have raced alongside Button at this year’s TriAthy triathlon where he finished an impressive seventh overall. Keane made the most of his invitation to Button’s race, winning by almost a minute.
Tri-Time: Maguire wins Middle Distance National Championships
SUNDAY AFTERNOON SAW close to 200 triathletes take part in the Middle Distance National Championships, which were held in Groomsport, Co. Down.
The race distance was a challenging 1.9km swim, 90km bike followed by a half marathon and attracted some of the most talented and experienced long distance athletes the country has to offer.
For the men, UK based Matt Molloy, a seasoned international Ironman competitor for Ireland, opened up a considerable gap during the swim exiting the water in 24:25. His nearest rival was some three minutes back and made no inroads into Molloy’s lead during the 90km bike.
Rory Maguire, Peter Savage and Ian Farrell used their strong biking to make their way towards the sharp end of the field, but no one could close the gap on Molloy, who posted the fastest split of the day averaging close to 36kph throughout.
Molloy exited the second transition with an eight minute lead and looked a dead cert for the victory.
For Molloy, the wheels came off during the run but he couldn’t be too disappointed with his second place finish, while Peter Savage’s 1hr 27min half marathon was enough to guarantee third spot.
Surprise
For the ladies, the Sprint National Champion, Katie Cooke, and Olympic National Champion, Aoife Lynch, were expected to battle it out for the overall win however Jen Duffy who missed much of the season due to injury exited the water just 45 seconds down on the prerace favourites.
Duffy had a strong bike leg putting three minutes into Lynch over the 90 kilometres. She then set about extending that even further and posted a 1hr 33min 19sec half marathon to win in a time of 4:45:25.
Lynch was second in a time of 4:51:57 while Cooke was just two minutes back in third.
Meanwhile, elite Irish triathlete, Bryan Keane, was racing alongside F1 star Jenson Button at the Jenson Button Trust Triathlon, which took place in Luton Estate in Bedfordshire over the weekend.
Many triathlon fans will have raced alongside Button at this year’s TriAthy triathlon where he finished an impressive seventh overall. Keane made the most of his invitation to Button’s race, winning by almost a minute.
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aoife lynch Athletics Cycling ian farrell Ireland jen duffy Jenson Button katie cooke Matt Molloy middle distance National Championships peter savage rory maguire Running strong field Swimming Triathlon Triathy Triple Threat