New triathlon shows what's possible

KAROO SPORT NEWS - The first-ever Tri the Karoo triathlon held in Graaff-Reinet on Saturday 14 October provided a great day out for all competitors and is poised to grow into a huge event.

The aim of the Tri the Karoo is not only to give more people in the region access to this type of event, but also to provide something that has fallen off the calendar in the Karoo in recent years - a mass participation swim, bike, run (and walk) platform for athletes of all fitness and skill levels.

The Kids Distance event, comprising a 150m open-water swim, a 4km cycle and 1km run, provided the ideal steppingstone for youngsters and those weekend warriors taking their first strokes and strides in triathlon, while the Tri Fun Mania saw corporate teams and families spend some special time together being active in the outdoors.

The Sprint Distance event, comprising a 750m open water swim, a 20km cycle and a 5km run, provided the perfect distance for participants to get a feel for the sport while being perfectly achievable for a complete beginner for the most part.

The main feature of the day, and the event that attracted the most entrants, was the Olympic Distance event.

With the wet conditions, the 1 500m open-water swim, 40km tarmac and trail combination cycle and 10km run proved tough and technical, but the enthusiasm of the athletes, the level of racing and the praise for the venue and course proved that there is a big need for multi-sport events such as this and that Tri the Karoo will go from strength to strength.

The men's Olympic Distance event was won by professional road-racing cyclist Marc Pritzen, with Jarod Jordan in second place and Bruce Campbell in third.

"The event was really good value for money and very well organised - everything from the registration to the goodie bags and the course layout - I really enjoyed it," Pritzen said afterwards.

"The clean, clear water of the dam made for a magnificent start to a great event," he said. "The bike course was tough but that is what you expect in the Karoo. The run leg saw participants running over the wall of the Nqweba Dam, which was awesome. There were a few challenging climbs on the run, but we were rewarded with well-stocked water points. The event was well supported by the local community as well as the sponsors. All in all, it was a fantastic day out and I can see it growing into a big race in the future."

Results

The women's Olympic Distance event was won by Antonella Saporta, followed by Rousseau Snyman and Joleen Roussouw in third.
The Olympic Distance team event was won by the trio of Christ Stottelaar, Jaco van der Merwe and Sumene Jordaan.
The men's sprint event was won by Alessandro Fannichi – an amazing athlete, who recently represented Team South Africa at the 2023 Youth Commonwealth Games. He was followed by Union High School learner Ben Lemke and Hanson Singaphi - a Gqeberha triathlon legend - in third.
The women's Sprint Distance was won by Jade Singleton in first place, Graaff-Reinet local Claire Lemke in second and Janiene Schwarz third.
The Sprint Distance team event was won by Anna Clarke, Ilze Nel and Marnice Pieterse.
The boys' Kids event was won by Laer Volkskool learner Naude van der Merwe, followed by Mateo Schoeman, Mark Lemke and Daniel Davenport.
The girls' Kids event was won by Union learner Samantha Gilfillan, followed by Layla Ott and Katie Davenport.
The Kids' Team event was won by Amelia King, Lilly Hunter and Kari Stern.

The clear water of the dam made for a magnificent start to a great event.