Alexi Petrie (Auckland) held on from a fast finishing Kieran McPherson (Matamata) to win the Trophy event at the Whangamata round of the .kiwi Tri Series in a race held in sweltering conditions on a near perfect Coromandel summer's day while in the women's race, it was a maiden victory for Natasha Bowyer (Auckland).
 Natasha Bowyer crosses the line in first place |
 Alexi Petrie on the beach run |
|
| (Photos: Darryl Carey; click to enlarge) | ||
Petrie was locked in a titanic battle with Matt Franklin in the swim and first part of the bike but Franklin was forced to withdraw, the Aucklander had been ill in the lead up to the race and made the decision to safe himself for another day when his heart rate got a little too high late on the first lap of the 40km bike.
From that point Petrie concentrated on putting enough distance between himself and McPherson, knowing that his rival had the better run record so far this summer.
"It was like nothing else out there today, it was so hot, along the beach it was a headwind and that combined with the heat, it was just murder. At Mount Maunganui I had a bit of a lead off the bike and Kieran caught me so today I put a bit more burn down on the bike and just tried to stay away but I was definitely running scared.
"It was really nice on the back of the course, I have been doing a lot of cycling so I enjoyed the hills, I really enjoyed the course. I am stoked, this is my best result to date and now I have finished Uni I am keen to have a real crack at the season so this is great."
McPerherson tried to stay in touch on the bike but admitted to not having the legs on the second lap.
"I was hurting a little on the second lap of the bike, they pulled away a bit and today it was just too much for me to run down. I saw that Matt had pulled out but it was just too far to catch up on the run."
In the women's race it was a first ever victory for Natasha Bowyer, the young Aucklander proving too strong in the hot conditions.
"The last lap of the run, coming down the beach, it felt like I wasn't moving! It was good to get up on the grass again and get to the finish. This is probably the fastest I have been running, I have been working on that through the winter, I am now looking to work on my bike. This is the first time I have won a triathlon so it feels great."
The sprint distance events were won by Ashleigh Williams (Auckland) and Damien Decas (New Plymouth), both in impressive times in the hot conditions from a host of up and coming young athletes.
It was otherwise a hugely successful day with the new venue at Island View Park proving a huge hit with pareticipants and spectators alike, allowing for a safe and enjoyable day by the nearly 500 who took part in the variety of races on offer, from the kids 1:2:1 to the trophy race over the standard triathlon distance, there were plenty of great stories and whoops of delight upon crossing the finish line.
Results: .Kiwi Tri Series Whangamata
Trophy Race (1500m swim, 40km bike, 10km run)
Men
1. Alexi Petrie (Auckland) 2:05:39
2. Kieran McPherson (Matamata) 2:06:21
3. Todd Davidson (Tauranga) 2:11:55
Women
1. Natasha Bowyer (Auckland) 2:24:57
2. Elaine Brent (Wellington) 2:27:58
3. Lynn Hodgkinson (Hamilton) 2:28:31
Sprint Race (750m swim, 20km bike, 5km run)
Men
1. Damien Decas (New Plymouth) 1:00:12
2. Andrew Ranford (Auckland) 1:00:42
3. David Martin (Palmerston North) 1:02:20
Women
1. Ashleigh Williams (Auckland) 1:07:29
2. Elizabeth Stannard (Palmerston North) 1:08:05
3. Molly Swanson (Auckland) 1:11:12
Full results for all events, including kids 1:2:1, 3:9:3 and teams racing will be available today at www.triseries.co.nz.
