Mooloolaba Triathlon Celebrates 30th Anniversary in Style

Athletes from across Australia have descended on the Sunshine Coast to celebrate the 30^th anniversary of the Mooloolaba Triathlon.

More than 4,000 competitors took to the water and roads of Mooloolaba on Sunday for a 1.5km swim, 40km ride and 10km run, before crossing the finish line on Mooloolaba Esplanade.

Brisbane’s Kieran Storch claimed victory in the Standard Triathlon, crossing the line in 1:51:40, almost a minute clear of Dean Cane, with Michael Boult four minutes further back in third.

“I had a pretty great day out there today, even if I had a bad day it’s pretty hard to complain,” said Storch. “It’s a cracking day, especially after all of the dramas with floods and whatnot, I’m really, really happy, it’s a great start to the year.

“I just tried to relax on the swim, normally I go too crazy at the start, burn up and then fall off the back so I had a good swim for me and then just tried to go as hard as possible on the bike and hold my form on the run,” he said.

Emily Donker was the first female in the Standard Triathlon, finishing in 2:09:36, with Rosie McGeoch second in 2:11:18 and Esther Horn a further 30 seconds behind.

“I really enjoyed the race out there, I’m feeling really high, it was a great experience,” said Donker. “The conditions are fantastic, Mooloolaba has really turned it on for the 30^th anniversary and it’s great to see everyone out on course now enjoying it.

“It was a relatively small field for us at the front today so we came out of the water quite close together,” she said. “The bike course was deceptively tough with the headwind coming back. On the way out we felt alright and then once we turned around it stung the legs a little bit, I felt quite good on the run, I really enjoyed it.

“It’s fantastic, the crowds are really enjoying it and everyone is really excited to be here so it’s a great atmosphere,” said Donker.

Australian Olympic swimming gold medallist Jessicah Schipper has made the move from the pool to the triathlon course, with the 35-year-old completing her first Mooloolaba Triathlon.

“That’s probably one of the hardest things I’ve done in my life, it was just so long,” said Schipper. “But it was awesome, everyone was so supportive and it was a good atmosphere and it made it easier I think, knowing that everyone was out there doing the same thing, I’m really proud of myself but hurting now.

“The swim was good, all of the volunteers were clapping us along every time we passed them, the bike was nice but that headwind on the way back sucked and the same with the run,” she said. “The sprinklers were awesome and I loved the water stations, the kids were good there as well.”

After years of focusing on the pool, the two-time Olympic champion enjoyed the challenge of combining swimming, riding and running while preparing for the Mooloolaba Triathlon.

“The training was probably better because I could mix it up between sports so it was more interesting but to put them all together into one event is crazy,” she said. “Maybe tomorrow or next week I’ll think about another triathlon, once I recover from today a bit.”

The Mooloolaba Triathlon features a great mix of athletes, from those brand new to the sport to seasoned veterans.

A group of those who have recently discovered triathlon are Jordyn McCarthy, Sam Carr and Shaiden Smith, who made the trip to the Mooloolaba Triathlon from Federation University in Ballarat, Victoria.

“It was our first time here, it was awesome,” said Carr. “I was expecting it to be raining and muggy but it was a beautiful day. I forgot about the headwind coming back on the bike and smashed it all the way up, came back around and bang, hit it on the way back.

“We’ve only done one sprint race before this one, I’m coming back next year, that’s for sure,” he said.

Shaiden Smith said that the group enjoyed being a part of the atmosphere at the 30^th anniversary Mooloolaba Triathlon.

“We’ve come from Ballarat Fed Uni, all the way from Victoria, we love the warm weather and the warm water here, it’s a few degrees warmer than at home, it was amazing,” said Smith. “The atmosphere was amazing, I’ve done a few running events in the past but I definitely think the triathlon atmosphere is so good.”