Hero photograph
Jack Divers prepares to dismount his bike
 

South Island Secondary Schools’ Triathlon and Duathlon Championships

Andrew Willmott —

A team of seven boys represented the School at the South Island Triathlon and Duathlon Championships in the weekend. The Oamaru Triathlon, in its 33rd year, has become the annual event at which the South Island Schools’ Championships are contested. 

A team of seven boys represented the School at the South Island Triathlon and Duathlon Championships in the weekend. The Oamaru Triathlon, in its 33rd year, has become the annual event at which the South Island Schools’ Championships are contested. In what was a busy weekend for events, with the Motatapu and Weetbix triathlons, the number of competitors were down on previous years. This was unfortunate for the Senior Boys’ team who were the only entrants in their division. Despite the limited opposition they were still able to beat some accomplished individual athletes over the line and record the fastest time of the day. This was an excellent effort given it was only the second open water swim Nick Pryde had completed (which he won convincingly) and cyclist Louis Harris had ridden in a gruelling 52km race the previous day. Runner, Nathan Hill, quickly knocked out the 5km run for an overall time of 58 minutes and 46 seconds.

Jack Divers was the best placed finisher in the Under-16 boys triathlon. He finished fourth, missing out on the podium by a mere 7 seconds. This could quite easily been bettered but for a lack of communication from marshals on the bike course which saw Jack take a wrong turn and lose valuable time. Other entrants in this grade were Elliot Alloo and Walter Savage who finished 13th and 14th respectively. Both boys gained valuable experience and will again be eligible to contest this grade next year.

In the Under-16 Boys duathlon, Shea Darwen ran through stomach aches to finish fifth.