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Race Directors Michael and Val Kimpton.
The 26th Airlie Beach Triathlon yet again earned its place as a treasured highlight of the Whitsunday calendar, drawing athletes to the shores of the Coral Sea for a weekend of pure grit, celebration and community entertainment.
From first-time competitors to experienced triathletes, 512 athletes took to the water, roads and foreshore across the weekend, with competitors ranging from five-year-old juniors to age-group veterans aged over 70.
“Well, it was just a dream come true,” said Race Director Michael Kimpton.
“We put so much planning, so much preparation into the event and it just turned out gold.”
“It looked like everyone was having a blast out there.”
While plenty were chasing personal bests, for many the event was simply about crossing the finish line, with every participant receiving a commemorative finisher's medal in recognition of their achievement.
The elite field delivered a fitting spectacle on Sunday, with Josh Ferris claiming his second Airlie Beach Standard Triathlon title in a blistering 1:49:14, narrowly holding off Olympian Jake Birtwhistle in a thrilling finish. In the women's standard triathlon, Jasmine Brown crossed the line in 2:02:47 to take victory ahead of perennial IRONMAN contender Penny Slater.
While the elite competitors impressed, some of the weekend's most memorable moments came elsewhere. Cairns' Julian Visintin completed his first triathlon after losing 90 kilograms in 18 months, while a blind athlete Peter Edwards completed the swim, bike and runalongside his carer, Fiona Millar. Their achievements were a reminder that the Airlie Beach Triathlon is about far more than podium finishes.
Of the 512 competitors, 122 were juniors, making up almost a quarter of the field and highlighting the bright future of the event.
“They were just kids going the hardest,” Michael said.
“The smiles on their faces were amazing- that's what we wanted to see.”
The weekend was capped off with a Banquet at the Coral Sea Resort, where athletes, sponsors and the town’s unmissable faces gathered to celebrate another successful Airlie Beach Triathlon.
Event organisers thanked the many sponsors and volunteers who made the 26th Airlie Beach Triathlon possible, with special recognition given to the Whitsunday Regional Council, the Queensland Government, Tourism and Events Queensland, naming sponsors Airlie Smile Care and McDonald's, and the volunteers from Whitsunday Suicide Prevention and Plants Whitsunday Landscapes for their invaluable support.
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