Gerard Grant wins again to take hold of Triathlon Club Championship

After local triathletes got into the swing of 2023 with the Holiday Hangover event, points were back on the line on Sunday as the Geraldton Triathlon Club held race three of its Club Championship Series.

The series once again featured the enticer, short and long courses, with Gerard Grant making it two wins in a row in the championship series.

In what organisers described as perfect conditions, Grant appeared fourth after the swim, more than four minutes after Byron Clarkson had completed the leg.

But the swim leg has not been Grant’s strong suit all season, and once back on land no one could catch, him dominating the cycle and run leg to finish well clear of Clarkson in second place.

Grant has now won the past two legs ahead of Clarkson while also winning the Triple Triathlon, with no one able to match him on the bike or on foot.

In the women’s event, Emma Jones won on the long course in a tightly fought race in which the top three were separated by less than three minutes.

Jones had the measure of runner-up Fabiana Ruiz but only just, to win in a time of 1hr.28min., with Ruiz crossing in 1:30 and Lisa Cockman just 18sec. behind in third.

Paul Burkinshaw won the short course ahead of Andrew Blackburn in just over an hour, with the cycle leg proving the difference. Blackburn was only a minute behind him.

Petrina Wakelam won the female short course ahead of Brooke Kimpton and Judy Heylen — her second in a row in the short category.

Trish Sylver won the women’s enticer course 10sec. ahead of Richelle Giltrap in the closest race of the day.

Mathijs Travasso was the winner in the male category in 30min. 30sec., two minutes clear of Scott Dethlefsen in second.

Competitors will be back in action on Sunday for the The Aussie Crawl event.