SUNDAY RACE REPORT
Despite the dark start, it was nice to have a swim where you could see the first turning buoy instead of squinting into the rising sun. Don’t worry, we’ll be squinting again at the next club race!

It was a fairly low key race, with only 58 on the long course and 10 on the short course. Naturally, Richard Pearson was first over the line in an amazing 0:56:31. He just keeps getting faster. Joe Kane was next in 6 minutes later. Tenielle Stubbs was first female home and is showing some great speed and form of late. Kathy Ward was not far behind with true athletic style and barely a hint of slowing down or jet lag after a few weeks away overseas. Charles Barnes took on the long course and no doubt will shave even more minutes off his time if he gets himself onto a road bike (see CHTC classifieds below).

Also showing some good form were Mick Darlow, Mel McCosker and Kristie Hildebrand, all now reaping the benefits of consistent training.

Michael Ylinen won the short course in 0:36:50 and Jake Golding was not too far behind. There were a few familiar faces in the short course, whether recovering from longer distance races such as Lee Varney, or coming back from injury like Jo Magill, or just keeping your toe in the triathlon waters whilst juggling lots of other priorities like Ian Nash.

Whatever your motivation, it’s always great to see our members out on the course, short or long. Keep up the good work. 

BACK ON COURSE
It feels like an age since the last club race and so much has happened in the meantime. No doubt members are champing at the bit to get out racing again, keen to show off their speed over the sprint and enticer distances.

It will be business as usual on Sunday 22nd March, with our last race in daylight savings time (NB: daylight savings finishes at 3am on Sunday 5th April). Official sunrise won’t be until 6:52am, so it might be a good idea to bring a torch along so you can see while you’re setting up your transition area. It’s starting to get a little crisp in the mornings as well, so please ensure you are rugged up if you feel the cold.

The swim could be a little on the short side, with low tide at 4:23am, so the tide will only just be starting to come back in when we start at 6:30am. The water has been clear and warm lately, so be prepared for a possible wetsuit ban, but in beautifully clear water. As for the skies, rain is predicted so please also be prepared for potentially wet race. As always, please check the weather conditions closer to race day. 

bcu COFFS TRI
What a day! Once again, the weather came to the party and the rain showers stayed away for the big event on Sunday. The increasing heat made things harder on the run, and we were lucky that the winds and thunder storms stayed away until later in the afternoon. How good was it to race in our own backyard? 

CHTC was well-represented in all age groups and in both the Enticer and Olympic distances. There were also plenty of mini-CHTC members in the Enticer and also the kids’ races on Saturday. Jump online to Facebook and look for Nashy’s Pix. Nashy has once excelled himself with his photo coverage of the race and there are some great shots that you can purchase. Village Sports also has some great shots from both days.

We had an almost-full moon to set up our space in the crowded transition areas. As the sun rose over the Jetty, the Enticer racers took off. It was a close field at the pointy end, with Isiah Koopmans, Glen Price, Sam Burke, Glen George and Matthew Marsden all finishing within 4 minutes of eachother. Congratulations to Isiah for taking out the race. Looks like whatever lessons he needed to learn at All Schools were well and truly put into place on Sunday. The top 4 female finishers were also Coffs locals, with Chloe Bulloch showing some good genes and a strong future in triathlon with her first place finish. Alison Tarplee, Joanne Ferguson and Elora Croaker were all not far behind. Congratulations to everyone who participated in the Enticer, especially those taking on their first triathlon.