The 2022 Ganmain Open Sprint Triathlon saw 111 individual competitors line up to kick start the Riverina Tri Series.

With entries up on last year, it was always going to be a strong race with some fantastic depth across both the female and male triathletes.

Albury’s Jesse Featonby, in his green and gold Australia tri suit, was impressive from start to finish. He led the field from the starting gun and set a cracking early pace.

Windy conditions on the bike leg saw competitors tough it out against a nasty headwind on their return back into town. The two-loop course meant they had to deal with it twice before transitioning into the relative respite of the water and the 150 m swim leg.

Featonby’s biking background came to the fore and he dictated the race from this point on. Together with his silky swim leg he proved unbeatable in the final run leg, and took line hours for the second consecutive year in a time of 59 minutes and 32 seconds (59:32). Impressively, he is yet to be beaten in a Tri Series race.

Rounding out the top three males were Jeremy Kimpton from the ACT, a first-time competitor at Ganmain, and Dan Judd, a former winner of the Ganmain Triathlon and the Riverina Tri series, in times of 1:04:33 and 1:06:53 respectively.

One of the stories of the day was the phenomenal performance of 22-year-old Annabel White of Marrar.

A member of the Wagga Triathlon Club, White achieved something no previous female triathlete has done at Ganmain, securing a second place overall in the Open race. She finished in blistering time of 1:03:00 in what was a high-quality field.

New Zealander Llewellyn Angharad was second in 1:08:14 and Kelsey Tobin from Leeton third in 1:11:47. The result saw the top two female Riverina Tri Series triathletes from 2022 relegated to non-podium places and set the scene for a fantastic 2022 Riverina Tri Series.

The winning team in the Open Event were Ganmain-Grong Grong-Matong footballers Luke Walsh and Noah Hatty, a formidable team bringing together a quality mix of experience, endurance, youth and competitiveness. They finished in a handy time of 1:24:03, beating out another Ganmain team, the Ten-haves, who crossed the line in a time of 1:26:22.

The Open Sprint race was not the only event on the card at Ganmain. The Enticer race saw a record number of 60 individual competitors take on the course, as well as five teams. Nate Hamblin of Ganmain was the overall winner in a time of 32:16, kicking off his football pre-season training. He was followed home by Angus Swann and Bruce Tenhave respectively.

Backing up from Friday night football for the Lionesses, Prue Walsh was the first female home in the Enticer in a time of 33:21. Yvette Worner was second, with Melissa and Jillian Causer almost inseparable, battling it out for third place.

Team ‘Simon Lee’ were the victors in their category with the ‘GGGM girls’ taking runners-up honours.

The Junior event also had strong numbers, with 54 individual competitors and two teams participating. The event was won by Russell Jones of Wagga, who crossed the line in a time of 31:19. Harry Jones of Lockhart was second in a time of 31:37 and won his age category within the race. Cooper Higgins of Wagga was third in 32:45. Missy Worner of West Wyalong was the female winner (34:07), beating out her older sister Felicity (34:30). Third place went to Grace Smith of Narrandera (35:50).

The always popular Sub Junior race had a field of 43 contenders. Despite some mid-race confusion on the bike leg, it was a great contest. Not to be forgotten, nine walkers enjoyed the morning stroll around town.

Adding some healthy intraclub competition to the mix this year, the inaugural GGGMFNC Triathlon Club Challenge between the Lions and the Lionesses saw the Lionesses prevail.

It was a close competition, with a unique scoring system, however the ladies had it, thanks in large part to the bonus points for early entries. Theirs will be the first name on the perpetual trophy and they will retain bragging rights and the glory for the next 12 months at least.

The atmosphere on the day was incredible, as was the sportsman-ship, support and comraderie. Competitors pushing themselves and one another to finish, looking out for each others’ wellbeing and enjoying the sense of achievement when they crossed the line.

Well done to all competitors, supporters, sponsors and volunteers for coming together to make another memorable event.

This article appeared in the Narrandera Argus, 17 February 2022.