Sharks Tri Club take out top spots and hit personal bests in Ironman
Some had never completed an Ironman before, others were veterans of the gruelling race but all the Sharks Tri team came home from last weekend’s Port Macquarie classic with a story to tell.
Redlands Coast
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They “dug deep”, conquered crippling pain and when the squad from Redlands Coast based Sharks Triathlon Club team all crossed the line in the Port Macquarie Ironman last weekend, they did themselves proud.
With times ranging from 9 hours 18 minutes to 16 hours 23 minutes, club member and Redland City Councillor Peter Mitchell said the event couldn’t have been better.
From the unique challenges of the course, set along Port Macquarie’s “spectacular waterfront, calm protected waters of Hastings River and riding along the Pacific Ocean,” Cr Mitchell said watching team members achieve their personal goals was a real highlight.
Competitors stared down a 3.8km swim, 180km bike ride and 42.2km run in Australia’s oldest ironman event held on May 5.
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Sharks Triathlon Club president Richard Cahill said the success of “all sharks finishing was testament to the support that each athlete and cheer squad offered each other during the long training months and over the event”.
“What a great community club,” Mr Cahill said.
One of the big highlights for the team and the event was to watch vision impaired triathlete Dean Cameron and pilot Darren ‘Tomsie’ Toms cross the finishing line.
“They’ve stayed tethered during the 3.8km swim, 180km bike and 42.2km run and there was not a dry eye in the stands when they finished a solid 12 hours 32 minutes,” Mr Cahill said.
“Another stand out show of toughness was from police officer Chris Hale. After a classy swim and bike leg, he battled sickness and dehydration in what was an inspirational show of mental strength in the run.”
Mr Hale finished in 13 hours 32 minutes spending three hours post-race in the medical tent.
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Completing his second ironman, Cr Mitchell said running side-by-side with club mate Shaun Nicholson for the final 42.4km was an incredible experience.
“Shaun is a first time ironman finisher who was blown way with the crowd support from club supporters and the whole Ironman family,” Cr Mitchell said.
Cr Mitchell gave a special shout out to his “triathlete wife Jane who blitzed her previous best time and smiled the whole way”.
Other inspirational performances came from Andrea Anderson who finished first in her group in 10 hours and 12 minutes.
Michael Whitehouse finished second in his age group in 9 hours and 18 minutes.
Both Andrea and Michael qualified for the World Championships in Kona, Hawaii.
Cr Mitchell said the Ironman was “an amazing personal goal for anyone that completes it”.
“The legacy for all is the confidence to know that you can set a big goal, have the discipline to put in the hours of individual hard work over long periods of time, and have the tenacity and resilience to overcome any obstacles personal or physical to get the job completed,” he said.
“If I was an employer, if someone has done an Ironman, hire them, you wont regret it.”
Cr Mitchell said the other legacy was completing the event with a club, a friend or spouse created lifelong “bonds of friends and respect that come from such a huge shared experience with such highs of joy and also of sweat and pain.”
“Every single competitor will have a support team of some sort who have given permission for their loved one to take on the challenge over the months leading to the event. Credit to these people is on every Ironmans mind.”
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