The third triathlon event of the Riyadh Triathletes season was held at Ishbilia compound Friday last week. The race consisted of a 750-meter swim, a 20-kilometer bike ride and finally a five-kilometer run.
Due to the compound layout the bike ride was based upon a high-speed criterion style circuit where competitors had to repeat a tight, fast circuit nine times. This led to exciting racing with some competitors concentrating so hard on their cycling skills they lost count of the number of laps they had finished and then erred on the side of safety by completing more than required.
Due to the large size of the pool the swim event was held in only two heats. The top 10 swimmers all finished in under 15 minutes, with Antonio Castellanos (M-Open) the winner in a time of 00:12:41. Johann Fehringer (M-Veteran) came in second with 12:59, followed by Simon Chorlton (M-Veteran) in third, who has been a close podium contender in several previous events.
After a few quick transitions the cyclists raced out onto the compound roads to complete the technical race circuit, which required the navigation of both speed bumps and tight turns before being rewarded with a number of fast straights. First home and showing no signs of suffering from his Ironman performance was Gaeton Contrino (M-Veteran) in 33:29, with Nasser Al Mutrad (M-Open) in second place in a time of 34:57 and Fehringer dropping one position to third with a time of 35:02.
By the time the competitors had started the five-kilometer run the temperature had risen and the exposed route provided very little shade from the sun. First home again was Castellanos in a time of 20:10, with Contrino in second place with 21:39. Third place went to Dave Wright (M-Open) in a time of 22:43.
In the Category B event the battle for first place was again between Freda Gocian and Fiona Nichol. Nichol (F-Veteran) was first out of the pool, only three seconds ahead of Gocian. Gocian gained time back with the fastest “transition one” of the day, then increased her lead in her best discipline with a ride time of 40:39 against Nichol’s 41:14. Gocian’s bike-run transition of 20 seconds was also the fastest “transition two” of the day, with Nichol only eight seconds behind. Nichol’s winning run time of 29:20 was seven seconds faster than Gocian’s, but overall Gocian was able to take the top podium position by just over a minute.
The battle for third place in Category B was between Katerina Holeckova (F-Open) and Nikoll Carr (F-Open). Carr’s impressive swimming style enabled her to push ahead of Holeckova, but she was let down with a slower transition and bike ride. Although the second transitions were exactly the same time, Holeckva was able to hold Carr off with a run of less than 30 minutes.
Riyadh Triathletes would like to thank Ishbilia compound owners, Public Pension Agency and management, Rayadah Investment Company, for their cooperation and support in the organization of this successful event and also to regular sponsors Carrefour @5 Le Mall for their ongoing support and generosity.
Results:
Category A: 1st. Gaeton Contrino (M-V) 1:10:18; 2nd. Antonio Castellanos (M-O) 1:10;34; 3rd Nasser Al Mutrad (M-O) 1:14:38; 4th. Johann Fehringer (M-V) 1:15:23; 5th. Simon Chorlton (M-V) 1:16:37
Category B: 1st. Freda Gocian (F-V) 1: 25:47; 2nd. Fiona Nichol (F-V) 1:26:50; 3rd. Katerina Holeckova (F-O) 1:31:56; 4th. Nikoll Carr (F-O) 1:39:25)