Close to 1000 triathletes braved heavy rain for the Standard Distance National Championships hosted by the Vodafone Dublin City Triathlon.
The morning saw waves of age group athletes take on the 1500 metre swim, 40 kilometre bike and 10 kilometre run with everyone putting in brilliant performances to make it through the testing course.
Following the mornings non drafting races it was onto the draft legal Cat 1 action where the country’s top athletes along with some international talent was on show.
With the swim playing a key role, U23 Elites Russell White and Chris Mintern made an early breakaway as they emerged from the water in 17 minutes 33 seconds. The duo worked well together throughout the 40 kilometre bike with four athletes in chase.
Once onto the run, Russell White managed to pull clear and the Banbridge triathlete crossed the line in 1:59:31 to claim his first National Title.
Con Doherty emerged from the water in 19:17 and found himself in the chase pack, however a 33:08 10 kilometre run saw him move into 2nd place to finish in 2:00:25. Cork man Chris Mintern came home in 3rd place in a time of 2:01:02.
The women were up next and it was Limerick’s Carolyn Hayes who led from the gun. Hayes put in a very impressive performance as she completed the 40 kilometre cycle alone with no one able to keep pace. She crossed the line in a time of2:16:46, delighted to retain her crown for the second consecutive year.
The race for 2nd was a much closer battle with Lynne Algar and Rachel Hawker entering the second transition together. Hawker pulled clear as Algar eventually suffered a DNF on the run, however Eimear Fitzmaurice was closing in fast having originally been in the third bike pack. In the sprint for the line, Hawker just held off Fitzmaurice for 2nd place, finishing in a time of 2:21:55 with Fitzmaurice less than a second behind in 3rd.
The race was a great success despite the challenging weather conditions with all the athletes putting in a huge effort in the drive for the finish line.