Wind makes swim tough

The Busselton Ironman 70.3 was held on Saturday with athletes competing in a traditional triathlon-type race consisting of a 1.9km swim, 90.1km cycle, and 21.1km (half marathon) run.
Many competitors travelled to Busselton from interstate or overseas.
The start time was delayed by 30 minutes because of strong headwinds at the beginning of the swim leg.
Craig Alexander won the pro male group with a scintillating time of 3hr 49min 53sec. followed by Mike Phillips in second with a time of 3:51.14 and Matt Burton third with 3:53.08.
First for the pro women was Felicity Sheedy-Ryan with a time of 4:21.16 followed by Rebecca Clarke in second with a time of 4:27.46 and Emily Loughnan third in 4:31.48.
The 35-39-year-old age group winner Nera Jareb demonstrated an incredible fitness level for her age with a fifth placing in the overall women’s competitors with a time of 4:37.14.
Local favourite Kate Bevilaqua finished ninth with a time of 4:44.29 while Kevin McEwan won his division, the 30-34-year-olds, with a strong time of 4:09.33 in 13th place overall.
Iron Man Pro competitor Warren Millward said a tough current at the start of the swim leg made the event difficult.
“We knew it was going to be a tough day when the start was delayed due to strong winds,” he said.
“But once the swim was complete the ride was OK because there are not many hills and any ironman event is tough.”
Tuff’n’up teammates Elle Hughes and Anthea Brown said the event had been a tremendous success.
“It’s such an amazing event, we’ve really enjoyed the atmosphere and are looking forward to relaxing in Busselton now that the race is over,” Hughes said.
City of Busselton Mayor Grant Henley said the Ironman 70.3 had a long tradition in Busselton and this year’s event was a success.
“Traditionally the event brings 5000-6000 people to the city which sees around $3.7 million returned to the local economy,” he said.
He added that it had major social and health benefits and increased the city’s profile as a tourist destination.
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