Fresh from representing Ireland at the European Mixed Relay Championships in Spain, Predator Triathlon Club’s junior racers will turn their focus to the latest leg of the National Junior Championships – but this time they will look to benefit from home field advantage at Loughrea Triathlon Festival.
Ten of the club’s underage triathletes competed in the senior and junior mixed relays in the Spanish city of Banyoles on Sunday, a massive achievement and a huge honour for the club.
As winners of the Irish qualifier at Lough Cutra Castle at the end of May, the Predator Triathlon Club junior team went on to the European finals, where they eventually finished sixth, while a second junior team, who finished runners up in the senior race in Gort, also made the cut.
The ten triathletes who represented the club at the European Championships were: Emma Boyle, Tiernan Burke, Cian Cloonan, Ryan Connolly, Molly Foley, Fabian Mangan, Ciara O'Boyle, Caron Ryan, Ben Ryan and Ben Vahey.
Chairman of Predator Triathlon Club, Finbarr Connolly, said it was a proud day for everyone involved in the club.
“I’d like to congratulate the ten junior triathletes from Predator Triathlon Club, who represented us with such determination and skill in Banyoles at the weekend,” said Connolly.
“The Predator teams had an amazing race and they all stepped up to the challenge with pride and conviction – such a proud day for the club.
“This is such a massive honour for Predator Triathlon Club that they young athletes have represented Ireland like they did. I wish them all the best for the remainder of the racing season. The club is very proud of them.”
The Junior Vodafone National Series winner is calculated from the four best sprint times over the summer’s racing, and with two Predator Triathlon Club members in the top three of the standings competition will be fierce on Sunday August 6th, for the Loughrea Triathlon Festival.
Current leader in the standings is Fabian Mangan (329.175 points), while clubmate and third placed Ben Ryan (235.485 points) will look to close the gap in familiar waters and roads.
Meanwhile, due to an overwhelming interest in the youth races (under 16s) of Loughrea Triathlon Festival, applications to race are no longer being accepted. There does remain places for the senior and junior (16 to 19 year olds) events, while the replay and para triathlon races also have some availability.
Just 100 race places remain still open for the senior sprint race, but considering most competitors leave it until the final week to put their name down, this year’s event looks like being a sell-out once again.
Competitors in the sprint event will be asked to complete the first leg of the race, a 750m swim in the crystal clear blue flag waters of Loughrea Lake, before they take to their bikes for a 20km cycle on the challenging route around the locality. The final leg of the race will be a 5km run on a closed circuit, whit the finish line at Long Point at Loughrea Lake.
To take part in the Loughrea Triathlon Festival, racers need to be the holder of a Triathlon Ireland racing licence – a day licence can be obtained at www.triathlonireland.ie – are required to wear a wetsuit for the swim leg, and the cyclist must have a roadworthy bike and wear a helmet.
Anyone interested in taking part can sign up at www.loughreatriathlon.ie or via Triathlon Ireland.
Predator Triathlon Club members and supporters pictured after competing at the European Mixed Relay Championships in Banyoles, Spain on Sunday last.
