A Sunshine Coast endurance event that attracted thousands of participants has received glowing praise from the two-time men’s and women’s winners.
Queensland’s Nicholas Free and Western Australia’s Kerry Morris claimed victories at the Mooloolaba Triathlon on Sunday, after previous wins in 2023 and 2019 respectively.
Free led from start to finish to cross the line in 1hr48min29sec, more than four minutes ahead of Jye Spriggs.
“It’s been a very happy hunting ground here over the past four, five years now and I love coming back each time,” he said.
“Living in Brisbane, being able to drive an hour to a race is just a luxury. You don’t even have to pack the bike, you just put it in the back of the car and you’re ready to go.”
Morris also led from start to finish, covering the 1.5km swim, 40km ride and 10km run in 2hr4min19sec, to finish seven minutes clear of Emily Donker.
“The support on course was absolutely phenomenal,” she said. “I feel emotional … the support and love from everyone was just incredible.
“This is one of the best races you can do in the world. I’ve travelled and raced around the world and the support you get here, and the professionalism of the race, is really up there.
“It’s been quite a journey coming back from two kids. I knew it would be hard, but it’s really been tough. But every good journey has highs and lows, so I’m going to enjoy this high.”
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Morris was joined on the finish line by her family, sharing a special moment with her two young children as she took the win.
“It means everything. I also had my husband and my dad and mum. It’s a whole team.”
More than 4400 athletes were registered to take part in the 34th running of the triathlon.
Participants also featured in a sprint triathlon, which consisted of a 750m swim, 20km ride and 5km run, on Saturday.
The Mooloolaba Triathlon is supported by the Queensland Government through Tourism and Events Queensland and through Sunshine Coast Council’s Major Events Sponsorship program.
Men’s top-5: Nicholas Free 1:48.29, Jye Spriggs 1:52.59, John Fothergill1:54.21, Oliver Hobson 1:56.19, Travis Coleman 1:57.05. Women’s top-5: Kerry Morris 2:04.19, Emily Donker 2:11.29, Lauren Sprague 2:12.05, Hannah-Lee Young 2:15.19, Alise Selsmark 2:15.22.
